# Paxil: miracle drug?



## clandestine (Sep 6, 2009)

Hello all. After about 5 months of being med-free, I'm starting up Paxil tomorrow. I've done some research and have read a lot of mixed reviews...but I'm still curious. I know it's different for everyone but, can anyone tell me what I can expect? 

And oh yeah, the weight-gain issue... :um


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## seanybhoy (Mar 2, 2008)

I haven't gained a pound :stu

I've tried a lotta stuff n Paxil seems to be top dog.... in my opinion anyway.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Paxil made me jittery, gave me electric shock sensations, and more nervous but thats just me.


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## Cutegirl (Oct 22, 2009)

I was on Paxil and it didn't work for me but that doesn't mean it won't work for you.  
I experienced slight weight-gain (not sure if it was paxil related or not) 

Oh yeah, and when I started tapering off I got these real GNARLY flu like symptoms. People refer to it as the 'Paxil Flu'. Google it  
Anyway, prior to when I started discontinuing the drug I hadn't been sick for years, literally. Coincidence? I think not!


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## clandestine (Sep 6, 2009)

Cutegirl said:


> I was on Paxil and it didn't work for me but that doesn't mean it won't work for you.
> I experienced slight weight-gain (not sure if it was paxil related or not)
> 
> Oh yeah, and when I started tapering off I got these real GNARLY flu like symptoms. People refer to it as the 'Paxil Flu'. Google it
> Anyway, prior to when I started discontinuing the drug I hadn't been sick for years, literally. Coincidence? I think not!


It's apparently similar to heroin withdrawal but lasts longer.

I've never been good with taking them everyday and often miss doses. Looks like a bumpy road ahead :|


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

Cutegirl said:


> Oh yeah, and when I started tapering off I got these real GNARLY flu like symptoms. People refer to it as the 'Paxil Flu'. Google it
> Anyway, prior to when I started discontinuing the drug I hadn't been sick for years, literally. Coincidence? I think not!


I had the same thing when I started taking it. After three days at 20mg, I couldn't handle it any longer, I felt like complete ****.



clandestine said:


> It's apparently similar to heroin withdrawal but lasts longer.
> 
> I've never been good with taking them everyday and often miss doses. Looks like a bumpy road ahead :|


If you miss a dose and feel withdrawal symptoms start to kick in, then take it and the bothersome effects will go away pretty quickly. SSRIs are also good to take at night, so it may be easier for you to remember if you take your daily dose right before bedtime.


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

i don't know why, but paxil seemed to work really well for social anxiety for me. it eliminated alot of the anxiety, but it didnt really give me all that much social drive increase all the time. it dulled my perceptions, but other than that it worked. its not perfect, just like all the other SSRIs, but it works and if youre willing to put up with it.... i took DLPA (d l phenylalanine) with it to counteract some of the apathy and low motivation, and i thought it was a really nice combination.


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> i don't know why, but paxil seemed to work really well for social anxiety for me. it eliminated alot of the anxiety, but it didnt really give me all that much social drive increase all the time. it dulled my perceptions, but other than that it worked. its not perfect, just like all the other SSRIs, but it works and if youre willing to put up with it.... i took DLPA (d l phenylalanine) with it to counteract some of the apathy and low motivation, and i thought it was a really nice combination.


Now if you only added low-dose selegiline to turn the phenylalanine into something that feels like methamphetamine, then that'd be a killer cocktail.


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## arth67 (Aug 6, 2009)

5 or 10 mg would be aq better starting dose for an anxiety sufferer
despite heavy promotion as a SA cure its realy just another prozac type med


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## clandestine (Sep 6, 2009)

arth67 said:


> 5 or 10 mg would be aq better starting dose for an anxiety sufferer
> despite heavy promotion as a SA cure its realy just another prozac type med


Hmm. I'm starting at 25mg. I guess I'll give it an honest try, but prozac proved to be pretty much useless for me in the past.


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## clandestine (Sep 6, 2009)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> i don't know why, but paxil seemed to work really well for social anxiety for me. it eliminated alot of the anxiety, but it didnt really give me all that much social drive increase all the time. it dulled my perceptions, but other than that it worked. its not perfect, just like all the other SSRIs, but it works and if youre willing to put up with it.... i took DLPA (d l phenylalanine) with it to counteract some of the apathy and low motivation, and i thought it was a really nice combination.


