There are 725 ratings for the drug: PAXIL in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for paxil: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken		Date Added
				F  M
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1	Panic Disorder	Irrational behavior, no sex drive, difficulty focusing, loss of patience,severe apathy, unmotivated, tired, increased urge to drink alcohol (WHICH DOES NOT MIX WELL...)	I can't deal with this any longer. I don't know who I've become, but I don't like her. My family and friends are slowly beginning to look into Psych wards for me, I think. I feel so much worse than I did before I started taking Paxil; I'd rather have panic attacks and deal with them on my own than take this drug and lose my poise and good natured spirit. I am so happy for all of you who are doing well on this drug. For those of you just starting out on Paxil--DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL--And for those of you like me, I'm with ya, take care, and good luck!	F	27	10 months		11/5/2009
1	Depression	After one 20mg dose: Vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fainting, difficulty breathing, tingling sensations, loud ringing in ears, muscle weakness, pounding/racing heart, tremors, severe dizziness, severe-anxiety and suffered my first panic attack.	The worst day of my life, this has honestly convinced me to never take a SSRI again.	F	20	1 days		11/4/2009
5	suicidal thoughts, depression	Initially a lack of libido but it came back.	This drug saved my life. After decades of living in the hell of extreme depression, feelings of worthlessness, lack of any hope whatsoever, suicidal thoughts, etc., my doctor put me on this. Life is good! Depression runs in my family and I lost a dear one to suicide last year. It would have been me if Paxil weren't around.	F	47	15 years		11/3/2009
4	Anxiety/Panic Disorder	Insomnia and slight diarrhea (but only at beginning of treatment). SIDE EFFECTS OF PAXIL WITHDRAWAL: Extreme dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, muddled thinking, depersonalization, violent mood swings. These symptoms begin with ONE missed dosage. BEWARE.	Although the withdrawal side effects are pretty horrible, Paxil saved my life. I would either be dead or in a mental hospital without it. My life had become completely unlivable because of intense anxiety and panic attacks, and Paxil changed all that... within the first month of treatment. I know there's a lot of negativity out there about SSRIs right now, but if you are in a terrible place, the benefits definitely exceed the drawbacks.	M	38	5 years		11/3/2009
5	Acute Anxiety	Repressed ejaculation (which can be a good thing); clenching teeth night and day; in the first few months massive sweating and lots of yawning.	Very wierd drug in that it seems no one person has the same reaction to it. I've been taking it for over two years and love what it's done for me. My quality of sleep is the best of my post-pubescent life. I still have plenty of libido, erections are no problem at all, but I can last longer for my wife's sake! Little shit in life doesn't scare me or make me angry. I take 5-10 mg/day depending on the weather -- seriously -- if it's low pressure, stormy/rainy/snowy I don't need as much because my serotonin is naturally elevated. I would take more, but the one problematic side effect -- clenching teeth gets to be painful.	M	50	2 years		10/30/2009
3	GAD, OCD	made me tired and depressed for about a week each time I increased my dose, but that went away completely after that first week. Weight gain that would not budge despite a strict diet and exercise routine. Complete loss of sex drive and ability to have orgasm. Towards the end felt very flat and uninterested in anything.	For anxiety Paxil is the bomb -- it helped me at work, relationships, validated my belief that my mood issues are chemical and not due to being a rotten person. Unfortunately, the side effects got to be too much for me and I decided to try other meds. If you are debilitated by anxiety Paxil could be the drug to improve your quality of life. But there are no free rides, and you'll need to figure out how to deal with the side effects with your doc.	F	45	18 months		10/30/2009
1	Severe Depression	Spaciness. HORRIFYING withdrawal!	Does not make you feel happier or healthier, instead just numbs your brain so you can trail through your life without any interest. All creativity leaves your mind. The withdrawal was severe hell with vomiting, brain zaps, sweats, dizziness....	F	38	4 months		10/30/2009
2		It made it IMPOSSIBLE to orgasm! No thanks.		M	30	1 months		10/15/2009
1	Depression and anxiety	Suffered serotonin syndrome after dr doubled my dose from 10mg to 20. Hallucinaions, fever, rapid heart beat, restless. I felt like is was having a bad trip on LSD for hours. I would wake up in the the middle of the night with ponding heart rates.		F	26	2 weeks		10/12/2009
4	Panic attacks, anxiety	Nausea, fatigue, tremors (all subsided in 2-3 weeks). Inability to orgasm persistent.	I have noticed a big difference in my anxiety level, and believe Paxil is genuinely helping more than therapy alone did. However, the sexual side effects are extreme (I am female). No sex drive, no orgasm. Enough to make me discontinue the drug.	F	21	2 months		9/30/2009
5	Treatment Resistant Depression	Very tired the first two weeks or so which faded away. This tired feeling may be confused with a depressive episode, so give Paxil from 3-6 weeks to see full results. Most side effects dissapear in aproximately 2 weeks or less. Delayed ejaculation but I love it like that. No weight gain.	Paxil 40mg ombined with Wellbutrin 450mg has been my lifesaver. Nothing obsesses me anymore and my compulsive behavior is under control. I am in love with this med but be careful if you want to quit from it. Withdrawal could become a nightmare although I have no interest in quitting from it.	M	40	1 years		9/17/2009 Email
4	depression	weight gain, loss of libido and inability to reach orgasm (this existed before), took 10mg/20mg alternating daily for many years, just moved to 20mg daily to keep more consistent, immediate withdrawal symptoms if skipped even for 1/2 day	I have tried several times to stop but have been unable due to significant life stressors which cause recurrent severe depressive episodes. The episodes still occur while on medication but are much less severe. I tried a few other medications but experienced negative side effects immediately. This sexual dysfunction seems to be the price to be paid for the relative calm from the depressive storms. Exercise (running and strength training) and yoga help greatly. I was interested to read about the tendancy to drink more, I am currently struggling with this. Would like to give up alcohol entirely. Perhaps it would be easier on different medication?	F	50	13 years		9/12/2009
1	Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorder	Increased depression. Insomnia. Difficulty waking up. Sexual dysfunction; erection fine, orgasm elusive. Terrible withdrawal symptoms: heightened anxiety, racing thoughts, extreme mood swings.	I took Paxil for nine years, from August 1997 to June 2006. In retrospect I see that Paxil increased the severity of my depressive episodes and directly contributed to sleeplessness, sexual dysfunction and poor decision-making. Regarding panic attacks and anxiety, it is impossible to know the truth. The fact, however, is that before Paxil, I did not suffer from panic attacks or severe anxiety. Sometime during my third year on the drug, I had my first major panic attack (white-faced, shaky, sweaty, watery eyes; closer, perhaps, to a nervous breakdown). Since then anxiety has become the more overwhelming half of my illness, though often the anxiety and depression intermingle so well that it's hard to tell what is what. I quit taking Paxil three years ago. The weening and withdrawal took three months; it was a long, terrible ordeal. But I have not once regretted the decision to stop Paxil. I do not currently take an SSRI. I use Klonopin (a benzo) sporadically, for social occassions, and ten days ago decided to risk taking another daily drug, Buspar, which is for anxiety, in a class by itself. Feel free to contact me with questions. Best of luck, all of you.	M	29	9 years		8/24/2009 Email
