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[anthonyg23]

my psych prescribed me paxil 10mg..i am to take half a tablet for 7 days and a full tablet the second week, all at bedtime. I am taking it for my extreme anxiety . this will be my third AD after having failed/bad experiences on zoloft and prozac..he told me the side effects should be less intense...im a bit scared since i have had bad experiences.....anyone taking paxil? has it helped your anxiety? what are the most common side effects? is it true there are less, like my psych said?
thanks in advance for any replies =]

[MaddieLouise]

Hi Anthony,

You've posted in the right place and I believe if you read some of the other topics here, you will find several of our members use Paxil successfully, while others suffer from side effects until they reach a place where the medication works for them.

Good Luck and I know changing meds. can be rather scary, so let us know how you are doing.

Sincerely,

MaddieLouise

[memyselfi10]

Paxil has been great for my anxiety. I've been taking 25mg of ER for almost two months now. It gave me some insomnia the first month... but I also found I didn't need as much sleep so that wasn't too much of a problem. Everyone has different experiences though, so you'll have to find out how it works for you. Seems like you're starting at a very low dose, so try to be patient if you don't see much results for awhile. BTW: I had tried Zoloft too, with very bad side effects, had to stop taking it. Paxil has been nothing like that experience. Good luck!

[anthonyg23]

thank you both for your support...yeah i think im gonna start it on monday see how it goes for me....memyselfi10 how bad was your anxiety before starting this med? yeah zoloft was the first AD i ever took and only 3 days because it was unbearable

anyways thanks! i will keep you posted and would appreciate anyone else's experiences....*mostly good experiences lol im really hoping this is the drug that will help ease my anxiety

[memyselfi10]

thank you both for your support...yeah i think im gonna start it on monday see how it goes for me....memyselfi10 how bad was your anxiety before starting this med? yeah zoloft was the first AD i ever took and only 3 days because it was unbearable

anyways thanks! i will keep you posted and would appreciate anyone else's experiences....*mostly good experiences lol im really hoping this is the drug that will help ease my anxiety

I had anxiety constantly, in fact I was so used to the feeling that I didn't even realize how bad it was until it was gone. I had regular freak outs at work, and was worried about keeping my job. Panic attacks once in awhile. Social anxiety. Worry about everything. Within the first week of taking Paxil it was like a huge weight was liftted off me. I have more energy, and I lost the urge to eat junk food. I've lost ten pounds and started exercising more. My theory is that my high level of stress was actually exhausting my body and that's why I was so tired & sore all the time, and craved junk. Little things like going grocery shopping used to be a huge effort, now everything is easier.

Take heart, Paxil is the 6th AD I've been on. It can be very frustrating, but it often takes awhile to find the right med or combo of meds. I wanted to quit many times (and did!), I was convinced nothing would be able to help me. Thankfully I was wrong. You may have to deal with some side effects for awhile, but hopefully they'll be tolerable and those should go away. It took mine a month. Paxil gave me a much needed perspective adjustment, I could finally see myself more objectively. As much as we wish it was so, meds aren't a magic potion, they just give us support and the ability to start working on the problems. My boss just dumped a whole lot of new responsibilities on me at work. I don't think there's any way I could have handled it before Paxil. I do get some anxiety because it's learning new duties, having the stress of having to do the work of two people, etc. I think that's normal anxiety. I say 'think' because I honestly never knew what normal was, and I'm having to learn what that's like. Every day my confidence grows and I'm learning new skills that will benefit me in my career. None of that was possible before.

Crossing my fingers that you find Paxil as great as I have!

[Steve P]

I have a good friend who swears by it. I'm going back to my doc next week and am thinking of having him start me on Paxil too.

[anthonyg23]

thank you memyselfi10 im getting confidence to just do it, thank you for sharing your story right now my anxiety has gotten so bad i can hardly leave my room but hopefully this one is the one that will give me the support and courage to face my anxiety, after failing two ssri's my dr has probably given me one that i will tolerate a bit better...im starting tonight, my doctor put me on 5mg at first, i shouldnt even really feel side effects at such a low dose right?

[Steve P]

Hey Anthonyg23 - Was wondering if the Paxil has helped you with your anxiety? I have been on 20mg for about 2wks. and am not sure if it's helping me or not. Some days I think it is, then others I wonder. Hope to here from you as I'm pretty anxious. Thanks.