Paroxetine and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 5)

• hls...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 9, 2022

Paroxetine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "There are a lot of negative reviews of Paxil floating around in cyberspace, but I can confidently say that it saved my life. Eight years ago, I was going through an incredibly stressful period, resulting in a nervous breakdown. I had always been an anxious person, but my OCD became unmanageable at this point. I was suffering from violent intrusive thoughts and lived in a near constant state of panic. My mother had been prescribed Paxil for similar issues, so with the help of my psychiatrist, I decided to give it a try. Within weeks, my intrusive thoughts had lessened, and I felt true peace for the first time in months. I remained on a tiny dose of 10 mg for seven years until recent circumstances required me to switch to Zoloft. However, I am actually thinking about going back to Paxil at some point as I prefer its more sedating effects. The only reason I'm not rating it 10/10 is because of the side effects: I did experience a significant decrease in my sex drive and gained some weight."

• blo...
• July 25, 2019

Paroxetine for Depression "I have depression with anxiety on top. Paxil did help calm my anxiety but also made me very lazy and lethargic and didn't really help the depression totally. + weight gain + zero libido and no ability to orgasm, no sensation at all. So my overall quality of life didn't improve as much as I would have liked on this med. I feel like this might be a better med for just anxiety than depression for some people? But try something else first if you can. This is the worst medication for sexual side effects I've tried."

• Mar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 24, 2015

Paroxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "I tried Paxil in 2000 when I had unstoppable panic attacks. I had been dealing with anxiety all of my life, and those years I had constant panic over a teen addict and a son with learning disabilities and marital issues. This was the first time I had ever taken an AD. The very first day I felt relief from it. However, looking back, the start-up dose of 20 mg caused me to be a bit withdrawn and weirdly unresponsive to my family after that first day. As time went on, though, I began to feel much better and happier. I will say the dose was probably too high, as I did make some regretful decisions from not thinking things through. I gained several extra pounds, and I 'thought' I had sexual side effects; it could have been situational. Not well since stopping."

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

Paroxetine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Took this drug for around 6 months for severe OCD, as well as panic attacks and depersonalization, and it helped a lot. Got my anxiety and obsessive thoughts under control and made it easier to deal with them. There were plenty of side effects, such as sexual dysfunction, weight gain, increased apathy, drowsiness/tiredness, etc., however, most of them have subsided after quitting the drug, and the withdrawal was not that bad either because I tapered slowly."

• Ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 26, 2017

For Panic Disorder "I've been on Paxil for about 6 months now. It helps a lot with anxiety, although it isn't gone completely. I honestly feel like the longer I take it, the more it helps. Even after 6 months, I still think my anxiety is improving. I tried Buspirone before Paxil, and it made me feel too uncomfortable to continue taking. Pros: Haven't had a panic attack in a long time, anxiety is about 90% better. Cons: constipation, harder to orgasm (these started out bad and slowly seem to be getting better). I've gained about 5 lbs so far, but my appetite has really picked up. I will probably end up gaining more. Lots of reviews say it is very hard to quit. I have not tried to quit yet."

• DDa...
• August 8, 2019

Paroxetine for Social Anxiety Disorder "My review is kind of short and sweet. I've been on Paxil for about 10 years. No sex drive at all, still anxiety, but a few weeks ago I had forgotten to take it for about 4 days, cried uncontrollably until I realized. Is this drug just suppressing my feelings deep down? Maybe that's why I still have extreme anxiety? Just a thought."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2009

Paroxetine for Depression "I've been on Paxil CR for about 4 months now. I would highly recommend it. My doctor decided to put me on it immediately after my suicide attempt. Today I feel great, have stopped crying, and my suicidal thoughts are gone. Only bad side effect is my lack of interest in sex."

• Tha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started using paroxetine in 2018 because I had many depressive symptoms (low mood, anxiety, stress, loss of pleasure). Nowadays, I take 40 mg daily, and my depression is under control. This medicine worked great for me. Every drug has its side effects, so paroxetine would not be different. I gained some weight and noticed less sex drive. However, I use ginseng, which is a stimulant herb, and I got my sex drive back. I recommend this drug if you are depressed. Remember: always talk with your doctor to choose the best option. Stay safe and take care of yourself."

