Paroxetine for Depression User Reviews (Page 4)

• Amy...
• August 8, 2013

Paroxetine "I have been on Paxil for a long time, years. I was hospitalized for my bipolar disorder, and they increased the dose from 20 to 40 mg. I got very agitated and very out of sorts. When I saw my psychiatrist, she put the dose back to 20 mg, and I'm doing good again. More isn't always better!"

• The...
• May 24, 2008

Paroxetine "Paxil CR has been the most effective treatment of both my anxiety disorder and depression. Lexapro just made me much, much worse - suicidal, in fact, with chest pain and edema. I have found I am alert and well-balanced on Paxil CR without the side effects some encounter. 100% happy to be back on it."

• Jun...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 10, 2022

Paroxetine "I have been taking this medication with a few others for 6 years. It’s by far the best one I’ve tried. This with Vyvanse helps control my PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I read so many bad reviews about this. I was terrified. But it’s been a godsend. I take 25 mgs of the CR, and I have my life back. It’s the best antidepressant I’ve tried. I remember being really tired for the first week. But that goes away. Side effects are like non-existent compared to some others."

• Anonymous
• January 5, 2011

Paroxetine "I've been on Paxil for two months now and have seen significant improvement in my mood (no longer crying for no reason) and decreased feelings of anxiety. No side effects. The medication has also helped me deal with my PTSD. I'm able to breathe and make good decisions in situations that would otherwise be triggering. After years of attempting to fix myself and deal with my problems on my own, I finally asked my doctor (with analysis by a counselor) for help. Paxil is just the right thing for me. I still don't like the idea of being on medication, but the benefits are too great."

• Joh...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 26, 2014

Paroxetine "I wonder if anyone can relate to my experience with Paxil. During about 17 years of severe depression and anxiety, no medication (I've tried them all) seemed to help, and the ones that did brought along unbearable side effects. ECT didn't help either. Paxil is the only pill that really works for me, but it makes me slightly manic. Combining it with a mood stabilizer works perfectly - but only for 6 months. After that, it's depression all over again. After waiting for another 6 months, I can start using Paxil in combination with a mood stabilizer again, with good results that always only last for 6 months. This 6 months on/6 months off has become a very predictable pattern over the years."

• Ann...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 31, 2023

"The best antidepressant ever exist. The second antidepressant good after paroxetine is escitalopram. I hadn't side effects, only the start of treatment, I was happy, in a good mood, I never experienced fear, agoraphobia, depression with paroxetine."

• She...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 5, 2018

Paroxetine "I have been taking Paxil since 1999 and have slowly had to increase my dosage to 60 mg. Have been stable with that dosage for a while now. I do not think I would have been here to this day without it. I have HUGE anxieties and panic attacks back to back. I had no idea what was wrong with me. Finally, after many different meds, these work. I know that I will always have to take these for life, and I am okay with it. My father (RIP) committed suicide in 1996, and I refused to go down that route. I think that is what triggered my breakdown. I am glad that before my 'breakdown,' I chose not to have children. I am now 47 and very thankful that I made the right decision to not have children, I would never have been pregnant and taking meds. Things happen for reasons."

• Gus...
• December 6, 2008

Paroxetine "On its own, Wellbutrin SR 300 mg/day didn't really do much for me. We then added Paxil 20 mg and Klonopin 2 mg along with the Wellbutrin, and I have to say, this is a great combination. The Wellbutrin counteracts the sexual side effects that go along with Paxil. Wellbutrin by itself is okay, but in combination with Paxil and Klonopin, helped immensely. Highly recommend. My mood is consistently good, lots of energy. I feel social and light-hearted again. No side effects and I feel great."

• xam...
• July 19, 2016

Paroxetine "Well, this is a very strong drug and an effective one, but it has a lot of side effects, and the withdrawal is an absolute nightmare. I started taking paroxetine because of depression, social anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The drug has helped me to overcome the crippling anxiety, but it also made me emotionally numb. This numbness is a common side effect for SSRIs, but in my case, it caused an aggravation of depression. While taking Paxil, I felt like nothing made sense anymore. It was a horrible experience, but then again, it allowed me to see things more objectively without the overpowering emotional ballast I had before. I stopped taking paroxetine, and now I feel like I was on a long vacation from myself and my mind."

