Had to stop Paxil will Zoloft help?

[nebgirl26]

Hello All,


I have suffered anxiety since I was a teen. I am now 28. I was off meds for a very long time . Almost 8 years, but last year I had to much going on in life and the anxiety has come back.

I wasn't to the point of panicking yet but felt on edge all the time. I tried exercising and diet changes and therapy but nothing helped so after about 9 months of ongoing anxiousness I saw my dr.

She perscribed me Paxil. After 1 week on Paxil I was panicking. I called Dr yesterday and she said stop Paxil wait one week then wrote a script for Zoloft.

I know the meds have the same effect on the brain so I am nervous to take it. I took a leave of absence from my job yesterday because well I dont want to be all psycho at work.

I guess I am asking if any one started on Paxil and had a bad reaction, then took zoloft . and how zoloft affected them.

Thanks for your help.


~ Shay

[panic moth]

First off, I'm sorry to hear about your anxiety! The trick with medicine is that it effects everybody differently, so what works for one person might not work for another! I've been in the same boat you are, though, with the paxil/zoloft and I have to say that I found BOTH medications to be intolerable. You're correct about the similarities between the two..they are both in the same family of drug, SSRI, so they have a similar mechanism to one another. I found all SSRI medications to be an absolute NIGHTMARE of side effects with little to no therapeutic value, but I have a coworker who SWEARS by her zoloft!

One thing you might ask about if the zoloft doesn't work out is Remeron (mirtazepine)...its a tetracyclic antidepressant that i'm taking right now for GAD/depression and I've found it to be a huge help. The most common side effects are weight gain (although I've actually LOST 5 pounds since starting!) and lethargy (it really does knock you out, so take it at bed time) but these usually subside in a few weeks.

Good luck and best wishes for recovery!

[fernandogress]

The issue of whether or not anxiety and depression sufferers should take medication is a hot button issue that I love to press. As many of you know I don’t take meds and I never have. I will say that drugs like Paxil and Zoloft do help some people and I won’t and have not denied this. However, I would like to point out that those of us who use these drugs and others like them should be more aware of their benefits and drawbacks than we currently are. It just doesn’t make sense not to be as informed as humanly possible when it comes to this important topic.
Recently I came across an excellent expose by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or CBC about drugs used to treat anxiety disorders, depression and other mental ailments. I found this particular series broken up into 5 short youtube videos. In addition I’ve added a video of an ex-pharmaceutical sales person that experienced her own personal hell with antidepressants.

[Robbed]

The issue of whether or not anxiety and depression sufferers should take medication is a hot button issue that I love to press. As many of you know I don’t take meds and I never have. I will say that drugs like Paxil and Zoloft do help some people and I won’t and have not denied this. However, I would like to point out that those of us who use these drugs and others like them should be more aware of their benefits and drawbacks than we currently are. It just doesn’t make sense not to be as informed as humanly possible when it comes to this important topic.
Recently I came across an excellent expose by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or CBC about drugs used to treat anxiety disorders, depression and other mental ailments. I found this particular series broken up into 5 short youtube videos. In addition I’ve added a video of an ex-pharmaceutical sales person that experienced her own personal hell with antidepressants.

My problems with antidepressants are:

1. I have known a handful of people who have suffered greatly from side effects and withdrawal from antidepressants.
2. Even when outcomes were better, I have NEVER known anyone who has REALLY returned to a normal state (or anything close) as a result of taking them.
3. I honestly feel that these drugs keep people sick who otherwise would have gotten better on their own with time.
4. Long-term effects are completely unknown, yet doctors seem to have no problems with putting people on these drugs for years on end.