1	Extreme tiredness...	Crying and not wanting to get out of bed by the 3rd day... by the 5th day, I just wanted to die...	My doctor lied to me and insisted that this drug would help to 'rearrange/reorganize' my sleep stages as I was suffering from excessive tiredness....couldn't stay awake for anything. I called the drug manufacturer who agreed that my reaction was an adverse reaction and they listed it in their database. They also told me that I was wise to have gone off it after 5 days despite my doctor's insistance to stay on it...	F	46	5 days		8/22/2009
3	general anxiety	Really I think Paxil did me a lot of good; however, I have had a lot of gastroenterological issues over the time that I used it and I wonder if those were related to the drug. I feel that I have to quit just to see if my intestines start to function more properly. I hated when I ran out or missed a dose. The vivid dreams and "crunching" in my head was unbearable.	I stepped down from 20 to 10 mg, then just said "screw it" and quit cold turkey. I quit one other time about 10 years ago and my anxiety issues returned after a couple of months. I hope that does not occur this time.	M	43	17 years		8/20/2009
2	depression	did what is was suppossed to in the beginning. But I stayed on it for nearly 20 years and it seemed to be attacking my body and I was back to where I began....feeling worthless, crying, angry at the world and everyone. I have cervical dystonia and had read that SSRI's could aggravate the condition so decided to wean myself off with doc's instructions. Started out great. Felt great emotionally and energetic for about 2 weeks off. Then the withdrawal set in and I thought I was dying. Had nausea,dizziness, crying, scared, insecure, felt like I had fever and did not. Developed lower right side pain. I thought it was my ovary. Doc decided to take both ovaries and appendix out. I did not need that surgery. I had developed IBS from getting off the paxil. Three different doctors did not bother to mention the withdrawal and just kept trying to get me back on it. I wanted to dye (not suicide) I was so sick and had surgery for nothing. It has taken me about 2 to 3 months but I feel	I would not reccommend Paxil to anyone. It was hell to get off of and no one bothered to tell me about the withdrawal. In fact, my 3 different doctors just kept trying to get me back on it because I was so emotional and in pain with my dystoniaThis stuff really messed with your brain. My thoughs are good, I am calm, I can remember my nice dreams and I have lost weight. My appetite has changed so much. I love being off of it. Don;t give up....it is tough but it will pass and you will be glad you did it.	F	53	19 years		8/19/2009 Email
4	Social Phobia, mild depression	I drink alcohol once a week. On Seroxat / Paxil I tend to get drunk quicker, want to drink more and for longer, and my behaviour seems more unpredictable and a litte dangerous. No other unwanted side-effects experienced.	If you are anything like me, I strongly suggest you avoid alcohol (or reduce intake) as much as possible on this med. It has worked extremely well for me in terms of my social phobia, and has allowed me to get on with life again. At one time standing in line at a post office was sometimes an ordeal for me. Now I can't imagine being like this. Stick to a low dose if you are only mildly/moderately socially phobic, perhaps 10mg or 15mg per day. I get the impression doctors often prescripe people a needlessly high dose. Taking 15mg (as I do) may involve halfing a tablet. Good luck!	M		2 years		8/16/2009
2	Depression	Loss of sex drive, suicidal thoughts, fatigue, weight gain,	I started to take Paxil after comming off of Effexor. What a mistake. I had to stop the Effexor due to the cost. I never felt more depressed, tired, and fat. I was only on it for a month and it was awful. I ended up in the hospital for suicidal thoughts.	F	28	30 days		8/8/2009
5	anxiety	First 2 weeks had a dull headache that I easily fought with ordinary aspirin. Lack of real sex drive for about a month and a concurrent difficulty in reaching orgasm. All of these symptoms resolved 100 % within 30 days. The biggest effect has been the HUGE IMPROVEMENT in my quality of life and overall emotional outlook. I used to obsess over all kinds of things. I lived in a "glass half empty" world most of the time. Even if something great happened, I'd start the "what if" game in my head. None of this was particularly unbearable. Kind of like a bad case of intestinal gas. It makes you not too fun to be around, and you are always expecting an unpleasant surprise accompanying any little fart.	I have been on Paxil for over a year now and I plan to continue to take it for the rest of my life. Because of this little pill, my relationships are better, my career is better and my outlook on life is really one of excited anticipation rather than my old gloom and doom. I have read of people being unable to get off of this drug. But this begs the question "Why would you want to?" I think the bottom line with a lot of the SSRI drugs is that they don't work the same way for everyone. Some users probably have serious emotional issues that are experiential rather than organic/chemical/somatic in cause. And lets not forget that you're monkeying around with your thinker when you take these kinds of drugs. I think of Paxil as being rather like Gum-Out for your brain. It can smooth out your emotions and your emotional responses to everyday external stimuli. However, if you've got something REALLY broken in your belfry, Paxil may not do you much good. Paxil will absolutely not make your problems go away. What it CAN do however is to quiet that mental chatter that makes it so hard for people like myself to actually take a step back and DEAL with a situation. For me, it was like a software upgrade for my personality.	M	50	15 months		8/4/2009 Email
4	Anxiety	Tingling feeling. Headaches. Warmness. Hazy. Sluggish. Extremely difficult to orgasm. Side effects of tingling,headaches and warmness were gone after 1 week. Sluggish diminished after about a month. Only lasting side effect for me was No Orgasm.	I really like Paxil. Anxiety was completely gone! and i noticed other effects that i liked. I didn't get so quickly frustrated, was more tolerant of situations, able to handle stressful situations. I stopped taking it a few years back, and my anxiety returned recently. Well, i was planning on going back to Paxil, but the only thing i hated about paxil was the extreme difficulty in having orgasms. So, with the suggestion of a Dr. I am now trying Wellbutrin. I've only been taking it for 4 days, but I am not sure if I'm liking where this is heading.. Hopefully the wellbutrin will work, but if not, im going back to my tried and true Paxil.	M	37	2 years		8/1/2009
5	Depression	night sweats the first two weeks but no other side effects since.	Looking back I've probably had long term depression. Over the past 2 years I had marriage problems, my wife had health problems, mid-life issues, job stress, and I recently broke my hip. I could no longer function. I began 20 mg. 7 weeks ago and increased to 30 mg. 3 weeks ago. Paxil saved my life. I no longer obsess about negative events and my stress level has fallen dramatically. I no longer cry two to three time a week and I can focus much better at work. If I continue to feel like this, I have no problem staying on Paxil for the rest of my life.	M	52	7 weeks		7/30/2009
