Paroxetine for Generalized Anxiety Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Ryand...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 21, 2018

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been taking Paxil for about a year now and have to say several positive things about it. Although it can be a pain to remember to take it, everyone’s body is different and withdrawals are manageable. (And if they aren’t you can go into any emergency room and request a refill; in an emergency) . Paxil has given me confidence in myself. I feel you have to treat it like a vitamin, thinking that the pill will fix everything can make you a typical pessimist, however, effects are really noticeable around the 3-4 week period. My experience is a more stable mood, diminished social anxiety, and more energy. I began to see improvements in the threshold for my emotions. It would take me a lot longer to become upset or anxious about something. It is not as if the feeling is gone but you become less stimulated by your environment. Things that really were stressful and important to me became petty and easier to manage. I have taken Lexapro, Prozac, and Effexor and I think Paxil has been the best overall SSRI."

• Lux
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 5, 2022

Paxil (paroxetine) "I was diagnosed w high functioning GAD years ago. Most of the years I’ve been able to manage it with meditation, spiritual podcasts, and therapy. But in 2020 my anxiety took a turn for the worse. For over a year, almost 18 months, I felt absolutely miserable. My fight and flight was constantly on. I couldn’t sleep unless medicated. I started feeling very angry and could barely get off the couch at the end of a work day, because it took so much energy to keep my cool at work. I finally gave in and consulted a psychiatrist. She diagnosed me again with major anxiety disorder and also with moderate depression, even though I was not sad, but the anger I felt was a huge symptom. I started with Zoloft , but started to lose all my hair , had major jaw clenching, and also trouble sleeping. 8 weeks ago we changed to Paxil 20mg. I feel amazing. I no longer have daily panic attacks, rumination, intrusive thoughts, and get a full night sleep every night. am excelling at work. No side effects."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2017

Paxil (paroxetine) "IT started in the spring of 1996. I began having stomach pains horribly EVERYDAY. Nausea. I had made a major life change in going into something with a 4 and 1 year old that I did not want to really do but my wife wanted BAD... By September of that year, I had become in such pain and lost 50lbs that my intern put me in the hospital for one week with EVERY test of the digestive system. Long story short, I left the hospital with a diagnosis of GAD and secondary IBS. Went home and didn't sleep one week, so doctor put me in a private mental home. They put me on 1mg klonopin and 20mg paxil and 50mg Trazadone for sleep. In 5 days, NO stomach problems at all. Ate 3 square meals, played ball, went to gymn. WAS ALIVE AGAIN!!!"

• Cheri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 13, 2024

Paxil (paroxetine) "I've been on 30 mg of Paxil for 10 plus years. It has helped a lot with depression, anxiety, and my obsessive thinking. Panic. About a month ago, some symptoms came back. My doctor just upped my dose to 40 mg. It's only been 4 days, so I am hoping after another week, it will have me feeling like it did before. Has anyone else had to have an increase, and did it work?"

• Sofia
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 5, 2018

Paxil (paroxetine) "First off, I am an alcoholic with 8 years of sobriety. Three years into continuous sobriety I began to feel like I was experiencing PMS all the time. I drank for most of my adult life approx . 30 yrs, thus I may have needed SSRI’s all along. Long story short I tried 10 mg of paroxatine or Paxil which made me feel like I had motion sickness a day or two then it went away. I used to obsess over stupid stuff and I felt anxious which effected my sleep. Within 2 weeks I mellowed out without becoming lethargic or tired. Basically it took me down a notch and I am much more patient and not obsessing. 2 1/2 yrs later I am doing great at 20 mg.. my quality of life is much better. I am full time mom, student and wife with no time to be bogged down. Paxil worked well for me."

• Could...
• June 13, 2013

Paxil CR (paroxetine) "I started using it a week ago and within 4 days it felt like the dark cloud surrounding me lifted. My circumstances are exactly the same, I can just handle it better and now start working on issues. It saved my life."

• Wessi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 13, 2013

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been taking 30 mg of Paxil daily for about 4 years. It truly changed my life. I have had more issues with anxiety than depression, I couldn't sleep, I was angry all the time for no reason, I had constant pressure on my chest- Paxil put an end to the sleepless nights, nipped the depression in the bud and took my anxiety level down by about 90%. The only problems are if I miss a pill I get those nasty electric shock feelings, I feel like my emotions are almost a bit too subdued (can't cry, sometimes you got to pet or out) and lastly I have NO sex drive. For this reason I'm in the process of tapering off and my doctor is putting me on Viibryd. But if that doesn't work as well as Paxil I'll definitely switch back!"

