Paroxetine for Generalized Anxiety Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Chg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2020

"Such a great drug! I was suffering with Effexor withdrawal, and my doc suggested paroxetine. Started 3 days ago, and the anxiety, depression, and withdrawals are better. So things are good and feeling calm and happy. Everyone is different, so don't give up."

• egy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2025

"My diagnosis is atypical depression, anxiety, and OCD. It works after 3 weeks. That's the second time to use Paxil CR 25. I will not stop it again, it helps too much, but it takes time. Don't expect good at first, actually, you can feel worse in the first weeks."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2011

Paroxetine "Paxil not only helped with panic attacks, it cured me of my fear of heights! The downside was the 40-pound weight gain over 3 months (exercise didn't help). Vivid dreams, and it took over 40 minutes to achieve orgasm (no complaints from the wife!),"

• Sch...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2017

Paroxetine "I've only been on Paxil for 8 days, but my side effects are minimal. I started on 5 mg and am moving to 10 mg today. Fingers crossed that this works. So far, this has been the best in minimal side effects compared to others I have taken."

• jil...
• November 28, 2015

Paroxetine "After a few intense months of panic and high anxiety, I finally was brave enough to try this medication. I have tried other SSRIs in the past, but usually found them very agitating at the 'normal' doses, so I have learned to start and stay very low. After a month of insomnia, I finally decided to give Paxil a try. I started at 2.5 mg. The first few days were fine, I felt sleepy and a bit lazy, but at least that was better than high-strung panic. At about a week, I started to experience some small benefits and some fairly harsh side effects (nausea, diarrhea, derealization, increased panic). At a month, much better, and I was sleeping well again. However, getting off this medication after 5 months was really challenging and uncomfortable."

• Kit...
• November 21, 2016

Paroxetine "Today is day three. I take 10 mg. I was told to take half a pill at night for seven days, then take the whole pill on day eight. I have to say, today is not a good day. I have been dizzy all morning. Will this ever go away? I am not feeling my best at all. When I take the pill, I am very dizzy before bed. Does anyone here have answers? How does this drug really work? I had a partial thyroid removal a year ago. I am constantly dizzy, my heart races, my pressure is up. Help anyone... Please."

• Ben...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 29, 2021

Paroxetine "Paxil works mediocre for anxiety, but the side effects are horrible. For anybody on this and wants to get off the drug, taper it real slow. My doctor said at 20 mg/day, I could go cold turkey. I think I felt as if I was getting off heroin, horrible 2 weeks. Try something different if possible, the side effects are worse than the disease."

• Bec...
• August 8, 2017

Paroxetine "I was prescribed this medication for anxiety, and it worked. I had panic attacks on the NYC subway before taking the medication, but when I was on it, it really helped me to gain a normal life. I was on it for about 8 months, then my doctor decided to take me off it because my life became organized. That was the worst experience ever. Coming off Paxil was the hardest thing ever, and I recommend when you come off it to taper down very slowly because it just was absolutely hell. This drug does help, but it's addictive and hard to come off. Also, I gained about 30 pounds on it. I'd recommend the medication if you are having panic attacks, but for general anxiety disorders, I would ask to try something else before Paxil."

• Spe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2022

"Finally, at 30 years old, I can live my life. Paroxetine saved me after battling generalized anxiety disorder for 18 years. Talk therapy only does so much. I strongly recommend anybody suffering from OCD or any kind of anxiety to take an SSRI! Trust me, it works."

• Ama...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2023

"Since I started taking paroxetine, I’ve become outgoing, less stressed, less neurotic, and happier. My obsessive and intrusive thoughts calmed down drastically, and I’m now able to sleep well. It really changed my life to be on this medication, and people around me have noticed the change, and they feel happy for me. Downside is I often feel like sleeping and need lots of rest, but it doesn’t affect my daily functioning. I just need to rest more, and then I’m back to normal. Also, I’ve experienced blurred vision and nightmares, which I will talk to my doctor about. Other than that, it suits me perfectly."