• Sta...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 18, 2020

Paroxetine "I have been on this medication, Paxil, for over 30 years. It has worked great for me, but one of the side effects is having GI problems. I have just found out I have IBD. The GI doctor said SSRIs are the cause of it. Now I have to change my medication from this medication to something else with no SSRIs in it."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2008

Paroxetine "I have been taking Paxil for 15 years now, and it does the job most of the time. I still have bouts of depression when things in my life go sideways. The worst part is the weight gain and the lack of sex drive. It is a tough choice, but without Paxil, I was suicidal. It is a part of my life now."

• AFL...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 21, 2019

Paroxetine "I thought I had symptoms of Parkinson’s. Discussed meds I was on with a neurologist. He found that Paxil was causing my symptoms. I changed meds, and symptoms have disappeared. It worked for the depression, but it is not worth the side effects for me."

• 30...
• April 7, 2010

Paroxetine "I have been taking Paxil for over 1 year. I tried Prozac, did not like it, made me feel out of control. I tried Celexa, still felt depression. I take 20 mg of Paxil every night before bedtime since I feel this medicine makes me sleepy and relaxed. I usually sleep very well. I don't have that weird feeling of anxiety anymore. I feel relaxed and can see life in a realistic perspective. My mood is good, not bad or great, but okay. I cry only a few times a month, especially during my PMS time, so I really think this is good medicine for me. I can go on every day with little negative thoughts and usually can block them out and change my thoughts. So yes, I like it. I do feel a bit numb at times, so I will seek doctor's advice, but overall it has been a great experience."

• Sar...
• April 23, 2017

Paroxetine "The good: - Improved motivation - More stable moods, fewer deep lows - Improved self-confidence - Decreased anxiety The bad: - (during the first few weeks) Insomnia - (during the first few weeks) Drowsiness - (transient) Vivid bad dreams - Difficulty reaching orgasm - Forgetfulness - Emotional blunting"

• Tee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 21, 2014

Paroxetine "I began taking Paxil in addition to Celexa two years ago when I was 16. It is not bad-no stomach aches, weight gain, or horrible headaches-but I have noticed the total disappearance of my sex drive. Totally gone. This might be because of the Celexa as well. Not sure. I was taking 40 mg Celexa, 20 mg Paxil, 1 mg Ativan, and occasionally trazodone or doxepin to sleep for a while, and when I cut my dosage in half over the summer, I was a mess. Constant migraines and irritability. So I suggest that if you use Paxil, be careful to come off it slowly."

• Ano...
• August 28, 2019

"This drug is not as terrifying as all the reviews say. Just try it for yourself. If you don't like it, change drugs. Paroxetine works wonders for me. I only take 10 mg - half the recommended dose. Paroxetine peaks in your body at around 6 hrs, so I find if I take this just before bed I sleep through any negative side effects. When starting, I just feel a little out of it and headachey for a few days, but not much different from how I feel while depressed anyway. Paroxetine makes me able to function normally, takes away my suicidal thoughts and social anxieties, and allows me to handle difficult situations without wanting to die. The only side effect I experience is less sensation during sex (I'm female) - a small price to pay for not committing suicide. I have cyclical depression, so I come on and off this, and it is not as bad as everyone says. I feel pretty out of it for about a week, and then back to normal after 2 weeks."

• Sta...
• September 29, 2019

Paroxetine "A few months ago, I was given this medication by my doctor because I was going through severe depression. I took it for 4 days, and I couldn’t deal anymore. After 30 mins of taking it, I went numb. I then started to cry uncontrollably for about half an hour for no reason. When I went to sleep, I started to have brain zaps every time I was falling asleep. My eyes started to roll back, and I stopped taking it. 2-3 months later, and my anxiety is now way worse. I started having out-of-body experiences. I am now numb even when working out. I have severe headaches. I regret ever taking this. My brain will never be the same! It caused problems I didn’t even have."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2016

Paroxetine "I personally will never recommend Paxil to anyone. It literally ruined my life. At first, I felt that it was okay. But, quickly and suddenly, I started gaining weight. A lot of weight. Literally, my pants fit one week and did not fit the next week. And that wasn't all. I was feeling much worse. I was very manic. So depressed that I could not get out of bed. My life was work, eat, and sleep. I had no motivation, and I started fixating on thoughts of suicide. It wasn't until the unexplained rapid weight gain that I started to ask myself what had changed in my routine. That's when I realized that Paxil was the newest addition to my life, and I began doing research. I've been off of it for about 2 months, and I still can't lose the weight."