• Anonymous
• October 6, 2009

Paxil (paroxetine) "This drug has saved my life. I tried reducing slowly, but my anxiety had come back. Without Paxil, I had severe anxiety that was just awful. Could not function or work or anything. Paxil has brought my life back to me."

• Anon
• June 3, 2015

Paxil (paroxetine) "I've been on Paxil (20 mg) since 2000 at the age of 15 and have been on it ever since. I was always an anxious kid but my anxiety became debilitating at the beginning of high school and I would occasionally vomit in the morning due to anxiety and also experienced heart palpitations. After a physical and an echocardiogram revealed that I was physically healthy I began seeing a Psychiatrist who diagnosed me with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder and he prescribed me Paxil. After about two weeks of feeling run down and kind of flu-like it began working. I really don't have any side effects and I still experience a wide range of emotions, even anxiety, though it is manageable."

• Anonymous
• October 9, 2012

Paxil (paroxetine) "Paxil was an absolute life changer for me 8 years before 'pooping out' last year. Alcohol abuse was almost certainly the cause of it's ineffectiveness & I have learned my lesson. Many negative reviews on the web describe the severe withdrawal symptoms. I count myself lucky that Paxil worked wonders for me WITHOUT any withdrawal periods. Not everyone experiences this withdrawal so if you're here reading experiences & worrying about possible future withdrawal don't assume it will happen to you. I am now on mirtazapine which is ok but I really miss the feel good 'boost' & confidence that Paxil gave me. I used to call this my 'serotonin high'. I hope to find another SSRI that worked similar to Paxil for me. Zoloft & citalopram failed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 5, 2019

Paxil CR (paroxetine) "At 60 years old I finally decided to stop living with GAD. and started Paxil CR. Best decision ever. I feel "normal". I used to drive my kids crazy and dwell and ruminate. Not any more! It's been 2 years on 20 mg"

• Bronco...
• April 27, 2017

Paxil (paroxetine) "I am a long time (near 25 years) Paxil user. Some of your new users need to give it a chance before making an assessment. I had some of those side effects early on-they were no big deal and they all went away over time. Bottom line, I suffered from lifelong severe depression-Paxil literally stopped me from taking my own life. On Anxiety, the result has not been as positive, but perhaps I need to increase my dosage? I'll talk to my physician on that. If you're mainly depressed I heartily endorse Paxil, it reduces depression with minimal side effects. It's a wonder drug in my book!"

• Anonymous
• November 21, 2020

Paxil (paroxetine) "I've only been on Paxil for a day at 10mg I'll be upping it by 10mg each week for 6 weeks , but I feel amazing my depression is almost gone and my anxiety has been lowered tremendously!!! I've tried all the other antidepressants and the only other one that worked but stopped after a year was celexa, thank God for paxil this medicine has been a god send !!"

• Ashley...
• April 19, 2016

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have been taking Paxil since December of 2015. I started out on 10mg, which didn't do much for me, and then my doctor increased it to 20mg, which still was not enough to cease my anxiety. I have been taking 30mg of Paxil for about 4 months now and it has been great. My mood is extremely better and all of my friends and family notice a huge change. I'm a more pleasant person to be around, I don't have panic/anxiety attacks anymore, and I am able to do things that my anxiety didn't allow me to do before. However, when I first started taking Paxil, it gave me a lot of headaches, but they went away as I got used to it. Also, I have been having night sweats and it is hard for me to sleep sometimes, but other than that it is a great medication"

• Anonymous
• August 27, 2008

Paxil (paroxetine) "This medication has probably saved my life. Before using it my anxiety was so severe it put many limitations on my life. I foolishly tried to reduce it twice, and the uncontrollable symptoms returned. I just increased it back to the original 20 mg/day and hope it works once again very soon."

• Student...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 23, 2018

Paxil (paroxetine) "My senior year and last semester of uni I became very stressed and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder after a couple panic attacks that I went to the hospital for (only to be turned away obv) after trying a generic paxil a week or two later my symptoms from anxiety started to fade away. I was able to take 10 to 20mg a day based on how stressful my week was going. After that semester I weaned off a bit but still went somewhat cold turkey, it all seemed fine though. I'll definitely ask for a prescription if my anxiety levels start to cause any more panic attacks ever again. I don't think this drug is the demon that many people say it is. It saved my life."

