PAXIL Reviews (PAROXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 2.9 (1018 Ratings)

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 ANTIDEPRESSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

PAXIL  (PAROXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE):  Paroxetine is used to treat depression, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It works by helping to restore the balance of a certain natural substance (serotonin) in the brain. Paroxetine is known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This medication may improve your mood, sleep, appetite, and energy level and may help restore your interest in daily living. It may decrease fear, anxiety, unwanted thoughts, and the number of panic attacks. It may also reduce the urge to perform repeated tasks (compulsions such as hand-washing, counting, and checking) that interfere with daily living.   FDA Approval Date: 1992-12-29 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR PAXILCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  Panic Disorder Loss of libido, suicidal thoughts I took this over a year ago, but for some reason it has been weighing on my mind to inform people of my experience with this drug. I was on 10mg once a day everyday, along with klonopin about 1mg to help with panic attacks. I stopped taking klonopin because I could not function on it, I was drowsy all the time and fell asleep at the dinner table one night from it. But anyway, back to the paxil. It took me at least 30 minutes to reach an orgasm during intercourse and that alone was enough to send me over the edge. I wanted OFF of this medicine as soon as possible and my quack doctor said "it's not the best decision for you right now." so...I stopped taking it myself slowly. I cut my pills in half and after about a week I was taking 1/4th of a pill. Paxil literally ruined my moods, libido, and I was hospitalized for suicidal thoughts. I have always been an upbeat but anxious person, and while taking paxil I feel like it made my panic attacks worse. I was having them a lot more frequently than I was before even starting the medication. Do yourself a favor and try Celexa (old school drug but the best out there) for depression/anxiety/panic disorder. F 4 months
20mg 1X day
2/22/2013
 5  Anxiety Attacks Weight gain & low libido I found this site and decided to comment on this drug. I used to have panic attacks. (From 2003-2007). I started out taking Xanax (addictive) which only masked the symptoms. Then, my doctor prescribed Ativan which basically masked the symptoms. Both are addictive. Because panic attacks are caused by a chemical imbalance, you need a drug that will adjust this. So, I started on a low dosage of Paxil. The first dose made me feel higher than a kite. I couldn't even hold a fork to eat and I was very dizzy. My panic attacks were worse for the first week, but I continued to take Ativan at the same time to help. So, I actually used Paxil to help me get off Ativan. It takes about 3 weeks for this medicine to work. I continued taking them for 4 years. I gained about 20 pounds, but I felt great and could function normally again. In 2007, I decided to go off them. However, it took me from March to July to totally stop them. DON'T stop cold turkey because it's very dangerous. I cut my pill in half for a few weeks and then to a 1/4 and an 1/8. This sounds silly, but when I started feeling dizzy, the 1/8 took the edge off. I have had a few anxiety attacks since 2007, but nothing like I used to have. I know that I won't die from them and have learned breathing techniques to manage this disorder and have taken a less stressful job. I would take Paxil again, but also some Ativan at the same time for the first week or two until the Paxil worked. F 40 4 years
10 1X day
2/2/2013
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 5  Anxiety attacks and depression At 10mg a pleasant effect, at 20mg a little more. Now up to 30mg daily and diminished libido. No other side effects. This is an update to my comment on 7/23/2008. Almost 5 yrs. later I am taking 30mgs. daily and I still give Paxil(I am taking the generic and can't tell the difference) 5 rating. For me, it smooths my emotions. Give it a try, it may work for you. M 60 10 years
30 mg 1X day
1/26/2013
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 4  ANXIETY After 15 yrs, almost no side effects. But if you plan to get off, good luck. Almost impossible!!! But this drug has saved me from HORRIBLE anxiety. F 15 years
40 1X day
1/18/2013
 1  Depression, SAD/OCD Stoppedafter just two weeks due to total anorgasmia Did nothing to help in two weeks, although prob unfair to judge efficacy on such a short trial. M 18 2 weeks
10 MG 1X day
1/1/2013
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 5  OCD and depression Withdrawal symptoms F 29 10 years
40 mg
12/19/2012
 1  OCD; deppresion tired, lazy, mood-nothing, gain 30lbs, never wanted to even kiss my husban I started the off brand off Paxil (Paroxetine) at 20MG once a day 6 months ago, didnt help. Then my doctor put me to 2 pills a day at 20Mg, didn't help. Now as of a month ago I am taking 2 pills a day at 30Mg. Has only helped me a fews days then i went back down. I just stoped taking it and i'm haveing the worst withdaws ever!!!!! I'm so sick. I wished i never got put on Paxil. But do remember it may work differently for you. F 20 6 months
