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)

  

Results are sorted by Date added.

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

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51


RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR PAXILCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  PTSD, major depression hard time losing weight You should NEVER go off this drug cold turkey. You have to taper it. This drug was a lifesaver for me, as it pulled me out of a trauma attack that lasted a week. In addition, my moods are now stable instead of all over the place, and I don't lose my temper like I used to or panic when things go badly. The challenge with this drug is making sure you have the right one with your chemical needs. I was fortunate. This was my second attempt and it was a bulls-eye. Try it and if it doesn't help you, move on to another med. F 41 5 years
20mg 1X day
7/17/2012
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 1  Major Anxiety after my dad died This drug should be banned from any pharmacy/Dr. Market. I have been Paxil(paroxetine) free since September, 2011. My Doctor took me off of it cold turkey. I have had all the horrific side effects described by others: Frightening and disturbing nightmares, debilitating pain in feet and back (feet pain lasted for a month, and back pain lasted for six months-got relief from Massage). Now after ten months off Paxil, I am beginning to cry constantly and am just beginning to feel alive ( for first time in 12 years) even though it's as if I'm waking from a psychological coma. All these emotions are bombarding my Psyche, and often I'm exhausted from all the emotional ups and downs I've experienced. I had several major suicidal bouts with terrorizing feelings, but with the help of a lot of prayer and the support of my husband, I am surviving. Slowly, I am learning to be "me", living without the destructive Paxil in my system. Unfortunately, my doctor didn't have a clue. For anyone F 12 years
30 1X day
7/15/2012
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 1  depression worst withdrawals I have every had with any medication. It took 4 weeks to get off of this. My head was spinning and my eyes were jumping. I would NEVER recommend this to anyone!!!! F 58 3 years
20 mg 1X day
7/10/2012
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 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 day
7/3/2012
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 5  Depression/Anxiety/Panic Disorder Why are any of you taking regularPaxil? The drug has been reformulated as Paxil CR (constant release). The new formulation takes away most if not all of the side effects as the problem with regular Paxil was its short half-life (4 hours). Doctors should NOT be prescribing regular Paxil anymore. Paxil CR is an entirely different drug. Only use BRAND NAMES when it comes to AD's as the generics just don't cut it. Paxil CR 12.5 MG knocked out my depression and severe anxiety/PD within days. It's a good drug. If you need to withdraw from any SSRI use Lyrica. It's like a beta blocker for the brain and will cancel out any and all withdrawal symptoms from any SSRI/SNRI. M 39 2 years
12.5
6/30/2012
 5  Depression weight gain, insomnia This drug worked miracles for me. After a couple of weeks, I was humming again, when I had been so depressed I could barely drag myself (on the floor) to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Yes, there are side effects, but I got my life back. F 40 15 years
20 mg 1X day
5/27/2012
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 1  Anxiety Cannot get off of this ....I can't feel, cry, laugh, orgasm... What's the point of life, it takes anxiety away the first few months but then it traps you!! If I miss my dose by 1 hour I start getting brain zaps and sweats. I feel like I have lost myself. I cannot orgasm and don't feel emotions. I don't know how I will get off, I feel trapped! I have not had a real laugh in 12 years... I long for that!!! Please stay away from this drug F 39 12 years
20 1X day
5/19/2012
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 1  Gad Severe shakes, disoriented, extreme anxiety more than before, more panic attacks, dilated pupils, leg weakness and shaky M 23 6 days
20mg
5/17/2012
 1  Anxiety Didn't have many major side effects while on the drug, maybe a little apathetic and lacked motivation. Gained 20~ pounds. Sex drive was okay; took a little longer to 'finish' but that was okay with me. The drug did it's job. I was having debilitating panic attacks and Paxil took care of them. The real issues began when I decided to come off the drug... I initially weaned rapidly off the drug over the course of a month at the advice of my doctor. I felt ok for about a month or two but then I spiraled into what can only be described as hell on earth. Anxiety was through the roof/far more intense then the initial anxiety that I went on the drug for. When the anxiety subsided it was replaced with a deep, dark depression that I had never experienced before. I was never depressed before taking Paxil so this was a new feeling and very scary feeling for me. I was completely apathetic and had zero motivation or energy. My sex drive/ability was gone. Concentration and short term memory were shot. Brain fog was thick and heavy; I could barely formulate a sentence and felt like I had ADD. I was bed ridden for several months until I decided to reinstate the drug and do a slow taper once I stabilized. It took about 6 weeks but relief came, albeit with a few lingering issues, mainly sexual. This was about 7 months ago, I am now down to 3.5 mg and will be done with this drug for good sometime in June. Slowly tapering is the only way to get off this drug if you want to avoid major withdrawal symptoms. I would not recommend this, or any SSRI for that matter, to anyone. The withdrawal is just not worth it, no matter how helpful the drug is in the beginning. M 22 5 years
10 mg 1X day
4/23/2012
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 4  PMDD, general anxiety disorder Insomnia with 10 mg, weight loss, feelings of paranoia or nervousness for no reason. It's helped with my relationships with people and my agitation. F 17 2 months
20mg
4/19/2012
