Paxil Help

[azsteve]

I used to be on paxil a year and a half ago. Well, I started back on paxil about 2 weeks ago and I feel more anxious now. The doctor wants me on 20 mgs and eventually go back up to where I was a year and a half ago, 30mgs. I started by taking 5mgs for a few days, then gradually increased it to 12.5mgs. In about a week I should be up to the 20mgs. I go back to the doctor on the 14 or 15th of this month.

The question I have is why do I feel more anxious now? Is it just a coincidence that I'm feeling more anxious? Is the anxiety caused by the paxil? I'm also taking remeron 30mgs to help me to eat but it's not been working for the past month or two. It does however help me sleep.

I wake up feeling super anxious. Why?

-Steve

[mercspark]

I don't think its uncommon to react differently to a medication the second time round. I know paxil was different for me the second time. All of the SSRIs can cause pretty bad anxiety for the first few weeks and this usually goes away. I don't know if the combination of remeron and paxil is more likely to cause anxiety, it didn't for me, but then thats me. I would say, stick with it for a few weeks, and if it doesn't go away, then discuss with your doctor. 

[lilie]

I am going through the same thing. The doc started me at 20 mg and I about jumped out of my skin. I went down to 10 and I'm still jumpy. I don't think I can cut the pills any smaller but I'm going to try. This irritability and anxiousness is out of control. I have to take a zyprexa just to stay calm.

Lilie

[azsteve]

Lilie,

I have a pretty ridiculous routine for taking my paxil. I take a 20 mg pill and cut it in half. Then I take one half (10mgs) and cut that into 4 smaller pieces (2.5 mgs each). So I wind up taking 2.5 mgs at a time till I take all 4 pieces (10mg total). It's pretty bad but that's how I deal with it for now. I'm just afraid of the GI side effects from taking larger quantities of the paxil all at once. It takes me about 30 minutes to get all 10 mgs of paxil down. I'm hoping this all gets better soon.

Steve

I am going through the same thing. The doc started me at 20 mg and I about jumped out of my skin. I went down to 10 and I'm still jumpy. I don't think I can cut the pills any smaller but I'm going to try. This irritability and anxiousness is out of control. I have to take a zyprexa just to stay calm.

Lilie

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[dreamweaver]

I was prescribed Paxil (20mg) 9 years ago, and stayed on it for a number of years.  The first few weeks were not terribly pleasant.  I was already experiencing horrific anxiety before I went on the Paxil, and the Paxil initially made the anxiety even worse, and I had some bad stomach problems during the first few weeks as well.  It was my first AD, so I was scared.  I saw my doctor and she gave me a very small script for Xanax (.25mg) to be taken for a few days, particularly when the anxiety was really bad.  Those side effects did go away as my body adjusted to the med, which was probably 3 weeks to a month after starting.  After that, no more anxiety, no more panic attacks, no more depression.  Stupidly, I stopped Paxil, and when I experienced a second depressive episode last year, Paxil did not work for me :-(

Anway, perhaps you can ask your doctor for a small script for a benzo to be used to help you get through the start-up side effects.  I was thankful that my doctor did that for me, and it made a difference.

   

[orevgym]

Generic Paxil is not as effective as brand paxil, I know because I have been on both.

I was prescribed Paxil (20mg) 9 years ago, and stayed on it for a number of years.