Paxil for Anxiety and Stress User Reviews (Page 3)

• bla...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 28, 2016

"Yeah, Paxil definitely saved my arse, really. I tried Prozac first and went totally off the rails with anxiety, and 2 days on Paxil, and I slept and knew that it was the one for me. I am a fool, though, because I keep trying to come off it, because it works so well for anxiety. I have been reduced to 10 mg from 20 and have been enjoying that, but noticed that my mind fluctuates between optimism and pessimism really quite quickly. The mind is a strange thing. Anyway, it keeps me grounded, no panic attacks, no anxiety. Amazing how we all react so differently to these various SSRIs. Pity about the sex drive with Paxil. I fall in love still, but I don't have that physical thing going off like people off antidepressants do."

• cob...
• April 2, 2009

"I've been taking Paxil for 3 years. It has been the only medicine that has given long-term relief from anxiety and stress, and occasional depression. I've had no drastic side effects to speak of. I take 60 mg/day."

• DWh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 27, 2015

"I had a headache 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a little over 4 months. I saw a neurologist who told me that it was tension causing my headaches and that it was all in my head. He put me on Paxil, and it was, without exception, the single worst experience of my life. I had never been depressed before, never been diagnosed with anxiety, and nothing to suggest any mental health issues whatsoever, and I was prescribed Paxil. This drug nearly killed me. As I said, no history of mental illness or suicidal thoughts in my entire life, and when I was put on this drug, it made me feel suicidal. I felt like I was better off dead than alive. I was only 15 years old at the time, I'm now 16. I don't think you should take this if you are under 18 years old!"

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2010

"Works great to keep me from being anxious. I take 40 mg daily for the last 5 years. The only thing I don't like is the weight gain, and I need lots of sleep. My leg also jerks when I sleep. Until I read the reviews, I didn't think about Paxil causing it. It also keeps me from getting really angry easily. If I miss doses, my family knows it immediately because I get very emotional, weepy, or angry."

• Byr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2018

"Second time trying Paxil. First time it worked within a few days, had some side effects, but helped with my panic attacks and anxiety. I felt better after a couple of months, so I got off. So now, I'm having bad anxiety again, along with panic attacks. My doctor put me back on Paxil at 5 mg for 2 weeks, then wants me to increase to 10. This time, really bad side effects, dizziness, and panic attacks are worse than ever after taking for 5 days. But... in between, it is helping with my anxiety and panic, so I am going to stick it out and see if these side effects will stop."

• 42a...
• February 26, 2017

"It worked, a little too well. I became indifferent to everything. Inside, it was like a part of me was screaming, but my whole body and 90% of my brain just did what it needed to. I am normally a goofy, fun-loving, hyper personality. I do get bouts of seemingly unshakable depression and anxiety, but while on this medication, I noticed a change in myself... beyond the tunnel vision and kaleidoscopic hallucinations I had when waking up in the middle of the night... every night. The final straw was seeing my now wife, looking like she lost her best friend, as I just wasn't myself. I stopped taking the medication, and within 2 days started singing to her again, and nothing brought a smile like that to her face until we said 'I do'."

• Pan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2016

"Had a severe reaction to this medication on the first dose, including waking in the middle of the night dizzy and disoriented, proceeding to vomit repeatedly, numbness in fingertips and gums, severe chills, and then soaking in sweat, and difficulty speaking. Took a trip to the ER. I am sure that it works for some people, but the side effects can be very scary. Make sure someone is aware you took it and keeps an eye on you. It is very unlikely you will have a reaction like I did, but having someone in the know will save you some trouble if you do have a bad reaction."

• Anonymous
• August 7, 2010

"I completely stopped having panic attacks after taking this medication for a few months. I had become housebound by several debilitating panic attacks every day. I have been on Paxil for close to a year, and it is still working. Side effects I experienced were bruising for the first few months. I also experienced numbness and tingling (my arms and legs started falling asleep all the time). I began taking magnesium supplements, and the tingling stopped. I am still experiencing weight gain and tiredness and constant yawning, as well as decreased focus and memory. I am also unable to orgasm, which is strange for me because I used to be able to reach orgasm very easily. Overall, I can work and live again, so it's worth the side effects."