2	Depression - Anxiety	The main side effect was nausea. I would get waves of extreme nausea throughout the day. typically the peak would be 5 hours after taking the medication. Eating while injesting did little to nothing. I stopped taking with little withdrawls. Smoking Marijuana was the best insulator for my nausea.		M	24	1 years		7/1/2009
1	anxiety	Extreme weight gain, 80 lbs., absolutely NO sex drive, and had little or no emotions.	Please do not ever take this drug. It makes your life pure hell. Try something else besides an SSRI. It ruined my life. Horrible to try to get off of. I tried to withdrawal for 6 to 9 months. I went through many medical test because I didn't know that PAXIL withdrawal was why I was so sick. It was like having a never ending terrible flu. Finally, I got back on it because of even worse depression and that's when I realized that it was Paxil withdrawal that was making me so ill. I gained even more weight, 25 lbs. very rapidly. I HATE IT. And no one can tell you how to get off this stuff.	F	60	13 years		6/29/2009
3	anxiety, migraines	Extreme fatigue. Sleeping 10-12 hours and taking naps.	Paxil seemed to work well for me as far as making me feel very calm. It also reduced my migraines. But I could not stand feeling exhausted all the time.	F	40	2 months		6/25/2009
3	depression/anxiety	weight gain, loss of sex drive	I would never suggest anyone take this drug given the year it took to wean from it. My doctor suggested I would have a hard time losing any weight while on Paxil and agreed on the weaning process. I started at 40 mgs a day and thought I could stop at 5 mgs a day and did but had withdrawal symptoms - shaking/tremors, nausea, and psych issues. I was afraid to sleep with my back to the closet because the door was open! Took a large butcher knife into the back yard to walk my dog before bed because I thought someone might be "out there." Really freaky stuff, so much so that my husband wanted to take my to the hospital. I just went back on the stuff for another 6 months, taking the wean slower and with the support of adrenal pills (homeopathic). Finally off - YAY. Appears I might need another "mood stabilizer" given some crying jags. Lexapro has been suggested, but the blogs on that drug read as bad as for Paxil. Will try another homeopathic supplement first.	F	56	15 years		6/24/2009 Email
4	anxiety, stress, panic attack	Emotionally blank, dry mouth, fatigue, insomnia, lack of libido, cannot ejaculate.	Overall, Paxil has really helped me. It has 100% improved my previous symptons of anxiety, stress and panic attacks. However, the first week I took Paxil, I felt very much "out of it". Also it has caused me to be emotionally blank. The sexual side affects are horrible. And recently, upon a dosage increase, I cannot sleep at night. I haven't slept for 4 days. I am hoping this side affect goes away soon. I have also dry mouth side affects too.	M	34	3 months		6/22/2009
4	Panic Attacks	Difficult to get off	got rid of the symptosm	M	41	2 years		6/17/2009
1	anxiety and rage, ocd	obliterated sex drive, weight gain, nausea, atrocious constant gas, brain shocks, dizziness, depression, moodiness, suicidal ideation, fatigue, heart racing for no reason, short of breath feeling for no reason, easily winded, stuttering, forgetting how to do basic things.... YOU NAME IT, I GOT IT AS A SIDE EFFECT.	After suffering with anxiety for all of my 26 years, I finally got some insurance and saw a doctor. The psychopharmacologist tried me on buspar and klonopin in Nov 2008, but the buspar made me feel like i was drinking liquor and smoking pot all day, so in Jan 2009 she replaced it with Paxil. It was February or so when I noticed that my blind rages, mood swings and intrusive thoughts had significantly declined, and my panic attacks were completely gone. Unfortunately, so was my libido. I also started noticing around this time that I was getting a racing heart and weakness around the same time every night, which the doc attributed to withdrawal (even though I was taking my 20mg dose every morning like clockwork) and prescribed me to take another 10mg at night. Guess what? Not only did the side effects continue and in fact worsen, but the benefits I had briefly experienced from the medication vanished. In April I decided enough was enough, as the lack of sex was ruining my relationship with my depressed partner, and all the Paxil was doing was making me physically ill while all the while my anxiety and rage was as it ever was prior to medication. Unfortunately, my doc had neglected to tell me about how dangerous the drug was before putting me on it, and also neglected to instruct me correctly on how to taper off. I told her I had 7 doses left, and she said to take one a day until I was out. Guess what happened a week later? The worst damn case of discontinuation syndrome the doc	F	27	5 months		6/15/2009
5	Depression, anxiety, suicidal	Some weight gain and mild emotional flatness.	For me Paxil is great. After suffering years of anxiety, I started taking Zoloft, which gradually became ineffective. After switching to Paxil I feel just about plum perfect. Been taking it for about 5 years and expect to take it-- or another antidepressant-- pretty much forever. Decided to very gradually wean off at one point and my symptoms returned. I had apparently forgotten what it was like to be very anxious and depressed. The fact is, Paxil just works for some people. SSRIs can be life savers and they are for me. I only wish I had started taking them earlier.	M	43	5 years		6/10/2009
4	Stress-related anxiety	None to speak of... NOW. (My earlier post is a few down, which mentions EXTREME EXHAUSTION; 47-yr-old female).	I began to wonder if anyone ever reported BACK after posting on this blog to update how things had progressed, or deteriorated, whichever the case. So, since I personally was desperate to find out what to expect, "should I continue this", "when is this going to help", and any other number of questions and anxieties about this treatment, I thought I would report back. I'll give it to you totally straight - the first 2.5 weeks, I truly, truly felt like I was going to die. I didn't WANT to die... no suicidal tendencies or anything like that, but I just felt so freakin' HORRIBLE that this treatment just didn't seem WORTH ALL THIS ~ horrible nausea, debilitating fatigue and sluggishness, my skin was burnng, sweating, muscle aches and very "flu-ish" like symptoms. BY the end of 2 weeks, I really began to try to remember what feeling "okay" felt like. The 13th day, I had to call in sick and take a long weekend, and for 3 days, I just laid there. Not sleeping, reading, nothing. Just laid there feeling achy, nauseaus, completely sluggish (as if I was carrying a 50 lb. sack of wet sand everywhere), pee'd every 10 minutes, and couldn't even must the energy to wash some underwear. The dishes in my sink were attracting FLIES! Luckily, I at least mustered enough to feed my dogs. But that was IT! How I managed to get to work and back, I will NEVER know, but the question was beginning to be asked "what is she on" and I had to confe	F	47	26 days		6/2/2009 Email
4	Obsesive dissorder, extrem anxiety	Maybe some weight, maybe less libido	Paxil is a medicine for sick people. It is a life saver. Now i practise sport five more times, enjoy more with sex (im not always looking at myself), and ejoy more life. Im afraid to stop, so i quit 1 mg per month. We are nor in a hurry. ( i take 20 mg, well 18 mg now)	M	37	3 years		5/28/2009 Email
