Paroxetine for Anxiety and Stress User Reviews (Page 4)

• cobbler
• April 2, 2009

Paxil (paroxetine) "I've been taking Paxil for 3 years. It has been the only medicine that has given long term relief from anxiety and stress, and occasional depression. I've had no drastic side effects to speak of. I take 60mg/day."

• Panic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2016

Paxil (paroxetine) "Had a severe reaction to this medication one first dose including waking in the middle of the night dizzy and disoriented, proceeding to vomit repeatedly, numbness in fingertips and gums, severe chills and then soaking in sweat, and difficulty speaking. Took a trip to the ER. I am sure that it works for some people, but the side effects can be very scary. Make sure someone is aware you took it and keeps an eye on you. It is very unlikely you will have a reaction like I did, but having someone in the know will save you some trouble if you do have a bad reaction."

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2010

Paxil (paroxetine) "Works great to keep me from being anxious. I take 40 mg daily for last 5 yrs. The only thing I don't like is the weight gain and I need lots of sleep. My leg also jerks when I sleep. Until I read the reviews I didn't think about Paxil causing it. It also keeps me from getting really angry easily. If I miss doses my family knows it immediately because I get very emotional, weepy or angry."

• Big...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 23, 2020

"Have been on Parox for over 10 years. It definitely works for me, as it stopped me feeling constantly tearful. Initially it masks your emotions, but they do return minus the tears. Sadly I have gained an awful lot of weight, but I'd rather that, than the sadness & tears, at even the slightest thing. Hope this helps someone considering parox."

• Blondie
• January 11, 2016

"Was on this tablet for 11 years and it changed my life. Foolishly reduced the dose 6 months ago to prepare to come off them and have relapsed. Back on them 10 days now and waiting for them to kick in. Wish I'd stayed on them now - they literally saved my life."

• Tara
• October 3, 2018

"I’ve only been on this medication now for a week. I’ve had anxiety all my life. Panic Attacks, loss of appetite, dizzy, scared to go anywhere or be home by myself,..this all started 6 years ago. Since then I have been on so many antidepressants from Prestiq, to Zoloft, to Lexapro and so on... this is my now 6 medication and I’m praying that it helps. I'd been changing meds because of the feeling of swaying, off balance, vibrating sensation under my feet. This has been going on for years and I’ve seen all specialists out there possibly, got a different answer from all of them. My Psychiatrist is convinced it is from anxiety but unfortunately none of the above meds have helped. So I’m feeling quite lost at the moment, hoping that (Paroxetine) will help me. If anyone out there has had a similar experience or is still struggling please let me know.. greatly appreciate ❤️"

• Tineee
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2018

"After a year I finally decided to share my experience. I am so grateful about having been prescribed paroxetine. No more Sundays blues that last days and I feel a lot more social and I worry less. I wish I had known about this when I really struggled about ten years ago. Only problem is you can’t become pregnant on it as it can have a negative impact. Otherwise I can only recommend it. Please note that you will probably have some side effects first. For me it was extreme sleepiness, feeling spacey etc. After a few weeks you will feel better but probably won’t notice the total effect until about 8-12 weeks. Give it a try it you are struggling."

• Anonymous
• August 7, 2010

Paxil (paroxetine) "I completely stopped having panic attacks after taking this medication for a few months. I had become house-bound by several debilitating panic attacks every day. I have been on Paxil for close to a year, and it is still working. Side effects I experienced were bruising for the first few months. I also experienced numbness and tingling (my arms and legs started falling asleep all the time). I began taking magnesium supplements and the tingling stopped. I am still experiencing weight gain and tiredness and constant yawning, as well as decreased focus and memory. I am also unable to orgasm, which is strange for me because I used to be able to reach orgasm very easily. Overall, I can work and live again so it's worth the side effects."

