Paroxetine and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2018

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I started Paxil around 4 months ago. I started on 20 mg. The side effects were horrific, but I stuck with it. It made me sick, I was shaking, but all that didn't last long. I felt a difference after around 5 weeks. Then I increased to 30 mg after 2 months. The 30 mg honestly changed my life. I've gone from being anxious with anyone, including family, when talking to them, to being so much more confident and anxiety-free. I did up my dose to 40 mg, but it screwed everything up. I had increased anxiety, feeling sick, it was awful. Now I'm back down to 30 mg. It's honestly changed my life, and it was my last hope! I've tried every other medication out there. Stick with this, you will see a difference."

• n0t...
• January 12, 2011

Paroxetine 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

Paroxetine 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."

• Joe...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 1, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I have been on Paroxetine for 20 years and have felt very well. About 4 weeks ago, after severe backache, my anxiety came back again. My doctor told me to go from 20 mg to 30 mg of Paroxetine. So far, no improvement, and I am just hoping that the extra 10 mg will kick in soon and I can have my life back."

• Ada...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2023

For Panic Disorder "Paroxetine CR was prescribed for me due to recurrent panic attacks with anxiety and depression with recurrent obsessions. I started with 25 mg for a week, then 50 mg for about 5 weeks. At the beginning of therapy, I suffered from recurrent anxiety attacks with depression in the morning. After two weeks, my anxiety and panic attacks decreased gradually to a satisfactory level, but morning depression is still present. After five weeks, the depression decreased but was still annoying, with sleep problems. I asked my doctor about it, and he told me that it will disappear with time. I hope to return to my usual life with time, however, I am afraid of the withdrawal symptoms of the drug, but I will delay my fears to the future when I get improved."

• Vix...
• November 3, 2019

For Depression "I've been taking paroxetine 10 mg for 3 weeks now, and the side effects for the first week were that I was very, very sleepy, drowsy, jittery, and nauseous to the point of taking cyclizine, which had helped immensely. The other side effect, which I was going to quit paroxetine for, was the morning nervousness, jittery type feelings, and waking up early at 4 and 5 in the morning, and I can't get back to sleep. These still remain the same 3 weeks on, which is annoying, especially on days off from work. The nausea has gone, but the jittery, on-edge feelings are still there. I'm going to carry on and see how it goes. If no change after 2 months, I'll change to another antidepressant."

• Vix...
• November 3, 2019

For Depression "I've been taking paroxetine 10 mg for 3 weeks now, and the side effects for the first week were that I was very, very sleepy, drowsy, jittery, and nauseous to the point of taking cyclizine, which had helped immensely. The other side effect, which I was going to quit paroxetine for, was the morning nervousness, jittery type feelings, and waking up early at 4 and 5 in the morning, and I can't get back to sleep. These still remain the same 3 weeks on, which is annoying, especially on days off from work. The nausea has gone, but the jittery, on-edge feelings are still there. I'm going to carry on and see how it goes. If no change after 2 months, I'll change to another antidepressant."

• Saz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 27, 2021

For Depression "Paxil lifted my depression. I still have some anxiety. The thing is, with bad reviews, this medicine is not for people who are 'a bit miserable', it's for the treatment of a serious illness. It will not work unless you are sick. It lifted my debilitating depression, so I can function. I'm not jumping around with happiness, I'm functioning now."

• Med...
• January 12, 2012

Paroxetine 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

Paroxetine 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."

• Mon...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 21, 2019

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I’d like to share my opinion about this med. For me, it was a lifesaver. I was taking Paroxetine two times in my life. Every time, it worked amazingly. I didn’t believe it could help when I tried it the first time (I never tried antidepressants before), but it did help. Side effects for the first two weeks were bad - increased anxiety, derealization, nightmares, etc. After around three weeks, I felt better, and it was better and better with every week. I was happy again, and I could live my normal life. There were small ups and downs, but nothing really bad. I guess after a few months, I was completely stable like I never had anxiety. The only downside was constipation, and I put on weight about two to three kilograms, but it wasn’t a big deal really. I know there are people who don’t like this med, but I’d suggest waiting three to four weeks to find out if it’s for you. I’m currently on Escitalopram and it doesn’t work as well so far, and I’ve been taking it six weeks. So, it’s possible I’ll come back to Paroxetine."

• Chr...
• May 3, 2017

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Started working after 2 months. Before that, I was blushing, almost crying just from stress and panic attacks. I stopped it in the 3rd month. Now, after a year, I'm starting it again. It had great benefits."

• dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2022

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I took this drug for 3 months at a dose of 20 mg. At first, increased anxiety and insomnia for the first week. It actually lowered my social anxiety and negative thoughts, but also lowered my motivation level. I slept 12 hours a day, couldn't climax or cry. I decided that life without emotions is not life, and I went off the drug, which was also not a pleasant experience - I had to cut the pill into 1/8 parts."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2016

For Hot Flashes "I became extremely emotional, depressed, and anxious. Woke up throughout the night sweating and had nightmares when I did manage to sleep. This did not help my hot flashes. I couldn't tolerate it and immediately stopped taking it."

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

Paroxetine 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."

• Mom...
• October 6, 2017

Paroxetine 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."

• OCD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 14, 2013

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have been taking this medicine for 2-3 months now, and it has certainly noticeable improvement. It used to take me 4-5 hours on bad days to sleep in bed because I had to do a certain form of ritual. With paroxetine, my anxiety is reduced, and people who think it did not work should actually give an attempt to not repeat stuff and control, and then with the help of the medicine, you won't panic as we do while not on medication. Hence, they say behavioral therapy is a must with medicine. I hesitated to have a shower since my ritual was not completed correctly. With the help of my very loving husband, parents, and doctor, I am recovering. Some days are bad without medicine, but I am happier than before. Hopefully, I will overcome this one day."

• leo...
• September 26, 2010

Paroxetine 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."

• Joa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 24, 2018

For Depression "I was prescribed 30 mg paroxetine for major depression and anxiety. The first week was horrible, I never felt that anxious in my entire life. But then it started wearing off, and I started feeling normal again, just normal! And it was great."

• Dan...
• December 21, 2017

For Anxiety "I originally took paroxetine for anxiety. I was stressing out terribly. Couldn't go to school, church, etc. My doctor gave me paroxetine for it. This made it worse my first day taking it. It was a pretty good day. The second day, better, I was enjoying stuff and things were 'normal.' Eventually, on the third day, it was like everything overflowed. Worst anxiety, depression, everything. I know some might say it takes a week or two, but no, things got worse."

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

Paroxetine 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."

• tif...
• December 13, 2009

For Anxiety "I have been taking paroxetine for 3 weeks, and it has helped a lot. I could tell the first week! I had anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia, and it has helped in all areas. I even got my appetite back! Just trying to get back to 'normal' sleep pattern. My pharmacist told me about melatonin 1.5 mg at night, and it is helping as well. Good luck, and don't let all the negative stuff freak you out like it did me!"

• Anonymous
• October 23, 2009

For Anxiety "Paxil is a miracle drug for me. I would have panic attacks to the point I had a hard time driving. Thoughts of doom and panic would control me. This drug has relieved just about all of it. I have had 0 panic attacks. Although I still get some breakthrough anxiety, I can now enjoy my life due to this drug. I highly recommend it."

• Mar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 17, 2019

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "In short: Pros: Truly helped with my anxiety. Cons: Caused jaw clenching and nasty side effects when trying to quit. Here's the full story: I took Paxil and then the generic form, Paroxetine, for about 15 years. It worked wonderfully for my anxiety. I had some mild side effects in the beginning - sleepiness mostly (which was a good side effect for me). Once I was on it for a few years, I started waking with headaches and noticed I was clenching my jaw quite a bit. I got a dental device to help with the jaw clenching, which helped temporarily. Then I tried a lower dose, which helped for a while, but then my anxiety would get worse, I'd up the med and the clenching increased. Ultimately, I decided to switch to Lexapro, which I've been on for about 7 years now. Side effects of tapering off the Paxil were awful - major increase in anxiety, inability to sleep, and when I did sleep, I had very vivid dreams which exhausted me."

• Red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2016

For Anxiety "I used to take this drug when I had severe anxiety and depression disorder. My doctor changed my dosage as needed, and I took anywhere from 10-40 mg at a time. I eventually stopped taking it due to my serious side effects and was doing well until recently when I started taking 10 mg again. I started getting chest heaviness, numbness and tingling in my arms, hands, feet, and head. Leg pain at night. Back pain. Ice pick headaches, heavyheadedness, dizziness, weakness. Numbness in throat and trouble swallowing, complete loss of sex drive and unable to orgasm, and I think white vaginal discharge and severe anxiety. I find most symptoms are worse the first few hours after taking it. I don't know why it's doing this now and not before."