Paxil Good for Anyone?

Are there cases when Paxil is good?

Depression isn't an issue, it's anxiety - and not so much panic attacks as much as sustained tension - I can feel every single beat in my heart pounding and initially it was horrific, now it's on and off in intensity but always tense and pounding. Consequently I am unable to relax ever. Not even more five minutes - I'm never relaxed.

My psychologist whom I've been seeing for talk therapy has recommended me try Paxil... I just want to be able to enjoy life again without the torchure of constant pounding feelings in my chest, but if Paxi is going to make things way worse that's not good... And yes I've already done all the necessary medical research - there's nothing physically wrong.

Any insight? :-(

[scotty]

Welcome Robotman! Having had to watch my son go through withdrawal I wouldn't recommend Paxil to anyone. If you really feel like you need something look at Lexapro. That seems to be a bit easier on the system. I'm sure that others will reply here with some natural things that can help anxiety without side effects.

[Abby]

<sigh> I just don't know the answer to that question. When you're in the grips of hell anxiety or depression...it seems like you'd jump at anything, no matter what the consequences...but having to go through withdrawal and THEN be stuck with the same problem you took the pill for...I just can't see the point.

I took paxil AND learned a whole lot of other coping skills to deal with my panic and anxiety. I am now learning a bunch more to fight off depression...I wasn't even depressed to start with.

It didn't actually deal to my anxiety...I still had to take benzos on top of it. It was only when I wanted to stop THEM that I had to look at other ways of dealing with the anxiety...which was still there and still bad despite 40mg a day of paxil.

I am now down to 20mg, and the anxiety isn't back. I did get terrible depression with withdrawal, which is nuts, since I wasn't depressed to start with.

If I had my time over, I'd have learned a whole bunch of other things first, and then I don't think I'd have needed to go for the paxil (or the benzos) at all

[MizzT]

Hi Robotman. Please read the FAQ section on supplements. sometimes anxiety is as simple as a dietary deficiency. My personal belief and studies show...that up to 90% of americans are deficient of magnesium.
Also, Omega fatty acids found in Fish oil are great brain food. your brain IS basically fat and made up of these fatty acids.

those are 2 simple things that are certainly worth a try before taking meds. They work and help many many people in a fairly short time with really no side effects. Too much magnesium can give you diarrhea, too much fish oil makes some edgy.

Im also big on Vitamin C, probiotic fiber for the gut, Spirulina and "superfoods" and avoiding as much toxins in the diet as possible such as aspartame, msg, etc.
A happy gut = a happy mind
and acupressure techniques like EFT can eliminate anxieties and worries quickly and painlessly. http://www.emofree.com

Try these first.
Best to you

[Scott]

it may be good for anxiety but the body wasn't designed to be altered with drugs unless you have a genuine imbalance.. but how many people have had brain samples taken to prove this? Paxil can end panic but you have side effects to go along with it.. including numbness of emotions, loss of sex drive, sleep pattern problems, starry vision..
are you taking magnesium for your nervous system? please see a nutritionist or natural type doctor that will address deficiencies before you go on a chemical for this that will change your brain chemistry.. because once you do that, when you finally do come off the drug you'll feel worse than you do now.

[RR]

Sure! Its good for GSK stock holders! But seriously, why anyone would dare try Paxil after visting this board -- and reading just a few of the withdrawal horror stories -- is hard to fathom. Its like walking through a burn ward and asking any of the people there if they think playing with gasoline and matches is a good idea.

Taking Paxil is the drug equivalent of playing with matches and gasoline. "Don't do it."

What about Lexapro? I haven't heard nearly as many problems in regards to it.

[MizzT]

what about other things before trying a chemical?

those natural things are what actually help people once they realize the drugs dont work without side effects....and no better than placebo.
that "chemical imbalance" is more than likely caused by dietary issues.

[elisa]

Originally Posted by robotman21

What about Lexapro? I haven't heard nearly as many problems in regards to it.

Since Lexapro is not as well known as Paxil, you haven't heard as many problems in regards to it.

Here are some web sites that will inform you of all antidepressants etc.

www.antidepressantsfacts.com
www.crazymeds.org
www.prozactruth.com
www.drugawareness.com

Hope it helps in making your decision.

[scotty]

Robotman, While we have heard that people "do better" on Lexapro, I really would caution you. Lexapro is newer that paxil and we may not be seeing the side effects reported yet. Remember Paxil was said to be a miracle drug too.

[RockSinger]

I think that it's been proven that ANY so called mental disorder that THESE types of chemicals are prescribed for..........can be overcome by Therapy and healthy lifestyle changes....

T'hell with the SSRI's.......

Somebody show me a test for serotonin imbalance and I'll apologize and shut up...............(I ain't worried about seeing that too soon)

[scotty]

Originally Posted by RockSinger

Somebody show me a test for serotonin imbalance and I'll apologize and shut up...............(I ain't worried about seeing that too soon)

I'm with you there Rock!!

[davedood]

Originally Posted by RockSinger

I think that it's been proven that ANY so called mental disorder that THESE types of chemicals are prescribed for..........can be overcome by Therapy and healthy lifestyle changes....

T'hell with the SSRI's.......

Somebody show me a test for serotonin imbalance and I'll apologize and shut up...............(I ain't worried about seeing that too soon)

As they say in the 'hood:

WORD.