1	Panic attacks, social phobia	After 19 years of few or no side effects, I feel that paxil attacked my body. Caused severe diarrhea, sudden weight loss of 22 lbs over 6 weeks from 114 lbs to 92 lbs. Extreme fatigue, flu like sytptoms and nausea. Had sores in my mouth for months and skin turned an ashed hue. I was undiagnosed for 7 months until I went to the Mayo Clinic. By this time I could not walk, had severe head and limb tremors and could not hold silverware to feed myself. The parkinson like symptoms were caused by a rare side effect of Paxil blocking out dopamine needed for a functioning body. This is called seratonin toxicity and is sometimes called seratonin syndrome.	My Doctor said if his theory were true, these symptoms would abate within 1-2 days since Paxil has a short half life. I reluctantly quit Paxil cold turkey and within 2 days was walking, my normal skin coloring returned and the tremors have abated for the most part. I am now dealing with paxil withdrawls but it is getting better every day. I was put on Ativan to help with the withdrawls from paxil and 5 weeks later I am doing much better. Paxil worked wonderfully for years but it is not meant to be a lifetime drug. I was taking 10 mg and increased to 20 mg a few months ago. Please e-mail me if any one has had similar paxil side effects.	F	49	19 years		5/27/2009 Email
1	Depression, anxiety	AWFUL, HORRIBLE withdrawals, I tried several times in the first five years to get off Paxil. I took 40 mg a day and tried tapering down 10 mg a week, then 10 mg less every two weeks, and once even tried liquid Paxil, tapering 5 mg every two weeks. Never could get off of it, had shock-like zaps in my head, severe nausea, drop in blood pressure, extreme dizziness not only when trying to taper off but also if I forgot one dose or towards the end if I didn't take it at the same time every day. Tried tapering with Prozac, then got pregnant and couldn't handle the withdrawal effects along with pregnancy. Withdrawal was so bad my OB wouldn't let me get off of it when I was pregnant even though it's now not recommended that you take Paxil when pregnant. If I had known how physically addictive a drug it was, I never would have started.	I was able to wean myself off Paxil after being diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and was put on Adderall. This changed my life, I slowly weaned off the Paxil by cutting the pills with a pill cutter, taking 5 mg less every 2-3 weeks. I truly believe I was misdiagnosed in the beginning, that my doctor just wanted to throw pills at me to 'cure' my symptoms and not use therapy or actually get to the heart of what was wrong. Be VERY careful when taking this drug, start with a small dose and give yourself PLENTY of time to get used to it before upping your dose, it can take up to 3 months to really tell a difference in how you feel (at least that's what I have heard). Today I'm a different person than when I was on Paxil, I actually have emotions and ups and downs instead of being emotionless all the time. It has been almost five months since I have had any Paxil but even now, especially late at night, I still get the electric shock or zap feeling in my head a few times a week.	F	29	10 years		5/18/2009
3	Stress-related Anxiety/Depression	EXTREME fatigue - I can't wait to rush home and lie down! I was a bit nauseas the 2nd and 3rd day, but today I still have no appetite. I had trouble sleeping before, so I'm not sure if Paxil is affecting that or if that's perimenopause. ? Ditto for sweating - could be pre-existing perimenopause symptoms, so I don't know that Paxil is responsible for that, either. No overwhelming cravings. I've never had a brain "zap" that I know of, although I do remember one night, I bolted upright in bed because I had the sensation my brain had just switched OFF for a second. And yet, I was aware of it. Hard to describe, but very frightening. But just the once, and truly nothing else.	I'd taken Paxil previously for about 4-6 months very successfully (I was having shouting matches with neighbors, fighting with EVERYONE and I didn't know why), but just quit one day. I don't even remember why, actually. I had no withdrawal symptoms at all that I recall. However, when NOT on Paxil, I have rage issues, anxiety, argumentative, and am currently trying to juggle a number of already-stressful issues. I asked to be prescribed this again, but only for a limited time period. I was also given Xanax for sleep, if necessary. Reading thru these posts, the satisfaction level seems to go way up AFTER 6 months or longer! I wonder how significant that might be. I'd prefer to not stay on this longer than 6 mos. My sister is bipolar and swears by Paxil; she said she was lethargic for 2 weeks, but then woke up one morning feeling great. I should have a similar experience, if genetics plays any part. Good luck to all! Please email me if you have any advice or suggestions for the fatigue. I can't afford to get laid off!	F	47	5 days		5/14/2009 Email
1	major depression, anxiety,panic	jittery, migraine headaches, nausea	This medication did not help at all.	F	37	30 days		5/9/2009
4	Panic Attacks Anxiety	First 3 weeks were not nice. I was very tired, couldn't stop yawning and felt 'out of it'. Since then my libido is not was it used to be, and I do feel somewhat emotionally numb.	The drug has given me relief from Panic attacks and I have noticed that my anxiety levels are really quite low. I am functioning like a "normal" person if there is such a thing and can do things and go places that i was not able to before Paxil. I certainly don't intend to stay on this forever (30mg) but it is nice to feel normal for a few years. After reading the withdrawal symptoms on this blog i am a little nervous	M	44	3 years		5/7/2009
5	anxiety/panic disorder, depression	dry mouth at first, some feelings of apathy	I LOVE Paxil. This is the third time I've been on it and it works wonders for me. This time around a new doctor didn't want to put me on Paxil so over the course of 9 months we tried Effexor and Lexapro. I've never been suicidal before but was getting to the point where I didn't think I could take it much longer. Within four weeks I feel almost completely better. I haven't used any Klonopin in 3 weeks (was using a very small does almost daily) and am actually feeling happy and excited about things. Life's stressors haven't gone away but I feel like I have a much more appropriate reaction to them and am able to think through things much better. Different drugs work differently for everyone, but for me, this one is by far the best. Good luck!	F	39	28 days		5/6/2009
1	Depression, panic disorder.	All together I think this drug has robbed me of my life. Nothing good has ever come from this drug. Please try to stay away from it. It's so hard to get off of. Everytime I lower my dose I get awful electric brain shocks in my head that throw me off balance.	This drug is shit.	M	18	4 years		4/19/2009
3	anxiety attacks	some sexual side effects		M	41	3 years		4/16/2009
2	bipolar	tremor, nightmares, massive weight gain	addictive and impossible to get off	F	45	12 years		4/15/2009 Email
1	anxiety	having no conscience, mega weight gain, swollen ankles		F	34	1.5 years		4/9/2009
1	Anxiety and Depression	Horrible fatigue, worsened depression, lost almost all libido.	It made my anxiety better for a few weeks but then once I upped my dose to 20-30 mg I just hit rock bottom. I'm in college and now am failing almost all my classes. Can't get out of bed from either horrible fatigue or am too depressed to move. I'm getting weened off of it now and it's making me borderline suicidal and is making me have huge mood swings.	F	19	3 months		3/28/2009
