Does Paxil work for children with OCD?

My 11-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with OCD. She has developed severe obsessions very suddenly, although she has always had a tendency to worry a lot. I think she has hit puberty which has made it much worse. She is extremely paranoid about every chemical in the house, washes her hands every time she touches something, avoids her "dirty" brothers like the plague, and much, much more. Being contaminated consumes her every thought. She was prescribed Paxil by her doctor, and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with Paxil in children, specifically for OCD.

Hello, I'm sorry I can't actually answer your question about Paxil, but I wanted to commend you for getting your daughter help. I have severe OCD (germs/contamination) and currently am trying Lexapro. (I was unable to tolerate Paxil, but we all are different. I could not keep my eyes open even during the day. I would fall asleep even trying to fold clothes, etc.)

I started with bad anxiety/worry issues when I was in 5th grade (also 11), when my Mom died from breast cancer. I NEVER received any counseling, and the anxiety issues spiraled out of control...and look where I am today -- basically a miserable mess.

You are a great parent to address her anxiety early. Best wishes to both of you! Don't give up!

Thank you for the advice and kind words from all. We are talking to her constantly. She is very open with her concerns. I set aside time with her every morning to set some simple goals for the day (like today we will walk out to the garage for a couple of minutes). At night we review how she did. We have to consider just resisting the urge to wash her hands for a little while a success. It is nearly impossible to reason with her as none of her worries are logical in any sense of the word. We have had success in the past few days just getting her out of the house. It's strange, but she is not afraid of germs at the store, just things at home.

LHA112 - So far the Paxil is not making her tired. I haven't noticed any side effects, but today is the day we are to start doubling the dose, so we'll see.