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Paxil? No thank you.

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Posted 4/1/2014 7:19 AM (GMT 0)
Has anybody had or know of Paxil? Was prescribed some by general Dr. at the walk-in clinic recently. I could only take it for about 5 days, even thought they wrote me a 2 month supply. Each night I took it i would feel fine until about 25 minutes later when it would kick-in. Every single night after taking it i had some of the worse anxiety attacks I've ever had. l thought maybe it was just the first night or two, But it happens every time i take it. It makes me go from calm, and friendly to being to on edge, very irritated and extremely paranoid and anxious. Had anyone experienced this while on Paxil? I know that some medicines can 'cause' or intensify symptoms and that's normally when the Dr. Has you switch.

I went to the doctor twice. Once because I felt like there was a fish moving in my chest. They said i had a respiratory infection and gave me antibiotics. They also gave me the Paxil because they thought i was convincing myself the fish feeling was something far worse and i was only being anxious. ( I completely agree with that, everything i told them seems irrational now. I cant always tell in the moment what is happening during the attacks, But they kept mentioning i was shaky and needed to relax. It seemed great, to get help for both problems i had at the time. Anxiety and something to relieve the sickness. ) 3 days after taking the Paxil i went back to the doctor. This time it was another doctor, didn't have time to schedule with primary. I tried telling him what had been happening and he said it was impossible for that to happen because medicines can only make you better, not worse. I managed to choke down 2 more doses for the next 2 days and needed to stop. Is this common? Uncommon?

(I apologize for my typos, writing this from phone)
Posted 4/1/2014 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
I am surprised, and even aghast, that a doctor would make such a comment,--that meds can only make you feel better, not worse! In my opinion, that is an irresponsible statement.

Medications, all sorts, come with side effects, not to mention, they are not all tolerated the same by every individual. That's why there are so many different medications to choose from.

It is not uncommon when starting an A/D for our symptoms to get worse before they get better.... But you say you weren't experiencing anxiety, (aside from the fish feeling,--great analogy, by the way) until you were taking the Paxil?

It's possible that this is one of those "start up" symptoms. These types of meds tend to take a few weeks to reach an optimal blood level to see results, and the road there can be bumpy. But if these effects are causing you such distress that you cannot continue, I would suggest seeing your doctor, and explaining this, and ask what else they would recommend.

There are many non-medication ways of coping with anxiety as well for you to pursue. Most important is a clean bill of health, making sure all is clear,..... The road to handling anxiety has many, many options, and Paxil is not a singular answer.

Please don't let this one experience deter you from pursuing relief from your symptoms! :)





M.
Posted 4/1/2014 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
Icantdoit

I would suggest you may have better luck seeing a psychiatrist as they are the experts in prescribing mental health medications.

I understand way to well the horrible feelings anxiety causes and when your locked into anxiety nearly all day long you pray for a medication to help you.

I suspect your Dr. should have prescribed the ABX for your infection and something else for anxiety until you recovered from your respiratory infection.

Do check out our resources at the top of this page as there are many great topics as well as self help info that may help you through this rough time.

Kindly,

Kitt

Posted 4/1/2014 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't have insurance at the time of these appointments, I have since gained coverage, just have not received medical card yet. The clinic closed at 8 and i went the second time at 7:30 so that was the only doctor available. I plan to schedule with my primary soon, I'm hoping he can help me find a psychiatrist that can help me. I've tried meds for this and related problems I'm the past, But pulled off treatment. For the most part meds had helped before, so i thought this would be the same. This also isn't the first time I've experienced reactions from meds, but the first time i can consider it to be a terrible experience. The last time i had gotten help from a specialist, not just a family doctor. So i think that may make a difference.

Since these appointments, I have been feeling more anxious. Should i try the Paxil again? Or wait to get set up with a new specialist? i felt like the second doctor was in doubt that the medicine gave me those feelings, like i was making it up. Any thoughts or suggestions? At this point it isn't so bad that I need to rush into the clinic once again, but it is present.
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