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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
I went and saw my doctor today and she perscribed Paxil 10 mg. I'm terrified to take it because of what I've heard from people that have taken it. My step brother was taking a high dose of Paxil when he committed suicide. That in itself is enough to scare me away from it. Also, I talked to my step sister and she took it for awhile and HATED it. She said it made her feel worse than she ever had before. She said that since I'm already really anxious and nervous that Paxil will make it worse. She was honestly scared for me to take it (possibly because he brother killed himself while he was taking it).
Anyone else have opinions (good or bad) on Paxil? Please let me know... I'm deciding whether I want to try it or not. I don't want anything that is going to make me feel worse... I couldn't imagine what that would be like.
I'm also pregnant and I don't want anything to harm my baby. My doctor said that studies have shown positive results in taking it during pregnancy. Still kind of scary.
Posted by DSCH on October 17, 2003, at 20:21:05
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
> I went and saw my doctor today and she perscribed Paxil 10 mg. I'm terrified to take it because of what I've heard from people that have taken it. My step brother was taking a high dose of Paxil when he committed suicide.
This is actually a rather unfortunate result of any form of antidepressant therapy. As improvement is beginning, the patient is no longer siezed with inertia and yet the situation still appears bleak.
>That in itself is enough to scare me away from it. Also, I talked to my step sister and she took it for awhile and HATED it. She said it made her feel worse than she ever had before. She said that since I'm already really anxious and nervous that Paxil will make it worse. She was honestly scared for me to take it (possibly because he brother killed himself while he was taking it).
> Anyone else have opinions (good or bad) on Paxil? Please let me know... I'm deciding whether I want to try it or not. I don't want anything that is going to make me feel worse... I couldn't imagine what that would be like.
> I'm also pregnant and I don't want anything to harm my baby. My doctor said that studies have shown positive results in taking it during pregnancy. Still kind of scary.I suppose it is effective for some people, but then I believe the sample of people on this board will be skewed towards those who have had mulitple medications not help them.
I was on Paxil for a number of months in 2001 and I believe it made me rather complacent. My root problem was probably more ADD than it was depression.
Mostly, the question mostly rests on what it is that is going "wrong" in your case?
If you end up having adverse reactions to SSRIs in general, Paxil is a safe first choice as it is more rapidly metabolized than the others. If it is helpful, it might be worthwhile switching over to one of the others as you won't have to deal with withdrawl from a single missed dose.
Posted by Piper on October 17, 2003, at 20:26:28
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
Hi! I just took myself off of Paxil after being on it for 3 months. I started taking it because I was waking up in the mornings in the middle of anxiety atacks. It worked as far as taking away the anxiety and, for the most part, I was a more pleasant person to be around. The reason I decided to stop taking it was because, when I wasn't working, all I wanted to do was sleep. My job performance deteriorated drastically to the point that I earned myself my first "write-up" ever. Since I've been off of it, my anxiety is starting to return and I am definitely not pleasant anymore. This might still work for you. Everyone is different and it works wonders for one of my co-workers. It shouldn't hurt to try the low dosage for a little while. You should be able to tell within a month or two if this is the right medication for you.
Posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 20:33:28
In reply to Re: Paxil - Good or Bad? » JenniferMarie, posted by Piper on October 17, 2003, at 20:26:28
I'm not actually sure what is wrong in my case. I haven't been to a mental health physician yet. I have an appointment on the 27th. However, I did see my OB and I told her everything that was going on with me and she's the one that prescribed the Paxil. That's another reason I'm skeptical about taking it. Should I wait until I see my mental health physician before trying anything?
Posted by Sooshi on October 17, 2003, at 21:01:44
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
Hi JenniferMarie, me again....
If you can avoid meds for the first 3 months of your pregnancy, it would be best for the baby. That said, I went through my second pregnancy taking Paxil, since this was the drug prescribed by my pdoc and ob together as the safest. It kept me stable and out of a deep depression, and definately reduced my anxiety, although I did have some strange side effects hardly worth mentioning. Most importantly however, I delivered a healthy 7lb baby girl, who is 4 years old now and already reading and enjoying life to the hilt! I guess I won't really know the long term effects of the Paxil on my daughter until she's older, but right now, and as far I (and her pediatrition) say, she's perfect!Good luck and keep us posted.
Posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 21:05:59
In reply to Re: Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by Sooshi on October 17, 2003, at 21:01:44
Thanks for the reassurance Sooshi. I managed to make it 7 1/2 months through my pregnancy before I ever had any problems at all. Now I'm not really sure what is going on with me. All I know is that I want it to go away and whatever will help me (without harming my baby) I'm willing to try.
