Drug Ratings for PAXILAverage Rating: 2.9 (906 Ratings)
Compare PAXIL with similar: |
Results are sorted by Age from oldest to youngest Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR PAXIL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 3 | anxiety, panic | headaches, dry mouth | worked well first few yrs then for some reason wanst as effective. Currently gone up to 30mg hoping it will work again. @nd day on 30mg still feeling quiet anxious | M | 30 | 6 years | 8/17/2008 | 3 | depression | @first nasea, constapation but went away. sexual and tiredness. bad withdrawl, dizzy | like a shot of novacaine in your penis. Does non habit forming mean no withdrawl? | M | 30 | 1 years | 3/13/2003 | 2 | Panic disorder, GAD | Very bad anxiety and emotional distress in the first week, week and a half of taking the med. Withdrawl symptoms on a stepped down dosing regimine were AWFUL...severe lightheadedness and vertigo, shocking sensations when moving my head. My dumb shit psychiatrist tried to step me down by half my dose over a month. I had to resort to cutting pills in to eighths to start with and then taper down one in eighth increments with about 2-3 weeks between step downs. A nightmare. | WHile Paxil did do its job, the baggage that came with it was not worth it. At the time, there was no information about the severe withdrawl symptoms available from the manufacturer or my doctor. Just do a Google search for | M | 30 | 2 years | 7/14/2004 | 2 | Anxiety | Muscle spasms. A little anxiety. | F | 30 | 4 months | 5/15/2001 | 2 | depression/generalized anxiety | Sleep disturbed greatly...strange dreams/nightmares. Used to sleep like a log, but Paxil made sleep a huge issue for me. Oversleeping due to terrible night's sleep. Gained a lot of weight! No sex drive, caused strain on my marriage, although my husband is very understanding. | F | 30 | 2 years | 4/17/2001 | 2 | It made it IMPOSSIBLE to orgasm! No thanks. | M | 30 | 1 months | 10/15/2009 | 1 | depression | swelling, nasuea, dizziness, confusion, joint pain, incredible itching, headaches, rashes, heart flutters, sweats. | F | 30 | 4 months | 1/11/2002 | 1 | Forced to | No sex drive, tremor, horrible thoughts, dizzy, SEIZURE, and other. | This is the drug that started all my problems, I'm 30 years old and when I was 16, I was hospitalized for depression, forced to take this drug in the hospital, the doctor increased the dosage I had a Seizure, it was bad! It started a cycle of Anxiety and everything else, I was mean as hell on this drug! | M | 30 | 3 weeks 1X D | 2/6/2010 | 1 | depression | Gained a ton of weight and had zero sex drive. The reason, though, that I hate this drug is that it turns you into an addict. Going off of this drug is like being in hell. You turn into a junkie because the only way to make the symtoms (suicidal, sick as a dog, etc) go away is to take the paxil. It is truly terrible. | F | 30 | 2 years | 4/28/2001 | 1 | anxiety | tiny adrenaline rushes that made me nauseous, hot, sweaty, and feel like I was going to pass out... and it came in waves.... | I also had no feelings.... I backed my vehicle into a parked car I saw.. I just couldnt comprehend anything. IT IS THE WORST DRUG OUT THERE! | F | 30 | 5 days 10 MG 1X D | 3/19/2011 | 1 | Sleepless / depressed | Mild seisures, night sweats, anxiety attacks, thoughts of suicide, delusional. | I'm still suffering effects from only taking 5 pills. I'm just not the same person sometimes. | M | 30 | 5 days | 2/26/2006 | 5 | depression | delayed orgasm, extreme sweating, rash, dizziness, pins and needles and dizzines when exercising, car sickness, increased sensitivity to light, lazy feeling oh and suicidal thoughts and self harming. Withdrawal, constant | I am very angry about this med. It helped my depresion but I started burning and cutting myself and eventually had to stop taking it because I was going to kill myself. Ive been off it a while now and I cant believe I even thought about suicide. | M | 29 | 9 years | 10/17/2004 | 5 | mdd,ocd,gad | 3 days of slight insomnia and a bit nauseated. thats it though. | saved my life!!! i feel like me, normal, at peace, i can play with my kids, keep up with my housework, waitress on the weekends and much more. i can get out of bed!!!! without fighting horrible thoughts, feelings of suicide, anxiety about anything and everything. its like a miracle drug for me. GOD is my miracle drug as well. i