paxil affects

my girlfriend was just prescribed paxil for anxiety issues.
I looked it up a bit, and havent found that much information.
I have found that it has withdrawal symptoms, thereby making it kind of addictive.
I dont like the idea of her goin on it, but want more information about it, how it works, etc, before I can really make up my mind.
So, Im asking all of you what you might know about paxil, especially personal experiences with it.
I just dont want someone I know going on a powerful drug without knowing everything about it; Ive seen people prescribed amphetimines that screw them right up; i dont want this to happen to my girlfriend.

So, if anyone has any info, it would be greatly appreciated.

PS, Ive already looked at erowid; they have limited info on it.

Paxil (Paroxatine HydroChloride) is itself a relatively weak pharmaceutical in comparison to some others and has not much abuse potential IMO. Having done it myself (no, not prescribed, abusing it :biggrin: ) and having also abused various benzo's including Xanax and Klonazopam as well as Dextroamphetamine, I can safely say that if she sticks to the prescribed dosage she should only feel minor, if any, dependancy. However, the addiction risk is factored on the subject's personal factors including strength of will, etc.

Check out RxList (http://www.rxlist.com) they have information on every prescription drug out there and should be of much value to you. Good luck with your girlfriend, I hope she doesn't have to spend long on it.

Lucky me, someone brought up the topic I know most on :biggrin: :biggrin: [chemical child]

It's (in technical terms) a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). When a neurotransmitter (the chemicals that make everything happen in the brain; good and bad) such as serotonin is released, it sends its signal, and then gets taken up again, so there's not a whole lot of it just floating around. The SSRIs inhibit this re-uptake, thereby increasing the amount of serotonin, which seems to help with anxiety and depression, among other things.

You have to take it regularly or it won't work. You have to take it for a few weeks before it'll start working. The most common side-effects are headache, nausea/gastro-intestinal upset. These tend to go after a week to 10 days, and most people are able to tolerate it through that period. They can (fairly rarely, in healthy adults) drop the sodium level in your blood, so to be safest, she should get a sodium level done a couple of weeks after starting it. They can affect your libido - for the worse, I'm afraid - but then again, someone with significant anxiety/depression often doesn't have exactly the best libido anyway. There are others (quite a long list, to be honest), but rare; I've never seen anything other than those, and I've prescribed it to an awful lot of people. I really wouldn't get too worried about it.

As for the withdrawal effects, yes they are more recognised now. However, they can be dealt with; generally just by reducing and stopping slowly, and most people don't have a problem.

I'm quite surprised you haven't found much online; there's a lot of emotive misinformation around. Generally suggesting that taking it will make you kill yourself and/or someone else. There's really nothing to support that, except that it seems that a few adolescents taking paroxetine (paxil) may possibly experience suicidal thoughts which they didn't have previously. The only recommendation out of that is to avoid using paroxetine in people under 18.

Take home message: if she's been properly assessed by someone experienced in the area, and the medication is going to be properly prescribed and monitored, there should be no problem with it, and no reason to worry.

I am on etizolam, which is about the same. It just keeps you anxiety/stress level at a managable level. Many business owners/managers often go to the doctor for the same thing. I was turned onto it from a good friend who also seemed to have the same issues a I did (sleepless nights, quick temper, excessive worrying over minor issues).
They gave me the depas (trade name for etizolam) and Halcion for my sleeplessness.

I have found sometimes it is difficult to sleep without the Halcion, but taken in the correct dosage, I have found no other probles. I was warned to not self medicat (increase my dosages beyond what the doctor informed me) and NEVER take it with alcohol, as it can not only intensify but completely alter the effects.

Moondog gave the best definition I could find. For the full technical breakdown by the governemnt (abuse issues etc.) go here:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/pharm/pimg011.htm

Zoloft is another good scrip that does basically the same thing that paxil is perscribed for, and has less side affects on some people. However, it's side affects are: no sex drive, weight gain, and insomnia. Is this her first perscription for this? Because it may take a bit to find a antidepressant/anxiety med that works best for her.

I'm not a professional but...

You will have withdrawal symptoms to almost any drug if you take it every day. Even if the "withdrawal" is experiencing unmedicated reality after a period of medicated reality. There isn't any way to abuse Paxil in the manner of amphetamines, benzos, or narcotics. If you took more than the recommended dose it would only increase the side effects.

The popular analogy is: if you're diabetic you take insulin to compensate for a natural chemical imbalance in the blood. Same with depression, except the chemical imbalance is in the brain.

