Paxil to Zoloft

[Evolvr2006]

I've had Anxiety since I was about 15. It was a real problem for a year then I got on Paxil, and I had all but forgotten about having anxiety for many many years.

When I moved from my home in FL to NC I was completely fine. I woked with my brother which was nice and met a girl who I got involved with.

Eventually because I spent so much time at her house, I kept forgetting to take my meds. THe thing was that I was completely ok.

Well after getting off my meds I made it for about 4-5 months perfectly fine with zero problems. Until one day I had a realy bad panic attack while in a neighboring city.

Since then I have not been able to get through my anxiety. It has steadily gotten worse up to this point. My life is a real drag right now.

Anyway, I've been back on the Paxil (Peroxetine) 20mg for about a year or more now. It basically just takes the edge off. It doesnt completely get rid of my anxiety or allow me to fintion in society or anything like that, but I don't feel so edgy or crappy.

I tried 30mg for about a week but idnt like the way it felt.


So, my doctor prescribed me 50mg of Zoloft (Sertraline). I have the pills, but i'm not a big fan of taking pills and am pretty nervous about taking them.

A couple questions I have are:

Should I taper off the Peroxetine for about a week (half tabs) before starting the Zoloft?

I've read that 25mg is a good place to start, so should I try it there??


Pills have always worked pretty well for me considering I never take any. Even for horrible pain like a wisdom tooth being pulled I'll take an Advil. I don't do pain killers or any kind of drugs or narcotics.

Also, when I took the Paxil originally, it worked after about 3-4 days. I felt great and had almost ZERO side affects. Could the Zoloft possibly do the same thing??

[maria]

Re: Zoloft vs. Paxil

I've suffered from anxiety for about 12 years now and I've been on Zoloft and Paxil. I haven't been on meds for 12 years consecutively though... I was on Zoloft for a year, was able to wean off it but a few years later my anxiety came back...I have a lot of triggers and when I get stressed out, the anxiety comes back. I took Paxil for the past two years (20 mg) and then decided I wanted to wean off it...Unfortunately, that was a mistake as I cut down to 10mg and apparently my doctor ended up telling me that 10 mg is not even a therapeutic dose of Paxil. After 4-6 weeks on 10 mg of Paxil, my anxiety came roaring back. I went back on 20mg for a month and it didn't really help so much...Then, my doctor upped my dose to 30mg and I am finally starting to feel better. I suppose every doctor has an opinion, but apparently my doc said Paxil is a slow acting drug and everybody has different reactions to meds, so they usually prescribe a lower dose at the beginning and then up the dose after a month if not much improvement...I'm sure we all wish there was a magical-anxiety-away wand but for now that's not the case. Anyhow, as far as my limited research goes and talking to ample docs and pharmacists, Paxil and Xanax are the two most recommended drugs for anxiety disorders and OCDs. The other thing that really helps me with anxiety is to get acupuncture treatments. For those afraid of needles, there is needleless acupunture but I have never tried it and don't really know much about it. I suppose it is hard for us to recommend stuff to other anxiety sufferers because everybody reacts differently to meds and everybody reacts to stress differently. My recommendation (nevertheless) would be to stick to a drug that works for you...I hate taking pills, but for now Paxil has helped me during some rough times so I am not going to beat myself up for taking something that helps me. Also, for those with serious anxiety problems, I would try to see a specialist (i.e. in anxiety disorders). I find that general practitioners don't have the expertise and they just want to give meds. I understand that because they are taught to prescribe drugs in medical school, and sure it helps, but getting cognitive behavioural therapy with an expert is next on my list. Sure there might be a waiting list of 6 months to a year, but what I have got to lose?

Hope this helped.
Maria. : )

[fernandogress]

Good question.
Paxil and Zoloft are effective treatment for depression, anxiety and panic.
Both are serotonin reuptake inhibitors and are equally effective. It is truethough that one patient may have more response to one versus the other, as they are chemically distinct.In some patients Paxil may cause sedation and is therefore recommended at bedtime.Zoloft may cause insomnia and therefore taken upon awakening.
Paxil has been FDA approved for social anxiety (social phobia). It is assumed that all of the SSRI help with this disorder, although the largest body of research is with Paxil.Discuss your concerns with your psychiatrist.
Whether you switch to a new agent may depend on your previous dose of Zoloft and whether it was pushed to the maximum effective dose.