• Ash
• August 30, 2016

"This medication has almost gotten rid of my anxiety. I was suffering for 2 years till I decided to go on medication. My doctor put me on 20mg of paroxatine and I noticed a difference in 2 weeks. I was able to go to the shops without feeling like I was going to have a panic attack. I've been on it for 6 months now and I can eat out in public sometimes which is a huge step for me as I was too scared to even think about food before. I would reccomend this to anyone who is desperate to get out of their anxiety. I feel so much happier and can enjoy life so much more now. The only problem I have with this medication is it has made me gain 20kg of weight! I'm trying hard to lose it but it is very hard to lose."

• Journ...
• May 7, 2015

"I have been very unsure and reluctantly gave in to trying paroxetine as a first anti-depressant I've ever tried. Before I took them my moderate depression (triggered by several major life changes with a huge amount of stress) quickly developed into more severe depression and anxiety. I thought honestly 'anything has to be better than how I'm feeling'. And after months of the box of paroxetine sitting in my drawer which was prescribed by my doctor, I knew I had to try. And I am happy to share that my anxiety was reduced 90% from the second day. What a surprise and a huge relief. The depression symptoms are lifting after only one week. So I am highly praising this medication. I feel the benefits I've so far experienced far outweigh the mild side effects."

• Sore...
• March 17, 2015

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been on Paxil for 18 years now. Within the last seven years I have developed severe muscle tightness. I go to massage Thearapist and chiropractor every two weeks... This helps sometimes other times I'm still in pain. I'm going to see a rheumatologist next week who thinks it's I might have an immune disorder since I was just diagnosed with raynauds in my toes. Paxil has helped my anxiety but sometimes I feel like I have no emotions and don't react to things that I should be. Which is good and bad. Take care of yourself if you're not feeling well see if a different medication works are different alternatives!! It just took me 18 years."

• Nickel
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 22, 2021

Paxil (paroxetine) "Been on paxil with Wellbutrin since early 2000. When I've tapered down below 10mg/day it usually ends up with me needing to up the dosage to 20mg for a while following which I tapered back to 10mg. At 10mg the sexual side effects are less troubling. My doctor added a low dose of gabapentin to my daily paxil/Wellbutrin regime and it's been helpful. All in all, I'm very happy not to be the person I was before my anxiety/depression diagnosis when I started paxil. Has it been life changing? Yes, and in a very good way. It just works for me."

• The...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 13, 2020

"Paroxetine saved my life. I have been taking it for 6years. I was on 20mg but with my new job I started getting anxiety but didn’t want to raise the dosage because it caused me difficult to orgasm. Thus for 5 months I’ve tried two other drugs Venlafax and now Brinttellix. It seems they don't really work for me. I’m planning to go back on paroxetine just with a higher dose. I hope it helps me again. Life was so much easier with paroxetine"

• Mazzy...
• January 16, 2017

Paxil (paroxetine) "I was given 12.5 mg of generic Paxil 5 days ago. My anxiety started to manifest itself with uncontrollable crying. While it's has been only 5 days, the crying has stopped. So I'm happy with that. However, I am experiencing side effects: lightheaded, pin prick feelings in arms and legs, some joint pain, lower back pain, and lethargy that makes me feel like doing/caring about nothing. Because the side effects come and go, I'm willing to wait it out to see if everything mellows out."

• worm
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 12, 2019

Paxil (paroxetine) "If you are male and over the age of 40 and have any sex drive, stay away from Paxil, it is male birth control, it is the worse medicine to get off of ,took me 3 weeks of weening with smaller and less each day to get off it, and it didn't do nothing to control depression or anxiety. I don't know why I took it almost a year before I said NO MORE. I could still kick my doctors behind for talking me into trying it"

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2009

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been on Paxil for 5 years now. It has done wonders up until I had a baby a year ago and I just don't think it's working anymore. The only thing I hate about this drug is weight gain but other than that it has been a life saver for me and I would recommend it to anyone."

• Psych...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 14, 2017

Paxil (paroxetine) "Horrible drug. Paxil is garbage. I've been on the majority of these psych drugs. Pure poison. Now that the horrible withdrawal effects are lessening--I'm getting much better. While on and coming off them, it was pure hell. That's my experience."

