Paxil for Generalized Anxiety Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

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

"I was diagnosed with 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 or 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 workday 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. Eight weeks ago, we changed to Paxil 20 mg. I feel amazing. I no longer have daily panic attacks, rumination, intrusive thoughts, and get a full night's sleep every night. I am excelling at work. No side effects."

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

"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."

• Sco...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2023

"Took it in the late 1990s for depression and anxiety, and it worked really well. I've been back on it for two weeks after a major depression/anxiety attack and can already tell a difference. I know that SSRI drugs like Paxil are said to need several weeks to kick in, but my depression is far better after just two weeks, although the anxiety is still there. But I was started at just 10 mg, so I can certainly take more to ease the anxiety. I take it in the morning; it is somewhat energizing but not bad. I try to work out each day to dial down the weight gain from Paxil (and Seroquel). Paxil definitely makes me crave food, so I drink lots of water and hit the gym almost daily. All in all, after just two weeks of being on Paxil, I'm in a much better place."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2017

"It started in the spring of 1996. I began having stomach pains horribly every day. 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 50 lbs 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 the doctor put me in a private mental home. They put me on 1 mg Klonopin, 20 mg Paxil, and 50 mg Trazodone for sleep. In 5 days, no stomach problems at all. Ate 3 square meals, played ball, went to gym. Was alive again!!!"

• Sof...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 5, 2018

"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, approximately 30 years, thus I may have needed SSRIs all along. Long story short, I tried 10 mg of paroxetine or Paxil, which made me feel like I had motion sickness for a day or two, then it went away. I used to obsess over stupid stuff, and I felt anxious, which affected 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 years later, I am doing great at 20 mg. My quality of life is much better. I am a full-time mom, student, and wife with no time to be bogged down. Paxil worked well for me."

• Anonymous
• October 6, 2009

"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."

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

"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 go 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!"

• Ano...
• June 3, 2015

"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 was an absolute life changer for me 8 years before 'pooping out' last year. Alcohol abuse was almost certainly the cause of its ineffectiveness, and 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 and worrying about possible future withdrawal, don't assume it will happen to you. I am now on mirtazapine, which is okay, but I really miss the feel-good 'boost' and confidence that Paxil gave me. I used to call this my 'serotonin high.' I hope to find another SSRI that worked similarly to Paxil for me. Zoloft and citalopram failed."

• Anonymous
• August 27, 2008

"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."

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

"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?"

• Ash...
• April 19, 2016

"I have been taking Paxil since December of 2015. I started out on 10 mg, which didn't do much for me, and then my doctor increased it to 20 mg, which still was not enough to cease my anxiety. I have been taking 30 mg 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."

• Bro...
• April 27, 2017

"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!"

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

"The only reason I am giving this medication a '9' is because I'm in my 5th week, and I've felt better than I did before taking the medication. I would say in my 3rd to 4th week, I started feeling better and like 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 of 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 I've still got a hill to climb. It's most important to face our problems head-on."

• Not...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 27, 2020

"Was prescribed Paxil at a young age for generalized anxiety. Eventually, it moved into panic attacks and depression. When this medication works, it works well, but when it quits, it’s the worst thing you can imagine. It quit working (Paxil poopout), and I had tremors, severe depression, derealization, depersonalization, panic attacks, bad thoughts, crying, lost 20 lbs. I’ve been withdrawing for almost a year now from this medicine. The withdrawal from this is similar to heroin. Please steer clear of this medication. It’s not worth the horrible withdrawal it will give you."

• Anonymous
• November 21, 2020

"I've only been on Paxil for a day at 10 mg. I'll be upping it by 10 mg 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 godsend!"

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

"My senior year and last semester of uni, I became very stressed and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after a couple of 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 20 mg 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."

• mar...
• August 5, 2017

"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..."

• Bri...
• October 14, 2009

"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."

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

"Paxil was the first medicine I was ever diagnosed with for general anxiety and depression. Yes, the medicine did stop the anxious, crazy, nonstop thoughts, but it also stopped everything else. I didn't care about anything, and nothing bothered me. There was one point I almost got fired at work (or came very close to it), and I honestly did not have a nervous bone in my body. Blank-faced, I listened to what my boss told me I did wrong and 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 and couldn't laugh."

• nop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2012

"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."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2011

"Paxil not only helped with panic attacks, it cured me of my fear of heights! The downside 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!),"

• Sch...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2017

"I've only been on Paxil for 8 days, but my side effects are minimal. I started on 5 mg and am moving to 10 mg today. Fingers crossed that this works. So far, this has been the best in minimal side effects compared to others I have taken."

• jil...
• November 28, 2015

"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 2.5 mg. 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."

• Kit...
• November 21, 2016

"Today is day three. I take 10 mg. I was told to take half a pill at night for seven days, then take the whole pill on day eight. I have to say, today is not a good day. I have been dizzy all morning. Will this ever go away? I am not feeling my best at all. When I take the pill, I am very dizzy before bed. Does anyone here have answers? How does this drug really work? I had a partial thyroid removal a year ago. I am constantly dizzy, my heart races, my pressure is up. Help anyone... Please."