5	Severe depression; moderate OCD	None to speak of. I had been on a number of other ADs in the past, most of which really didn't help my depression much, or the side effects made me stop taking the med. One warning though... I cannot take GENERIC paxil. I was on it for about six months and had several seizures. The only problem I ever had was when this med went GENERIC and I was put on the "make-believe" paxil. I had several seizures while on the GENERIC. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, very confused and scared and also noticed that I had "wet" myself. When I lost control of my bladder during the day, I mentioned it to my doctor & he sent me for a brain scan. Sure enough, there was signs of previous seizure activity. Since going back to the brand Paxil I've not had a single episode. Generics ARE NOT always equal.	Looking at the range of comments and side effects listed here is amazing. Paxil must be one of those drugs that is either very very good or very very bad for a patient. Thankfully, I fall into the 1st category. I hope I never have to go off this drug. I've suffered from depression for most of my life, as did my father before me. As my life went on and my children grew into their teen years (ack!) and my beloved parents grew ill and died, husband lost his job... My depression grew darker. I've been in deep depressions before, so when my doctor prescribed Paxil I took it, not expecting much of anything. Miracle of miracles!! It works for me! I've been on this medication for 13 plus years and I am finally person that can cope with life's many ups and downs without hitting rock-bottom and staying buried there for months at a time. What a wonderful feeling! I don't feel at all 'drugged' with Paxil, as I did with some of the other ADs I've taken in the past. I just feel able to function as I suppose people are meant to. I started out with a 20mg dose and titred up to a 60mg dosage which I have been taking now for quite some time. I still have some rough spots in my life - but that's normal too, right? Meds weren't designed to make your life a Utopia. Paxil does it job, which is to even out my brain chemistry so that I can function without severe depression and suicidal ideations.	F	60	13 years		3/25/2009
5	Anxiety	I had a little weight gain, but nothing that wasn't manageable. The sexual side effects were offset by Levitra, and I actually became a better lover, because I had no premature ejaculation.	I've been on this drug for 11 years, and it really did save my life. I don't mind taking it for the rest of my life, for I am a stable, happy person. I know a lot of people have had problems with it, but Paxil hits my sweet spot. I was on other SSRIs before Paxil, but nothing "did it" quite as well for me.	M	62	11 years		3/15/2009
2	depression	HORRIBLE WEIGHT GAIN!! i seriously gained 30 pounds in a month. diet and exercise did nothing. I kept gaining until I stopped taking it.	only alleviated my depression a little	F	21	3 months		3/12/2009
3	Anxiety	My husband has been on this drug for 6months now and says it has helped with his frustration and anxiety. I only just discovered today the probem with this medication. It has made him (in the last 6months) COMPLETELY apathetic. He started taking this medication right before we found out we're having a baby. My entire pregnancy has been a disaster. I have zero support from him, he is emotionally unavailable. It's not his fault, its the meds. He takes 20mg/night and it does help him to sleep, but I could be screaming in the middle of the night and he is stil passed out. Overall he has no feeling emotionally, he says he doesnt have any kind of feelings towards me that he used to have and he is confused because he doesn't know why. This medication almost cost him his marriage and family. I literally moved into the other room (i didn't know why he was acting that way, neither did he) and I packed all of my things and threatened to leave and STILL no emotion. He was like a zombie. We agre	His other symptoms were no sex drive, no orgasm, night sweats, weight gain (like 30 pounds in 4months which he has worked off thanks to a gym membership), emotional avoidance, the zombie affect, zero feelings about anything, no motivation!	M	28	6 months		3/10/2009
4	anxiety	craving for alcohol	I rarely drank alcohol on seroxat I was drinking three bottles of brandy a week with no hangover, now I have practically withdrawn from seroxat cant stand alcohol	F	56	10 years		3/8/2009
3	Anxiety	Increased appetite, poor judgement.	I tapered off of a low dosage for over 10 months (very gradual). The withdrawal symptoms were a "zap" feeling on my lips. This withdrawal symptom lasted until about 4 months after I'd taken my last paxil. (Amazing!) My thinking was sharper after being off but my anxiety returned so I turned to Zoloft. It's amazing for me. No side effects but reduced appetite. I'm lucid and normal on zoloft. I still have justfied anxiety in extreme situations (a family hospitalized, financial, loss of job risk). I feel very lucky to have this med. Srsly!@	F	47	8 months		3/8/2009
2	depression	loss of sex drive, inability to have an orgasm, weight gain, nausea, dizziness, extreme withdrawal effects.	I've taken paxil for two months, it helped calm me down and be less irritable. Due to the loss of sex drive I was weaned off of it and had extreme side effects such as nausea, hot flashes, dizziness, fevers, lightheaded, headaches, and stomach pain.	F	19	2 months		3/6/2009
1	depression	terrible tremors, vision shaking, blinding rages, irrational behavior, extreme spaciness, SCARY SCARY STUFF	I actually got into a car accident while on this stuff! I was staring right at the car in front of me and it didn't even dawn on me that I hit it till like 30 seconds later! Please Please be careful when you take this medication. I understand it works different for everyone but no one ever told me that these symptoms were a possibility! thank god no one was hurt, when with drawing from the meds i went into such blinding rages my vision would literally shake so bad i couldn't see straight. (just like in a bad horror movie!) i thank god i made it through that experience a live! yes it was that bad, i blacked out a few times, i don't remember what i said or the people i may have hurt... just be careful (p.s. i was only 19 when taking it)	F	27	4 months		3/6/2009
1	depression	I was completely lethargic, wouldn't get out of bed and emotionless	Paxil works for some people unfortunatly it didn't work for me.	F	24	1 weeks		3/5/2009
4	depression	almost unable to reach orgasm, night sweating, weight gain, makes me a little bit sleepy, must use EVERY dose or I had horrible withdrawal effects	Paxil helped me a lot with social phobia and depression. But you gain nothing for free. I take 20 mg and it's almost impossible to reach orgasm. I had to take 30 mg for some time and it was MCI (Mission Completely Impossible). I feel sleepy too, I gained 10 kg. Also you cannot take this med while you are pregnant. I don't know what I will do then because it's the only helping AD for me.	F	28	7 years		3/3/2009
2	anxiety, SAD	(After combining with Biaxin), extremely cold, very tired, suicidal thoughts, inability to emotionally connect to my loved ones, feeling like i was barely hanging in there, feeling like i was going crazy, very scarey	I was prescribed this to help me through the winter months with the intent to wean off as the Spring approached. Seemed okay for 6 weeks, though i only took 1/2 the dose (10mg) i was prescribed. I noticed that my body responded with a 'dull like' response rather than a typical anxiety reaction. This all changed when i was prescribed Biaxin for bronchitis. After two days on this antibiotic, my thoughts became suicidal. I researched it and discovered the two should not be combined. The pharmacist agreed and my MD put me on Flagyl. After further reading about Paxil I gradually weaned myself off it; very slowly, very carefully and i am okay. I am learning that my pattern of anxiety may be linked to the antibiotics that i have had to take over the past year.	F	46	45 days		3/1/2009
