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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ocdforyears on January 7, 2004, at 15:32:38
Hey gang,
man, this board blows up. Lots of posts. Very cool. I've been posting to other places on this site the last couple days and I love it.
I tried zoloft for my ocd and I felt like an anxious de-realized spaceman within a week; then a few months later I tried lexapro, and it was like speed. Insomnia, anxiety, very jittery; twelve days of that. Now paxil.
So far Paxil has been great (five days on the starter dose). I don't have any side effects (with the others I felt something wrong with a couple days). The side effects that worry me, of course, are the sexual ones: according to other posts on the net I've seen it can cause no orgasm, complete impotence, delayed orgasm (that one might be okay...not too much delay though please) and plain loss of libido. Again, I could lose a little, but I don't want to lose much. So far I've felt none of this, but I'm not taking much yet and I haven't been taking it long. I wonder how long it takes those things to surface? I'll let you guys know. Personal as all this is, it will hopefully help another ssri person out there.
I know every med is different, every body is different. Hopefully this one will work for me without ruining my sex life with my wife. The ocd already affects my relationship, a lot, so I'm crossing my fingers.
Wish me luck.
Posted by KathrynLex on January 7, 2004, at 16:21:38
In reply to starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by ocdforyears on January 7, 2004, at 15:32:38
Best of luck with the Paxil. Just out of curiosity, what is your starting dose? I tried it a little while ago and the doc gave me 20 mg to begin with...I felt awful after 3 days. (Good to hear that you feel fine after 5!)
I've heard that if you do experience trouble with sexual side effects, there are other drugs you can take to counteract that. I hope the Paxil works out for you.
K
Posted by JohnFromCalifornia on January 7, 2004, at 21:38:42
In reply to starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by ocdforyears on January 7, 2004, at 15:32:38
FYI re Paxil, guys, and sex drive:
I used Paxil for a couple of months and lost all sex drive. About three weeks ago I switched to Lexapro and it's come back.
These meds work differently for different people, so my suggestion would be to stick it out with Paxil until you're sure of its benefits and limitations. If it does not work for you, you might consider Lexapro.
Good luck!
Posted by ocdforyears on January 9, 2004, at 10:06:51
In reply to Re: starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by KathrynLex on January 7, 2004, at 16:21:38
Kathryn/John,
I still can't get over how cool these boards are, and how empowering.
I started at only 12.5 of the CR, equivalent to 10 mg. of immediate release. It's the smallest pill. I had a hard time trying zoloft and lexapro; apparently I'm sensitive to the meds. The Paxil, amazingly, does seem to be stimulating me, causing some insomnia, but I'm going to try and wait out this low dose to see if that passes. I don't know if insomnia is a remitting side effect or not; I know the sexual side effects, if you get them, don't go away.
So far, no libido changes, but then it's only been one week at a low dose. And I've heard the same thing John. I have a buddy on Zoloft and his sex drive and performance are fine; some people lose libido. All depends on the med I guess. The thing I keep hearing about Paxil is that it causes weight gain and is hard to get off of. I exercise regularly; not worried about the weight. But hard to get off of? Man.
In the old days, (1980's) I took xanax for my panic and obsessions. Got up to 3 mg. a day. It worked great, but I was sedated all the time. Now xanax is addicting, but I weaned off it okay and haven't had it in more than 15 years. It wasn't that hard. Hopefully the same will be true with the paxil.
Posted by JohnFromCalifornia on January 9, 2004, at 12:13:41
In reply to Re: starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by ocdforyears on January 9, 2004, at 10:06:51
> The thing I keep hearing about Paxil is that it causes weight gain and is hard to get off of. I exercise regularly; not worried about the weight. But hard to get off of? Man.
I'm a 150-mile/week cyclist and gained 10 pounds IMMEDIATELY when I began Paxil. As a cyclist I'm pretty aware of what I eat and was mystified. Could Paxil be causing some kind of metabolic slowdown? I don't know the reason, but I can corroborate the weight gain claim and it seems nearly universal, even among us "fit" types.
When I switched from Paxil to Lexapro I had no withdrawal problems or other transitional issues. The weight stabilized under Lexapro, but after several weeks I'm stiff somnolent on the stuff -- and find it hard to get the motivation to ride my bike. (Had this problem on Paxil too.)
Posted by KathrynLex on January 9, 2004, at 12:33:29
In reply to Re: starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by ocdforyears on January 9, 2004, at 10:06:51
It sounds like the low doses of Paxil have been successful so far. Congrats!
Insomnia seems fairly common with SSRIs. You can always try a sleeping pill. Or, it's possible that it will go away in a few weeks. (I've been having a bit of insomnia on Lexapro and it seems to have tapered off a bit now that I'm nearing week 4)
I hope you continue to see progress on Paxil. It's so nice when you finally find the right drug!
K.
Posted by watergirl on January 9, 2004, at 18:07:49
In reply to Re: starting paxil, wish me luck, posted by KathrynLex on January 9, 2004, at 12:33:29
Paxil worked great for me. My doctor started me on a really low dose and gradually worked me up to 40mgs (regular). I had side effects that subsided after about 3 months ( night sweats, insomnia, yawning) Never had negative sexual side effects. Im a woman 27 yrs.
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