JamesfrmEngland

I have been given this medication last week for a condition which I have (body dysmorphia) which I disagreed with my physician I had. My drinking is partly driven by me hating the way I look but when I am drunk I I feel okay about my body. I'm not sure why he prescribed this one over another like Prozac or Zoloft. Does anyone take this medication and have experiences, good or bad?

Astro

I have taken Paxil and had good results but my understanding is that it can be extremely addictive, that didn't work with my program of recovery.

My suggestion would be to consult with another physician or wellness provider and get a second opinion?

JamesfrmEngland

Yes I will don't that. Did Paxil make you crave alcohol as a side effect? I have read it can do

biminiblue

I took Paxil for about four days.

It was for an anxiety/obsession I had. After the third day I started hallucinating and having dark paranoid thoughts.

I stopped taking it.

Full disclosure though - I found out through DNA Drug Reaction testing that I have a particular mutation that blocks proper metabolism of SSRI type drugs. So I stay far away from all of them.

Your mileage may vary, but just be willing to change meds if one doesn't work. Communicate everything to your prescribing doctor.

There are side effects to all of them, and I think we each make decisions about how much of the side effects we are willing to accept if the drug helps other things. It's always a balancing act.

Good luck. Keep seeking.

least

I was put on paxil once many years ago. It made me so tired I spent all my time lying down. The doctor took me off of it and put me on zoloft (sertraline). I did much better on that.

48heath

I have taken Seroxat several times over the years.

It worked well for me,no side effects and no problem stopping them.The last time I was on them I was sober and had no cravings for alcohol.

If you read the list of side effects for any drug they cover just about everything!

SoberCAH

It has certainly helped me for the last 17 or so years.

August252015

It is all so individual.

My experience - my dr and I have a close relationship and I have a well supervised and discussed regimen that works so well for me. We added paxil about a month ago because of mild depression I started wrangling with. It made me exhausted - like, nap every day sometimes for several hours and then still go to bed early (even as early as 8), for three weeks. In the last week, I have been able to have several days with no naps and am going to be at more reasonable times (last night being NYE I was up til about 1230 and tonight I just got home from work an hour ago so I am winding down). She thought the fatigue would ease up after a week and a half or two, and I gave it a little longer because my emotional state has benefited so much from taking it. If the sleep thing does persist so significantly into next week, I will talk to her again.

Taking the med at night (along with my seroquel) is how I do it.

Leaflet

My doctor mentioned that some people metabolize meds differently than others. I'm on a super small dose of Prozac (10 mg) but it makes a huge difference for me. (He said it is possible that 10 mg could work, but it's unusual.) I can't take a huge list of meds because of the crazy side effects I get. I want to get that DNA Drug Reaction test done! I had no idea it exists!

JamesfrmEngland

Well I've just taken 10mg and aim to keep it at this low level until a few weeks at least it might work. I hate taking any medicine but I will try it out and see.

Forward12

Paxil is an ssri like prozac and zoloft. Best bet is to give it a go for a little while and see how things work out. It takes times (a few weeks to up to a month) before things kick in.

Astro

No, I don't recall that as a side effect. Mostly it relieved depression and anxiety for me.

August252015

Ditto. It is working very well for me; the sleepiness persisted until about four days ago, and it is worth how much better I feel after the onset of a mild depression.

JamesfrmEngland

How long did it take the tiredness to go? I am sleeping like 12 hours and am so tired I cannot be bothered to do my work.

August252015

James, I have probably been on it close to a month (my first rx is about due to refill). The sleepiness has abated some but I do find that I take a nap most days and unless I am working dinner (I work in a restaurant) or there is some reason I am up late, I am in bed by about 9, sometimes earlier. I take Paxil at night along with my nightly sleep/anxiety aid (seroquel) and that combo definitely knocks me out.

Since I see a marked improvement in my mood and lift in the mild depression I was having, I am ok tolerating this side effect and working around it- my schedule mostly allows me to do that. I do want to get my sleep schedule comfortably back to a 10ish and 7ish wake up so I am going to keep monitoring.

Again, like I said above- it's all so individual. I'd consult your dr if problems that bother you persist.

Astro

Honestly, the tiredness was a benefit to me, I was unable to sleep otherwise because my anxiety was so high. I do recall it being difficult to work at times, but I wasn't on it for long and appreciated the rest I was able to get.