# Can someone tell me anything good about Paxil?



## demonduck (Mar 14, 2008)

I went in to the doctor yesterday to get a prescription for Nardil. I did all the research, and it seemed like the best option. While I was there, he convinced me to try Paxil and wrote me a three month prescription. Now that I've checked into Paxil, I can't really find anyone that'll say anything good about it, compared with massive amounts of people who have said it basically ruined their lives. The side effects seem rather extreme, and I can't really find anyone that will say anything good about it. Does anyone have any good experiences with Paxil, or should I go back and insist on something else?


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## michaelyuan (Feb 11, 2004)

paxil make me talktive to strangers.


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## michaelyuan (Feb 11, 2004)

but i take it with klonopin.


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## Flinx (Jan 8, 2008)

I had the worst sexual sides of all the AD's I've tried on Paxil. I could only tolerate it for 4 weeks. Zoloft is much better for me. I have no sexual side effects on Zoloft. I ramped up to 100mg after 2 months and that is my current dose. It took a while for it to kick in and for the side effects to go away, but now I'm side free. Zoloft is FDA approved for the treatment of SA. It has been very effective in treating my anxiety so far.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Paxil is an anti-orgasm pill but otherwise harmless in my experience. YMMV.


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## jakejohnson007 (Jul 27, 2006)

Paxil for me was very effective in treating depression (read: no more depression) and somewhat effective in lessening SA while I was on it. Depression returned and SA worsened when I ended the medication. Paxil I found to be sedating, made it take longer to reach climax but still never had any problem eventually getting there (not such a bad thing), made me more talkative (perhaps b/c I wasn't depressed).

I quit Paxil in search of a more stimulating med. to take alongside Klonopin. Unfortunately, even Parnate + Klonopin makes me drowsy and sluggish. Paxil in monotherapy was great for depression and okay for SA, but it still left a lot to be wanted in terms of treating SA.

Zoloft & esp. St. John's Wort also helped with depression but were like sugar pills for SA for me. Paxil actually made a noticeable though limited improvement.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Paxil at 80mgs was a great drug for anxiety, however, it did not touch my depression which currently threatens my life.


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## Michael Scofield (Feb 29, 2008)

demonduck said:


> Does anyone have any good experiences with Paxil, or should I go back and insist on something else?


Didn't do me any justice, but experiences may vary. It does seem like more people complain about it than not though. Maybe try it and see for yourself.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Michael Scofield said:


> demonduck said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone have any good experiences with Paxil, or should I go back and insist on something else?
> ...


thats because an SSRI has less than a 50% chance to work


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## jakejohnson007 (Jul 27, 2006)

Right, Paxil is generally less effective and weaker than an MAOI. However, there is a definite chance that Paxil may help and may be enough. Since Paxil has much less risk involved (you really need to watch drug and food contraindications while on an MAOI because some endanger your life), it's probably a good idea to give it a shot and hope it does work. If not, an MAOI is worth trying and you will have an easier time convincing any doctor to let you on an MAOI if you have tried Paxil with zero to little success.


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## Bandit6 (Oct 20, 2007)

I hated Paxil when I started it for OCD, it actually made me depressed and losing my concentration. But readjusting the dosage and sticking to it was a great decision 'cause after 3 months I haven't felt this positive for years. I thought I wasn't depressed before but I was wrong. Somehow it must have influenced my outside attitude 'cause people I hardly know keeps saluting me or start conversations(like security & maintenance at my office, stores and restaurant male and female staff). I'm still not a great social guru when that happens but I don't feel as unconfident though. It didn't directly do anything for my anxiety issues(yet) but lifting this hidden depression has helped a lot though. I'm only at 7.5mg so it's not over yet. 

Side effects I currently have is slight constipation and inconsistent sexual behavior(low and high), 2 things easy to live with.


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## frankthetank (Nov 17, 2007)

Doc just gave me my first prescription (finally went in). Paxil was the drug. Not really disappointed, but thought a couple years worth of Xanax would have helped more  I got 10mcg that i need to cut in half. 

She said if you don't take it for a day you'll get flu like symptoms. Great. Something is really wrong with my brain, so whatever can make me a little more outgoing, i'm down with that. 

She talked about the sexual side effects and said there is other drugs to offset this drug. I'll just deal with it, i don't need more.


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## njodis (Nov 8, 2006)

Wow, only 5mg? That's an unusually small dosage, as far as I know. I was given 20mg to start off with.

I hope it works for you. I was too scurred to take it for more than a week. :lol


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## scotthallkevinnash (Dec 19, 2006)

Paxil sucks because it is for depression. If your not depressed, then it wont work. 

When I took paxil it was for anxiety and no comorbid disorders. Thus, it made me more crazy then usual. It did this to my friend as well. 

The crazyness will ware off after awhile because your brain will tell the Paxil the go **** itself and chemicals will eventually returm to normal. ]

In sum, Paxil is a gateway drug to more dangerous drugs like Zoloft or Lexapro. Semen is not a thing to joke about....


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## jakejohnson007 (Jul 27, 2006)

Paxil and other antidepressants make for better treatments for anxiety if you also have depression.

If I did not have also depression, I personally would not take an antidepressant.