• KKC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2015

"I took the lowest dose, 10 mg. The first two days were great, I had zero anxiety and felt okay with no side effects but slight lightheadedness. The third day... I was putting on my makeup just before work, and all of a sudden, my pupils got huge, and my heart started beating a mile a minute. This calmed down but happened again five minutes later. It started happening every 3-5 minutes, and then my chest, feet, and armpits started burning. I started having a panic attack because I was so afraid of what was happening. I couldn't see right anymore, and I was very dizzy. On the way to the hospital, I thought I was going to die. My side effects were so severe. This happened for two days after. Doc flushed it out of my system. Beware of this medication."

• Rot...
• January 25, 2020

"I have taken Paxil twice. Once in my twenties, and I'm currently on it again in my early 40s for different reasons. Having gone through the withdrawal before, I can tell you that it is difficult, and you should not do it without being under the watchful eye of a Dr. My main side effect is sexual, which in my 20's worked well. Now that I'm older, the delay in ejaculation is fine, however, the lack of feeling isn't great. Normally, you can feel the semen rising up through your urethra, but on Paxil, you can't. It still feels good to orgasm, but not the same. After I got off of it last time, I became so sensitive that two thrusts and I would explode. Not good for the ladies, although my wife always said she didn't care. At this point, my agreement with my Dr. is that I'm going on the drug for a short period and will begin my tapering again soon. I will say that this does keep me from getting aura migraines, and it is wonderful not to have those."

• tri...
• March 22, 2013

"I was able to cope with people better, and it eased me from flying off the handle. The downfall was when I owed my Dr. money, and she refused to refill. The withdrawal is terrible, and now I am back to the anger issue."

• Sor...
• March 17, 2015

"I have been on Paxil for 18 years now. Within the last seven years, I have developed severe muscle tightness. I go to a massage therapist and chiropractor every two weeks. This helps sometimes, other times, I'm still in pain. I'm going to see a rheumatologist next week who thinks I might have an immune disorder since I was just diagnosed with Raynaud's in my toes. Paxil has helped my anxiety, but sometimes I feel like I have no emotions and don't react to things that I should be. Which is good and bad. Take care of yourself, if you're not feeling well, see if a different medication works or different alternatives! It just took me 18 years."

• Deb...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 10, 2022

"I have been on Paxil for about 5 years, and other than weight gain, I have nothing bad to say about it. I recently had to increase the dosage to 30 mg daily due to higher depression and anxiety, and it helped a lot."

• Anonymous
• September 2, 2010

"I am so happy to have found this board. These success stories are amazing. I've been taking Paxil for about 2 weeks and 2 days and have experienced some tough side effects, lots of trouble sleeping, headaches, mood swings, but it seems a lot of people seem to really do well after getting through those first few weeks. I think I want to try and stick with this. It's also helped ease a lot of pain and stress I experienced from a brutal gallbladder surgery."

• Big...
• August 22, 2015

"I was having trouble with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculating. I thought it was either my blood pressure or diabetes, so I went to the doctor, and I didn't my BP was normal, and tests showed that I didn't have diabetes. I was prescribed Viagra months earlier, but I stopped taking it because it clogged my sinuses. Then my doctor prescribed me 20 mg of Paxil, and it's been a lifesaver. Not only does it take seconds to get an erection, but I am able to maintain it longer than I have been able to for a while. I have not experienced any side effects."

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2009

"I have been on Paxil for 5 years now. It has done wonders up until I had a baby a year ago, and I just don't think it's working anymore. The only thing I hate about this drug is weight gain, but other than that, it has been a lifesaver for me, and I would recommend it to anyone."