It dulled your perceptions how?


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

arth67 said:


> 5 or 10 mg would be aq better starting dose for an anxiety sufferer
> despite heavy promotion as a SA cure its realy just another prozac type med


It is indeed an SSRI, but there are significant variances among them. Some don't even selectively target the 5-HT system, like sertraline, which weakly inhibits the reuptake of dopamine.

Let's look at a few key differences between fluoxetine and paroxetine:


Paroxetine is a more potent anticholinergic
Paroxetine is a P-glycoprotein substrate
Paroxetine reaches peak plasma concentration ~5 hours after dosing
Fluoxetine takes weeks of continuous dosing before maximum plasma levels are reached
Fluoxetine and its active metabolite are inhibitors of the isoenzyme CYP2D6
Fluoxetine is a 5-HT2C antagonist


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## Hercules7 (Oct 15, 2011)

I know this is an old thread, but Paxil Is truly a miracle drug. I am in week 3 right now on 40 mg (not going to go any higher if I dont have to) and the results have truly been profound. I am 30 years old and had no idea what social anxiety disorder was up until a month and a half ago. Those could be a couple reasons the results are so profound, but I'll describe what it's like:

Around the middle of the second week, when I bumped my doseage from 20 to 40 mg, it was like a light came on. Everything made sense. I understood why I had acted in anxious and depressed ways my whole life and I saw that there was no longer any need to do it. Also, my ability to interact with people sky-rocketed, especially with women. Granted, I am white, tall, good-looking, and intelligent, but a bit overweight, so i have a lot of good things going for me but as soon as the paxil started working it was like a switch flipped and i saw things clearly. I asked out 2 10s in my class the next day and got their numbers and we're going on a date next week. I approached another girl from my class who is an 8 and got her number and we are are getting coffee soon too after exams and of course I got her number. 

I want to note too regarding the issues around women: up until the point I found out about social anxiety disorder, I had tried everything. I have read and memorized and watched every video of every piece of information in existence regarding pick up artist knowledge and evolutionary psychology. So when the light came on, it came on, BRIGHT. I saw social situations clearly now and talking to people is now longer a struggle. There is a distant anxiety still present, a restlessness that will probably never go away but the profound understanding and enlightenment I have experienced while taking Paxil dwarves it. 

Obviously the drug is not perfect. I havent come in a month, lol. I am going to have to figure out what to do about the sexual side effects because they are indeed gnarly. But the benefits so outweigh the side effects that its a no brainer. I will never go off paxil, but even if i do i dont think it will matter, as I have "seen the light" so to speak, and now understand social situations and women with a depth I never thought possible.

I am one of those people whose depression, drug addiction, laziness, anxiety and lack of of motivation were all results of the underlying problem: Social anxiety disorder. This may be one reason why the effect paxil had on me was so profound and everything else has gone away. It might not be like this for everyone. My hypothesis is that if paxil doesnt work for you, maybe you are not suffering from social anxiety but another disorder is the root of your problems (i.e. depression, ADD, etc.)

For me paxil was literally the magic bullet, the quick fix, the pill that worked. Kind of like in the movie limitless. But I am someone who has alot going for themselves; the only thing holding me back was the social anxiety disorder, which I did not even know existed.

I thank God for allowing men to discover medications than can help to change people's lives for better, especially those with mental health issues. This has been an amazing experience. I would also like to thank this site for its existence, as I was boxing shadows before I knew I even had something called social anxiety disorder. We really need to get the word out and this site is a damn good start.

I encourage everyone of you who suffer from social anxiety disorder to try paxil first. The sexual side effects suck, but they are nothing compared to the benefits you will make in your life. Like I said, if it doesnt work, you might not have SAD.

I probably wont post anymore on this forum as I am "cured." But I do hope this post helps some people out there who are fighting against an invisible monster and feel like there is no way out. I promise you, there is. God bless


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## The Professor (Jul 31, 2011)

paxil F'ed me up big time, in really good ways and really bad ways. Try it but just stay aware of yourself and try to notice if you are becoming a monster (in terms of risk taking), like I did. Most of all it made me trust people and be comfortable telling them a lot stuff that I wouldnt normally say, and that was a postitive. give it a few moths before giving up. It was an extremely gradual change for me and totally morphed who I was. I frequently think about going back on it.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

The last two experiences are mine exactly as well. I had the light went on feeling as well. Unfortunately those damn sex side effects! Even on a low dose I was receiving a blowjob and almost felt nothing. An hour later she was still going at it while I was practically asleep. I told her to stop just in time before she needed a jaw replacement.

