Paxil

My Dr. has just prescribed paxil 20 mg for my anxiety, panic disorder that othesr(celexa, zoloft) did not help. After reading about it I'm nervous! Will I gain a lot of weight , have a terrible time coming off it when the time comes?.

[Hensley258]

Getting off Paxil (if needed) is really no worse that stopping any other antidepressant.

Paxil is the one SSRI that people report the most weight gain with. This doesn't mean you will gain weight on Paxil. Everyone is different, but yes Paxil is notorious for weight gain side effects.

[serinitynow1]

Hi,  I was on Paxil for a period of time and never gained any weight at all, but I also went to the gym 4 times a week and watched what I ate.  Exercise also helped relieve my anixety/depression. If you can, try and get a little bit of exercise each day.

As far as comming off of the Paxil, I did find it more difficult then when I came off of Prozac. In any case when (if) you decide to come off of the Paxil, don't quit cold turkey!  You'll most likely get withdrawl (withdrawal) effects either way, just with the cold turkey method it can "run" you over!

p.s. You may even feel a little worse for a week or two as your body adjusts to the Paxil....I did, but then again everyone reacts differently.
Good Luck.

[Liss908]

Hi there!!  Paxil worked very well for me with the deppression and anxiety but I gained about 40 lbs over a period of 1 year.  I don't know what other anti depressants feel like when you come off of them but Paxil was pretty bad.. It took me three weeks before I started feeling better.  when i stopped taking them.  But if you want to rid yourself of deppression and anxiety  it really works well