I would be patient with it. It takes about 6 weeks for the drug to max it's potential. I was told Paxil builds up in your system, not like some others. I think that is what my doc told me. lol Anyway, if after 6 weeks you still feel anxious, a higher dose may be in order. We are all different and need different doses. Don't be afraid to try. It can't hurt and it may help.

I know it helped me a lot over the years. I used to have panic attacks and haven't had one in ages.

yorkie,

what you are describing sounds very common in the beginning. learningtolaugh is right, it takes about 6 weeks to kick in.

take a look at our Paxil FAQ, i'm sure it will help you with some of your questions.

let us know how you are doing.

Thanks guys for your help. I seem to have leveled out since my last post,things are not as intense but its only been 2 weeks so plenty of time for them to work yet.
I will keep you posted.
thanks.

This post has been edited by Forum Admin: Oct 20 2009, 09:17 PM

I'm glad to hear things are going a bit better for you these days.
Don't give up and hang in there, I know patience is the hardest part with taking medications as we are all used to and await the instant effect. Are you taking medications alone or /and are you looking into therapy as well? What did your Dr recommend?

Well my doctor wants me to start off with medication, He said its up to me whether i get therapy but he strongly recommended it. Well im at the end of week 3, Things have been ok,pretty much as normal to be honest but on the occasional time my anxiety seems much higher than it used to be, has anybody else experienced this when at the beginning of the tablets?.

My understanding is that paroxetine works both as an anti-depressant and as an anti-anxiety medication. My level of anxiety was very high when I began treatment and the doctor also prescribed bromazepam (1.5mg) for extremely stressful situations. Caution is urged with bromazepam as it is easy to slip into dependence but it is effective, especially at first when Paxil is beginning to take effect. Just having it in your pocket in case you need it is a comfort. I would also advise people to cut alcohol intake to an absolute minimum (preferably zero) in order to benefit from this treatment. Seriously, SSRIs + bromazepam + alcohol = meltdown.

HTH,

Ricardo.

Hi, I couldn't agree more with the above post. For me, a few years back I was on Paxil and had a horrid time in the beginning. Tummy aches, anxiety increase, (which I think my p-doc gave me a benzo for that period of time) I called my p-doc and said I wanted off. She reassured me that this will pass the bad SE and will be worth it. So I hung in there and worked for a while .....and after a couple of years stopped working. Everyone is different on how meds work as you know. But I remember it being just horrid going on it the first couple of weeks. Also, with caffeine, is another bug-aboo substance to try and minimize while on SSRI's. There is a really great p-doc in my city, that now lectures, that if one does not stop coffee, colas while on SSRI's or any AD's he will no longer see them. That is how strongly he believes that caffeine screws up and minimializes the good affects of AD's and think he said that the bad SE become more pronounced.

So just something to think about....

All the best !!!!

-Nefret

Interesting, netfret! I have completely quit caffeine and pretty much chocolate as it was making my heart beat too fast.

I am on Paxil 40 mg. Used to take 20 and went off it (too fast) and had bad withdrawals and now have to take 40 mg. I am doing much better. Occasionally, I take a half of a klonipan if Im ansious or a whole one under extreme situations but basically Paxil is the best for me for depression and anxiety.

GS

Absolutely sage advice from both Ricardo and Nefret. I think alocohol is the worst with Paxil. My personal experience was that if I over-indulged in alcohol I experienced no hangovers. Some may say "Aha!", thinking this to be a benefit. I can tell you now, it is NOT! Not only are you destroying the benefits of Paxil, you could very well watlz yourself into a "self medicating" spiral that I'll just say ain't pretty.

Caffiene is not your friend either. For some reason, thankfully, after I took early retirement from the stressful corporate world, I found that the 2-3 post of coffee I consumed daily at the time just didn't work for me any longer. Now, I drink a large cup of 1/2 decaf and 1/2 regular in the morning. I still get some of the jittery effects of the caffiene. I now take trazodone for sleep, and it's well known for its "hangover" effects for some the next morning. When I discussed this with my pdoc, she even suggested that a cup of coffee might be effective in dealing with this. I told her I was already doing this, so obviously in some situations, she feels that a small amount of caffiene might not be a bad thing. I'm glad she endorsed this 'cus I just don't think I could start my day without that one cuppa joe.

Paxil all in all was a good med for me after about the first 45 days. I felt great on it......a little too great as a matter of fact. There are many reports of hypomania being triggered by SSRIs, especially those with any tendencies toward BP issues. This became the case for me. I know we'd all like to be off all meds and be stable. But, when we find something that works and is tolerable, I'm a firm believer we should stick with it. Just stay contact with your med professional in regards to the things you are consuming, and report questionable SEs immediately. If Paxil is the med for you, hang in there through the initial SE period.

Best wishes!
Deepster

Ok i have been on the medication for 4 weeks now. No real changes yet but i am a little more relaxed,my anxiety is still pretty high but there is still time for it to work yet. I am on 20mg so maybe in 2 or 3 weeks i need to go to 30mg but i will see how things go.
I have had my first experience with alcohol and paxil, no real bad effects, its kind of like drinking with anti-biotics,you seem to get drunk a lot quicker. I have noticed that the next 2 days after drink i get no sleep at night at all,i got to sleep at 4.30am for 2 nights which is not normal for me at all so im pretty sure its the medication, i am going to stay off drink as i dont think its a great idea anyway.
Thanks for all your posts which has been great info for me.
Thanks again.