You will have withdrawal symptoms to almost any drug if you take it every day. Even if the "withdrawal" is experiencing unmedicated reality after a period of medicated reality. There isn't any way to abuse Paxil in the manner of amphetamines, benzos, or narcotics. If you took more than the recommended dose it would only increase the side effects.



The first part I agree with, that is, if you were to go cold turkey. But the normal procedure would be to slowly reduce the dosage and increase time in between doses to cut out the harsh feelings of needing it. However, it can be abused, it's just not as fun as other pharms. The feeling it gives you isn't really enjoyable and not something you'd want to do more than once considering the main effects are:

A very dull feeling of being 'out of it'
An uncomfortable sense of being (can't explain it any better)
Usually paranoia and funnily enough, sometimes unhappiness/depression


It's more an interesting feeling than a 'high' fun feeling.

I would stay away from Paxil. The other anti-dperessants/anxiety drugs out are far more effective and safer. I went through a massive withdrawl after slowly stopping its use, it was the worst thing I have ever been through. Prozac and Zoloft are better choices IMO, and both work better, also from personal experience.

I suppose I should also add this is only from my perspective, but I also know a clinical psychologist who says to steer clear of it too.

Pfft. Pussies. Just crush the pills up and snort em like the bitch you are. :evillol:

Pfft. Pussies. Just crush the pills up and snort em like the bitch you are. :evillol:

:nono: mean and insensative ozzie :icon16:

Paxil is one of the weakest perscribed....While the lower doses do work, it is a lot safer to be on them then on...lets take for example 37.5 CR...i mean, as long as they low doses continue to work, and the dr feels that she is making progress, it's a good thing. She'll know if its not working, and eventually you can get off of them. If you start at a Zoloft or a Prozac, it takes longer for you to wein off of them b/c they are simply stronger. Especially if your gf is younger...(i mean like lower 30's and younger) the weaker the better, bc she doesnt lose all sense of everything...She can still feel, and thats a good thing a lot of times.

:nono: mean and insensative ozzie :icon16:

:nono: overuse of smilies, and off topic moggy :icon16:

My personal cure for anxiety is apathy. Or a good toasted sandwhich. Don't know why, but eating a sandwhich really lifts stress off the shoulders.

I am on etizolam, which is about the same

Ah...no. It's far from the same. Etizolam is a benzodiazepine, or a derivative. It's not an SSRI; it's basically a tranquiliser/calming medication. It doesn't treat anything as such, it just suppresses symptoms. I really hope you're not on both the etizolam and the halcion (another benzodiazepine). In fact, I hope you're not on the halcion at all - it's very good at producing tolerance and dependence. (different from the withdrawal effects of paxil, which are not because of dependence, or addiction per se).

A very dull feeling of being 'out of it'
An uncomfortable sense of being (can't explain it any better)
Usually paranoia and funnily enough, sometimes unhappiness/depression



Yup those are the increased negative side effects I was talking about. I can't say I've met anyone who enjoyed them enough to abuse Paxil. I'm on prozac at the moment and the main 'withdrawal' I feel comes after a few days of not taking the med... then it feels like the depression the prozac was originally prescribed for. Obviously not a good feeling.

I'll echo moondog's concern matada.. make some appointments.

Ah...no. It's far from the same. Etizolam is a benzodiazepine, or a derivative. It's not an SSRI; it's basically a tranquiliser/calming medication. It doesn't treat anything as such, it just suppresses symptoms. I really hope you're not on both the etizolam and the halcion (another benzodiazepine). In fact, I hope you're not on the halcion at all - it's very good at producing tolerance and dependence. (different from the withdrawal effects of paxil, which are not because of dependence, or addiction per se).

I wish I weren't.

I have to take it occasionally because of a sleep disorder I suffer from. A few years back in my life, I had several tramautic things happen, and as a result, I developed severe insomnia. I tried all the non medical routes, but they did not work. My doctor then prescribed something something that worked for a short while, but quickly became ineffective.
I started the Halcion about 2 years ago, and haven't had any problems with it. The etizolam is great at keeping my stress level manageable without any loss of motor skills or thought process. I refuse to take anything like paxil because I worry it may affect my judgement.

I wish I weren't.

I have to take it occasionally because of a sleep disorder I suffer from. A few years back in my life, I had several tramautic things happen, and as a result, I developed severe insomnia. I tried all the non medical routes, but they did not work. My doctor then prescribed something something that worked for a short while, but quickly became ineffective.
I started the Halcion about 2 years ago, and haven't had any problems with it. The etizolam is great at keeping my stress level manageable without any loss of motor skills or thought process. I refuse to take anything like paxil because I worry it may affect my judgement.