30mg 2X day
12/17/2012
 5  Panic disorder None. I am so glad I got on Paxil. I had panic disorder that developed into agoraphobia and I couldn't leave my house. Now, four months after starting Paxil, I am making out of town day trips for fun and have even registered for college next semester. I went from being a total recluse to actually getting out and getting things done for once. I am so proud of myself. I have gained 5 pounds since starting the Paxil but I have also stopped exercising and I eat like crap because I'm happier. I think the 5 pounds would have come on regardless. There has been no change in my sexual performance. I'm still as horny as ever and I can "get off." I can't think of any side effects. M 27 4 months
10 MG 1X day
11/27/2012
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 5  Anxiety Side effects that taper off. Headache, Tingling, Warm feeling. Side effects that last. Ear ringing. (you get used to it and don't notice it as much) Higher frequency of passing gas. Don't skip a medication because of any particular rating. I have tried prozac ( horrible for me) . Celexia (Made my mind foggy) Zoloft (Made me withdrawn) Wellbutrin (made me angry).. What's good for one, is bad for another. With the exception of Prozac, I have tried all the above mentioned SSRI's for over a year, and i came to the conclusion that Paxil was the best for me. I switched off from it because of the inability to orgasm. I had the same problem with all the SSRI's with exception to Zoloft. It cured the anxiety, but, made me withdrawn, I didn't want to have sex. Prozac and Wellbutrin made my anxiety worse. Celexia worked as well as the Paxil for Anxiety but i felt like my IQ dropped by 30. After all that, i returned to Paxil. The negatives with any SSRI are the transition periods. It can take me about 2 weeks to adjust, 30 days for me to see full benefits and a year to notice the subtle changes and differences in my behavior. Any SSRI, you need to stick it out atleast 30 days to see if its helping. I suggest having some Lorazipan or Xanax to help with that difficult time. If/when you decide to discontinue Paxil, Cut it off 5 mg at a time. Regular (not CR), you can cut up the pill. In 3-6 months you can ween yourself off from it without the HELL it is by just stopping cold. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I had to endure it once because i ran out of pills. Hell begins with Paxil on about the 3rd day of missing it. M 41 3 years
20mg 1X day
11/16/2012
 1  Anxiety GAD/PTSD Delusionaly happy with psychotic effects. No ability or desire to perform sexually and emotionally flat, never slept while on it I would just collapse into a psychotic state every now and then. Lost all ability to tell right from wrong, and was oblivious to the fact that I was manic and psychotic the entire time, and as a result I made lot's of bad decisions. I lost my job and got arrested for bad behavior many times on this med. Getting off of it was hell, I'm permanently emotionally impaired from it, and may never be capable of holding a job again. I can experience limited emotions sometimes now but most of the time they are no longer present. I still have difficulty distinguishing whether or not I'm awake or in a dream. I did not experience any conscious signs of anxiety while on this drug but developed much more extreme physical symptoms, that will not respond to medications. Now that I can no longer take it my original problems are many times worse and can not be treated effective If you live in a state that allows medical marijuana try it first. I was miserable before this medication now I'm more miserably and have no ability to function normally in society. I live with my parents now, when they are gone I'll be a vagrant and die on the streets. Paxil did nothing but give me more problems and make me permanently disabled. Don't say you weren't warned. It's a form of chemical lobotomy and in my case its permanent. 3 years
30 MG 1X day
11/16/2012
 4  Anxiety chronic pain and depression Long time to climax during sex, side effects for over 2 years after stopping. Although I stopped cold turkey I have heard similar to those that weaned but too quickly. All or nothing, meaning if you start it its lifelong if you stop its almost regrettable and the cycle continues because what it helped comes back quickly and seems to not be as strong each time you quit and restart. M 40 14 years
10 MG 1X day
10/26/2012
 5  Anxiety. Loss of libido. When it worked it was FANTASTIC. Stabilised for 8 years before 'pooping out' last year. M 42 8 years
20 1X day
10/18/2012
Email
 3  IBS sexual side effects, vivid dreams, weight gain Working for my IBS and probably helping with anxiety too. I will probably ask for a change because the weight gain and sexual side effects are quite disturbing to my life. F 37 4 months
20 1X day
10/5/2012
