Posted by Racer on March 5, 2006, at 17:49:20
In reply to Re: PAXIL SIDE EFFECTS, posted by NEEDHELPPLEASE on March 5, 2006, at 14:29:30
First off, whatever you do decide to do (and I very much agree that calling your doctor would be the best first step), don't lose hope. With a lot of the side effects that come up in the first few weeks, they fade over time. Generally, what you experience on an SSRI during the first month will be very different from what you'll experience after two or three months on a drug. Paxil is probably the best SSRI for anxiety, as far as everything I've experienced and read here of other people's experiences would show.
Also, just my own experience, Xanax for sleep left me MORE depressed over time. An actual sleeping medication, like Ambien, doesn't do that to me, for whatever that's worth. You might talk to your doctor about Trazadone, which is an antidepressant often prescribed for sleep. Might help boost whatever AD you go on, as well as helping your sleep. And sleep disturbances can play havoc with mood disorders.
Speaking of sleep, if you've recently switched shifts, that could be a big part of all this. If you can hang on for a few more weeks, some of this might improve just because you've adjusted better to the new schedule. Cross your fingers, huh?
And lastly, for other meds, there are several other classes of drugs that you might benefit from. The tricyclic antidepressants might offer something helpful, probably starting with nortriptyline or desipramine. But before those, I think I'd suggest Effexor or Cymbalta, which are dual serotonin-norepinephrine reupake inhibitors. That might help. Or Remeron, which is a newer drug and not related to the others. I don't know nearly as much as SLS does, though, so pay attention to anything he says. He's one smart fellow.
Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:616177
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060304/msgs/616308.html