I went for an initial consult with a psychiatrist today who prescribed Paxil 12.5 mg. I've had anxiety through the years but lately it's affecting my health (shortness of breath, beating heart, insomnia, etc.). My therapist, whom I started seeing again, suggested seeing a Dr. for meds since trying to relax isn't an option because I'm too stressed about leaving someone with my toddlers so the vicious cycle begins...

Anyway, the therapist just told me to stay away from Paxil since she knows of pt's who had a hard time getting off of it. So, the psych writes a script for Paxil of all things after hearing my symptoms. I don't really have any depression. The Dr. feels that I'm skeptical about taking meds to begin with so she wants to get it right the first time and feels this might work well instead of trying 5 or 6 different meds that may not be as effective for me.

She's keeping me on the 12.5 mg dose and will see me in less than a month to see how I react. Is there anything I need to be concerned about re: taking care of my children on this med? Can I drive ok, etc?

What about weight gain? I'm on the thin side and have a good metabolism but don't want to worry about gaining a lot of weight. That's never been an issue for me and I don't want it to become one.

Sex drive? Mine is pretty bad with two little ones to take care of. Between that and the insomnia, that's the last thing I think of. If it gets worse, that will be depressing.

I know some of this is a trade off but I just want something to take the edge off, not trade other symptoms for these.

I spoke to my therapist who encouraged me to try it. She said that she has heard some withdrawl stories but doesn't know if they stopped abruptly. She knows of a pt who weaned off it after a few years and was just fine. She deferred to the psychiatrist on that one if she really felt that was the med for me.

When can I expect results? Any other things I should know? Thanks so much...

It really depends on how bad your anxiety is. When I first started Paxil I was so desperate, I did'nt care about weight gain and withdrawal effects. The Paxil takes up to 5 weeks to start really working. Sometimes the anxiety can feel worse in the beginning but it is not as bad as Prozac. Eventually I did have to wean off of Paxil and got some rebound withdrawal anxiety from it but this was not a big deal. I just sat down with my doctor and he gave me a weaning plan. I was on a very high dose too. You might not experience too much withdrawal anyway because your taking the CR and not the regular. It was originally thought that regular Paxil caused withdrawal symtoms because it is short acting.

medications effect people differently. You have to try it to know if it will help and if you have any side effects... if they are worth it vs. the benefits. I personally could not get over the severe vertigo I had with it to continue... but many people do not experience that at all.

I did forget to ask one thing... How is your diet. I am a big believer in Good Nutrition first. I became almost completely symptom free after I cut out sugar and caffeine from my diet. Not to mention what is did for my figure and self esteem. Eliminating medication all together is not always possible, but it can help so much you would not believe. You may also want to get a good Multi vitamin that includes those vitamins and minerals that help your body naturally deal with stress. Try cutting the sugar and caffiene and taking a multi, for a month. You will be amazed with the results.

You'll be able to drive fine and do everything you need to do. Paxil CR 12.5 mg. is a low starting dose. Then they increase you to 25 and higher if needed.

The thing about Paxil for me was it made me feel like I was on diet pills or bad speed or something, which is a horrible feeling for someone who already feels on edge all the time. I took it for a month and felt awful the whole time...teeth grinding, insomnia, headaches, no sex drive, weight gain, etc. etc. Then I weaned off over a week (my doctor's instructions) and the withdrawal was so horrible it took probably six weeks. I can't describe it, but I was a wreck and the nightmares and hot flashes were unbelievable, to mention a few.

All you can do is try it. It works for some people. My doctor said after a month, we should've known if it was working, and for me it clearly was making things worse. 4-6 weeks is what I've always read about how long it takes SSRI's to reach their theraputic levels. Good luck!

Hate to be negative about Paxil but ugh. I went on it in my 20's with a VERY HIGH METABOLISM and weighed only 99 pounds. Guess what? Gained 80 pounds in 4 years on it. My shrink kept saying, "oh it's just your metabolism changing." What a goof, he didn't know much about Paxil. My gynocologist saw me and said "go off it, it is KNOWN to ruin (slow) your metabolism". I went off it and in 7 days lost 11 pounds in water weight gain alone. Today, there is more information on the drug and its side effects.