Do they say that? The kids these days?

[FWM]

Originally Posted by robotman21

Are there cases when Paxil is good?

Depression isn't an issue, it's anxiety - and not so much panic attacks as much as sustained tension - I can feel every single beat in my heart pounding and initially it was horrific, now it's on and off in intensity but always tense and pounding. Consequently I am unable to relax ever. Not even more five minutes - I'm never relaxed.

My psychologist whom I've been seeing for talk therapy has recommended me try Paxil... I just want to be able to enjoy life again without the torchure of constant pounding feelings in my chest, but if Paxi is going to make things way worse that's not good... And yes I've already done all the necessary medical research - there's nothing physically wrong.

Any insight? :-(

Is it the pounding feelings that make you anxious or anxious situations that make your heart pounding ?

Before thinking of taking any of these pills, I would suggest that you take a look at your lifestyle and diet and make the appropriate changes if required. If the heart pounding feeling seems to be coming from nowhere and makes you anxious, take a close look at what you eat, keep a journal if needed.

Some suggestions.

Stop smoking if you do. I think that everyone knows that but smoking really makes it hard on your heart. And for some people which are more sensitive or have a more fragile system, it's worst. I smoked and I stopped and my heart feels so much better.

Reduce coffee and chocolat and try to completely avoid them at night. Coffee and chocolat would trigger my heart palpitations and pounding as it does for so many people.

Get a good night sleep. Sleeping 3-5 hours per night for most people is not enough and make you more vulnerable to stress.

Exercice, even light exercice will benefit your heart and whole body and mind.

You may also want to have a look at various relaxing techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation and others.

Give it time. Don't expect your condition to improve from one day to the other. Even advertise "fast cure" medications such as Paxil require 3-6 weeks to work (when they do... when they don't, you're in trouble).

Good luck.

Hi ya,

I took PaxilCR for anxiety and it worked well for me. It put the chemical imbalance back in check. I was on it about a year and weaned off. I was only on 25mg a day. There were side effects, but at the time I found it a fair trade off for the relief of anxiety. If you do decide to try Paxil you can always think of it as a short term treatment. Don't think you need to be on it for years, just months.

Good luck!

[kglo2004]

Get the book...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

It has awesome insight....i love it and it is really putting things into perspective for me!

I didn't have a problem with Paxil during the time that I have been on it. The only really bothersome problems were sexual dysfunction and short term memory loss...other than that, I was pretty good...

I was on 20mg...just started my 15mg...and day two is pretty good....

I was the same way, and honestly, it did help me for the while i was on...now, i'm ready to move forward and get off of it...but its different for everyone...

Blessings to you!

Kathy

[jeanc]

I don't know if Paxil is good for anyone, although there are some on this site who have found it very helpful - but I just listened to a very interesting half hour programme which informed me that 95% of the serotonin in the body is not in the brain, but in the gut.

I had no idea when I clicked this on, that I was going to hear about serotonin, so it came as quite a surprise to me. However, I did find it very interesting, and especially since some of us on this site have experienced real and unexplained gastric distress when we tried to cut out or cut down on Paxil, which is an SSRI. Up until I heard this programme, I could not fathom why I and others had such severe abdominal pains which led me to the hospital, but this may be part of the answer to that question. Now I do understand that there is indeed a powerful connection here. Live and learn - that's for sure.

Apparently SSRIs do affect the GUT, and are being used to treat some patients with those problems. The doctors interviewed were very good at explaining things in terms that anyone can understand; and although most of them were Brits, one was from Columbia University, NYC.

Anyone interested can access the BBC online using the following link,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml - which I hope will work OK. If it doesn't, just paste in the first part of this link, up to and including http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs where you can navigate the site to the Listen Again page; the programme will be under the letter G and is called:

Gut Reactions
Listen | Go to Website

I use cable for my server and it comes through loud and clear 24/7 if I want it to. I'm not sure how DSL and regular dial-up will fare with this, but if you're interested, it's worth the trip.

[RockSinger]

It put the chemical imbalance back in check.

AHA!!.......there it is again.......I want to be tested ......BAD.....

The only really bothersome problems were sexual dysfunction and short term memory loss...other than that, I was pretty good..

Both these symptoms would be considered debilitating to me.........maybe I'm just a wimp??

[Scott]

Originally Posted by davedood

WORD.

Do they say that? The kids these days?

fo shizzle

So, maybe if I am to do something like a short-term therapy. Here's the thing; I went to a psychologist first, and wanted to really give this all I've got through natural means, but I'm honestly feeling like I've reached the max capacity of what I can do on my own. You see, when things start getting better in my life the anxiety hits me back worse.. Its like a fear of success. For instance I've never dated before; and I just went on what I think was a pretty nice date, and now I'm worse than I've been in months.. This is a good thing in life, but the anxiety is so intense its making this whole experience not even fun.

[Homerbcool]

Question there robodude:

You originally posted back in jan, how come so much time between posts?

Tried a lot of intensive traditional therapy, instead of Paxil. My therapist, really a very intelligent women is recommending me try an SSRI, to really calm me down to a certain extent where I can really utilize these more natural techniques. Thing is I'm so so stressed out that trying to meditate and use breathing techniques are simply not doing anything...

[Scott]

a really intelligent woman? i don't care how smart a person thinks they are they can still give bad advice.