New User...Side Effects Questions

First off. Thanks to all for this forum. I just started reading it yesterday and I've picked up on quite a bit.

I just started taking Paxil. It's been 12.5 MG of Paxil for the first 7 days. I've never taken anything for anxiety. Since I've been taking Paxil I almost feel worse.

It all started when I went to the doctor a few weeks ago because I had irregular chest pains. He checked out my heart and couldn't find anything. He said stress/anxiety could cause it as well and, after talking about some recent stressful events that have been happening, he gave me some free samples of Paxil and suggested I take one each day.

As mentioned before, since I've been taking it I feel almost worse. The following things are happening that are really causing me some concern:

- I wake up in the night and one of my hands is asleep (occurs at different times / hands and only happens in one hand at a time). This happens almost every night. I sleep on my back with my arms at my side so it's not due to lost circulation.

- I sometimes feel I have a lump in my throat that makes me want to gag when I try to eat. I haven't had too much to eat because of this (which seems odd from what I've read here that Paxil makes you gain weight).

- Finally, I almost feel like I have more panic and more anxiety then before I took it.

Does anyone know if these are normal when starting Paxil? I didn't take a pill today after being up most of last night with the things mentioned above. I will probably just stop taking them to see if this stuff goes away.

Thanks, in advance for any thoughts on this!

When I first began paxil about 6 years ago, I had bad headaches for the first two weeks and loss of appetite. Then each time I was increased the same thing happened. With the headaches and loss of appetite I also had a knot like feeling in my throat and nausea. I attributed this to the headache, but who knows. Then after my system got adjusted to the paxil, these effects went away and I felt great. It helped with all my emotional problems which were depression and anxiety or panic attacks. But now the suffering is much worse with trying to get off this drug. Please continue to read posts on this website about paxil withdrawal symptoms. From this you may decide to stay off of it forever. I sure hope so. If you really need something then have your doc prescribe something like wellbutrin or another drug that has a longer life in your system. Wishing you happier and healthier days !

[safarigal]

I'manother person recommending not staying on Paxil nor any other kind of SSRI. My suggestion: quit the Paxil and learn relaxation techniques to deal with stress and anxiety. Read up on anxiety and panic, there are plenty of books such as "Don't Panic" that will teach you how to recognize anxiety and how to deal with it effectively. Its a matter of learning to control your mind. Also seeing a good therapist can help you learn to deal with stress and anxiety. Far more effective than an SSRI. Remember, an SSRI is a crutch, not a cure!

I really appreciate the info. This really helps!

I'm not going to take Paxil again today (2nd day) and am already feeling better. I think I am going to try some of the books and non-medication techniques instead.

I was still woken up last night 3 times with one of my hands being asleep so I'm not getting a lot of sleep. I hope that goes away soon and is caused by the Paxil. It's pretty strange.

Don't EVER take that paxil again and you will have avoided what we're all going through.

As for the anxiety you feel in your chest: I get that exact kind. It can feel like you're going to have a heart attack or something. It lingers around and makes me miserable, and has for years, so I've found a bunch of things that work on it.

#1 XANAX - a drug that's hard to get from your doctor because it's known to be addicting, but the only one I know that gets rid of the pain every time without fail. Even in very small doses. I use it as needed and usually end up refilling it about once a year.

#2 INDERAL - I think people take this to lower their blood pressure. My psychiatrist gave it to me and it works great on the chest anxiety.

#3 KAVA PLUS - I found a bottle of this recently and it's great. Very calming.

#4 5-HTP - I used to get the chest anxiety really bad during the day and couldn't finish work as a result. Hydroxytryptophan enabled me to get through it. It would get rid of the pain for at least 3-4 hours.

#5 TRAZADONE - Trazadone is one of the older anti-depressants. It's also known as "Desyrel". I've taken low doses (50mg/night) to help with sleep and anxiety - It's worked great and really made a difference.

Thanks Tara! Like I said before, this message board and everyone on it has been so helpful. It seems you've gone through this too. Glad I can get out of Paxil while I can.

Looks like I still a lot to learn about what's going on.