Paxil for Generalized Anxiety Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

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

"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

"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."

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

"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

"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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

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

"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."

• Anonymous
• May 8, 2016

"I was dealing with anxiety in college my junior year, so I decided to talk to my doctor about it, and he prescribed Paxil. When I started taking it, my appetite increased, energy went down, my emotions were just monotonous, like I couldn't feel anything. I also gained 15 pounds in 4 months, which is not normal for me, especially since I had been working out and hadn't changed my eating habits at all. After being on this drug for 5 months, I am weaning myself off it, and I am feeling a million times better. I would recommend a different drug if you are having problems with anxiety."

• Dan...
• February 28, 2022

"I was on Paxil for many years and kept my anxiety stable while life was stable. I still couldn't get in an MRI or have dental work without sedation, I also have eye injections. I saw a psychiatrist who took me off it too quickly, developed tinnitus from the stress, and went onto sertraline. I came within a whisker of ending my life. Today I was put back on Paxil, it seemed the only option to keep me alive."

• alw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2021

"I was on Lexapro for about 8 years and was doing well until recently. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression. Lexapro had stopped working. I tried Zoloft, which made me super irritable and didn’t seem to help any, and then Buspar, which sent my panic and anxiety through the roof. I was then put on a low dose of Paxil, and it was horrible. (Severe stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, depersonalization, relentless brain zaps, mood swings, etc.) I know the initial side effects usually go away, but it was too bad I couldn’t even handle it. Everyone’s body is different, though! Some meds work well, and some don’t! I’m currently on Cymbalta, which usually gets a bad rap, and it’s been amazing for me. The day after taking it, my moodiness, brain zaps, and stomach issues were almost completely gone."

• Wor...
• November 4, 2015

"PROS: relieved GAD symptoms, rested better at night, generally in a better mood most of the time. CONS: gas, bloating, erectile dysfunction. Stopped taking the med 10 days ago, and the withdrawal symptoms are awful! Vertigo, electric shock sensations throughout my body, dizziness, mood swings, etc. Coming off this is like trying to break a coke addiction. Antihistamines help with the vertigo. 0.5 mg of Klonopin helps with mood swings. L-Tyrosine and P-5-P are helping also to control symptoms. Find an alternative medication. Dr. will not tell you how hard it is to get off this crap."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2021

"Paxil 30 mg got me out of an acute panic/anxiety period that lasted a few months and resulted in very bad insomnia. It took several weeks to work, but it was well worth the wait. Some side effects, but I'm happy to put up with them for the time being."

• Nel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2019

"I took Paxil years ago for GAD and MDD, and it made me mean. I went from extreme bouts of crying from being depressed to making others cry by being mean to them. I didn't realize how mean it made me until my boyfriend and my best friend told me that I needed to get off of it. I was put on Celexa instead, and it worked very well."

• Key...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 7, 2016

"February 2015, I had an overdose due to depression. I still haven't admitted I was depressed, but the anxiety is real. I couldn't go to class when I did go to school. My stomach would go crazy, and my mind wouldn't stop racing. I was then put on Paxil. I have been on it for a year and a half now, and I'm trying to get off it. Not that it isn't working for my anxiety, but my emotions are uncontrollable when I try to get off it, and when I am on it, I feel like I'm just going. I find myself looking back on a week and not remembering a time I took to just chill and think because Paxil thinks for me. I don't like that, so I am trying to get off it."

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2022

"20 mg daily. I took it for 4 months before changing to new meds. The first week (which I know is the most intense for all SSRIs) was just so hard. My jaw was shaking uncontrollably, I was extremely tired, and I would fall asleep almost anywhere. I had extreme anxiety and sweating. However, I spoke to my psychiatrist, who told me to continue as the side effects would subside. So I kept on, and yes, the side effects did subside, but 4 months in, I still felt extremely fatigued. I was a long-distance runner, and even going for a walk became a challenge for me. I would sleep 8-9 hours a night and still found it incredibly difficult to wake up, and I'd need a 2-hour nap in the day (thankfully I work from home). It was difficult for me to socialize, put on clothes, and perform other basic day-to-day tasks. My jaw was also still shaking, and in 4 months, I had gained weight (lack of movement, I assume). I do believe the anxiety subsided, but the side effects themselves gave me anxiety, especially the fatigue."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 16, 2021

"Before I took Paxil, I never knew what a calm mind felt like! I always felt as though instead of me controlling my thoughts, my thoughts would control me. I couldn’t stand another day feeling this constant apprehension, so I started on 10 mg and I started to feel a difference in my anxiety around week 3-4. Although my symptoms had decreased, I experienced a whole lot of side effects. To name a few: anhedonia, indifference (apathy), emotional numbness, derealization, depersonalization, dry mouth, diarrhea, low sex drive, increased appetite, changes in taste, yawning, drowsiness, mild sore throat, etc. I increased from 10 mg to 20 mg in order to treat the anhedonia, it did relieve it to an extent, but I then felt too apathetic. I went back down to 10 mg and eventually discontinued due to other lingering side effects. Although this medication did calm me down and reduce my anxiety, I’d recommend trying this medication as a last resort! Try Lexapro before trying this one."

• Joe...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 22, 2022

"I’m a 26-year-old male who is into fitness and bodybuilding. I’ve been on Paxil for 11 years now for anxiety and depression at the time. I recently tried weaning off it and had all the side effects everyone on here is talking about: brain zaps, severe anxiety, bad depression. I didn’t really know that was part of the withdrawal process, I just thought it was my depression. I was put back on it, and ever since I was put back on it, I feel small-boned, my joints feel small, I feel like my structure shrunk and feel sucked up. I went to see an endocrinologist. Please, if anyone else has anything that can relate to this or help, let me know."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2014

"Paxil is very effective. I struggled with anxiety for a year and Paxil is the only thing that helped."

• Jea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 7, 2024

"Just saved my life. From anxiety, major depression, OCD, DR/DS from anxiety. I love you, Paxil."

• Hap...
• January 29, 2009

"Paxil is the best thing that has happened to me. Sometimes I wonder if I could be too happy. It's great!"

• Wor...
• April 23, 2010

"I'm 15 and have GAD. It got so bad that I missed a month and a half of school in my freshman year. Paxil has helped me so much. I'm able to go to school and function normally."

• Tmv...
• November 24, 2016

"I started Paxil a month ago. I had no effects. I'm on 40 mg. It made me feel good, after two weeks, I was a lot happier."