 1  Generalized Anxiety Disorder At low doses (10 mg)-sleepiness, not many side effects. At high doses (30 mg)-extreme anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, feeling as if I was going crazy. I took paxil 10mg for a year and a half with no side effects. After experiencing some significant life stressors my dose was increased to 20 mg. I felt normal on that dosage for about 2-3 months. However, soon my anxiety started worsening again because of work-related issues and I was increased to 30 mg daily. I took this dosage for two weeks. One week after increasing the dosage I sincerely believe this medication caused me to become manic-didn't sleep for days on end, extreme irritability and anger/hostility, hallucinations (visual AND auditory), feelings of paranoia, psychotic symptoms-including a couple bouts of hysterical laughter. I believe this drug induced serotonin syndrome. My primary care doc didn't think this drug was causing hallucinations and slapped me on seroquel (an antipsychotic). I ended up taking two and a half weeks of medical leave from work trying to withdraw from this drug. Luckily I got off paxil and will NEVER ever go back on it again. I ended up having to see a psychiatrist to help me get off of this awful drug. I considered checking in to a mental hospital while I was on the 30mg per day dosage. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone! F 25 2 weeks
30 MG 1X day
9/29/2012
 1  mild depressiom sexual indifference, weight gain, tendency to abuse alcohol, nicotine, narcotics, lethargy, lack of emotions. I quit 4 months ago after a 4 week taper and have had horrible withdrawal symptoms ever since. Constant nausea, inability to eat, crawling sensations inside my body, constant adrenaline surges, suicidal thoughts, intense depression, desperation, insomnia. I had none of these problems prior to taking the drug. Do not take this drug unless all options have been eliminated and plan to stay on for life if you start. F 62 12 years
10 mg 1X day
9/22/2012
Email
 1  Mild Depression Alcohol cravings, loss of all emotions, completely uninhibited, suggestibility (would find it impossible to say no), flu like symptoms every morning that would subside after taking another dose, violent rages, blackouts with and without alcohol, confusion, insomnia and highly delusional. I had almost no emotional responsiveness but would have told you that I felt great while taking Paxil, and never noticed that anything was out of the ordinary, until I got off of it. Even with Dr. supervised taper I experienced psychosis and had to spend 3 days in a psychiatric facility. Took approximately 9 months to return to a functional state. I had a great career, perfect legal record before Paxil. Now I have no job legal problems, and will never again be able to perform work at the level I was at previously. Also I now have severe generalized anxiety disorder, Asperger's like symptoms, and am told that this is going to be permanent. Yes my depression returned after cessation also. I would not recommend this medication to anyone unless it was a life threatening condition, such as coping with a terminal illness or repeated suicide attempts and everything else had been tried first. M 36 3 years
30 1X day
9/12/2012
 1  Depression anxiety Hostile angry irritable. It was aweful and I hope I never feel like that again in my life. I snapped on my kids and my husband. I couldn't find joy in anything. It worsened my depression and anxiety and made me nauseous F 34 8 weeks
20mg
9/6/2012
 1  Panic disorder and Major Depression MAJOR mood swings (would go from being euphoric to in a rage in a matter of minutes); hallucinations; night terrors; blackout periods; suicidal thoughts I would NEVER take this drug again in a million years. I was diagnosed with major depression and panic disorder when I was 16 years old and this was the first medication my psychiatrist tried me on. Within a few days, my moods changed severely and I became very unstable. I would yell and scream and start crying for no reason. There was one time after a period of rage that I blacked out. I have no memory of anything then. I also experienced frightening hallucinations and night terrors. As a result, I could not sleep which only made things worse. The last straw was suicidal thoughts. I was very close to ending things and I told my mom I wanted to die. She took quick action and called the psychiatrist who immediately took me off the medication. He said that I had a chemical reaction that mimicked severe bipolar disorder. He put me on Seroquel for two weeks while the Paxil got out of my system. I would never recommend this to ANYONE. F 16 14 days
20mg 1X day
8/17/2012
 4  IBS No sex drive unable to orgasm. I was put on this medication for IBS which was wrecking my life. The Paroxetine stopped the diarrhea bouts that would hit me 20 mins after a meal, or for no reason. I didn't want to go anywhere. And had to know where every bathroom was in all of the stores and other places. I am glad to have my life back. And to be able to eat when out with friends and family without the worry. F 47 11 days
40 mg 1X day
8/5/2012
 4  panic disorder, agoraphobia Decreased sex drive. Cannot orgasm. This drug has helped me sooo much with my anxiety and panic attacks. I went from going on a medical leave from work and never leaving my house, to being able to fly to Florida and have fun on vacation! But, i have absolutely NO sex drive and in the very rare occasion that i do, i can't orgasm. It has been really frustrating. The drug is great for my anxiety, but I dont know if ic can stay on it for a long time with my side effect. Also i heard withdrawl is horrible and that really scares me because Im on a pretty high dose. F 21 1 months
40mg 1X day
7/25/2012

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