• OnlyA...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2014

Paxil (paroxetine) "The only reason I am giving this medication a '9' is because I'm my 5th week in and I've feel better than I did before taking the medication. I would say in my 3rd to 4th week I started feeling better and to my old self. Don't get me wrong...I still had moments of anxiety and stress, but nothing like it used to be. Recently, I've been preparing for a CT Scan and I think it's caused my anxiety to spike again. I'm staying positive and trying to face the reality that my worry is the cause of the anxiety. I know the full effect with Paxil doesn't kick in until 3 months and I am going to stay on it to benefit from it. Like I said, it's been a tremendous blessing, but still got a hill to climb. It's most important to face our problems head-on."

• nopaxil
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2012

Paxil (paroxetine) "Paxil was a nightmare for me. I took it for 1 week and I could not sleep for more than 2 hours at a stretch and experienced even more intense anxiety. For the first time in my life I felt suicidal with increased racing thoughts. It wasn't for me. Maybe I should've hung in there longer, but I was concerned about my own safety."

• marea...
• August 5, 2017

Paxil (paroxetine) "Hello! I want to tell others that being on Paxil 10 mg. for a few months now has helped me to center myself once again. My life is filled with other people's issues, depression, anger, and discord in their own lives that have depressed me. Situational depression is, in my life, a constant. I just do not have happy people around me and the doctor tells me they are making me "sick". My doctor saw me with high anxiety and worry that was causing me to retreat from daily life. His advice was to try Paxil to give me some relief! Now, how to get the others around me to get therapy and help..."

• Made...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2015

Paxil (paroxetine) "Paxil was the first medicine I was ever diagnosed with for general anxiety and depression. Yes, the medicine did stop the anxious crazy non stop thoughts, but it also stopped everything else. I didn't care about anything & nothing bothered me. There was one point I almost got fired at work (or came very close to it) & I honestly did not have a nervous bone in my body, blank faced I listened to what my boss told me I did wrong & said "k" then went on with my day. In other words, you just don't care. Paxil was very weird for me... For the first few days I would feel calm, then for about 2 days I'd get this high that made me feel finally like myself again! Then I would feel like a Zombie. I felt like my mouth was glued shut & couldn't laugh."

• Brite...
• October 14, 2009

Paxil (paroxetine) "I have only been taking Paxil for 9 days now. I really can't tell much difference except I feel a little better. I have read what others have said and it seems promising so I'll keep taking it so maybe soon I can function. My anxiety has pretty much taken over and I don't leave the house without another person to drive in case, it's terrible. With any luck soon that will no longer be an issue. I'll come back in a week or 2 and let you know."

• Chgo
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2020

"Such a great drug! I was suffering with effexor withdrawal and my doc suggested paroxetine. Started 3 days ago and the anxiety, depression and withdrawals are better. So things are good and feeling calm and happy. Everyone is different so don't give up."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2011

Paxil (paroxetine) "Paxil not only helped with panic attacks, it cured me of my fear of heights! The down side was the 40 pound weight gain over 3 months (exercise didn't help). Vivid dreams and it took over 40 minutes to achieve orgasm (no complaints from the wife!)"

• jilly...
• November 28, 2015

Paxil (paroxetine) "After a few intense months of panic and high anxiety, I finally was brave enough to try this medication. I have tried other SSRIs in the past, but usually found them very agitating at the "normal" doses, so I have learned to start and stay very low. After a month of insomnia I finally decided to give Paxil a try. I started at 2.5mg. The first few days were fine, I felt sleepy and a bit lazy, but at least that was better than high-strung panic. At about a week, I started to experience some small benefits, and some fairly harsh side effects (nausea, diarrhea, derealization, increased panic). At a month, much better and I was sleeping well again. However, getting off this medication after 5 months was really challenging and uncomfortable."

• KTano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 9, 2019

Paxil (paroxetine) "If you are handed a prescription for this, please do your research first. Unfortunately I started taking this as I was desperate to get my anxiety under control and my GP didn’t want to prescribe me Valium anymore so I thought why not. After one year of being on this I have gained almost 20kg. I eat well and move around a fair bit but the weight just keeps on coming. It did well for my social anxiety, that’s because I didn’t want to leave the house embarrassed with how much weight I had gained. Now I am weaning off from 40mg and am on 10mg with the hope to be off completely. Withdrawal symptoms are comparable to having the flu tenfold. Detached sense of reality and agitation that normally wouldn’t be there. Even the sound of someone coughing is making me angry. Heightened sensory disturbances and insomnia have also come along. Avoid if you can. There are better SSRI’s out there if you need some help. This stuff is awful."