have tried it all, including bipolar medsthis one seems to be IT!!!!!!!!!!! THINK POSITIVE, DONT GIVE UP THE FIGHT, THERES A DRUG OUT THERE THAT WILL WORK FOR YOU. | F | 29 | 6 months | 12/11/2006 | 5 | OCD and depression | Withdrawal symptoms | F | 29 | 10 years 40 mg | 12/19/2012 | 5 | GAD and depression | First two weeks I had moments of | I stopped taking the med after 9 months ONLY because it decreased my sexual drive and even when I did have sex, I couldn't have an orgasm. It's unfortunate because Paxil was WONDERFUL for my anxiety disorder but intimacy is an important aspect of life too. BEWARE: Don't stop this drug cold turkey! | F | 29 | 9 months | 4/5/2005 | 5 | GAD and depression | First two weeks I had moments of | I stopped taking the med after 9 months ONLY because it decreased my sexual drive and even when I did have sex, I couldn't have an orgasm. It's unfortunate because Paxil was WONDERFUL for my anxiety disorder but intimacy is an important aspect of life too. BEWARE: Don't stop this drug cold turkey! | F | 29 | 9 months | 4/5/2005 | 5 | GAD and depression | First two weeks I had moments of zoning out, headaches, dry mouth, uncontrollable yawn, and a weird electric shock in my head. But after a few weeks on the med, I started to worry less, I was finally able to sleep through the night, I wasn't as irritable, I felt alive again! | I stopped taking the med after 9 months ONLY because it decreased my sexual drive and even when I did have sex, I couldn't have an orgasm. It's unfortunate because Paxil was WONDERFUL for my anxiety disorder but intimacy is an important aspect of life too. BEWARE: Don't stop this drug cold turkey! | F | 29 | 9 months | 4/5/2005 | 5 | GAD/Depression | Forgot to mention WEIGHT GAIN. 13 pounds in nine months! Sorry for all the repeated entries...For some reason it kept cutting off the rest of my comment... | F | 29 | 9 months | 4/5/2005 | 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 | 5 | social anxiety, dysthymia | difficulty with orgasm (difficult but still possible). Decreased libido (once again, decreased but still present). Initially I had some impulsivity, but that dissipated after about a month. I've gained weight, but I don't think I can blame the Paxil for that. My weight was consistent for many years, but I've put on a few pounds as I get closer to 30. | Paxil changed my life. I was an anxiety ridden wreck; every single family member on my mother's side (both men and women) experienced severe anxiety, so I'm certain my anxiety has a strong genetic component. My father is an alcoholic and an extreme introvert, so no favors on that side either. My childhood was extremely isolated due to poverty and my mother's own persistent agoraphobia, which lasted most of my childhood. Paxil solved my anxiety problems. I take 40mg every day, and xanax as needed (usually for important presentations, exams, etc). It's amazing how confident I am now that I don't have to worry about anxiety. Or worry about anything for that matter. I am currently earning a PhD, which is an incredibly stressful endeavor - but the Paxil helps me manage the stress. There was a time gap in my use, and while I still did well, I do much better with Paxil (without all the stress!). I am a more confident, self-assured, and assertive person on Paxil. | F | 29 | 5 years | 12/3/2009 | 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 | 4 | Anxiety | Yawning, jaw chatters, dizziness, nausea, some brain zaps & vision disturbance. | Started @ 10mg the 1st week, then went to 20mg. Stayed there for 8 months. Worked GREAT! no more attacks, took my Ativanmaybe once a month if that. Thought I was "better" so we started to wean off. It SUCKED but not unbearable. Now, 8 months later again....I am back to the panic/anxiety attacks & a mess. Worse this time around, taking twice the Ativan(lorazepam) as before. We tried Lexapro, but didnt work. So I am now getting back on Paxil. Its what worked! As well, doing the relaxation, self help books and changing stress in life. | F | 29 | 8 months | 1/12/2008 | 4 | Panic Disorder/ Depression | 1st month. very tired, no ambition, didn't want to do anything at all. Decreased sex-drive | Went off it after 1 year for 3 months... could NOT function got extreamly depressed... back on it for 2 months now and I am starting to feel WONDERFUL AGAIN! It really takes the edge off for me. I am starting to be normal Again :) | F | 29 | 14 months | 5/23/2002 | 4 | Social Anxiety disorder | Weight gain, couldn't lose weight with diet and exercise, sometimes slight headache | It worked very well for Social Anxiety disorder. I couldn't take above 20 mg due to feeling too tired and fatigued if I went on a higher dose. My doctor recommended trying another anti-depressant. | F | 29 | 2 years 20 mg 1X D | 7/3/2012 | 4 | Agorphobia/Social anxiety/Depressio | Hot flashes/Insomnia/exsessive sweating/yawning/hiccups/Cotton mouth/Nightmares/longer to reach orgazim/less menstral pain/bloodshot eyes/tired during the day/thirsty | I stopped taking it years ago and doing it cold turkey is very scary. I found myself on the floor feeling dizzy and shaking and it was as though i was under water because every sound was muffled. My sight was blured. I have since gotten back on Paxil 20 mg and when the time comes to end it I will be under the care of a medical profesional. DO NOT STOP IT ON YOUR OWN!!!! | F | 29 | 43 days | 9/26/2006 | 4 | Depression | chattering teeth, night sweats, sexual dysfunction (delayed orgasm) | did reduce depression, but side effects are frustrating, especially night sweats | M | 29 | 4 weeks | 5/28/2001 | 4 | depression and anxiety | feeling tired | decreased sexual drive | F | 29 | 4 years | 4/23/2007 | 3 | Depression, anxiety | weight gain, vivid dreams and nightmares,memory problems, shaking,lack of sexual interest, want to sleep all the time | The weight gain rumours are true! Doctors will tell you that Paxil will not cause weight gain but it does! | F | 29 | 9 months | 4/30/2002 | 3 | OCD | slight hand tremors, yawning without being tired, tense feeling in jaw muscles, tendency to gnash/grind teeth sometimes (not too severe or frequent), sexual side effects | I've been on the 20 mg dose for 8 days, with directions to move to 40 mg after another week, for OCD. So far, on some days, my mind stops in the usual places, but is able to move on more quickly. On other days, it seems like things are back to normal (or worse) again. I'm hopeful that the higher dose will help, although I don't want to the side effects (especially the hand tremors and yawning) to get worse. | M | 29 | 8 days | 5/11/2007 | 3 | Anxiety and depression | "fuzziness", mental numbness, weight gain, some loss in libido | Paxil helped in a way, by keeping me from thinking very deeply about some tough steps I needed to take in my life but had been putting off for several years. I got through them with much less trouble than I would have without the Paxil. The major downsides were that I gained a lot of weight, and getting off of this drug is HORRIBLE! | F | 29 | 2 years | 5/16/2007 | 2 | Depression/Gen. Anxiety Disorder | Horrendous appetite, weight gain, daily grogginess, nightmares | The drug worked great, but the side effects were too awful, especially the appetite/weight gain and grogginess. Always felt a little "out of it" and always wanted to eat, which hindered my daily functions a bit. Nightmares were frequent and quite creative, usually involving someone trying to kill me. Too bad, Paxil has been more effective than Wellbutrin and Serzone. | F | 29 | 3 months | 5/26/2001 | 2 | Anxiety, depression | lower sex drive, then complete loss of libido! | This drug made me immune and unable to have proper reasoning. Sexual side effects are terrible. First lower sex drive, inability to have an orgasm during sex, then complete impotence! even 4 weeks after stopping the drug completely...I really hope it will all return to normal. | M | 29 | 4 months 5mg 1X D | 7/14/2010 | 1 | depression | insomnia, anxiety, panic, weight gain, increased depression, increased suicidal ideation, delayed ejaculation | Paxil ruined my life and I firmly believe it caused permanent neurological damage. I started taking it for depression (a single depressive bout!) when I was 17. If I had known then what I know now I would have shunned it like death. I took twenty milligrams a day for nine years. It caused horrible panic and anxiety. And it only worsened the depression it was supposed to help in the first place. These days if I get depressed, it feels organic, like a natural sort of depression. When I got depressed on Paxil, it was a crazy, pitch-black, suicidal depression. But the worst part of Paxil is still happening. After I quit, the panic and anxiety, which it caused, blossomed and rebounded in the meanest way