Paxil and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 4)

• sun...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 4, 2025

For Anxiety "At age 30, I developed severe anxiety, panic, and almost agoraphobia. I was put on Prozac, and it worked for almost 20 years. I regained about 70% of the life I once had. Could never fly again or drive long distances myself. But could enjoy most things, be productive at work, and have friends. I lived in my own small world. Prozac worked pretty well until one day it just stopped working. I then spent 2 years trying Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Celexa, and many other drugs, which made me worse. I found a new doctor, and he recommended Paxil. I started to feel better almost immediately. I was able to get my life back with no anxiety or panic. I would say I was 80% back to who I once was, but I gained 30 lbs (while exercising and eating healthy), more importantly, I was tired a lot, and my personality felt flat. My doctor suggested I wean myself off Paxil and try Viibryd 10 mg to start. My anxiety and panic have come back, and I feel racy and annoyed all the time. I am only on day 13 of Viibryd with no Paxil."

• Anonymous
• January 19, 2018

For Depression "Do not take this drug. I took it for six months. It causes E.D. After stopping this medication for three years and feeling fine, all of a sudden, my memory and keeping train of thought is difficult. Not to mention, the weight gain went from 160 lb to 200 lb, also, anxiety is worse than ever."

• Lel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2017

For Anxiety "WORST DRUG EVER! Side effects were body shocks, headaches, worse anxiety, etc. I only took it for three weeks, and it caused me to feel numb mentally and emotionally. Drove me nuts! So I went off it, and let me tell you... WORST withdrawals ever! Lethargy, bad thoughts, apathy, brain zaps, mood swings, depression, etc. Before you take it, which I DON'T recommend as there are other options, read stories about the withdrawals. There's so many lawsuits against it. Oh, and it induced a mania in me, and now I'm stuck on antipsychotics..."

• cup...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2018

For Anxiety "I was given Paxil for my anxiety and panic attacks. The first day I took this medicine, I was feeling great, then the past few days I have had really bad side effects. Headache, dizziness, feeling faint, very nauseous, and my anxiety and panic attacks came back with a vengeance. Severe anxiety and 3 panic attacks, not to mention it looked like I got sunburn, but it is another reaction to the medicine."

• n0t...
• January 12, 2011

For Depression "I've now been on Paroxetine for about 10 years for severe, chronic depression. I was on Prozac for roughly 15 years before it appeared to lose its effectiveness, so I was prescribed this instead. My initial dose was 40 mg daily. It was initially extremely effective as an anti-depressant, and I went from being hospitalized for a week every year for my own safety to 6 years without a hospitalization. Just a 'blip' in mood every year instead of a crash. However, I'm now on 80 mg, and the side effects at this dose are appalling: chronic insomnia, 100 lb weight gain, constant tiredness, muscle aches, migraines, memory loss, zero libido, and all-around apathy. Attempting to drop my dosage results in uncontrollable weeping, numbness, and terror."

• con...
• March 7, 2011

For Anxiety and Stress "Increased mine and my children's anxiety to the point we were violent with one another. I ended up on the psych ward and lost my home. I was a single mom of three with a 40-hour-a-week job. Was the third antidepressant we tried."

• Med...
• January 12, 2012

For Panic Disorder "I took Paxil for 10 years. Started on 20 mg and had intense anxiety, confusion, panic. Doctor insisted it was all in my head. Therapist told me to cut the dose in half. Felt somewhat better. Went up to 20 mg after a few months and began to get brain zaps. A close friend told me I had lost my personality. Slept 10-14 hours a night and frustrated my partner because of sleeping, no sex drive, and no ability to feel sexual pleasure. Effects of alcohol intensified-passed out from 2 drinks or became over-emotional. Tapered from 20 mg to 0 slowly over the 10 years. Each tiny decrease resulted in a ~2-week period of increased anxiety. I think overall it numbed the panic, but CBT therapy and getting older may have been more or similarly effective."

