Paroxetine for Panic Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Ret...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 27, 2014

Paroxetine "I've had severe panic attacks while primarily driving on interstate highways and through mountains for 30 plus years. I rarely have attacks driving on most other types of roads and conditions. I've been on Paxil for 5 years now, and it is truly a lifesaver for me. I choose, however, and contrary to most advice, not to be on it all the time as it does numb the senses. Twice yearly, I drive from Florida to Indiana and choose to take 20 mg/day for one month prior to my trip and 40 mg/day a couple of days prior to my trip. For the most part, I can drive successfully with no attacks. Occasionally, I will still have what I call a 'breakthrough'-sort of a rush sensation but not as severe as a panic attack. I have no problems coming off it."

• Anonymous
• November 16, 2011

Paroxetine "About 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder. After a year or so on Desipramine, my psychiatrist switched me to Paxil. I've been taking 20 mg/day for years now. It saved my life. About 10 years ago, after moving to a different state, I slowly weaned myself off Paxil at the suggestion of my former primary care physician. In less than one year, I started having panic attacks again. Long story short: I'm on Paxil 20 mg/day for life. It doesn't make sense to suffer with Panic Disorder."

• Toy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 7, 2022

Paroxetine "Paxil saved my life. I was on Buspar for almost a year after I randomly started having panic attacks regularly in March of 2021. I felt hopeless as it didn't work for me. When I transitioned from Buspar to Paxil, the first week was pretty rough. Uncontrollable crying, feelings of impending doom; it felt like a week-long panic attack. After that, though, I have been feeling much better. I've been on Paxil for 8 months now, and my panic attacks are pretty much gone. I do also attend therapy, though, and believe that is important as well. I don't have any negative side effects from Paxil. I did gain about 5 lbs, but I couldn't even eat before switching because I was always so anxious. It doesn't work for everyone, but for me, this was a miracle."

• Pax...
• June 24, 2013

Paroxetine "I've been on Paxil for 5 years, and it helped my panic attacks 100%. The good thing is that I can cope with the tremendous amount of stress I am under at work and home with my special needs son. I was going to a naturopathic physician, and the natural remedies worked for a while and then stopped. I couldn't sleep much for four months and kept jumping out of my sleep with massive panic attacks. I started out on 10 mg and now cut my pills in half (5 mg), and it keeps me panic-free. The negative side effects are sexual performance, weight gain, and I feel the medicine is aging me. I now have occasional head shaking that upsets my wife. She wants me to get off this, and I tried to a couple of times with a renewal of panic attacks."

• AJ ...
• October 4, 2016

Paroxetine "I'm on day 16 of Paxil 10 mg. For the past few months, I have suffered from increasingly more frequent panic attacks and got to the point where I was afraid to go more than 20 minutes away from my 'safe zone,' aka my house. After about 4 days of the medication, I felt my anxiety had worsened and almost quit Paxil about a week in. I'm writing this today, feeling almost back to my normal self, and that's a great feeling! Hopefully, the medication keeps working better 'til I'm at 100%."

• Anonymous
• June 23, 2011

Paroxetine "All I can say is that before I started taking Paxil, I had terrible panic attacks and was about to lose my job. I started to take Paxil 10 mgs a day, and I am here to say it works wonders. I have not had a panic attack since. Paxil has been a real lifesaver to me."

• Ner...
• July 27, 2014

Paroxetine "Paxil CR has made a great impact on my quality of life. I started menopause and was dealing with stressful family health issues, both beginning at the same time. I began to suffer from panic attacks and was overly sensitive to everything. I was taking Lexapro, which did not help at all. Paxil CR has been a godsend for me."

• Kay...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 8, 2019

Paroxetine "Due to a death in our family, I was put on Paxil to cope with the panic attacks that had started and was leaving me feeling helpless. I was working as a vet tech and had to keep my wits about me. Paxil was a lifesaver, as well as Xanax. Those two drugs saved me and my job. I just crossed the 6-week mark of being off of Paxil, and it is 25 years later!! It's possible to get off this drug, I am living proof. Xanax was easy to stop. Paxil... let's just say all the horror stories you've heard about coming off Paxil? They're true!!! But I did it."