possible. Understand, I never had panic or anxiety before Paxil. Now, four years later, I?m still dealing with the ?mean reds? and I think Paxil permanently re-wired something upstairs. Some days I?m so ?off? and so panicked and anxious that I don?t know who I am, what I?ve become. I?m a quivering shell of my old self all those many, many years ago. I had no idea those little pink pills could be so damning. Paxil is poison. Please do not take this drug. It will ruin you. | M | 29 | 9 years 20 1X D | 8/14/2010 | 1 | General Anxiety Disorder | Going on to the drug was hellish, but once I stabilised on 20mg it was only the 'mild' side-effects of emotional numbness, general apathy and sexual disfunction. However, the real fun started when I started to come off the drug.... nausea, chronic anxiety, diaorrhea, ear-ringing, vertigo, nightmares, weight-loss, emotional instability etc... | If you are prescribed this drug, please please please only take it for a short period of time whilst you get some CBT. It has ruined my life. | M | 29 | 9 years 20 1X D | 4/14/2010 | 1 | Anxiety/Depression | Increased anxiety by 100%, increased appetite, tired yet unable to sleep, inability to reach orgasm. | Hear it works wonders for some but for me it was the worst antideppresant I have ever been on. Switched to Effexor XR which has worked outstanding for me, without any side effects whatsoever. | F | 29 | 2 months | 7/28/2001 | 1 | social anxiety | HOrrible. Laziness, forgetfullness, weight gain, zombie feeling, other weird symtoms | Horrible horrible drug do not take. Taking paxil for 8 months literally cost years off my life recovering from the after effects. I do not believe that my mind or my body has ever returned to the same since taking this medication. I immediately gained 25 pounds when taking this which has given me a struggle with my weight ever since. My memory is horrible now. Constructing sentences is difficult. I just have never felt the same. The worst of it I would say was the first two years after discontinuing, memory was horrilbe, word recall was horrible, felt very out of it our of sync. This is a horrible drug and these doctors will not help you when you have problems with it. They will blame the problems on you becase you came in with depression or anxiety so they discount your concerns and blame you as imaginging the side effects or already having them when you came in which you know is not true. If you have a choice always take care of depression or other anxiety related issues through therapy rather than meds first. | F | 29 | 8 months 1X D | 3/8/2010 | 1 | depression,anxiety | Severe weight gain. I gained 80 lbs. on this med. It did not help and when I tried to stop taking it I had to be weaned because I had really bad withdrawl. | Nothing ever changed in my mood or anxiety I only noticed I was getting fatter and fatter. | F | 29 | 2 years | 1/30/2007 | 1 | apparently for PMS/Depression | Dizzines, headaches, increased paranoia, more depressed than ever, severe panic attacks, and just plain awful. | Be warned that Paxil is not a very safe drug, there are many adverse side effects that are now making paxil the most unsafe of all SSRI's. Please look up information about the many pending lawsuits and class action suits that are taking place as you read this. The terrible withdrawl syndrome of paxil is scary. | F | 29 | | 11/13/2003 | 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 | 1 | Depression | Tired, sleepy, lost of interest, Weight gain, No sex drive, difficulty to maintain erections, very difficult to reach an ejaculation... Extreme withdrawal side effects like the electric zaps/waves, but worst is that I had a dystonic reaction; it was really painful... I had the muscle spasms at my jaw, my neck and shoulder were twisting like if I was having an exorcism, also my lower back and waist were twisting backwards (right and left); I was feeling almost like my bones were going to brake! it was really scary for me and my doctor who could also see it. | I had to go to the hospital 2 times for the dystonic reaction... This drug was not worth it for me... and I still can't get rid of it. | M | 29 | 20 months | 12/13/2006 | 1 | depression | The popular antidepressant drug Paxil used by millions of Americans has been linked to linked to birth defects, miscarriages and suicides among patients. | M | 29 | | 6/30/2006 | 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 | 1 | anxiety/deppresion | Weight gain (65lbs in 5 years)decrease in sex drive, do not drink alcohol with this medication! | I started taking this medication for anxiety and depression. It helped with that. I decided I was going to try to go off it. That was a huge mistake! You can not quit this medication cold turkey. I was vommiting, dizzy, and almost passed out a couple of times. I called my doctor and he told me I would have to wean myself off of it. He put me on Prozac just so the withdrawal symptoms wouldn't be so bad. I had no idea that my body could become so addicted to a medication. It took 3 months of gradual weaning (very slowly) before I could get off of it. I would not recommend this because of the weight gain side effect and the difficulty coming off of it. Unless you want to be on this medication for a long time, don't take it! | F | 29 | 5 years | 6/7/2007 | 1 | Anxiety | While on the medication: constipation, inability to reach orgasm, night sweats, very vivid bad dreams. I felt really good, emotionally, the entire time I took it. | This medicine really helped my anxiety but since I didn't want to be on it forever, I stopped taking it 2 weeks ago. I am still dizzy every time I move my eyes and it's not getting better! I took a 1/2 pill last week to see if the dizziness went away and it did within 3 hours. But now it's back with a vengeance and it doesn't seem to be getting better. If I'd been warned about the side effects I probably would not have taken it. | F | 29 | 5 months | 1/31/2002 | 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 | 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 | 5 | anxiety | Nothing | Just went off paxil after taking it for 5 years. I just weaned myself off for about 3 weeks. It was fine. As long as you wean yourself you will be fine. Everyone writes scary stories and its not true at all. If you slowly decrease your mg's you won't have any side effects. I loved taking it but i am better now. | F | 28 | 5 years | 1/2/2005 | 5 | Anxiety | Initial dry mouth, dizziness, nausea. Long term 20lb weight gain in 6 months that won't come off, and complete loss of sex drive. | It took me 3 months to get from 5mg to 20mg of paxil because I was anxious about meds. But after that all the anxiety symptoms went away, and I have more patience and no temper now. I also have milder PMS emotional symptoms. Everything is great. BUT I can't get rid of the additional weight no matter how much I train, even with a professional trainer. AND I never feel like having sex. I'm going to try to reduce to 10mg starting this weekend. | F | 28 | 2 years | 1/17/2005 | 5 | fibromyalgia, IBS | Night sweats, some nightmares, small weight gain | This medicine gave me back my life from fibro and IBS--I'm a new person. I'm on 25mg CR. The nightmares aren't too bothersome--they are more bizarre than anything else and give me a good laugh the next day. The weight gain has been great. I'm a very petite person who has always had a hard time gaining weight. I've gained 5lbs in the last few months and I have a butt for the first time. I am so grateful for this drug. | F | 28 | 3 months | 2/3/2005 | 5 | Depression, Social anxiety | Difficult to ejaculate, fatigue | The sexual side effects are frustrating but the lack of libido is welcoming. A fleshlight helps (seriously)The fatigue is pretty terrible but seems to be diminishing. All in all, I was on the verge of suicide before this drug and I've found it's given me a second chance. I know it isn't perfect for anyone and terrible for some but for me it was a life saver. After 28 years of fear of rejection, I've finally asked a girl out and accepted the rejection. Believe it or not, it's liberating. It's worth a shot but I do fear the withdrawl. Good luck in your treatment! | M | 28 | 30 days 20mg 1X D | 1/1/2012 | 5 | SEVERE anxiety, Fibromyalgia, panic | I have only experienced several side effects on Paxil and most of them go away after the first 2 months. Dry mouth, ringing in ears, sweaty palms, increased anxiety difficulty having an orgasm, consipation, occasional sleepiness and weight gain. For me the weight gain is permanent so I try and watch what eat and excercise. The sweaty palms, increased anxiety, ringing in ears and sleepiness went away after about a month. Since Paxil can be constipating I drink a couple cups of coffee everyday and have no problem going to the