1	anxiety/depression	Made me so agitated that I almost committed suicide, even on one of the lowest doses possible, 5mg. Worst headache that you could imagine. Loss of sensation in taste-buds, extreme appetite (and weight gain), loss of feeling in penis/genitals. Insomnia and akathisia.	If you have to take this stuff, make sure you are prescribed a benzodiazepine to deal with the very high risk of agitation and the anxiety this drug induces. Better yet, don't even think of taking this stuff without a proper evaluation and diagnosis from a competent psychiatrist (not just your front-line GP/Family doctor). This is dangerous medicine. Also, start at a very low dose, 5mg, and work your way up. The side effects of a full dose could easily cause psychosis, suicidality, and a plethora of other nasty side effects.	M	29	5 days		2/26/2009
2	Bipolar II	hand numbness/tingling/fullness; headaches	I didn't read this in anyone else's comments--my hands felt numb, tingly, and filled with fluid (like when you come inside with cold hands or feet and put them in a tub of warm water). I'm a writer and couldn't hardly type. Went off this medication after 2 days.	F	48	2 days		2/24/2009
1	depression	Severe neurocognitive side-effects upon withdrawal. Even with tapering with prozac not only did depressive symptoms return, but severe dizziness, "zapping" feeling, inability to drive, inability to concentrate. I lost one month of work and quality of life to paxil and would caution anyone from taking this drug. I've had prozac in the past and did not suffer such withdrawal.		F	52	2 years		2/24/2009
1	ibs-c	insomnia, tension, impotence, weirdness	Total nitemare, worst drug of any stripe I've ever tried. It did help some with motility and pain,but the trade-off is horrible. I'm glad I came off it so soon. Giving this out for IBS is just obtuse.	M	57	6 days		2/18/2009
2			I’m just glad I noticed these side effects sooner than later because it will be easier to wean off of it since I haven’t been on it that long. These brain zaps are the strangest feeling though and can’t wait until those are gone. It feels like my brain is expanding inside my head.					2/17/2009
1	Depression, interstitial cystitis	WEIGHT GAIN!! 65 LBS IN ONE YEAR!! Lost sex drive, could not climax, sleep 14 hours a day, loss of emotion, difficulty in urinating, constipation, fatigue, pupil dialated at strange times of the day.	I just hate this drug. It did what I wanted, helped to not feel anything that was going on in the world, sleep all my life away. Did help with IC pain. Withdrawal made me want to kill myself. I called a help line twice.	F	34	18 months		2/17/2009
5	anxiety disorder, panic attacks	Very mild reduction in sex drive; my sense of balance isn't quite what it was; occasional dry mouth (but nothing like what it was like when I was a wretched ball of nerves all the time!); a bit 'snoozy' when I have nothing to do, which is no bad thing.	This drug came into my life when I was 40 and at my wits end after thirty years of emotional nonsense. It is no exaggeration to say that it has enabled me to transform my life. Although I take only a 'baby' dose (10mg), over time I have become much happier, confident and calmer person. I can think more clearly than at anytime since I was a kid and my overall health has improved drastically (probably because all that negative anxiety isn't shaking me apart anymore). I have gained quite a bit of weight but I needed to after all those years of chronic anxiety, unfocused fear and lack of appetite. Once I began taking the drug I began to enjoy my food much more than ever before. I also had enough extra energy and interest in life to begin exercising with enthusiasm. Over the past seven years I have gained 70 lbs., virtually all of it muscle (my waist size has increased by barely an inch but my chest has increased from about 38 inches to 48 and my biceps from perhaps 12 inches to	M	48	8 years		2/16/2009
5	Depression and anxiety	constipation, decreased libido, headaches (at greater than 20mg/day), increased appetite(at greater than 20mg/day), sleepiness	Paxil has changed my life! Even with the side effects, it has been a great drug for me. I think Paxil gets a bad rap. I have had longstanding problems with depression and anxiety and have tried several different SSRI's (Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Wellbutrin). Paxil has worked the best for me. I think Prozac is the evil SSRI, not Paxil. I have noticed some breakthough symptoms of anxiety and depression on 20mg/day now that I am perimenopausal and I can not tolerate increasing my dose to 30mg/day. I did experience major withdrawl symptoms of nausea and dizziness when I forgot to take it for 2 days. I do notice that I feel more fatigued and sleep more than the average person while taking Paxil, but it works out well for me since I work mainly nights so I have no problem sleeping during the day. I have not had a problem with weight gain but I do notice that I have a major increase in appetite if I increase to 30mg/day.	F	45	9 years		2/9/2009
3		Weight gain, increased sleeping, loss sexual desire and more difficulty having an orgasm,	Before taking it i was 24/7 crying and i was unable to work and function so it took away those feelings of loss and negativity...	F	35	9 days		2/5/2009
5	anxiety	The only side effects I ever had were sexual, and they are dose-dependent: loss of libido, impotence, inability to ejaculate.	Works like magic. I was on it for 3 years and felt really great. I am now exploring a few other SSRIs hoping to find one with less sexual side effects. Keep in mind that this is a problem with all SSRIs and that's the trade-off you have to accept.	M	29	3 years		2/1/2009
1	for anxiety and nervousness	The Paxil had little effect, but when I stopped taking it I had an almost totally irresistable impulse to suicide, which I had to fight for a week. Definitely not recommended	I personally consider this drug extremely dangerous for young people who don't have the experience of life to fight off suicidal impulses.	F	70	3 weeks		1/30/2009
3	Depression/anxiety	weight gain, decreased libido, vivid dreams, insomnia at first then drowsiness	I haven't been too impressed. I went from 10mg-20mg and still need a PRN for anxiety attacks. I'm pissed that I've gained 20 pounds! There really is no antidepressant that will not make your libido decrease or not increase your weight. The best thing to do is talk with your Dr and try different drugs. Every drug works differently for every person. I missed 2 days of paxil and felt terrible. I felt dizzy, tired, "hung over", and sick to my stomach.	F	22	9 months		1/26/2009
1	Depression	Extreme Fatigue, Emotionally Numb, Loss of Appetite, Chills, Hot Flashes, Panic Attacks, Just feeling generally 'ill' all the time. With drawl symptoms were a NIGHTMARE.	This stuff is poison...	F	22	3 months		1/19/2009
4	anxiety/depression	drowsiness, excessive yawning, trouble ejaculating (once went 3 hours with no result)	This drug does help with depression. I don't experience the negative thoughts and feelings that were making life unbearable as often and after about three weeks I adjusted to all the side effects. I was really worried about not being able to finish during sex and considered stopping taking it out of frustration but with a lot of persistence and an understanding girlfriend I was able to overcome (no pun intended)it. So my advice is not give up on it right away. With persistence and optimism you may be able to get over the annoying side effects.	M	29	30 days		1/11/2009 Email