 1  Depression/Anxiety Forgetfulness, zaps and zings, changes in vision, rapid weight lose, hallucinations (all senses), occasional blackouts, painful muscle spasms, vomiting, rapid changes in blood pressure, severe mood swings, unsteady on my feet, high fever, acne, heart palpation's, and retinal detachment (during withdrawal), hands shaking, loss of all inhibitions, and strange behavior in general, that was out of character for me. Followed the Dr.'s orders on weaning off, 2 days after last dose, major hallucinations began, and I experienced difficulty separating reality from fiction. On the 4th day I checked my self into a mental health hospital, for my own safety, and for those around me, and I wish I had done that sooner. Because when I had blackouts I would destroy things, and injure myself, and get in my car and go to the store and buy seemingly random things. After 6 failed attempts at quitting this drug, there was noway I was backing down this time. 3 months out, I'm still experiencing more than mild side effects however to a lesser degree. This drug made anxiety and depression worse and gave me a total loss of inhibitions(luckily I could not get an erection). Also withdrawal has been on going for more than 3 months. Even though many of these symptoms showed up days after beginning this medication, 3 out of 4 Dr.s told me these symptoms are not caused by this medication, The psychotic part of the withdrawals and black outs went away 8 weeks after I quit taking it. During the first 8 weeks of not taking it at all, I had dangerous long lasting blackouts, sometimes I would just wake up and realize days had past, and have physical injuries I could not explain. Lost my job (very promising career, I was being groomed for upper management) because of severity of withdrawals, they lasted too long and I was a wreck if I made it into work. I really don't care about that getting the Paxil demon off my back M 35 2.5 years
30mg 1X day
4/19/2012
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 1  Anxiety Had some electric jolts down my legs, leg cramps in the beginning(subsided), and some mouth sores (went away). Sleepy all the time. Tried to get off after slow tapering but WD was difficult so went back. Reinstatement did not work. Lots of leg muscle aches, cramps, pain. Like my nervous system was on overdrive. Try to drop this garbage for good. M 47 8 years
10 1X day
3/16/2012
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 4  Anxiety/Dysthymia Decreased sex drive, weight loss Most comments talk about weight gain with this medication. As my mood becomes more stable I have more energy and participate in more activities. I have also had a decrease in appetite. F 33 2 years
10 mg 1X day
3/7/2012
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 2  Panic Attacks ZERO sex drive, no empathy for others, no highs or lows - just "sameness", skewering of my morals, brain zaps if a dose is missed Paroxetine helped me initially for my panic attacks. Nowadays I have a different way to cope with an impending attack, probably utilising my life experiences compared to when I was 23 years old. My marriage is falling apart because I cannot empathise with my wife. My morals are more akin to a narcissist's - as in, if it aint good for me it aint worth thinking about. My lack of worrying has me not caring about my health, leading to weight gain and not wanting to quit smoking, drinking, or other harmful things. The brain zaps send me off the deep end if I miss a dose. This is a good drug if you need to deal with an issue in the short term, but I'd advise getting good psychiatric help at the same time, and trying to get off it as soon as possible. M 38 15 years
20 1X day
2/23/2012
 5  Depression Because I am on narcotic pain (and other) medication it is difficult to separate side effects and attribute them to the medication that is causing them. When I first took Pazxl in '93,for me it was a miracle drug. I was getting suicidal and within a sort period of time on Paxil I started to get excited again about life. But I broke out with acne that defies description. I had to go to a non-SSRI. In the past 6 years I have gone on and off of Paxil several times, and have also used different dosages. My maximum dose was 60mg and my lowest was 20mg.I never had any trouble working my way off of Paxil. I am doing well and have just begun to go down to a lower dose again (20 mg from 40 mg). F 65 6 years
40 1X day
2/18/2012
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 1  Severe health anxiety, panic attack Spaced out, dizzy spells, feeling of passing out. Extreme panic attacks, nausea, racing heart, high blood pressure, no energy, tired all the time, everything would look weird like a dream. Head pressure Stomach cramps. Felt like I was in a zone. Kept thinking I was going to have a heart attack! F 28 2 weeks
5mg
2/11/2012
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 1  Anxiety, OCD, Depression AROPAX (brand name used): Minimum dose: 1 @ night. Severe, chronic insomnia. Haemhorroids. Weight gain. Bruising. The insomnia could not be relieved or counteracted by any other drug, such as oxazepam. The insomnia was severe. Haemhorroids were ongoing and severe for the entire duration of taking Aropax. They were alleviated once the drug left my system completely, a few months later. This drug, over all, was ineffective in relieving any symptoms of anxiety, OCD or depression. It only created new health problems. I do not recommend it. F 37 9 months
1X day
2/3/2012
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 1  Depression Nausea, emotionally numb, sleepy constantly This drug is EVIL! The withdrawals from this medication are worse than withdrawals from oxy or heroin. You will wish you were dead. Just awful. F 34 6 months
60 mg 1X day
1/5/2012
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 5  OCD / Anxiety The first week I was a bit nauseous but that quickly went away. Have also noticed lowered libido, more difficulty becoming aroused. I used Paxil about 12 years ago for OCD/Anxiety/Depression; it was the first "drug" I ever took. It worked wonders, within 2 weeks my obsessive thoughts could no longer take hold. In the past 12 years I have been on and off many different anti-depressants. I had been on Luvox for five years and it worked very well for my ocd and anxiety, but, I had gained 25 lbs and had a lessened sex drive. I went off Luvox and was fine for a few months, until the first emotional crisis hit and I fell apart. I was totally against an SSRI because of the weight gain and sexual side effects but my doctor convinced me to try Paxil again, after trying a few other drugs with bad results. I have been on 20mgs daily for three months and I feel great. I've actually lost weight, but I also stick to a strict diet. My obsessions cannot take root with Paxil and I would say my worrying is down 90%. I can enjoy the normal things in life. The generic is only $4 per month for me, which is also great! F 37 3 months
20 mg 1X day
1/4/2012
 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 day
1/1/2012
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