• Nic...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 22, 2021

"Been on Paxil with Wellbutrin since early 2000. When I've tapered down below 10mg/day, it usually ends up with me needing to up the dosage to 20mg for a while, following which I tapered back to 10mg. At 10mg, the sexual side effects are less troubling. My doctor added a low dose of gabapentin to my daily Paxil/Wellbutrin regime, and it's been helpful. All in all, I'm very happy not to be the person I was before my anxiety/depression diagnosis when I started Paxil. Has it been life-changing? Yes, and in a very good way. It just works for me."

• Anonymous
• March 5, 2013

"Paxil worked well for the first few months and then stopped. My doc upped my dose, and the same thing. I took it for 6 months, from half a tab to two tabs a day. I gained 15 lbs and became more depressed and lazy to the point that I wouldn't get out of bed. I also had side effects of agitation, vivid dreams, and problems concentrating. It did not work great at first, but it is not for me."

• Anonymous
• November 24, 2009

"I have been on Paxil for 3 months and have gained 6 pounds. Doesn't sound that bad, except I've been going to the gym like crazy to counteract this side effect, and still the scale keeps creeping up. I have almost zero interest in having sex, and when I do have sex, I cannot have an orgasm. Any interest in sex I do have is counteracted by the fact that I feel gross having gained extra weight. If I were single, I might not mind the sex issue as much, but if you are in a relationship, I would consider a different drug."

• Nik...
• August 31, 2010

"I have been off and on Paxil about 3 times in the last 2 years. I start on 20 mg and am told the first week to start with a half a pill once a day. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and mild anxiety. I could not stop yawning. I felt tired all the time. I didn't notice any weight gain like others that have taken the medicine, but I could not deal with the extreme euphoria. I felt like I was floating through life in a bubble, if that makes any sense."

• Cra...
• December 31, 2016

"At first, I loved Paxil because I wasn't crying all the time, but even as I'm writing this, I feel like there are sprinklers going off in my head. I'm always forgetting things, 0 sex drive, either I'm in a euphoric state of mind or completely absent-minded. I constantly feel stoned (and not the good kind). I just started a new job, and I can hardly focus."

• Pin...
• July 30, 2017

"Taken off Escitalopram 10 mg, which I was on for years, and put onto Paroxetine 20 mg for generalized anxiety and sleep disorder. Experienced terrible side effects-dizziness and almost fainting, headache, tingling extremities, nausea, weight loss. I was feeling like a whole different person in general. But nothing was worse than the withdrawal effects. I basically felt like a walking dead person-all of the above plus severe flu-like symptoms-I literally couldn't leave bed for days. Took a couple of weeks to feel good again, but had to start taking Escitalopram again to get there."

• FR3...
• March 28, 2017

"I used to be on 20 mg Aropax for 7 years for my borderline personality disorder, social anxiety, anxiety, and depression. I used to self-harm and not be happy. I was always hospitalized and going down a destructive road. Other medicines made me worse, like Cipramil, Zoloft, and Valium. Aropax did not make me 100% cured but helped me deal with everyday issues better. I still find that you need to practice mindfulness techniques and practice cognitive behavioral therapy. This drug is only if you have severe depression and anxiety and find it difficult to use standard coping skills. I was off Aropax for 3 years and coping well, now I have had a relapse and anxiety worse than ever. I am now back on it for 3 days, hopefully, it will work soon."

• Maz...
• January 16, 2017

"I was given 12.5 mg of generic Paxil 5 days ago. My anxiety started to manifest itself with uncontrollable crying. While it has been only 5 days, the crying has stopped. So I'm happy with that. However, I am experiencing side effects: lightheadedness, pinprick feelings in arms and legs, some joint pain, lower back pain, and lethargy that makes me feel like doing/caring about nothing. Because the side effects come and go, I'm willing to wait it out to see if everything mellows out."

• wor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 12, 2019

"If you are male and over the age of 40 and have any sex drive, stay away from Paxil. It is male birth control. It is the worst medicine to get off of. It took me 3 weeks of weaning with smaller and less each day to get off it, and it didn't do anything to control depression or anxiety. I don't know why I took it almost a year before I said NO MORE. I could still kick my doctor's behind for talking me into trying it."