bathroom. There can be difficulty orgasming (for women anyway) but it is possible, just takes longer. The dry mouth is not too bothersome because I drink lots of water anyway. Please note that my anxiety (off paxil) is so EXTREME that I cannot function so any side effects I may had or have are nothing in comparison to the hell I was living daily. | I have tried everything from Risperdal and Anafranil to Seroquel (anti psychotic) to Wellbutrin and Lexapro. I have been given about 25 different drugs including every Benzodiazepine that there is. Nothing worked and/or the side effects were much worse than Paxil. I would like to STRESS to people that Paxil is not for someone who has occasional baby blues or a little stress and worry or even slight anxiety. In my opinion Paxil is for hardcore anxiety that is debilitating to your life in some way. Even my doctors have said that Paxil is the strongest med out there for anxiety. Paxil is also bettter for predominant anxiety than predominant depression so if you are mostly depressed with a little anxiety you should try something else. I have/had depression as well but it's mostly due to the level of anxiety I had. I also have post traumatic stress disorder and fibromyalgia due to a car wreck i was in. Here's a little story i would like to share with all of you: last year after I was on pax | F | 28 | 10 years | 4/4/2008 | 5 | ocd and anxiety | sexual (harder to orgasm) headaches and constipation (at beginning, then went away) | Paxil is the reason I'm alive. When I was young I had severe OCD and realted mental illness. I was miserable and a total wreck, thought about suicide. After beginning Paxil at age 12, my life was COMPLETELY turned around and I led a normal life. 3 years ago, I stopped taking the drug and again relapsed into intense mental illness, I was so deluded I didnt even realize what was happening. I developed an eating disorder and got down to 65 pounds. I began taking Paxil again a couple of months ago. My anxiety which was utterly debilitating is nearly gone, the OCD is much, much better, and I now weigh 115 pounds and feel stronger than in a long, long time. When I was off Paxil my life was a living hell. This drug saved me. I want to share this with all those who read the many horror stories on this website and will be turned off from it. Obviously it is not for everyone, but please, if your life now is hell, dont dismiss this as a real possibility that could save you. | F | 28 | 16 years | 1/31/2010 | 5 | PTSD, GAD, SAD, slight depression | complete loss of appetite, lockjaw, nausea, dissiness, fainting | I began taking Paxil in 2006 and loved it. I, originally, had no side effects from it and my anxiety was almost completely gone. I had to stop taking it after becoming pregnant with my 2nd child. I began taking it again about 2 1/2 months ago. This time I immediately had lockjaw intensely and within three weeks had lost approx. 10 lbs from lack of appetite. Not good when you are underweight to begin with. So, I adjusted my doses. First to 10 mgs/day then 5 mgs/day. My anxiety is still present but not to the degree it was w/out Paxil, my appetite has returned and the lockjaw has gone away. I do still have an upset stomach most of the time but overall it's an improvement from where I started. It may not be the perfect drug for me, but it's doing ok in the meantime. | F | 28 | 15 months 20 1X D | 5/11/2010 | 4 | anxiety/depression | weight gain, vivid bad/wierd dreams, fatigue, low sex drive | It works wonders on my depression/anxiety, but I wasn't happy until I started taking 30 mg. I think that I can definitely live with the side effects rather than the depression and anxiety. I would recommend despite the side effects. I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and suicidal. | F | 28 | 2 years | 3/13/2006 | 4 | Panic disorder with agoraphobia | Weight gain | My doctor put me on Paxil to help with my diagnosed panic disorder and agoraphobia. The first few days of taking it, I didn't have any side effects or benefits. A month later, I was going around town to areas I hadn't been to in years. I re-enrolled in college and am currently attending. It actually increased my sex drive and I had the urge to have sex all the time. That still remains true to this day. However, from the start of February to now, which is March 16, I have put on 18 pounds. I have not been eating any differently than I