• Anonymous
• September 2, 2010

Paxil (paroxetine) "I am so happy to have found this board. These success stories are amazing. I've been taking Paxil for about 2 weeks and 2 days and have experienced some tough side effects, lots of trouble sleeping, headaches, mood swings, but it seems a lot of people seem do really well after getting through those first few weeks. I think I want to try and stick with this. It's also helped ease a lot of pain and stress I experienced from a brutal gall bladder surgery."

• Anonymous
• November 24, 2009

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been on Paxil for 3 months and had gained 6 pounds. Doesn't sound that bad, except I've been going to the gym like crazy to counteract this side effect and still the scale keeps creeping up. I have almost zero interest in having sex and when I do have sex, I cannot have an orgasm. Any interest in sex I do have is counteracted by the fact that I feel gross having gained extra weight. If I were single, I might not mind the sex issue as much, but if you are in a relationship, I would consider a different drug."

• Nikim...
• August 31, 2010

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been off and on Paxil about 3 times in the last 2 years. I start on 20mg and am told the first week to start with a half a pill once a day. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disease and mild anxiety. I could not stop yawning. I felt tired all the time. I didn't notice any weight gain like others that have taken the medicine, but I could not deal with the extreme euphoria. I felt like I was floating through life in bubble if that makes any sense."

• Martha
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 7, 2018

Paxil (paroxetine) "Hi, I have been on Paxil for over three months. I stopped taking it 2 weeks ago (cold turkey) and since then, I am dealing with the withdrawal effects. I experienced brain zaps, vertigo, severe anxiety like I never had before. Although the medication worked instantly at first, it stopped working it (anxiety was worse than pre-medication intake) and this is the reason I stopped taking it. In these 3 months, I gained 30 (THIRTY) pounds and I am still gaining despite the fact that I have been off it for two weeks now. Before taking them, I was 100 pounds. I have flu-like symptoms including severe sinus infection, dizziness, headache, lack of appetite, etc. Not worth taking it. If it doesn't fix the problem, what is the purpose for taking it?! If you absolutely have to take SSRIs, consider other medication that has less side effects. Coming off of it...is awful. Worst possible side effects."

• Crazy...
• December 31, 2016

Paxil (paroxetine) "At first I loved paxil because I wasn't crying all the time but even as I'm writing this I feel like there are sprinklers going off in my head. I'm always forgetting things, 0 sex drive, either I'm in a euphoric state of mind or completely absent minded. I constantly feel stoned (and not the good kind).I just started a new job and I can hardly focus."

• pakok
• July 24, 2020

"I took took seroxat 10mg (UK brand of paroxetine) for a couple days at first, it caused horrible acne breakouts since first dose. I upped dosage to 20mg as said by psychiatrist, the acne worsened even more and I started being extremely sleepy all day and caused me daily 9-hour migraines. I'm not kidding. They started each day after 3pm and I would go to sleep with them. They stopped the day I discontinued seroxat. Also I would wake up in the morning and within 3 hours I would wanna sleep again. The breakouts are horrible I'm still dealing with them 2 weeks after stopping seroxat. and yes I got all those within just the 1st week of taking it and didn't help with stress at all. I stopped it right away it's just not for me."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2021

"I can't even begin to describe how much this drug has improved my life. I've always been a generally anxious and stressed person. I developed tinnitus and noise sensitivity 5 years ago (caused by loud noise) after which my anxiety progressively got worse. My hearing problems triggered my anxiety constantly and I cried almost every day. I was just so angry at life. I tried countless methods in order to find peace (CBT, EMDR, hypnotherapy and psychotherapy), none of which worked. But then I started taking 10 mg of Paroxetine. My anxiety and anger suddenly became so much milder. I still struggle with my hearing, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. Paroxetine has also helped tremendously with my social anxiety. I don't get so nervous around people anymore and I can just enjoy a conversation without monitoring myself. The only downside for me are the night sweats. But overall I'm a calm and happy person now, which I couldn't have dreamt of before!"

• conce...
• March 7, 2011

Paxil (paroxetine) "Increased mine & my childrens anxiety to the point we were violent with one another. I ended up on the pshyc ward and lost my home. I was a single mom of three with a 40 hour week job. Was the 3rd anti-depressant we tried."