• Yan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 24, 2023

Paroxetine "Paxil is a very good medication for generalized anxiety. As well as panic attacks. Downside is it will make you HUNGRY and crave food all the time. You will gain weight because you will eat, not from the pill itself. Second problem, it was extremely hard to taper off but I'm a hypochondriac and I fear side effects like the plague. If I could do it, you can too (please make sure you get medical/psych help while you do this). I still had orgasms if you worry about it, they were just harder to get but I was still functional. The downsides are nothing in comparison to finally being able to live a normal life! Drive a car and work! (Because I had insane agoraphobia I was stuck at home 24/7 panicking). I give it a 8.5/10"

• cla...
• December 28, 2008

Paroxetine "I've been on Paxil for about 8 years now. I take 10 mg a day. Paxil gave me my life back. I was incapacitated by fear before I started taking it. My panic disorder had progressed over 14 years to the point that I was afraid to go in other people's cars, to drive on the expressway, to fly in planes, of meetings at work, and the list goes on. Now, after 8 years, I am capable of doing all those things. I'm still not crazy about flying, but I do it. I don't think about what I'm afraid of all the time. It doesn't cross my mind anymore to be afraid, only rarely. The only downside is the weight gain and memory issues."

• Pam...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 12, 2017

Paroxetine "I started having panic attacks around age 19, and I was constantly heading to the ER, thinking I was gonna die. First, I was put on a low dose of Xanax, with only being told by the doc that I was just a little anxious. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my 3rd son at age 28 that my OB/GYN knew exactly what I needed and put me on Paxil. I remember after a couple of weeks of being on it, I woke up feeling like a normal person again. I actually noticed the sound of birds chirping outside instead of waking up in fear! I have been on Paxil now for about 15 years (I got off of it for about 4 years and stayed anxiety-free until I was robbed at gunpoint, and anxiety came back), and it has truly saved my life!"

• Zen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 6, 2016

Paroxetine "I was having panic attacks all the time, which morphed into a stressful state of depression. Yes, I was falling apart. I'd also lost a lot of weight, no appetite. I started on 20 mg, but wow, this stuff is strong! My pupils became super dilated, I looked like I was on MDMA. I moved down to 10 mg for a while, then worked my way up to 20 mg, then back down to 10 mg. I got almost every side effect in the book: constipation, bizarre dreams, sedation, sexual side effects, sleeping ten hours a night, then taking two-hour naps late in the day. BUT, the panic stopped! Wow, for the first time in my life, I could go to movie theaters and restaurants with no panic attacks. Gained weight back, it was great. Finally quit when my life was back in order."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 14, 2016

Paroxetine "I suffered with OCD and anxiety since I was a teen, but as I got older, I started to develop fears that were never there before, and panic attacks started to get more frequent. My doctor put me on Paxil, and within two months, I feel great, the anxiety is under control, and my OCD is gone with the fears it created. My side effects are about a 10 lb weight gain, and it takes me longer to reach an orgasm, which I consider a good thing, haha. I would recommend this to anyone suffering from anxiety and OCD."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 13, 2016

Paroxetine "I was diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder three years ago. I have tried every antidepressant out there. None ever gave me relief except for Paxil. I truly credit Paxil for saving my sanity and stopping most of my panic attacks. Although I still have anxiety from time to time, it is nothing I can't manage. I've been taking 40 mgs of Paxil for about 9 months. I finally feel like my normal self again."

• Piz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 18, 2015

Paroxetine "Paxil literally saved my life. I have been on Paxil since I was 26, and I am now 40. Out of the blue, I started having severe panic attacks. My psychiatrist gave me Paxil. From that day forward, I have not had any panic attacks. The only reason I gave this medication a 9 out of 10 is because I gained almost 100 lbs on it. I have since lost 50 lbs. It is a great medication for panic disorder; however, for depression, I would take something else."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 11, 2023

"I am not exaggerating when I say this medicine saved my life. I was having daily panic attacks that had me at my wit's end. I was taking Buspirone, and it was doing NOTHING for me. I finally told my doctor I needed something else, and he switched me to Paroxetine. I had a rough time for a couple of weeks while my body adjusted to the switch (probably should have weaned off Buspar), but after that, my panic attacks were few and far between. It's been a year now, and I finally have my life back. I can't believe how much I've improved. I could barely drive, sit in my office at work, or go to the grocery store without having a panic attack, and now I do all those things joyfully again. If you have panic attacks and need help just getting back to your normal self, I highly recommend this medicine. And therapy for the underlying thought patterns."

• pan...
• April 25, 2009

Paroxetine "Paxil completely changed my life. I could not go out because I feared everything. My panic attacks were the worst. After two weeks of taking the medicine, I started feeling so well I could not believe it."

