# Just started Paxil



## 6uitar6irl (Jul 30, 2010)

Well the day has finally come where I'm taking a drug for anxiety and depression.
I'm starting with 10mg Peroxetine and took my first pill yesterday and I feel so sick. I'm on a lot of medication for other health reasons and have never had issues with side effects but this is making me feel like complete ****. 

The worst part is the nausea but I'm also very shakey and jittery (very unlike myself) and light headed. I also slept horribly. I understand this is part of starting an antidepressant but I'm wondering if you're just supposed to push through no matter how severe the nausea is?? How would you know if you're allergic or it's a bad med for you? My anxiety and depression are so horrible I'm definitely ready to go through 2 weeks of this, but just wondering if anyone had the side effects for a shorter time? Or how you dealt with it?
I have an anti-nausea prescription from when I was in the ER awhile ago and was wondering if I could use those. I could probably call my doctor to ask but I'm too terrified of the phone to do that...


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## JohnG (Sep 3, 2010)

Usually a benzo (as xanax or klonopin) is required in the first month with a SSRI\SNRI therapy.


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## Not Like Them (Jul 2, 2009)

Yeah, the anxiety/depression usually gets worse in the beginning with ssri/snri - meds. My doc prescribed oxazepam 15mg pills along with my snri(Effexor), and i definitely needed them. Hang in there, and try to call your doc and tell how you feel, it doesn´t have to be this painful. :yes


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## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

I don't understand why doctors don't tell you to start off at a quarter or half dose and slowly work your way up. That's what I always do when I try something new, after some bad reactions to drugs.


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## 6uitar6irl (Jul 30, 2010)

JohnG said:


> Usually a benzo (as xanax or klonopin) is required in the first month with a SSRI\SNRI therapy.


Do these help with side effects? Why would my doctor not be aware of this if it's general knowledge? I would think prescribing antidepressants is one of the most common things a GP does and I realize it can get complicated but I am just starting out on an SSRI.

I was told just to start with 10mg too ...no splitting. I feel sick but I already feel like the nausea has improved since yesterday and last night...but it's still pretty bad.

Thank you guys for your feedback


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## Sugarymonk (Aug 26, 2010)

I took Paxil years ago and the first couple days were extremely uncomfortable. I remember sitting on a recliner curled up in a ball shaking, sweating, and had very dark thoughts. If I remember right, it did not last long 2-3 days at most. After my body started to adapt, I felt much better both physically and mentally. Paxil really helped turn my life around. After a while I started having really vivid crazy dreams and even came close to hurting my gf while I was sleeping. Be careful while using this stuff if you sleep next to someone. Good luck


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## 6uitar6irl (Jul 30, 2010)

Sugarymonk -- thanks for the reply, it really made me feel better. I'm on day 3 and already feel like it's not as horrible as the first 2 days. I feel the sickest right when I wake up even though I take it in the morning (after I wake up). So it's in my system all day and all throughout the night while I"m asleep and THEN it decides to make me pay when I have to wake up and go to work?! Not cool...anyway I hope the nausea goes away and it's so encouraging to hear that it's turned your life around I am really hoping it can for me too!


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Paxil 20mg has brought my major depression back into remission like 8 weeks ago now. It's still working great but really does nothing for my anxiety. I guess I could always up the dose if I wanted to.


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## Lummar (Jan 15, 2010)

Ah... Paxil. Went on Paxil years ago for the first time and I'll say that it was a "wonder drug" for me at the time. I was very, very depressed and it got me completely out. In fact, I had about the best experience on Paxil that a person should be allowed to have. Absolutely no side effects on 40mg and I could do just about anything... drink, smoke, etc. without any repercussions. SA was at a minimum too. 

I've since been on Paxil 3 times and none of those times worked like that first time. At the time of my first experience I was leaving the town I was in and moving back to my college town to finish school, so I have theorized that my drastic change of life had a huge impact on how the drug manifested itself within my system (I quit my job and went back to school full time and went from a big city to a college town). I would recommend anyone going on an SSRI to change their life, if possible, because it will make the medication that much more effective. The other times I was on Paxil I was in the same situation and that "stuckness" just seemed to counter the effects of the medication. 

Medications can only take you so far, you MUST make a great effort to change your surroundings, friends, habits, etc., if possible. The meds will assist you greatly in this and their efficacy will increase 5 fold, in my opinion. I believe you'll have less side effects too. I still have fond memories of that first time on Paxil and it was literally one of the best times of my life.


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## gordonjohnson008 (Nov 2, 2008)

I need to take Paxil with food or else I get nauseated. I usually take it with a full meal and then I'm fine. If you stick with Paxil for 3 weeks, it should start to kick in then. I would not expect any results before then. You might need to take it consistently for 6 weeks for it to reach maximum efficacy in your system.

For me, once Paxil builds up in my system for a few weeks, WHAM depression is gone and anxiety is eased and I become a chatterbox.


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## 6uitar6irl (Jul 30, 2010)

Wow, you guys are really giving me hope!!! I even feel like the nausea is already slowly improving, I'm still super shakey and jittery which I know is from the Paxil because I am so not a jittery person. 

I really hope to make some major changes as well, I really hope this will help motivate me to try to get into grad school. I also have had some major surgeries this past year and have gained weight because of them (and it's also made my depression so much worse), I hope I can find motivation to be more active. 

I'm so willing to face these side effects if it means a better life in 6 weeks. Thank you all for your input, it's really making me feel much better about this!


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## gordonjohnson008 (Nov 2, 2008)

As for the jittery thing, I often get something like RLS (restless leg syndrome) when I'm on Paxil. That is, I'm often tapping my foot or thumb, very jittery. But mentally, I'm very relaxed and calm, and my body isn't tense either.


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