My doctor, an osteopathic dr prescribed me 10 mg tabs Paxil. Told me it was the lowest dose. But I see after reading on these forums, there is a liquid form?? I'm being treated for anxiety and depression and had bad side effects before with lexapro and prozac. I started taking Paxil a few days ago and already can't stand it. I'm more anxious than I was, more nausous than I was, dizzy, feeling like a zombie, wake up numerous times and a few times was gasping for air. It's worse than anything else I've taken, mostly because it's made me way more anxious and unable to function. I've just sat on my sofa for 3 days watching tv, didn't even shower for 2 days.

I didn't take it today and feel a little more like myself but still dizzy and lightheaded. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to just stop, but since it's only been a few days, maybe it's ok. I don't think these pills can be cut in half as it says they are time released. I suppose I should call my doctor. I just don't know if anything will help and I'm sick of trying one after another and feeling worse than before I started. I know it takes time for them to work, but there is no way I can go on like this for weeks waiting to see if it kicks in and the side effects go away.

Anyone have experience stopping after such a short time of taking it??

You really need to speak to your doctor about this....

Unfortunately, a lot of people do get the side effects you describe with some drugs. you're certainly not alone there. But you do really need to discuss with your doctor whether to stop and try something else or continue with this.

To be honest, with such a low dose and such a short time you're not going to any withdrawal...

Spoke to my dr, who said to stop taking Paxil. I already had anyway. And am feeling back to normal, well, back to where I was before I started it. Have an appt to see him again on Fri. And yesterday, started therapy. Hard to open the can of worms again, but know its necessary. that's the hard part and the most important. anyhoo, just wanted to share. Thanks.

Thank you for sharing, Whoisme.

I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. I know therapy is hard work but if you stick to it and do the work it will pay off in the end

Saw my dr again today. Forget the Paxil. Am going back on Wellbutrin. I used to take this and at a very low dose it works ok for me. Better than anything I've tried in the past. But I realize that it is not for anxiety, but depression and affects different chemicals in the brain than some other meds. Maybe that is why it's worked for me for depression. But lately, I've experienced more anxiety, so we'll see how it works now. When i took it before I ended up taking a very very minute amount - was prescribed the smallest dosage available at 75 mg, and would cut that pill down into 1/4. That was my daily dosage for awhile and seemed to work ok. At the regular 75 mg I couldn't sleep and was nervous and jittery, didn't do well at first, but gradually increased to 75 mg. When i was weaning off of it, towards the end I cut that 1/4 down to a crumb and took that for a few weeks until every other day, then spread it out until I stopped. This seemed to work and I certainly noticed a difference with different doses. I am apparently very very sensitive to chemicals, always have been, even cold medicine. I talked with my doctor about all of this and he is great about listening and agreeing to starting with the smallest amount possible. So, we'll see. I'm a little unsure how it will effect my anxiety though. But hopefully coupled with therapy again, I'll get back on the right track.

WoeIsMe-

I'm glad you are feeling better. You might want to talk with your pdoc(and I'm hoping you're not being treated for psychiatric probs with a GP) about different classes of ADs. Paxil, for me, was about the harshest AD I have ever been prescribed. Would your doc perhaps investigate SNRIs istead of SSRIs? I won't even start in on the difference, but the benefit I find in Pristiq is that it's mild on SEs, and it works on Norepinephrine, as well as Serotonin. Norepinehrine benefits are that it boosts your ability to be calm, yet also gives you a "happiness" factor.....this is very simplistic. The serotonin effect would stabilize you, level you out.

Additionally, WB is often prescibed along with another AD, either SSRI, or SNRI to help deal with the the SEs.

Check it out with your doc.

Deepster

Oh geez. Thanks Deepster. Actually, he is an Osteopathic dr. Yes, i know, not a trained psychiatrist. I had such a hard time in the past at my campus psych clinic with the psychiatrists. They were awful. I saw a different one every time i went, just because that's how the campus environment works, not the best drs there in all areas.

Thanks for the lesson on the different classes of AD's. I'm very unaware of how these all work, it continues to boggle my mind. When I was first prescribed WB, it was along with Lexapro. The Lex made me extremely tired and the WB was to counter that. but the combination just didn't make me feel better.

Does Pristiq cause lethargic and excessive tiredness? I suppose you may not be able to answer that as its different for everyone. It's so frustrating trying to find the right help.