• Dou...
• September 9, 2015

Paroxetine "I've been on Celexa for 3 years and just recently switched to Paxil. For the short time I've taken Paxil, I've noticed an overall improvement with my mood and willingness to go out and be social without having a few shots of whiskey to give me the kick I needed. I have a diagnosed panic disorder, which is anxiety on steroids. I'm not sure just how well the Paxil will work months or years from now, but I must say I'm feeling pretty good now."

• Ton...
• October 2, 2017

Paroxetine "There was a history in my family of anxiety and panic attacks, but I had never experienced it until I was 55 (3 years ago). When it hit me, it hit me hard. It truly was the worst experience of my life. I went from being Mr. Optimistic to worrying about every ache and pain in my body. It was a living hell. When my doctor realized what was going on with me, he put me on 20 mg of Paxil. I must say the first week on it was very difficult, but I believe it's because I wasn't told or didn't hear him tell me to take half a pill for the first week. After about 2 weeks or so, I woke up one morning and absolutely felt like I was on cloud 9. Not because it made me high, but because I felt normal again! I am now on 40 mg and still feeling great!"

• gyp...
• October 21, 2011

Paroxetine "I began taking 10 mg Paxil when I was 28 (I am now 38) for panic attacks and stayed on it for around 6 years. I felt so good on it that I felt like I didn't need it anymore, so I weaned myself off of it with no problems! After going through early menopause, my doctor put me on 50 mg of Zoloft, that worked well for my hot flashes and mood swings, but when I began having panic attacks again, the Zoloft did nothing. My doctor then increased the Zoloft to 100 mg, it did nothing for my panic attacks, only made me more nervous! I am now taking 20 mg of Paxil. I am here to say that it has only been one week, but what a difference a week makes! I feel like myself, only a little tired. I have no other side effects, and it gave me my life back!"

• Sam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 26, 2019

Paroxetine "This medication seems to work wonders for many people, but it's definitely not for everyone, and it's not the great and wonderful medication that doctors seem to believe it is. I was put on this medication in 2003 because my physician wanted to take me off of the 'evil' benzodiazepine I had been taking for years to help with panic attacks. My doctor also decided I was depressed, and since I had just gotten a divorce, I probably was. A few weeks in, I felt pretty good and was pleased except for gaining 20 lbs in one month. My doctor tested my thyroid, and there wasn't anything wrong with it, so I was told that weight gain is sometimes a side effect, but it would level off. By the time I was about 4 months in, I developed insomnia, by month 6, I was angry, smelly because I could barely get through a workday, bathing was overwhelming, as was cleaning my house. In the end, I was 40 lbs heavier and in a dark place."

• Anonymous
• March 17, 2008

Paroxetine "I didn't realize how much Paxil helped with my panic disorder until my doctor tried to wean me off of it (I am bipolar, and SSRIs can cause mania), but now after a couple of weeks of weaning, I am having severe panic attacks. So yes, Paxil does work for panic disorder."

• Anonymous
• January 9, 2012

Paroxetine "I first took Paxil in high school for minor depression, but weaned myself off of it in college. About a year later, I began having awful, day-long panic attacks, which caused me to take two months off from school. So back on the Paxil I went, knowing that I would probably be taking it for life. I have tried several other medicines as well, but they didn't work for me. Paxil is the only thing that makes me feel 'normal' and clear-headed. If I don't take it for a couple of days, I do start feeling a little light-headed and anxious, so I wouldn't ever quit cold turkey. I recommend trying a few different medicines if the first ones aren't a perfect fit, everyone is unique, and Paxil works for me."

• Cat...
• March 20, 2013

Paroxetine "Works good for disassociation and also anxiety and panic attacks, however, it has a lot of sexual side effects, as in your erections are gone, but also you won't be interested in sex. This was reversed for the most part (around 70%) after being off it for a year and being on Celexa instead. Celexa allows for erections, however, it lowers sex drive as well. Would always rather not be interested in sex than panic and fear-stricken, so I have to say Paxil worked."

• rox...
• December 13, 2009

Paroxetine "I suffer from an acute panic disorder, which causes me depression. Paxil is a great drug, along with my Xanax. I take 30 mg a day of Paxil in the morning and 0.5 mg three times a day of my Xanax. Without Paxil, I would have the fear all the time, even if I take the Xanax. This drug has saved my life, as most of us know that having a panic disorder with depression feels like you are crazy, yet we are not. I would recommend this drug to anyone who suffers from both depression and panic attacks. I also have agoraphobia, which means I cannot leave my house. Sometimes, of course, I have to, yet someone is always with me. It has been two years now that I have not gone out on my own because of my fears. I highly recommend Paxil to anyone. It works great for me."