I live in The United States do you think if I have my doctor here write me a prescription for etizolam I could send it to an online pharmacy in Japan to get it filled because they don't have etizolam here it seems like the only non-addictive benzodiazepine and my anxiety is killing me but I'm prone to addiction

I know 2 people personally that have been on Paxil. I went to the library and looked it up in the drug pages there.

Paxil is evil. It sneaks up on you, and turns you into a zombie with no sex drive, no personality, and no will to do anything but go through the motions of life.

The withdrawal turned both of these fine people into moody, irritable, unreasonable, and paranoid people.

Both people said that being on it sucked as they felt "gray" and plain, flat, boring, etc etc. One was weaned off of it, the other just stopped so no difference there. But they both agreed that getting off of it was total hell, and their personal relationships, self esteem and other facets of their life suffered greatly because of it. One girl is still on anti depressents today, the original cause of her depression is gone, but she's on them because of the Paxil.

Paxil is evil, see the drug info at your local library; don't trust the propaganda on the internet on this one.

How about some meditation? Or perhaps a musical instrument? Call me a crank, but I've always believed there are a good many afflictions that can be remedied with some simple lifestyle changes. People have managed to get by for millenia without the use of some behavior-modification prescription drug with an important sounding name and a pretty commercial with dogs and butterflies and old people rocking on porches. What causes the anxiety? When does it happen? The key is to identify the trigger. Is a prescription medication really necessary? The side effects/withdrawal concerns may end up being worse than the original problem. And that's how it starts. Too many people are getting on medications to deal with something, and it always seems they never end up stopping at just one -- before they know it, there are medications to solve the problems that arise from other medications. Of course (one hopes) the doctor is concerned about the patient's wellfare, and not what prescriptions they can write. I think though, that this multi-med scenario is becoming more and more common as the prescription numbers for antidepressants/antianxiety/antiinsomnia/antiADD/*enter designer med here* continue to rise.

Society brings these afflictions upon us, and the only way we can combat them is by taking prescription meds -- because most of us don't have time to do anything else. It's easier to pop a Paxil or Prozac or whatever before leaving the house in the morning, because we don't have the chance to do anything else. Has your gf considered maybe chatting with a counselor once or twice, perhaps just to identify the problem? Or even stepping back herself, and asking "what brings on these anxiety attacks?" and then either avoiding or confronting the offending problem? I know for a fact I have major anxiety issues when around large groups of people I don't know, and I often experience emotional lows that go beyond just a simple case of "the blues." But I wouldn't consider even for one second trying medication, because I know why I have the problems, and what I need to do to combat them.

Meds may help your girlfriend for the short term, but what's she going to do, take them for the rest of her life? There's many legitimate drugs that do really wonderful things to help people overcome nearly every affliction in the book, but I think there are also many that manage to slip through the cracks and get included in this group, and chief among these is the ever-growing family of emotional "disorder" drugs. The people taking these drugs don't have any disorder that can't be overcome by force of will (if it starts in the brain, the only thing that can beat it is the brain -- why the hell turn to some synthetic answer for something like that?) if anything, society is manufacturing these disorders, and our lifestyles within this society leave prescriptions as the only viable option to much of the time.

The fact is, ANYTHING that artificially alters the brain's chemistry can only be bad in the long run. The government drums on us every day about the dangers of drug use/abuse (particularly the synthetics as of late.) But yet everything's peachy if the drug is being approved by a person in a white coat. How do THEY know it's safe? Have they run tests themselves? Have they logged countless hours exploring the intimate effects of the drug on brain chemistry? No. They're taking the word of someone else. Something just isn't right when a drug can "help" depression, but cause liver failure, stroke, insomnia, sexual side-effects, etc. Sure, it may not cause those reactions in everyone -- but just the idea that they CAN is troubling.

:1: !!!

Tenquzero, as usual your perception is right on. Of course there are people with chemical imbalances that need medications to function. But the vast majority of people that are prescribed antidepressants don't need them. It's like treating cancer with pain pills -- the symptom is being treated, but not the underlying cause.

just crush a few and snort them before you let her take them. Thats the best way to find out what kind of effects she might have.

just crush a few and snort them before you let her take them. Thats the best way to find out what kind of effects she might have.

Rick, you're probably kidding; but if not:

Ha-ha; not realistic. The effects of this drug are caused by a slow buildup in your brain. It takes about 9 days for full effect, and for the first 4-6 days, there is no effect....then BAM.

Did anyone else notice how old this thread is?

Well, given...it was a n00b who brought it back. :nono:

Did anyone else notice how old this thread is?

Whups.