Paxil for Depression and Anxiety: Should You Take It?
I'm going to be discussing a medication known as Paxil or Paroxetine. This medication is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and is quite a common medication to treat things such as anxiety and depression, as well as a host of other things such as menopause, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain. In 2006, paroxetine was the fifth most described antidepressant in the United States retail market, with more than 19.7 million prescriptions. This is a very commonly used medication and something many of you may be taking.
Some of the side effects of paroxetine include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, dry mouth, and drowsiness. With most selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, it causes symptoms that dries out your secretions. It can make you constipated, have a dry mouth, or a dry nose. Be aware of those when starting or taking this medication. One thing that's very serious that you need to remember, paroxetine can cause suicidal ideation in children. This actually is something that I experienced myself not on Paroxetine, but on another selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Prozac (Fluoxetine). As with most SSRIs, it also causes sexual dysfunction. It may decrease your libido and it may prevent men from having an erection. Many people struggle with those side effects, but there are also things that can be done to treat those. Some side effects may abate, others may get worse. It's something you need to keep a close eye on and in close contact with your doctor about. I, at one point in my mental health journey, took Paxil, and I had a pretty different experience from a lot of people. Paxil or Paroxetine can take four to six weeks before effects are felt and can even take several months before the full effects of the medication are felt. This is something that you have to be patient with and takes a long time to start working.
Paxil is something that I have personal experience with. Paxil made me feel really, really drowsy but it helped my mood. I felt better, I felt happier, I felt more social. But at the same time, the drowsiness of the medication made it so it was hard for me to function and to get things done. Ultimately, I ended up stopping this medication. For me, the mild success of Paxil was really exciting because I hadn't tried SSRIs in a long time. It felt really good that this class of medications could be an option again for me. Before my doctors and I had written them off because SSRIs in the past had made me suicidal.
Before you take Paxil make sure that it is something that's going to be helpful and work for you, it is very selective for serotonin itself. If you feel like you don't have a problem with your serotonin, maybe you have more of a dopamine disorder or a norepinephrine disorder, Paxil might not be the right medication for you. You may want to consider something else such as selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
Serotonin such as the SSRIs and SNRIs. Again, these medications are used all the time. Be careful. Make sure you watch out for side effects. Remember that sometimes the side effects take time to abate and to go away. You want to make sure you give this medication a full chance and allow time for your body to adjust. It may take weeks, and sometimes you may need dosage adjustments as well, and that may also take several more weeks.
Paxil is a great medication. My experience with it was moderate, it wasn't bad. People react to medications differently and this might be a great option for you. Discuss it with your doctor if you think that this might be something that helps you.