Everyone I know that has gone on Paxil has gotten puffy faces (water weight gain) and have added weight. Not one maintained their weight. Thin people never before having gained weight, were gaining it. I would opt for Zoloft, or Prozac. Those have the least side effects with weight gain. I used to be able to eat and eat with NO weight gain before Paxil. ON Paxil, I couldn't lose weight even exercising an HOUR a day. Had to see many doctors, checked my thyroid, etc. Here it was the Paxil. I've never been able to return to my low weight either. Had to go on protein diet to lose 45 pounds of it. Still am 20 pounds overweight and I wish I could sue Paxil makers. They did NOT state it's ability to create weight gain.

Also, getting off Paxil is a nightmare. Even when done very, very cautiously and slowly. I was down to a 1/2 of a 10 mg pill and when I went off that, I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown, almost like a junky going off drugs. It was miserable and very scary. If your doctor is honest with you, he'll discuss the pitfalls of this. Paxil wasn't the greatest though, I still had panic attacks and scary thoughts.

Do a search online to to see what others say about it. It was o.k. for my anxiety but wasn't the answer. I went and did the Lucinda Bassett program and it did more for me than any of the drugs I'd tried. Cognitive Behavior therapy is the best. If you need to be on Paxil, watch yourself and check your weights and look for water weight gain.

well I have postitive and negative things to say about Paxil.I took Paxil for 2 years 20 mg daily.I was feeling much like one of te other poster I was anxiety ridden it was constant so I felt I had to try something.The Paxil worked wonders for me as far as the anxiety went I felt so much better.I didnt notice any side effects except for ,yes like others here,I did gain some weight ,but it was maybe 5 to 6 lbs not alot.The negative is when I started to wean off the Paxil and I went slowly.I had bad withdrawl felt zappy feelings in my head and chest every few seconds that went on for weeks.I was tired pretty often,hot flashy,out of it,shakey a few other things I dont remember at this time.That all lasted about 5 to 6 weeks I didnt even feel I could drive to the store had a friend or hub take me if i had to go.

As others have said though you wont know how you will feel taking it,or weaning off if you dont try.We wont all have the same experiance and some people think of paxil as like their "miracle pills".There are many other SSRI'S to take too I have taken Paxil,zoloft,and Lexapro they all helped me GREATLY Paxil was the only one I had withdrawl weaning off.

I take Paxil 20mg a day for Social Anxiety and it works pretty well. There's a little breakthrough anxiety somedays, where I'll get a little shortness of breath and lightheadedness, but without this drug those symptoms would be much worse.

I gained a little weight, but I was already underweight so it filled me out a little bit (went from 5'8" 141 lbs. to about 148.) I stay very active and swim, jog and bodyboard a lot though, so the weight I put on was lean.

I've been on it about 2 years and it's been a lifesaver for me. I just completely tapered off Klonopin about 4 weeks ago and am having a few withdrawal effects, but the Paxil is helping me get through it.

I know three people on paxil. Each is thin and fit. I think the key is physical activity; they're all pretty active.

Hi...I came across your post..it is so true...all people experience medications differently....I too was on paxil for almost 14 years.....and I gained over 100 lbs. on it....the paxil stopped working, or as some people say it topped out....I was taking up to 40 mgs./day...and still had a lot of anxiety/OCD thoughts...I was very young when I started taking the paxil.....so I guess I didn't know any better...I was switched to lexapro and tried very hard to get off of it, but failed..however I learned a lot in the process about how to get off of these ssri medications.....after experiencing what felt like a nervous break down..I was put on a low dosage of prozac....now my quest begins to see if my body is dependant on these meds......I will try to get off of the prozac in a few months....best of luck to you.....bigbaz

I have a love/hate relationship with Paxil. When I first when on it was a wonderful thing. I felt anxiety free for the first time in my 22 years, I guess they call it the "prozac poop out' that at 3 months you have to get your meds increased to have it maintain its effectiveness. I topped out at 75 mg of Paxil and it was the hardest thing I've ever done to wean off of it. I would have full body shakes, sky high anxiety and insomnia. When I started I was already slightly overweight 5'8" and 170, but when I went on it within a year I went to 200. Since going off I have lost about 10 pounds in the past 3 months on zoloft, but am going back to my dr tomorrow to talk to him about my increased anxiety as of late. No one can tell you what's right for your body and anxiety, but if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have started the Paxil and instead opted for Zoloft first. Good luck and God bless