Don't know what to do.

I'm so happy I happened to have found this website because it's just what I've been looking for.

My doctor just put me on 40 milligrams of Paxil yesterday but I haven't taken any yet. After reading some of the posts on here I'm almost afraid to start taking it. I suffer from deep depression and anxiety and I really do need to take something to make me feel better. I haven't been able to work for over a week now since I've been feeling so bad but I need to go back before I lose my job.

Could anyone tell me how long it takes for the Paxil to take effect and how it feels when you take the first one? I'm afraid to take it but I'm also afraid not to take it especially if it might make me feel better.

What should I do?

[Elvira74]

If I learned anything from this website it's the obvious: Paxil can mask your symptoms so you can function, which can be a miracle. But it won't cure whatever the underlying problem is.

Another thing I learned is that Paxil can be the hardest of the SSRIs to quit, so doctors should be more careful about prescribing it to just anyone.

When I started Paxil, it made me completely lose my appetite and feel MORE nervous. I felt a type of nausea and dizzyness, had trouble focusing my eyes, sweaty palms, difficulty urinating. I could still go to school and work, so it wasn't that bad. I noticed these side effects when the dosage got raised too.

It did lift my mood though. I think it took maybe a month or two. In fact in the beginning I had some "waves of euphoria" here and there.

[scotty]

Welcome Brandijog!! The first thing I would question is the 40 mg of paxil as an initial dose!! It has been said that 20 mg of paxil is as effective as the higher doses and you should only take the lowest dose possible. The higher the dose , the more problems it can cause. That would be my first indication that I might want to find a new psychiatrist!!! Have you tried any therapy??? Find a good psychologist or counselor before you commit to taking antidpressants. They are not the "miracle pill" that some think.

[Toots]

Brandijog,

I got pretty sick starting on the Paxil.

I was told to take it at night....the mornings were horrible; nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, headache, extreme fatigue, memory loss, coordination problems, stiff/shaky muscles....

I really don't think that taking it at night had much to do with it. But I would advise that if you decide to take it, start at a lower dose and take it on a full stomach. That will not guarantee that all will go well, however.

It can make you sick while your body gets accustomed to functioning with Paxil, and then it can make you sick if you decide that you want off!

Be careful and informed. My best to you.

Toots.

40 is an extremely large dose!

I started on 10 mg and had the most excruciating "intro" period, I can't imagine what 40 would've been like. Not only that, there is a lot of evidence out there that higher doeses (like 40 mg) are no more effective than lesser doses!

Yes, I am trying to scare you. There is good reason to be scared.

Paxil is a very powerful drug, with unbelieveably bad withdrawal symptoms. I was on 10 mg paxil for only three months, and suffered terribly when quitting.

If you MUST use an SSRI, there are better choices out there, with less withdrawal symptoms. Paxil is notorious for having the worst withdrawal symtpoms of all the SSRI's - because it has the shortest "half-life".

Do not go to your shrink for answers. Any doctor who would prescribe 40 mg of paxil to a first-timer does not have an understanding what he/she is doing.

Find another doctor, fast! I'm sorry you are depressed, and I certainly don't want to give you advice that will endanger your health, but hang in there!

Maybe you will have to take meds, maybe not. Just be very wary of paxil.

I think 40 mgs is a very high dose to start with, as others here have said. I started Paxil 8 years ago. My psychiatrist gave me 20 mg pink pills and said I should start by cutting them in half. Well in doing so, it was still two much for me. After taking the 10 mgs for two days I was done with them. After a few weeks of total anxiety and on going panic attack, I started to cut the 20 mgs in 1/4's, so started with 5 mgs. I did this for about two weeks, then increased to 10, and so on. I maxed at 20 mgs and it was very helpful for my panic disorder. I started driving again and getting out. I had been 90% homebound for 2 years. I went off Paxil last year, I'd say around 4/03. Around two months ago I started taking 12.5 mg of Paxil CR. I was experiencing lots of anxiety again, told my MD and this is what he gave me. Now, I'm having anxiety and depression. I'm having a hard time eating and when I do, I either throw up or have very watery stools. My peorid has stopped (except for a 2 1/2 week late one last month), I am getting hot flashes, and I have bad indigestion, sometimes I wake up and throw up. I don't know what to do, after reading posts on this board I don't want to increase my dose.....in fact, I'm thinking of going off it all together. I hope this helps with your question.

Now, for my question, is the CR worse than the regular? Do my new symptoms make any sense or have relation to starting the CR? Any and all answers are greatly appreciated.

Blessings

Thank all of you for your replies. I was afraid to start taking the Paxil before but I'm even more afraid now after having read all of your messages. I have decided that I'm not going to take it and ask my doctor if he can put me on something else. I don't know much at all about the different antidepressants or medications for anxiety so I'm also afraid of what he might put me on this time.