Paxil is one of the ssri's approved for social anxiety because it really works better for it than other ssri's. Not because they were applying and others weren't (as read on here). Don't you think every manufacturer applies for every condition?


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## areq1987 (Jul 10, 2010)

I've been on paroxetine for 2 years and I must quit. It gives me anhedonia, no libido, no pleasure with getting together with someone. Maybe It pooped out but one is true I feel like a plant now..


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## Oioioi123 (Nov 1, 2011)

^^ that was my problem. Sure it helped with anxiety, it helped by not allowing me to feel a single emotion of any sort. I would rather have anxiety and be bale to experience emotion then be a complete robot and have no sex life. I've said this in another thread but I chose to come off after a very close family member passed away and I couldn't even feel a sliver of emotion. It was weird, because in my head I was thinking I should be devestated and as silly as it sounds I actually tried to will myself into feeling sad, tried to force myself to cry and nothing. I was there when they pulled the plug on my grandfather and I held his hand while he passed, all the time thinking why can't I feel anything? Screw that


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

There are no miracle drugs, although some may believe a med to be a "miracle drug" the first time they take it, but after taking it more often will soon discover that is not the case.


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## Phoenix Rising (Jul 7, 2011)

I was on Effexor for maybe 3 years or so, but then the effects wore off and it didn't help me anymore. I switched to Paxil 20 mg. about 2.5 months ago and it's working pretty well. I was worried about the weight gain as well but haven't noticed any--if anything I've lost a couple pounds. 

Never got sick like others have. Social anxiety is a little lessened. I had some dissociation effects (I would feel like I was in a dream or something rather than real life), but that could also be from my living situation. Either way, I was still able to feel emotion.


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## Zopiclone (Dec 26, 2014)

Hercules7 said:


> I know this is an old thread, but Paxil Is truly a miracle drug. I am in week 3 right now on 40 mg (not going to go any higher if I dont have to) and the results have truly been profound. I am 30 years old and had no idea what social anxiety disorder was up until a month and a half ago. Those could be a couple reasons the results are so profound, but I'll describe what it's like:
> 
> Around the middle of the second week, when I bumped my doseage from 20 to 40 mg, it was like a light came on. Everything made sense. I understood why I had acted in anxious and depressed ways my whole life and I saw that there was no longer any need to do it. Also, my ability to interact with people sky-rocketed, especially with women. Granted, I am white, tall, good-looking, and intelligent, but a bit overweight, so i have a lot of good things going for me but as soon as the paxil started working it was like a switch flipped and i saw things clearly. I asked out 2 10s in my class the next day and got their numbers and we're going on a date next week. I approached another girl from my class who is an 8 and got her number and we are are getting coffee soon too after exams and of course I got her number.
> 
> ...


I can relate to that (read a lot of PUA stuff years) ago and Paxil makes you kind of...Less sensible which might be "unnatural" in a way but it helps you big time with women. It's the opposite of being depressed, super sensible and you scare everyone of including the women.

There might be sexual side effects, it depends on how you view it. For me personally it made me last longer, which is good and bad in a way. Lasting longer will please a lot of women (not all of them) . But not being able to come sucks.


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## Zopiclone (Dec 26, 2014)

I didn't noticed I bumped up an old post, sorry for that


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## theCARS1979 (Apr 26, 2010)

Zopiclone said:


> I can relate to that (read a lot of PUA stuff years) ago and Paxil makes you kind of...Less sensible which might be "unnatural" in a way but it helps you big time with women. It's the opposite of being depressed, super sensible and you scare everyone of including the women.
> 
> There might be sexual side effects, it depends on how you view it. For me personally it made me last longer, which is good and bad in a way. Lasting longer will please a lot of women (not all of them) . But not being able to come sucks.


No drug is a miracle drug, you still have to take it to remain the way you are, therefore its not a miracle. A drug is a mask of perception of what really is. In other words there are other ways out. I was taking Fish oil for awhile, Flax seeds, change of diet and water. And yeah if you have problems with that last thing you mentioned Id look for other alternatives


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