Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Paxil or Prozac
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Paxil or Prozac
by oms, Apr 07, 2001 12:00AM
Could you please, please answer my questions fully. I’d be very grateful.
I was put on Paxil 4 weeks ago as I was suffering from panic attacks (the attacks were getting less frequent before I started the Paxil, about one every 3 days). I went through hell for the first 2 weeks nearly killing myself but the doctor would not change to any other anti depressants. After 2 and ½ weeks I started feeling better, few days ago I missed a single dose and it put me back to square one for a couple of days which made me think what would happen if I was to come off paxil. I’ve taken Prozac twice before for periods of 3-4 months (not under doctor’s supervision) and have had no problems starting or stopping it. Two weeks prior to paxil I was given propranolol too which I took all the way through till now but have reduced from 2-3 10mg a day to one 5mg a day. After looking through this forum I can see most of the questions are to do with withdrawals from this drug. I’d be grateful if you can answer the following questions as I know will not be able to cope with problems arising from discontinuation of paxil..
1. Which is stronger Paxil or Prozac?(as I’m getting mixed messages from two doctors, the one who prescribed paxil tells me Prozac is stronger and the other doctor who saw me last week says Paxil is the strongest)
2. What would be the consequences of switching to Prozac after just 4 weeks of Paxil?
3. Would it take Prozac another 2 weeks to get into my system or since the two drugs work in similar ways would it take effect quicker.
I appreciate your help
Many thanks
I was put on Paxil 4 weeks ago as I was suffering from panic attacks (the attacks were getting less frequent before I started the Paxil, about one every 3 days). I went through hell for the first 2 weeks nearly killing myself but the doctor would not change to any other anti depressants. After 2 and ½ weeks I started feeling better, few days ago I missed a single dose and it put me back to square one for a couple of days which made me think what would happen if I was to come off paxil. I’ve taken Prozac twice before for periods of 3-4 months (not under doctor’s supervision) and have had no problems starting or stopping it. Two weeks prior to paxil I was given propranolol too which I took all the way through till now but have reduced from 2-3 10mg a day to one 5mg a day. After looking through this forum I can see most of the questions are to do with withdrawals from this drug. I’d be grateful if you can answer the following questions as I know will not be able to cope with problems arising from discontinuation of paxil..
1. Which is stronger Paxil or Prozac?(as I’m getting mixed messages from two doctors, the one who prescribed paxil tells me Prozac is stronger and the other doctor who saw me last week says Paxil is the strongest)
2. What would be the consequences of switching to Prozac after just 4 weeks of Paxil?
3. Would it take Prozac another 2 weeks to get into my system or since the two drugs work in similar ways would it take effect quicker.
I appreciate your help
Many thanks
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Apr 09, 2001 12:00AM
, Apr 09, 2001 12:00AM
The two drugs are about the same strength and work the same way and can easily be switched if necessary.
I wouldn't put too much on missing a dose and haven't a panic attack...it is likely you scared yourself with worry, and that caused the attack. You would have had enough medication in your system so missing a dose would not have substantially lowered your blood level. If it is working, I would stick with it.
I wouldn't put too much on missing a dose and haven't a panic attack...it is likely you scared yourself with worry, and that caused the attack. You would have had enough medication in your system so missing a dose would not have substantially lowered your blood level. If it is working, I would stick with it.