• Lin...
• June 18, 2019

Paroxetine "I struggle with depression and OCD. This medication has helped me tremendously with my depression and OCD. I have so many fewer suicidal thoughts now that I am back on this medicine; I don’t even want to commit suicide. I still have problems, but they are much less severe. The only thing I really do not like about this medication is what it has done to my body. I am naturally thin, but this medication has made me gain weight, about 10 pounds. And the worst part is that I have bloating in my stomach area. The rest of my body is fine, still thin, but my stomach sticks out to the point where people have asked me if I’m pregnant. I’m sure a good bit of my belly fat is a result of me drinking so much soda and not eating the best foods, but when I was off this medicine, my stomach was a lot less fat. Literally it’s just my stomach that is fat, not the rest of my body. This medication does also increase your appetite. Still, it’s a great medicine for depression and OCD."

• Anonymous
• March 10, 2009

Paroxetine "I've tried three other anti-depressants, and this is the only one that actually works and the only one that didn't give me horrible side effects. Ladies, it also helps PMDD! I hadn't known that it would treat so many of my other problems. Asking my doctor to write me a prescription for this was the best idea I've had in years, and I don't know why no other doctor gave me this before. Good luck finding your best antidepressant."

• Fre...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 12, 2019

Paroxetine "If you have depression, do yourself a favor and avoid this medication at all costs. I am 1 week into withdrawals (this isn't the first time I've tried to discontinue paroxetine), and it's basically the worst. I was on Paxil for years, it made me gain so much weight, and it didn't even help that much with my depression. In some ways, it made my depression worse. For me, Lexapro is a much better choice, so much more effective. Not only are the emotional withdrawals worse than you could imagine, but it's physical as well. It's hard for me to move my hands, arms, and fingers, it's as if they are numb. I'm also getting headaches and brain zaps, but nothing beats this depression. I think it is not worth it."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2019

Paroxetine "I give it 0. I took it as a teen over 15 years ago. Worst thing I could have ever taken! The first time I took it, I wanted to die. I was so sad. I didn't want to feel like that. Now, 15+ years later, I can barely orgasm. When I do, it's not the same and never has been since. It makes me depressed just thinking about that. I was misdiagnosed with depression because I was a rebellious teen. Now I'm stuck with the side effects for life probably. I don't know if I'll ever be the same after this drug. Don't take it. Please."

• Red...
• December 6, 2014

Paroxetine "Paxil was the first antidepressant I was put on when I was first diagnosed with depression roughly a year and a half ago. While it did stop the suicidal thoughts, the side effects were just not worth it for me. It made me tired ALL THE TIME. And not just kind of sleepy. It was more like I could get a full night's rest, wake up, and not half an hour later feel so exhausted that if I laid down on the ground, I could take a nap right there. It also took away my ability to orgasm. I'm a 21 y/o (20 at the time) college girl who is a pretty sexually open person. So to say I was not down to never have another orgasm while on it would be a huge understatement. Did work, but not worth the side effects."

• Dal...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 8, 2018

Paroxetine "Paxil has been a double-edged sword for me. I have been on one dose or another for the last 15 years or so. I can't stop the meds, I've tried a few times in the past, but I just end up going crazy (crying, suicidal thoughts, extreme sadness, and anxiety). I feel trapped and helpless to escape the medication's Machiavellian side effects."

• 46y...
• August 18, 2016

Paroxetine "I was prescribed Paxil for situational depression that was pretty severe, merging on PTSD. (I went through a really bad relationship breakup that was traumatic.) I also had GAD (general anxiety). I took Paxil for about 8 weeks. It started working right away and I felt so much better, I'd say within a day or two. I slept better and woke in the morning without massive anxiety and intrusive thoughts, and my depression began to lift. BUT I gained a whopping 20 pounds in the 8 weeks I was on Paxil. It was so awful that I had the doctor wean me off of it. I thought once it was out of my system that the weight would slowly come off, but it didn't - I gained another 10 lbs. I think Paxil messes with your metabolism. Will NEVER take it again."