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DaVinci2 · 04-04-2007, 06:36 AM

So I decided to visit another doctor to get a second opinion about the situation I'm in as far as my panic/anxiety goes. Here are the differences

1st doctor told me that I should be on 10mg of Paxil.
2nd doctor said that I should be on a minimum of 20mg, and because I'm a bigger westerner he thinks that even that might be too little and 40mg would be better.

1st doctor told me I could only take 3mg of anti-anxiety meds to relieve panic attacks if I feel them coming on. He said that I could do this twice a day at the max.
2nd doctor said that I could do 6mg of the same medicine 3 times a day, so long as it's spaced out at least 6 to 8 hours, but said it's unlikely I would have to do it more than once. He said 1.5mg was very very little.

1st doctor said that I as soon as I've been 'healthy' a month, I could start to taper off.
2nd doctor said I would have to be healthy at least 4 to 8 months before considering a taper.

1st doctor said that he expected all to go the same as my first round on Paxil.
2nd doctor said that it will be different. He said about 80 percent of patients who are 'cured' will have their anxiety/panic attacks come back on them at a later time in life.

1st doctor said that I should definitely be on Paxil and that I think too much and should just believe him.
2nd doctor said that after hearing all I had to say about my situation he felt that if I just kept the benzos on me and took a proper dose when I felt anxiety coming on, that it would save me from having to go on Paxil.

In the end I decided to stick with Paxil for now. I don't know that it's helped or not, but I have felt that my anxiety has subsided a bit. I don't know if that's just ME or if it's the Paxil.

The only thing both doctors seemed to agree on (And this might be JAPAN talking...) is that alcohol isn't such a big issue with Paxil. I mentioned that for some reason I felt some cravings when I'm normally not in the mood for drinking (I mentioned other side-effects I think I was suffering but that weren't bothersome...). He said the only problem comes when you drink too much, and that would mean you wouldn't be able to sleep well...that's it. I don't think I'll find a doctor in Japan that thinks differently when it comes to alcohol.

04-04-2007, 06:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
DaVinci2 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Japan Posts: 219	Different doctor, different advice So I decided to visit another doctor to get a second opinion about the situation I'm in as far as my panic/anxiety goes. Here are the differences 1st doctor told me that I should be on 10mg of Paxil. 2nd doctor said that I should be on a minimum of 20mg, and because I'm a bigger westerner he thinks that even that might be too little and 40mg would be better. 1st doctor told me I could only take 3mg of anti-anxiety meds to relieve panic attacks if I feel them coming on. He said that I could do this twice a day at the max. 2nd doctor said that I could do 6mg of the same medicine 3 times a day, so long as it's spaced out at least 6 to 8 hours, but said it's unlikely I would have to do it more than once. He said 1.5mg was very very little. 1st doctor said that I as soon as I've been 'healthy' a month, I could start to taper off. 2nd doctor said I would have to be healthy at least 4 to 8 months before considering a taper. 1st doctor said that he expected all to go the same as my first round on Paxil. 2nd doctor said that it will be different. He said about 80 percent of patients who are 'cured' will have their anxiety/panic attacks come back on them at a later time in life. 1st doctor said that I should definitely be on Paxil and that I think too much and should just believe him. 2nd doctor said that after hearing all I had to say about my situation he felt that if I just kept the benzos on me and took a proper dose when I felt anxiety coming on, that it would save me from having to go on Paxil. In the end I decided to stick with Paxil for now. I don't know that it's helped or not, but I have felt that my anxiety has subsided a bit. I don't know if that's just ME or if it's the Paxil. The only thing both doctors seemed to agree on (And this might be JAPAN talking...) is that alcohol isn't such a big issue with Paxil. I mentioned that for some reason I felt some cravings when I'm normally not in the mood for drinking (I mentioned other side-effects I think I was suffering but that weren't bothersome...). He said the only problem comes when you drink too much, and that would mean you wouldn't be able to sleep well...that's it. I don't think I'll find a doctor in Japan that thinks differently when it comes to alcohol.