• Sam...
• August 1, 2021

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "The best anti-anxiety medication I’ve ever had. It takes several weeks to notice improvement. I start this med on a 1/4 20 mg tablet, increasing by a 1/4 after 4 days, and again until reaching 1 and a half tablets (=60 mg). If anxiety increases (about a week in), I also have a 2-week course of Clonazepam as a bridging medication. I don’t take any more clonazepam as it is addictive. By then, the paroxetine is taming down the anxiety anyway. Eventually, at 6 weeks, anxiety and panic are easy to manage. By 8 weeks, it is non-existent. After 6 months, I ease back little by little to 3/4 of a tablet (=15 mg) and stay at that dose. Side effects: lower libido and difficulty reaching climax during sex. However, I don’t take it the day before sex, and the libido and climax return. I make sure I take paroxetine immediately after sex, though, as it helps not to stay off it too long. Another side effect is short-term memory loss, but that’s welcome because I don’t want to keep worrying over and over."

• Zab...
• September 10, 2009

Paroxetine for Panic Disorder "Didn't do much for my panic episodes, even at 80 mgs a day. What it did do is make me not care about sex, even years after taking them. And it made my emotions numb, I couldn't cry at a funeral for a beloved family member when I knew I should have been hysterical."

• Str...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 5, 2017

For Anxiety and Stress "I've been taking paroxetine for about 2 years. In the beginning, it helped me a lot! After all these years with anxiety, I finally felt relaxed, my sleeping improved, and I became more secure in relationships. Downsides I've experienced are drowsiness and difficulty with orgasm. I started out on 20 mg, then increased to 30, and then up to 40 mg two years after the start because the anxiety came back. Now, 6 months later, I want to increase the dosage again, and I'm starting to question whether I should keep taking this medication or change. In summary, paroxetine helped me a lot when I was really bad (stress and anxiety). Now, when I'm working full-time, I feel that it makes me tired, but I still have anxiety, and I'm about to reach the maximum dosage."

• 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."

• ctx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 24, 2022

For Anxiety "Be careful if you’re considering this drug. Paxil ruined my life and my mental health. I was originally prescribed paroxetine to treat my severe social anxiety. I had never been on an SSRI, right away, I felt it working in my brain. I would feel like a zombie for 1-2 hours every day after taking it. That lasted about a month before the nausea slowly eased up, and I started to feel the positive effects. It completely took my social anxiety away, but as time went on, I started slipping into an extremely deep depression, and that’s when everything went downhill very quickly. The lows caused by Paxil are unbearable. I became dangerously suicidal and paranoid to the point that I completely isolated myself. It made me manic and unable to function. Ruined my sex drive. Long story short, I ended up clinically insane, 15 cops showed up at my door for a welfare check. They took me to a mental institution where I stayed for 4 days. All directly caused by this awful drug."

• arm...
• October 12, 2015

For Depression "I used this medication for a solid 10 years, and it effectively dealt with my anxiety and depression; however, it made me very tired, and I required a great deal more sleep than other people I knew. Weight gain and sexual side effects abounded, but I felt so good mentally that I was able to ignore this for a long time. This cut my obsessive thoughts out completely. I decided to wean off when I was trying to lose weight for my health, and it just wasn't coming off. The weaning is a b*tch, and I weaned over several months' time, using liquid fluoxetine to come down incrementally. However, once I was entirely off the medication, my anxiety and depression came back with a vengeance."

• mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 2, 2023

For Anxiety "I take Paxil 10 mg at 8 pm, as this is the best schedule for me. The first week, I got slight headaches, but they did go away. Right now, the only frustration is poor sleep, and I need to dose high melatonin, 10 mg time-delayed to get any rest. Need to go to bed early on this for me. It calms me down, but it's hard to stay motivated to exercise, that's all. Caffeine does help, but I have to watch my blood pressure. I can honestly say I am better through the day, generally speaking. Less racing thoughts and so forth. Does chill me out, but it took a week or so to set in. Sexual side effects are quite real. Hard to climax, but if someone is athletic, etc., you could probably go for hours without end. Might take a break in a while if the wife wants me to, but so far, we are dealing with it. I researched upping quality magnesium can help free testosterone to aid in this, and you likely may need a Viagra rx just to get normal. I am not at that point yet."

• adm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 17, 2016

For Anxiety "This drug is great, but the side effects outweigh the benefits. After taking this medication for a couple of months, the anxiety definitely stopped. I felt a lot more laid back and confident. However, horrible side effects settled in... First of all, I gained a lot of weight very quickly. I didn't even change my eating habits. In a year, I gained about 20 kg or 40 lbs. I didn't even do anything different. In fact, my eating habits became healthier. Second of all, I developed chronic constipation. The constipation led to hemorrhoids, which are very painful and annoying. I drank a ton of water and I took some laxatives, but nothing helped! Third of all, my sex drive went away. It felt like I was castrated. This was highly irritating! Overall, I think that this medication should be a tool to help you cure your anxiety, it should not be a solution. I stopped taking it after a year, and I still feel laid back and relaxed, although the constipation is still present! If you can find another way to relieve your anxiety, it's even better. With this drug, you get what you want, but 'something's gotta give.'"