4	extreme depression	Brain zaps, weight gain, dry mouth, tinnitus	Paxil is not for everyone, but I firmly believe if I did NOT take it I would have NEVER gotten rid of this major depression. A year after I was taking Paxil my brother and mother both died within 9 mos. Had I not been on Paxil I would have been locked up on a psych ward. This is the second time I have been taking Paxil for depression. Thank you Paxil!	F	59	2 years		12/20/2008
4	generalized anxiety, depression	low libido, sweaty legs in the night	This is maybe the third time I have taken this drug...I had to take it for post partum depression at one point and now, again, for anxiety. I am certainly fatigued and am now underweight from lack of appetite but I don't yell at my children or cry at work anymore. Wouldn't trade feeling "normal" for anything. It also works within days once I start it. The hard part is wondering when I really am "okay" enough to stop it again. I didn't have any major withdrawal symptoms in the past but am also on a very low dose.	F	39	2 months		12/14/2008
2	Depression	Extreme fatigue, all I wanted to do was sleep.	Impossible to take this medication and still go to work. Stopped after 2 days with no side effects.	M	54	2 days		12/10/2008
4	depression	made me extremely tired, almost to the point of falling asleep at the wheel of my car. delayed orgasm - sometimes nearly impossible to have one at all.	this drug helped me a get through a very difficult time in my life with ease. from the first dose it helped me feel carefree and happy, even when everything around me was falling apart (loss of job and divorce). abruptly stopped working after about one year.	M	32	1.5 years		12/9/2008
2	Depression/social anxiety	None at all	Paxil did not affect me at all, in neither a good way or bad way. I started wondering if they had given me placebos instead. They started me out on 12.5 mgs, and after a little while I upped it to 25 mgs. And it still did nothing for me. I finally gave up on it cold turkey 2 months later and had no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. Oh well.	F	19	60 days		12/6/2008
5	post traumatic stress, depression	Extremely sweaty hands, lessening of emotional responses, decreased sex drive, possible minor weight gain, nausea, bowel trouble	Before I began taking paxil I was extremely paranoid as the result of a serious car crash as well as carrying a long history of depression from the childhood death of my father which was very prolonged .. I could not drive a car without my vision becoming a swirling tunnel, I couldn't eat and was losing weight rapidly, every time an airplane flew over head I feared that it would crash into the building and kill me, and I had trouble telling that these symptoms were unusual. Within 2 months of beginning paxil these symptoms disappeared completely, and although I am not the happiest person you may ever meet I am the most content with my life I have ever been. Due to feeling perfectly fine, I hope I am cured and have been attempting to stop paxil... although I have never experienced what others describe as 'electric shocks' when stopping cold turkey I have experienced moderate mood swings (more noticable to others), as well as debilitating nausea and dizziness that are very strong motiv	F	21	2 years		11/24/2008
3	depression	Neausia, dizzy, jolts to the head (when I first take it) weight loss, decreased appetite,increased ibido, suicidal ideas, zombie feel,	I've only been on Paxil for a week now but it's made me feel really sick. I feel like I want to throw up all the time and it takes a good chunck of the day to get over it. Which I guess is why I don't want to eat anything. When I first take it there's like this strange electric shock to the brain which is super scarry and I don't like it. I do have more energy and haven't thought about suicide as frequent. I still do from time to time and it seems to be even worse then before!!! It's kind of like I'm just floating through life and not really experiencing it. I don't know this is the one and only antidepressant medication I've been on so I don't have anything to compair it to. I just wish I didn't have to take them in the first place!	F	23	1 weeks		11/23/2008
5	OCD	dry mouth,weight gain, difficult to cry, blunted emotions, can feel apathetic and angry on it	Miracle Drug for me. It totally ridded me of OCD for 8 years then i was divorced,,the stress cause a huge exacerbation. I kept on the paxil and studied 'brain lock' (self cbt therapy). I'd be dead without this medicine. I tried to quit it and got real sick...like everyone says...dizzy, electric shocks...i used to feel nausea if i missed a dose.	M	33	12 years		11/19/2008
1	depression	didnt care about anything, increased suicide thought	withdrawl is beyond horrible and lasts several weeks	F	36			11/14/2008
4	Generalized anxiety / mood swing	None so far	It works great! Don't believe everything you read about this med, like other medications work for some and for other does not, Me ha quitado la ansiedad hehe	M	30	2 months		11/11/2008
4	Generalized anxiety / mood swing	None so far	It works great! Don't believe everything you read about this med, like other medications work for some and for other does not, Me ha quitado la ansiedad hehe	M	30	2 months		11/11/2008
4	Anxiety disorder, depression	Ringing in ears, shaky hands, muscle twitches... still annoying!	took about 2 months for it to kick in. at 30mg, finally seeing a difference. has helped to take the edge off, and has taken away apprehension, especially of driving. side effects still present, which make me wonder if this is an old school drug that is too powerful. who knows, all i know is my floating head feels better.	F	22	2 months		11/8/2008 Email
1	Panic Attacks	My advice to anyone thinking about taking this is DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. The emotional swings I had on this were insane. One minute I was laughing, the next crying. I also began to have even worse stomach issues. My panic attacks got worse on it	I hated paxil...went to Lexapro which has worked nicely	M	26	2 months		11/6/2008 Email
4	OCD, general anxiety	Mildly sleepier, not nearly as bad as Zoloft, which makes me snooze for 12 hours a day. Much more difficult to orgasm. It's actually a huge effort to the point where I don't even try. I black out every time I have 3 drinks or more.	Works very well for OCD although that is an under the counter use for it. I am more chill overall. I think that's because it's taking care of my anxiety, which triggers my OCD. Very nice. Be careful drinking!	F	20	2 months		11/3/2008
5	Bipolar Disorder II	tinnitus, random ear pains, random hyperacusis (when everything sounds louder than it really is), sensetivity to light, INCREASED libido (no, i don't understand that either), slower reflexes, random muscle twitches, random chills	Depends on the person! Some people do wonderfully on this med, some people not so much. Although I list a lot of side effects, they haven't been anything too much to handle. I'd rather have random twitches and sensetivity to light and sound than a terrible bout of depression. When I first started taking it I went a little manic, but it's the only antidepressant that's worked so far. After reading about withdrawl issues, I worry about that day when it stops working.	F	19	6 years		10/30/2008 Email
1	depression, anxiety	Sweating, no libido, zombie affect	Do not use SSRI's- they can ruin you sexually forever!!!!!! The rating should be -10!!!!!!!	M	52	2 years		10/29/2008