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## frankthetank (Nov 17, 2007)

Maybe because i'm skinny (140pounds)??? If i take it i'm starting 10 to begin with. Whats funny is a counselor and a MD both said that they didn't see any depression (although they can only learn so much in a short period of time) and still gave me Paxil. Still haven't taken it. I'm married and hardly have sex the way it is!!! 

Who knows. There was a kid on the news the other day that was taking Vicodin with Xanax and i think washing it down with Vodka...maybe thats the way to go!

Another thing. The doctor (its a she/Internal Medicine) says she gives Paxil to most her patients? My sister is on Lexapro which i mentioned...maybe that factored into her decision.


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

You can use the edge of the carton for drawing straight lines, and perhaps storing raisins in once you have thrown the pills in the bin


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## frankthetank (Nov 17, 2007)

After reading more about this crap, i'm really starting to think i don't want to be on this! All this sexual dysfunction stuff is scaring me. If my parts aren't working, then thats just one thing (out of a very short list) that i have left that i like to do. I'll probably end up calling the doctor and telling her that i'm not taking this crap. Also read the birth defects this can cause... I want a benzo! or nothing. I'll deal with it like i have for my life.


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## quat (Sep 27, 2006)

yeah_yeah_yeah said:


> You can use the edge of the carton for drawing straight lines, and perhaps storing raisins in once you have thrown the pills in the bin


mmmm raisin placebos.


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## hulkamaniak (Mar 21, 2008)

I dont want to scare people from Paxil, but I was on it for a week, and during that week the Insomnia effect really hit me, I didnt sleep for that whole week, and I just couldnt fall asleep.

As for sexual disfunction, I could finally reach a climax, but it took a good 30+ minutes of trying real hard then finally getting there, hardly felt worth the effort lol


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

scotthallkevinnash said:


> Paxil sucks because it is for depression. If your not depressed, then it wont work.
> 
> When I took paxil it was for anxiety and no comorbid disorders. Thus, it made me more crazy then usual. It did this to my friend as well.
> 
> ...


Paxil was great for my anxiety and ****ty for my depression


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## what8888 (Aug 31, 2010)

I took paxil and it really helped my depression and social anxiety. I had zero side effects but I did gain weight. I was partying a lot and wasnt doing anything physical, thats prob the reason for the weight gain. I felt great on paxil like I was the king of the world. I stopped after two years and was unaware you had to taper off. I cold turkeid it and had zero withdraws but at that time i was smoking weed every day and don't know if that had anything to do with it. I felt great for the next two years but my depression came back and now considering going back on it. After researching it I feel very lucky to have a good experience on it. Two weeks into my research I have the only positive story. 
PS. Paxil makes you extremely positive


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## hensley258 (Apr 24, 2010)

demonduck said:


> I went in to the doctor yesterday to get a prescription for Nardil. I did all the research, and it seemed like the best option. While I was there, he convinced me to try Paxil and wrote me a three month prescription. Now that I've checked into Paxil, I can't really find anyone that'll say anything good about it, compared with massive amounts of people who have said it basically ruined their lives. The side effects seem rather extreme, and I can't really find anyone that will say anything good about it. Does anyone have any good experiences with Paxil, or should I go back and insist on something else?


I wouldn't say that anything is bad about Paxil. The side effect profile is far less than you would get from an MAOI such as Nardi or Parnate.

Problem is (at least with me) It's just an SSRI and many people do not respond to SSRI's which pretty much means they don't work.

Then again if your new to taking Psychiatric medications and SSRI's then better the chance of it working for you. You asked for Nardil and in most cases a Psychiatrist will want to try safer meds such as SSRI's, SNRI's and Tricyclics before putting a patient on MAOI which I think is logical.

See how the Paxil works for you and if in 6 weeks at a higher dosage it fails to produce any relief then it can always be switched or perhaps augmented.

How many Psychotropic meds have you tried thus far and what were they?


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## kristenmm (Aug 2, 2012)

*My Experience on Paxil*

If you can stick with it through the side effects the first 4-6 weeks, it does get better. There were defenitely times I wanted to quit because it made me so sluggish and sleepy but I have noticed this diminishing as I start week 6 and I am starting to feel better and better overall. I take 20mg before bed. The biggest side effect for me has been sleepiness so taking it at night is a must, I can't even imagine what it would be like to take it in the morning!

Other side effects are nausea (again, taking it before bed helps), low libido, and some weight gain (be VERY careful with what and how much you eat--you'll probably be moving around less.) I am eating almost only protein--chicken breast, tuna, eggs, and very little carbs. I defenitely don't feel like exercising just yet and the queasy feeling from the pill makes me what to eat to feel a little better, so I can see how easy it would be to gain weight fast. I would recommend trying Paxil. I'm glad I did and I'm going to stick with it for a while to see how I do!


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## KramersHalfSister (May 3, 2012)

I didn't get past the first week because the side effects were not only horrible but very ODD. I'm used to yawning on ADs but the difference with Paxil was that I would have a mini out of body experience every time I yawned, which was about every 3 minutes. It would feel like my soul was lifting out of my head and then slowly floating back down. Also my eyes were bulged out like  and my whole body would shake, especially my hands. The panic attacks I had before paled in comparison to the kind of crazy Paxil had me looking like lol. If you can get through the first week then you'll probably be alright. I was on 20mg so maybe that dose was just too high.


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