Hola a todos, últimamente he tenido un tiempo bastante difícil con la ansiedad, por alguna razón pasó de tener un ataque ocasional a tenerlos constantemente. He ido tanto al psiquiatra como al terapeuta, quieren que comience a tomar paxil como lo hice hace unos 8 años por depresión posparto. Hace un par de semanas, probé con Zoloft y tuve que dejarlo después de una semana porque hizo que mi ansiedad se disparara. Por eso tengo miedo de empezar con el paxil, temo que vuelva a pasar. Cuando tomé paxil hace años, no recuerdo haber tenido efectos secundarios, pero no estoy segura de que sea el caso esta vez... El médico también me recetó xanax, pero no quiero acostumbrarme a tomarlo... ¡Cualquier ayuda o consejo sería genial! Solo quiero sentirme mejor.
I have just tried paroxetine (paxil) for a few days and I could not tolerate the side effects, feeling nauseous, dizzy, hot, headaches, flu like aching, really tired. I was only taking half a 10mg tablet (5mg).
I'm not sure what dose you have been given, some doctors start straight on 20mg, which is quite difficult to adjust to. It is best to start more gradually. Either ask for 10mg tablets or cut them in half.
In my opinion the xanax are more effective for anxiety and have less side effects. I know they can be addictive but if taken only when needed it is unlikely to be a problem. From personal experience it can be very unpleasant and difficult to stop taking antidepressants.
A psychiatrist will recommend medication because that is their job, but a therapist should not really be advising to take them, the one I'm seeing doesn't think they help in the long term.
It is a big decision whether to start taking them, and you need some free time, it is not something that is easy when you have other responsibilities like work or children.
Me recetaron 20 mg pero solo he estado tomando 10 mg. Los primeros días parecían estar bien, pero luego me empezó a aumentar el estrés y ayer me puse muy caliente, acalorada y ansiosa... esto fue de noche y tomo el Paxil en la mañana. Realmente no quiero acostumbrarme a tener que tomar Xanax todos los días, pero hoy tuve que tomar dos veces .25 mg.... Solo espero que lo que está aumentando mi ansiedad, los medicamentos funcionen, realmente me está deprimiendo porque me siento como una prisionera en mi propio cuerpo. Tengo cita con mi terapeuta en una semana y también con el psiquiatra. ¿Le has pedido a tu médico un medicamento diferente?
Paroxetine is probably the best drug in its class (SSRI) when it comes to all anxiety-related issues. It was scientifically proven to be effective in the vast majority of people who took it, being able to reduce anxiety by 70%-80% (depending on the specific condition). However, as all other SSRIs, it becomes effective after about 4-6 weeks. Within the first few weeks it causes side effects as your brain has to adapt to the new serotonin levels. So yes, in the first 1-2 weeks you should expect nausea, insomia and... more anxiety. These side effects will gradually disappear. Now, taking Xanax in order to relieve these symptoms is questionable. Alprazolam (the active ingredient) has a relatively short half-life time in a human body and you may need to take a pill every 5-6 hours, which may become problematic after 2 weeks. Diazepam or clonazepam would be much much better choices - and remember that you would take these only for the first few weeks, before paroxetine becomes effective.
If paroxetine does not work in your case and - as you mentioned - sertraline was not effective either, you may ask your psychiatrist whether he would be willing to consider other options, such as irreversible MAO inhibitors. These are the most effective drugs when it comes to anxiety-related conditions and can work miracles in some patients. However, they are rarely used these days due to severe (and potentialy lethal) interactions with certain foods (like cheese or red wine). So, if I were you, I would try paroxetine as its the best anit-anxiety medication that you can safely take. If it does not work, you have other options to discuss with your psychiatrist.
Yes , you should be nervous starting Paxil or any SSRI for that matter.....there are a multitude of horrible adverse reactions to them.....i.e. agitation, more anxiety, unable to be still, insomnia, even suicidal and violent tendencies. Believe me.....I was on Paxil for15 years...and finally got off of them 5 years ago...glad I did....there are other ways of dealing with depression or anxiety.....do some research on the web about the dangers of SSRI or even any antidepreseent ! It is worth the trouble. Good luck