Paxil and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• CJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2021

For Depression "I was prescribed Paxil because I was suicidal over having crippling insomnia. It worked beautifully to improve my mood within 4 days, however, I am (this is recent) 'wired' and can't fall asleep. I am going to stop the Paxil and try Trazodone and see if it helps. I LOVE Paxil as an antidepressant (I was on 10 mg), but it made me feel buzzed and wired and hurt my already bad insomnia. If you have no sleep issues and need it for depression and/or anxiety, I would give it a try."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 6, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I originally started at 20 mg. This dose was too much and had trouble sleeping. I went down to 10 mg, which is working much better for me. Unfortunately, I am experiencing a blood taste in my post-nasal drip. I have excellent oral hygiene, and this is not coming from my mouth. It is definitely from the throat. Not sure if anyone else has experienced this? The medication is working, but this side effect is gross."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• July 26, 2010

For Depression "I thought I needed an antidepressant, so I tried a couple. Paxil, for me, had terrible side effects. I felt like I was on speed. Had to eat every two hours. I could not go anywhere; always had to have snacks with me, and I lost weight even with the calorie increase. Insomnia was the worst. I could not even take 10 mg. I tried the medication for about 7 weeks and decided it was not for me and began a weaning-off process. Reduced to 5 mg for 1 week; this was the hardest and caused the most side effects, which included vertigo, nausea, and insomnia, which lasted about 2 days. Then I reduced to 2.5 mg for another week and a half. Stopped taking it completely after this and did fine with no side effects."

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2022

For Anxiety "I don’t even know where to start, really. I was afraid to get on Paxil at first, but someone said it was great. It helped so, so much with my depression. My anxiety was pretty much gone. I was so happy for that! However… it came at the price of me being a zombie. It’s not like I was tired, but mentally couldn’t get off the couch and do housework. I was bleh. I didn’t really want to sleep, I just couldn’t do anything. I hated it. My doctor is tapering me off of it, and I’m able to do stuff again. I felt like I lost my life for a week. And the insomnia! I slept 5 hours in 3 days!!! On the 4th day, I had to take a Tylenol PM to actually sleep. It’s a toss-up. Be happy and anxiety-free and be a zombie and not sleep, or be able to live your life. I chose to get off this and live my life. Now on to the next drug..."

• 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."

• Min...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2021

For Panic Disorder "Started on Oct. 14, 2021, to take Paxil 10 mg. I’ve been dealing with panic attacks since 2014, but never got medication for it till now. For the first week on it has been a rollercoaster. First 2 days I was doing fine, till Sunday I started to have a feeling of coldness in the back of my head that went down my whole body, palpitations, dizziness, and a headache. I got scared that I even called my mom. Those symptoms followed up the next day. Tuesday I felt like I was choking to a point that I had a panic attack. My body felt numb and cold. I was sweating a lot too. Thank God we got home. On Wednesday I felt emotionless and went to the doctor to let her know the side effects. She said they can put me on another medication, but I said no. I didn’t want to go through another symptom, so I stuck with Paxil. Now I woke up to shortness of breath and again had a panic attack. I felt chest pain, headache, and trouble sleeping. And I have the common side effects. Just hope for the best!"

• 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."

• B i...
• May 20, 2015

For Depression "This drug made me feel super high. I felt like I was on meth, couldn't sleep, and felt too intoxicated to drive. Quit after a few days."

• Kal...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 1, 2017

For Panic Disorder "I have buzzing in my ears, very annoying, also find it hard to sleep. Yet when I do sleep, I can sleep for 10 or 11 hours."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2022

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Do you like insomnia and constantly blinking like a crackhead? This drug is for you! Absolute trash!"

• 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."