Any suggestions?

Dear Brandijog,

I am sorry if I contributed to any increased fear! I know what you are feeling, though. Before I took paxil, I was very intimidated because of everything I had heard about it. I should have listened to my intuition, because it WAS as bad as I had heard (for me at any rate) and more so.

I don't know anything about other SSRI's except what I've heard from other people. Lexapro seems very popular and from what I've gathered, has less side effects.

However, ANY drug carries the potential for side effects, and every person reacts differently to the very same drugs.

Now, however, I am concerned about your depression, and medications can have some benefits, and I certainly don't want to talk you out of meds if that is what will serve you best at this time.

However, having been on this journey already myself, I will tell you what helped me with my own depression, anxiety, anger and PMDD (a severe from of PMS):

Improved my diet (no sugar, junk foods, caffeine)
Quit smoking, "recreational" drugs, and drinking
EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE (DID I EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH?)
If you are a woman, I recommend daily calcium w/ magnesium supplements
Changed my life (job, friends, etc)
Positive thinking
Spirituality

These things will banish depression, almost guaranteed. But are you ready to embark upon the journey of a lifetime???

I am a new person, depression/anxiety-free (95% of the time), paxil-free, drug-free and happy. It CAN be done.

[MizzT]

Hi Brandijog.
you might want to read my post on HOW TO EFT.
its a new energy field therapy you can learn to do yourself. You might be able to control your anxiety and other issues with it as a tool.
i have had incredible success with it.

We even use it to clear out allergies as new things bloom throughout the season!!
its really weird and sounds too good to be true....but id rather try tapping on my face and body a little first. Use your own brain power first and see if it helps.
if all else fails.....and i mean ALL else....then go the drug route.
but it should be a last resort.....not a first thing to grab for.

Best of all things to you
Beverly (NM)

Beverly,

Thank you for the information. Where do I find that post?

Brandi

[dar7726]

You might want to see which if any of these things apply to you.

I've been reading some of the recent posts that ask the question, why are we depressed or what causes depression. I thought I'd repost what I learned from the health show I've mentioned recently and what the doctor listed as reason's for depression.


Some were:

Learned behavior
Poor lifestyle choices (such as drinking or smoking)
Poor coping skills
Neurotransmitter imbalance

Others causes:

pain medications
anti depressants
cholesteral lower drugs
anxiety drugs
blood pressure meds
steroids
HRT's & birth control pills
antibiotics

Others causes were:

low fat diets or eating wrong fats
alcohol & illegal drugs,
food allergies(which tends to be the ones you crave)
caffiene (to much)
smoking

Another cause:

infectious agents (such as yeast overgrowth) (remember antibiotics use can start this process and sugar is the fuel) (yeast/fungus overgrowth pours toxins into your bloodstream).

Lastly:

co existing disease can cause depression.
Such has heart disease, hypoglycemia etc.

And as a last note, nutrient deficiencies:

B vitamins
minerals (such as zinc or magnesium),
protein deficiencies (these amount to your Amino Acids)
Essential Fatty Acid deficiencies, such as Omega 3's

Remember the nutrient deficiencies can be caused by lifestyle choices, such as smoking which depletes magnesium and zinc or antibiotics which kill the beneficial bacteria that normally create your B vitamins.

So there is no one magic bullet to solve everyone's depression but taking an inventory of the things listed might give us a place to start.

Darlene

[dar7726]

If you have been on anti-biotics you might want to read the strand in the general section called, Your Immune System.


Darlene

[lifeisbeautiful222]

You should not take it...Yes I know you really need something. I thought I really needed something too but I found out that what most really need is therapy. Behavior therapy classes actually have a higher success rate than medication. They also change your brain chemistry naturally and without side effects and danger! Good luck!

[Tom1234]

before you start taking paxil give sjw or something natural a try I was on paxil for a 4,5 years and at first it got me back to my self but little by little I started to notice that I couldn't feel it numms your emotions and if you take a higher dosage you wouldn't feel anything.At first it might help but you are going to have problems getting off I'm off of it for 6months and still not 100% back to normal so give it a little though this is a good website on how people are doing It natural http://sjwinfo.org/ I'll pray for you.

God Bless You

Tom

[dar7726]

This is another post by Beverly Morgan as one of her FAKE Identities.

It should be locked and closed. I've sent an email to Darcy on this.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Tom1234

I'll pray for you.

God Bless You

Tom

I can't let this compassion be wasted.. this topic is not to be believed.. don't pray for something that isn't.

I'm locking this topic so no more good people will waste their time on this.. if darcy wants it unlocked it'll be unlocked.

[darcyb]

I stand beside your decision Scott.