• Med...
• January 12, 2012

For Panic Disorder "I took Paxil for 10 years. Started on 20 mg and had intense anxiety, confusion, panic. Doctor insisted it was all in my head. Therapist told me to cut the dose in half. Felt somewhat better. Went up to 20 mg after a few months and began to get brain zaps. A close friend told me I had lost my personality. Slept 10-14 hours a night and frustrated my partner because of sleeping, no sex drive, and no ability to feel sexual pleasure. Effects of alcohol intensified-passed out from 2 drinks or became over-emotional. Tapered from 20 mg to 0 slowly over the 10 years. Each tiny decrease resulted in a ~2-week period of increased anxiety. I think overall it numbed the panic, but CBT therapy and getting older may have been more or similarly effective."

• Mom...
• October 6, 2017

For Postpartum Depression "The first week Paxil was great. I felt better, no more anxiety, and I felt happy and not stressed. But now, going on the 3rd week, I feel so sleepy, I have no interest in doing anything, and I'm jittery at the same time. I've never been not interested in doing house cleaning or going outside, but now I don't want to do anything but sleep."

• Lei...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2022

For Anxiety "I was on Paxil 10 mg for a total of five weeks after trying Cipralex and having horrific panic attacks and extreme exhaustion. The exhaustion was not bad with Paxil, but I continued to have panic attacks that would wake me up throughout the night and be so bad I would need to take Ativan almost every night. I reduced to 5 mg, and it was a bit better, but I still had insomnia and anxiety and frequent panic attacks. There are a lot of reviews on here saying you need to wait through some bad times until it gets better, but after five weeks, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore, and I was advised by my psychiatrist that I was probably not tolerant of SSRIs in general. To be honest, detoxing from Paxil after only going on for five weeks was worse than the actual time on the drug itself. I experienced increased panic attacks and overall anxiety, brain zaps, and terrible, terrible insomnia. Because my old insomnia and anxiety was why I went on a small dose in the beginning, it was terrifying."

• leo...
• September 26, 2010

For Depression "Worked great for my depression, at a low dose, for many years. They started me on a high dose, and it made me very anxious. Unfortunately, after being on Paxil for about 6 years, it lost its effectiveness within a week. I still haven't found a replacement for this."

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

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "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."

• Mer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2025

For Panic Disorder "I've been using this for nearly 7 days… I know I need time for a while, but for now, it seems to relieve my fast heart beating… No matter how difficult to cope with side effects like excessive mood disorder, lack of appetite, dizziness, and anxiety attacks sometimes, I will give it a chance for a while to see the exact solution… I hope it works…"

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2021

For Depression "Went off antidepressants a couple of years ago and decided to start taking them again for GAD, OCD, and depression. Doctor recommended 10 mg Paxil to start. Day 5 was one of the worst days of my life. I had severe, intense, and persistent anxiety for over 5 hours. It came out of nowhere, and deep breathing and distractions did nothing. The only thing that made it go away was 1 mg Ativan from the ER. Now, a week in, and waiting to talk to my doctor about changing the Paxil or adding something else for the anxiety."

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

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "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."

• tra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 26, 2012

For Anxiety "Changed my life. Confidence, weight loss, anxiety-free."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2014

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "My anxiety skyrocketed while on this medication so much that my doctor prescribed Xanax. I was terrified and unable to sleep for more than a couple hours."

• min...
• January 31, 2016

For Anxiety "Started 20 mg of Paxil 3 weeks ago after coming off Effexor. At the moment, I get a lot of anxiety throughout the day and sweating. Hope this starts to go soon as it's still very early days."

• 515...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2017

For Depression "I didn't like Paxil at all! This really made me feel like crap, and made my anxiety, depression, and really dark thoughts worse. Trying to get off of it was also rough."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2017

For Anxiety and Stress "I've taken this for 2 days, and my heart already races, and my anxiety is crippling. I already want off."

• yos...
• October 26, 2010

For Anxiety and Stress "Paxil increased anxiety and shakiness, and I experienced all of the side effects listed the first week I took it, and I was miserable."

• axe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2019

For Social Anxiety Disorder "Not for social phobia. Makes anxiety much worse. Nightmare. Couldn't sleep an hour after it."