Paxil new user, Help

[billsussman]

I wrote a longish post before, but it does not appear to have made it up. Anyways the short story is i took my first paxil dose today and had a bad experience, nervousness, jittery, major diarrhea. Is this normal at the start? When the benefits outweigh the issues. My doc started me at 30mg, most people appear to start at 20mg, could this be the issue. I am seriously considering throwing them out.

Any thoughts?

[bhamlaxy]

I think the general rule on these is that you are going to have side effects at the beginning- ride it out and it will be worth it. That's the sense I get from reading most people's experiences regarding antidepressants. Lots of things along the lines of "the first few days were hard but I rode it out and my entire life has changed!"

Those sound like pretty standard side effects, but I'd say you should consult your psychiatrist and possibly ride it out a few days.

I just started on Lexapro, which supposedly has less side effects than paxil. Even though it's supposed to be easier, my psych started me on 3 days of 5mg, then I step it up to 10mg. This slowly adjusts my body to it and should minimize side effects. Maybe ask your psych if this would help you.

[alankay]

Yeah, that's a high starting dose unless going from one ssri to another. Start lower and raise after a week or two. Alankay

[Mike36]

Is paxil the same as Paroxetine? If so I wouldn't touch it... It's well known to be the most difficult SSRI to tolerate (most side effects) and the hardest to stop taking. Have you tried alternative SSRIs like fluoxetine (Prozac)?

[bhamlaxy]

Yes, Paroxetine is Paxil. It does have higher side effects and may be a little more difficult to stop, but it has a strong track record of effectiveness with depression and anxiety. That's why it's prescribed so often.

[lady-d73]

I have been on Paxil for 2months now, and yes it does work. I had very little side effects.