did the first four months of taking Paxil, but now the weight just seems to be piling on daily. I was already overweight at 232. Now, I am 250 and none of my clothes fit me any more. I cannot explain how I could gain 18 pounds in 44 days. I started noticing I felt more bloated than usual around the end of February and checked my (normally consistent) weight and found I had gained 10 pounds. Since then I have consistently checked it and it just keeps piling on to the point that I am now 18 pounds heavier. My belly feels bloated all the time and I have had to buy XXL shirts as opposed to the XL ones I was wearing two months ago. It is embarrassing. I have implemented changes to my diet and am planning on exercising next week, so hopefully this steady gain stops. If I get any bigger, I may have to talk to my doctor about other options. I guess at this point I am reluctantly thanking the medication while being pissed with it at the same time. | M | 28 | 5 months 10 1X D | 3/16/2013 | 4 | Panic attacks/ GAD | I experienced weight gain at 30mg. I felt emotionally flat. Began getting prediabetes, serious insulin resistance. Constipation. Took a little longer for an orgasm. Urinary retention. EXTREMELY tired. | Despite the side effects this drug changed my life. I'm so glad I tried it. I could lose the weight, but it was actually painful since I was STARVING all the time. If I counted my calories at about 1200 a day, I would lose between 1 to 2 pounds a week. I have to change though so I'm currently weening off and I'm at 5mg and my blood sugar is MUCH lower. It gave me serious insulin resistance. Wierd. I also feel like a zombie and tired all the time, I hope the next drug, I don't feel so tired. i think I'm going to try Lexapro. | F | 28 | 2 years | 3/20/2007 | 4 | mood swings | unable to reach orgasim, ears feel clogged, weight loss, tired and bathroom troubles | I have only been on the drug for three weeks and these are the symptoms I have experienced. I am nervous about additional side effects and the withdrawal process and am praying my ability to acieve the big o returns. My intentions are to only be on the drug for 6 months | F | 28 | 21 days | 8/4/2005 | 4 | Social Anxiety | Delayed or absent orgasm, abnormal ejaculate, fatigue, inability to concentrate (feelings of ADD), severe night sweats, vivid/real dreams, urinary disruption (decreased flow), emotional detachment | I've been on Paxil since 2001 at varying dosages. I've also used the time-released Paxil. These side-effects have been present since I started taking the medication, and I believe they've worsened over time. I've never experienced intense withdrawal symptoms, though become moody after being off the medication for 10-14 days. Initially, it helped with social anxiety, but its effect started to wear off over time (5-6 years). Sexual problems tend to improve over time, but can torment you initially. When I first started taking Paxil, I was unable to achieve orgasm for 23 days. I finally had to stop taking it for 2-3 days to correct the problem. Paxil is great for fixing your problem, but comes with a lot of baggage. I love it and hate it all at the same time. Be careful with this drug, monitor your progress closely, and make sure to talk to your doctor regularly! | M | 28 | 6 years | 4/10/2007 | 4 | anxiety | Decreased sex drive | I found much relief after my Dr. started me on Paxil | F | 28 | 6 months | 9/24/2001 | 4 | anxiety | thinning hair, could not reach orgasm on 25 mg, grinding of teeth especially during sleep, reduced libido, 5 pd weight gain, diarrhea, dizziness, shock sensation, vivid dreams, night sweating, desire to smoke, got drunk faster, memory loss, lack of emotion, forgetfulness, extreme promiscuity and risk taking behavior | I feel less need to sleep, more outgoing, can think faster, a general feeling of control, more confidence, coordination, more assertive, charming, wittier, less nervous, less paranoid, less sensitive, less antsy, less shy, reduced my anxiety, more self-belief. It works great on my mental/emotional state. I am happier, a better conversationalist and communicator. Paxil works great except that I can’t orgasm, am losing hair, am grinding my teeth down, have diarrhea daily and sweat like a hog at night. It’s a powerful drug. I am going off of it because of the sexual side effects and the hair loss. God I hope it grows back. | M | 28 | 1 years | 10/13/2004 |