Posted by ace on October 18, 2003, at 0:38:16
In reply to Re: Paxil - Good or Bad? » JenniferMarie, posted by Piper on October 17, 2003, at 20:26:28
Posted by Robert Fairburn on October 18, 2003, at 3:41:53
In reply to Re: Paxil - Stay away from it! (IMO, of course) (nm), posted by ace on October 18, 2003, at 0:38:16
I have tried a large number of drugs which all had one thing in common, they didn't work. There was one exception which was paxil, it is the only drug that gave me peace and a happy life. It isn't perfect and I stopped taking it in search of something was perfect ( what a mistake that was) All I can say is give it a go and take it more than a month. One thing that I can tell you for a for sure is that it will make you feel worse for the first 2 weeks ( Even more) but the end result is worth waiting for. get your doc to give you benzo while starting this drug to help you throught the firts two weeks.
Robert One big Paxil Fan
Ps take your dosage up slowly Ie 5 then 10 and then 20
Posted by JenniferMarie on October 18, 2003, at 8:13:53
In reply to Re: Paxil - Stay away from it! (IMO, of course) (nm), posted by ace on October 18, 2003, at 0:38:16
Ace,
What is your experience with Paxil? Why do you suggest that I stay away from it?
Posted by Emme on October 18, 2003, at 8:37:04
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
This is anecdotal, but I personally know three people who got their lives back thanks to Paxil! One will be on it for the foreseeable future and tolerates it very well and is perfectly happy with the situaion. One other was able to go off it after a while with no difficulty (Paxil can be hard to discontinue for some people, though it wasn't that hard for me). When I first took it, it was the first time in my life that I knew what it meant to have a *normal* amount of anxiety over anxiety provoking situations.
No one here can tell you what to do - that is a decision made between you and your doctor, preferably a psychiatrist skilled with medications. I understand your worry over your pregnancy, but keep in mind that depression in the mother during pregnancy has been shown to be detrimental to the fetus. So you need to weigh both sides of the equation.
Emme
Posted by JenniferMarie on October 18, 2003, at 8:47:22
In reply to Re: Paxil - Good or Bad? » JenniferMarie, posted by Emme on October 18, 2003, at 8:37:04
Thanks for your opinion it's nice for once to hear some good things about Paxil.
Posted by Janelle on October 18, 2003, at 14:01:13
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
I am someone who can attest to positive things about Paxil. While on it, I had NO side effects ever. Not even when I first started it. Then,
I had like 7 or so *good years* on Paxil (with Klonopin) -- in fact, I call them the Paxil years!However, a major stressor took its toll on me and the Paxil pooped out. At that time, little was known about the horrible withdrawal a person can go through when stopping Paxil - my pdoc at the time had me to off it in a mere 4 days and that was a disaster. I was so sick for quite awhile. Finally, it cleared.
So, I would say give the Paxil a chance, go up on it slowly and if it doesn't seem to be working be sure you then discontinue it VERY SLOWLY and GRADUALLY.
Good luck 2 U!
Posted by Francesco on October 19, 2003, at 6:31:44
In reply to Paxil - Good or Bad?, posted by JenniferMarie on October 17, 2003, at 19:55:20
My personal experience with Paxil was not good but I think that the main issue in your case is another.
You have a lot of negative mental associations with that med and this could led you to be more suggestible than average about the interpretation of side-effects you'll experience.
If this is your first SSRI and if you have take one SSRI there's no need in my opinion to start exactly from Paxil since there is no way to predict in advance if one will respond to Paxil or Prozac or Celexa.
Moreover if your relatives didn't respond well to it, and if there is something like pharmacogenetics, the Paxil should be the last resort for you.
The withdrawal from Paxil is also known to be one of the worst (and my personal experience confirm it).
Therefore my humble suggestion is asking the psychiatrist for another SSRI to begin with.
***
My personal experience was:
20 mg good but a bit high (too much social disinhibition in my opinion)
30-40 mg I got manic, uncontrollable persistent rage, I had to stop it and I had to do it cold turkey.
withdrawal (lasted 1-2 months and I took the paxil only for a couple of months): extreme weakness and extreme depression to say any
(not depressed before the Paxil, I took it for supposed-OCD)
Posted by ace on October 19, 2003, at 18:04:31
In reply to Re: Paxil - Stay away from it! (IMO, of course), posted by JenniferMarie on October 18, 2003, at 8:13:53
> Ace,
> What is your experience with Paxil? Why do you suggest that I stay away from it?
>
Hi,
I was just about to start Paxil and I did some research....WOW! I have never ever seen so many reports of withdrawal syndromes. And the withdrawal, from 95% of the accounts I've read, is hell. I went through Zoloft withdrawal...that was hell, and Zoloft is supposed to be one of the best SSRI's in that regard.There are whole websites dedicated to showing you how to withdraw from this drug...do a search. And these websites are not necessarily anti-psychiatric in nature.
But, as I always say, it might be different for you. I mean, the drug might be wonderful for you. But I think everyone should be aware of all aspects of a drug before taking it...the good and the bad.
I'd say just do a bit of research and carefully weigh up the pros and cons.
Good luck to you,
Ace.
This is the end of the thread.
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