• KTa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 9, 2019

Paroxetine "If you are handed a prescription for this, please do your research first. Unfortunately, I started taking this as I was desperate to get my anxiety under control, and my GP didn’t want to prescribe me Valium anymore, so I thought, why not? After one year of being on this, I have gained almost 20 kg. I eat well and move around a fair bit, but the weight just keeps on coming. It did well for my social anxiety, that’s because I didn’t want to leave the house embarrassed with how much weight I had gained. Now, I am weaning off from 40 mg and am on 10 mg with the hope to be off completely. Withdrawal symptoms are comparable to having the flu tenfold. Detached sense of reality and agitation that normally wouldn’t be there. Even the sound of someone coughing is making me angry. Heightened sensory disturbances and insomnia have also come along. Avoid if you can. There are better SSRIs out there if you need some help. This stuff is awful."

• Kin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2014

Paroxetine "Was on it and later Remeron for 3 months. Remeron was a near-instant help; Paxil did some good things. Apparently, a great anxiety med. Effects didn't really last, and I got anxious/depressed to a large extent. Went off and had a hard withdrawal."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 20, 2021

Paroxetine "I have been on Paxil for probably a year and a half now, and while it does cause some problems (sexual dysfunction, weight gain, bouts of depression, acne, dry mouth), it has really helped with my anxiety. I had really bad anxiety to the point I would hear things and see things. I felt crazy all of the time and almost had to be committed to a mental health hospital. But Paxil really helped for all of those thoughts to go away. Yeah, I have some side effects, but what do you expect? I would much rather have the side effects than feeling crazy all the time and being scared constantly. I give it an 8."

• Ble...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 25, 2024

"I’ve been on this medication for 5 years now, and it’s helped me so much. Started with 10 mg and got up to 40 within 3 months. Was also prescribed Klonopin at the same time to help with panic disorder, and increasing my dose of Paxil helped taper me off the Klonopin. This was the first anxiety medication I’ve ever tried, and I’m glad it helped immediately because I’ve heard of people trying multiple medications before finding one that worked. Some side effects I noticed when first starting the medication were nausea, headaches, and feeling tired all the time, but that wore off within 2 weeks to a month."

• Tra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 28, 2021

Paroxetine "Paxil has been life-changing for me dealing with my generalized anxiety disorder. There was a point in time where I couldn't drive without getting a panic attack, after years on Paxil, I barely even think about it when I get in my car. One thing that surprised me to learn is that Paxil is an antidepressant. I always figured Paxil was essentially a depressant with the way that it treats anxiety symptoms. Personally, for me, Paxil does nothing for my depression. Given the choice of treating my anxiety or depression, it's a very easy decision. My depression ranges from mild to average, makes it difficult to be interested in things, get out of bed in the morning, interact with friends, etc. My anxiety makes it almost impossible to live a normal life. I would definitely be interested to know if there's something that can be paired with Paxil that doesn't affect its ability to treat anxiety but helps with depression."

• Anx...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 24, 2021

Paroxetine "I took this when I was younger for extreme anxiety, and it really gave me my life back fairly quickly. I found the sexual side effects tolerable when I was younger, but as I got older, not. Getting off it was crazy, I felt brain zaps and a feeling like I was dropping on an elevator. It took weeks before these feelings went away. My sex life was never the same, although it did come back to near normal. Citalopram is better for me."

• PAO...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 27, 2016

"I love this med, although at first, like the first, I felt like a zombie, no emotions whatsoever. It was like numb feelings-wise for a day. As time passed, my med helped my insomnia significantly. The insomnia had affected my mood, which caused me to have crying spells. Paroxetine definitely helped with these spells. Recently, my dad passed away, and my mom was scared that I would have a bad crisis, but all I have is the normal grieving process. Thank goodness because my mom needs me strong."