• 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."

• Anonymous
• May 16, 2010

Paroxetine for Anxiety and Stress "It's working. I haven't had any panic attacks since I started about 3-4 months ago, but my memory was bad before and still is bad. I've been getting constipated, decreased sexual desire, and ability. I'm only 19. I have to fix that. I am always tired randomly and need a coffee. I can't stop yawning all the time."

• Anonymous
• April 24, 2011

Paroxetine for Depression "This is my 2nd bout of depression. I am in my early 60s and had my first bout about 10 years ago. Paxil has been the most effective antidepressant for me. A major side effect is sexual - great erections but hard to ejaculate. Otherwise, Paxil does an excellent job of controlling my depression. Each episode for me lasts about 6 months of treatment. Don't forget to taper off according to the doctor's advice."

• Tan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 24, 2016

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I take 20 mg a day. Has helped with depression, anger, and anxiety. Also has helped with stressing over things I shouldn't stress over. I don't mind (as much) going out and being around a lot of people if I have to now. Only negative side effect I've experienced is when having sex, it's sometimes impossible to orgasm."

• Bec...
• March 26, 2019

Paroxetine for Depression "I suffer from depression. I always feel everyone hates me. That I am useless. Etc. Paxil started off wonderful. Was on 20 mg. I was on this high for weeks. I was goofy, fun, talkative. A massive opposite to what I was before when I started Paxil. It felt like I was in another body. Now and then I would go out with friends or have a date night with my husband and have a drink or two. As soon as I had that ONE drink since starting Paxil... that led me down a very, very dark path. Being only 22 years old, I basically became an alcoholic out of nowhere. My tolerance for alcohol was incredible. I never felt a hangover. I was constantly buying beer. Drinking six a night. Every night. Weekends would be double the amount. I missed many days of work. Suicide became a friend. Paxil ruined me. I started cutting out of nowhere. So deep that I had to go to the hospital one morning. My libido. Gone. Nowhere to be found. Which really sucked as a newlywed of only 1 1/2 years."

• NOT...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 2, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I tried several antidepressants (fluvoxamine, escitalopram), and paroxetine was by far the best of them (been 2 years on it). For those who are starting the medication, you have to be patient, it took between 1 and 2 months to take effect, but it worked wonders for my depression and anxiety, an authentic life changer. I only stopped the medication because it causes serious problems with erectile dysfunction and sexual libido. I felt total anorgasmia with paroxetine, so I will rate the medication with a 9, because if it were not, it was by far the best medication I have ever taken, I did not feel any negative side effects with it."

• Ri9...
• November 29, 2017

For Anxiety "I was on paroxetine for 7 years. I have generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. This drug did absolutely nothing. Side effects: no sex drive, vertigo, dizziness, brain zaps, general feeling of being out of touch with emotions (unable to feel sad when watching sad movies/tv, unable to cry when feeling sadness or joy), night sweats, and nightmares nearly every night, depression, suicidal thoughts. My anxiety did not change, my panic attacks did not lessen, actually, anxiety and panic got worse, ended up in the hospital from a panic attack while on it. Only stayed on it for so long because the doctor said it was helping (where?!?). Off it, I’m the same just without side effects, yay!"

• cor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2016

For Panic Disorder "Works wonders for my anxiety and panic attacks and even depression. But it puts me in a manic/euphoric/agitated condition. Sometimes unbearable. So I have to take Klonopin 2-4 mg a day alongside olanzapine 5 mg when things get out of control. Side effects for me: hunger, excessive yawning, euphoria/mania, weight gain, lower sex drive, very vivid dreams, they mostly go away within 10-14 days. The withdrawals are lengthy and hard, so be careful, go slow. Works for me, meds turned my life around once again."

• bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 24, 2018

For Panic Disorder "Very potent SSRI for panic disorder and anxiety - been on Celexa and Lexapro before, which pooped out. Unfortunately, it has many side effects for me. Extreme sexual side effects, dry mouth, and drowsiness. It also gave me a dizzy feeling when I walked, like my brain and feet were not working together (hard to explain), but after a long time, this went away. I refused to take atypical drugs due to possible permanent side effects. Paxil did not eliminate my anxiety and panic but reduced it by 70%. Doctor added Gabapentin 100 mg 3 x day and I no longer have any anxiety or panic attacks. Google Gabapentin and anxiety. Paired with Paxil, I am symptom-free. Side effects of Paxil do get better with time, but it took a long time (1 1/2 years). Sexual side effects suck but get better with time. Still have dry mouth, but drowsiness is gone since I take it before bed."