1	Anxiety, Panic Attacks	Yawning, dizziness, sexual (not able to orgasm), extreem sleepiness, nausia, diarhea, tense feeling in my legs, sweating, feeling "out of it", double and triple vision when I woke up in the morning, headaches, and a general unwell feeing all the time.	40mg for the first few days then reduced to 20 mg due to side effects, they lessoned but still too much for me. Paxil did not agree with me, my wife took it in the past and it worked wonderful for her. The side effects were too much for me to handle, I am a 36 year old man and I was messing my pants with diarhea several times.	M	36	1 months		10/27/2008
2	Panic and anxiety	RAPID AND SEVERE WEIGHT GAIN, nausea, dizzy, feel 'out of it", no energy, increased appetite, crave carbs, never feel full, withdrawn from the world, HORRIBLE dreams, acne	I was put on paxil for my panic and GAD. Within three months, I gained 22 pounds!!! I am not a lazy person, I work out and eating healthy. Paxil makes me feel like crap. I was never depressed in my life but paxil has made me depressed with the weight gain and it makes me feel so so sad, all I want to do is sleep, I dont want to talk to anyone, I never pick up my phone, i break out now which I never had a skin problem before, my stomach is always growling no matter what, I am always sick to my stomach, basically I hate paxil and am looking for a different med to switch to.	F	24	3 months		10/24/2008
5	anxiety attacks	weight gain (40 lbs almost over night), excessive sweating	I'd rather be overweight and sweaty than experiencing panic attacks! I have forgotten to take my paxil on multiple occassions (30 mg), and I do not have any withdrawal - after about 3 or 4 days I feel anxious again, but no brain zaps or anything else. This med can save your life, but go into it with all the info and stay in close touch with your doctor.	F	39	5 years		10/23/2008
4	depression/anxiety	Zero sexual functioning.	Greatly helped my depression and anxiety but did so at the cost of everything below the belt. Also, the withdrawal was very unpleasant and needed to be spaced out for weeks.	M	20	7 months		10/21/2008
5	Chronic Depression	Low libido; Sleepiness	My doctor started me at 10 mg, then moved to 20 mg. I went to 30 mg for about a year when I sensed some return of depression. Now back to 20 mg without any ill effect. I use the generic. Relief from depression is a God send!	M	61	8 years		10/15/2008
4	social anxiety and mild depression	the only side effect that i have so far after four weeks of takeing paxel is pro long ejaculation but i can live with that and my wife is understanding		M	27	4 weeks		10/5/2008 Email
4	Stress, Anxiety	Weight gain, vivid dreams	This drug made me feel the best I ever felt in my life. It is a miracle worker as far as anxiety. However, I gained ten pounds on it and no matter how hard I tried, I could not lose it. I stopped taking it, probably tapering off too quickly and could not believe how sick it made me. Brain zaps for months afterwards, nausea, dizziness, I could barely drive... It's been three years since I've been off and guess what? I still have occasional brain zaps which I NEVER exeprienced prior to Paxil. I am giving this drug a 4, despite the weight gain and horrific withdrawal because it is so effective. If you plan on being on it for a long time and have no intention of getting off of it, it's a great drug. If you think you just need to be on it for six months... it's not worth it!	F	43	6 months		10/4/2008 Email
1	anxiety	Nasty sexual side effects- lack of sex drive, hard to climax	Could very well be the male birth control pill! Really no change in anxiety level yet- only 3 weeks in. Ready to quit!	M	29	3 weeks		10/2/2008
4	Anxiety/Pamic attacks	Loss of sex drive	20 mg daily completely took away my anxiety/panic attacks. I notice a severe lack of sex drive, but if husband initiates, I still can enjoy it.	F	35	5 years		9/13/2008
5	Severe Anxiety/Panick Attacks	Some Sleepiness, given the opportunity I could take a nap almost everyday. Small price to pay for the benefits	It gave me my life back. I was so anxious that I could not take care of my family.	F	39	4 years		9/10/2008
3	depression, anxiety, panic attacks	Zaps, dizziness, muscle pain, forgetfulness, weight gain of course, night sweats, nausea	other then the side affects it works great! Took panic attacks away, more patience, happy etc. You have to be aware of the side effects before you start this medication they are even worse then you think they will be. Especially if you stop taking it without weaning SLOWLY off. I thought I was dying. Very dangerous medication when stopping cold turkey! Dont stop suddenly!		31	1.5 years		9/10/2008
4	SAD, GAD, depression	unable to focus, confusion, major fatigue, poor memory, unemotional, unmotivated, sexual disfunction	I was on 20 mg. It helped with anxiety and depression but the side effects are not worth it to me. I'd rather have anxiety and or depression. It ruined my relationship, my grades in school were affected, could barely function throughout the day without making numerous mistakes and being unsafe.	M	24	1 years		9/6/2008
1	Marriage break up	Worked well when I was on it.By that I mean I was numb and didn't feel anything in emotional terms, good or bad. But is that living ??? When I wanted to come off it - hell! Suicidal feelings, brain zaps, aching, akathesia. I could only come off it over a 2 year period very very slowly as the side effects from withdrawal were horrendous. My advice ? NEVER think a drug can change your life, only you can do that. This drug just turns you into a zombie		F	43	6 years		9/5/2008
1	anxiety	all of them	paxil is merda, gsk are killers.	M	27	3 years		9/4/2008
1	stress	loss of libido, no impulse control, very open with people, hair loss, weight gain, severe acne, dry eyes, fatigue, chronic pain, female problems, stomach problems, etc. etc. - this drug is EVIL !!! A lot of you on here just started taking it and think that it is wonderful - I used to think that too - just wait until you hit tolerance and go completely manic like I did.	www.paxilprogress.org	F	35	9 years		9/3/2008 Email
1	Depression-anxierty	Hot flashes, headaches, lethargic, no sex drive, lightheadedness, loss of interest, difficulty maintaining an erection.	It helped with the anxiety, but did nothing for the depression. Became bi-polar on the higher doses. Zero interest in sex; extremely difficult achieving ar orgasm. Switched to lexapro which helped for the depression better, with less side effects. Also take xanax for the anxiety. Anyone with questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me.	M	41	6 months		9/1/2008 Email
3	Panic/Anxiety	Lack of libido. Difficulty reaching orgasm. Hardcore withdrawl symptoms...	Worked well for the first 2-3 years with dosage creep. Initially helped very well with PA's and anxiety then became pretty much ineffective. Continued taking due to debilitating withdrawal symptoms. This medication should come with a bold warning about it's physiological addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms. After a very bad bout of panic and anxiety last year my psych prescribed Avanza(Remeron) as an addition to help me over the hump. I'm now completely Paroxetine free (and feel great) as I was able to tapper off over 6 months using the other med as a prop. The slower you can tapper the better. This is a good med for the short term but comes with it's consequences with prolonged use...	M	35	6 years		8/25/2008

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Average rating for drug: 2.9. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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