• Azd...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 9, 2019

Paroxetine "I was taking Paxil from 2004 to 2009 in Canada, and it was an amazing drug. Then, when I came home to my country (Morocco) in 2009, I couldn't find Paxil here, just the generic. I have tried a lot of generics, and nothing helped."

• sta...
• March 5, 2009

Paroxetine "Taking 20 mg. Thought it was starting to help at about the 2nd to 3rd week, but now my anxiety is back. Also have faintness daily. Don't know if it is from the Paxil or the anxiety, but it started the same time I started the Paxil."

• Ell...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 9, 2024

"I love this drug. I was on it for 9 years, and I got weight gain was slightly less creative and my sex drive was slightly lowered. BUT, My anxiety went away completely and my OCD repetitive thoughts stopped. I went off it completely after tapering slowly, the withdrawal was extremely difficult - if you do this make sure you have support. I went off it as I wanted to see how I would be. I ended up needing something again and went on Lexapro as it’s more common - this reacted horribly to me. I am now just starting back on Aropax and I already feel relief from my repetitive thoughts after day 1."

• Bbb...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 3, 2020

"I used to take escitalopram, but after 4 years, my anxiety returned. So I was prescribed paroxetine. The first 3 months were not good, it caused me panic attacks and depression. But I knew it would eventually stop. And it did. Now I feel extremely stable and very pleasant, sleeping is great. I strongly recommend it, but beginning this drug is for strong people."

• hap...
• February 29, 2012

"I have been taking 25 mg of paroxetine for 5 years and have had 1 panic attack and basically no more anxiety. My overall mental and physical health has increased dramatically due to paroxetine. It takes around a month to take full effect and side effects slowly disappear. Go get a gym membership and work out 3 to 4 days a week, be conscious of what you eat and your quality of life and overall happiness will return."

• 101...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2017

"I take Paroxetine (Paxil) 10 mg/day. I have anxiety, OCD, and I suffer from daily migraines. Paroxetine has cured me of migraines. When I started the medication, I noticed after only the 2nd day I wasn't getting headaches. I have also noticed an increase in my general well-being, feeling a lot happier and more confident. It has helped tremendously with my OCD, and I have less anxiety, although it is still there. It's not as severe, and I have not had any panic attacks. I also haven't noticed any side effects, which is rare for an SSRI drug. I'm still early on the medication (only 1 month), so although migraines and OCD have improved, I think I'll see an even better improvement in anxiety as well over time."

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2015

Paroxetine "I've been on Paxil for about two months. The first two weeks I was on 10 mg, and I could feel a big change. My pupils would dilate huge, which I read was because my brain was finally being flooded with serotonin. I actually would relate the side effects I felt as similar to MDMA (I spent from 19-23 as an avid drug user...have been clean now for 4 years). I felt awesome, but it didn't last. Two weeks in, my doctor increased my dose to 20 mg. Since the increase, the 'good feeling' has kind of gone away. I feel how I did before I started Paxil, PLUS it's hard to think clearly & feels like something is pressing on my chest at night. I have absolutely no sex drive and have lost more than 20 lbs due to not eating. It's done nothing for my anxiety yet."

• Eri...
• August 31, 2016

Paroxetine "I was prescribed Paxil CR 12.5 for GAD, which was mostly situational. I cannot tell you how awful of an experience it was for me. My anxiety went through the roof to the point I didn't want to leave home, which is not like me at all. I became very depressed, which I wasn't to start out with. Crying uncontrollably. Pacing and restless, could NOT sit still. Went from 140 pounds to 124 in 3 weeks. No appetite, intrusive/racing/all negative thoughts, couldn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a time, paranoid, confused, no concentration, no motivation, sweating, constant diarrhea, jaw clenching, stomach pains, body aches, dry mouth, yawning, and dizziness. After 25 days on this med, my doctor pulled the plug because I was better before it."