Day 1 Paroxetine.

[Gingerkittykat]

I started paroxetine today, I was already on trazodone but the dose of that has been decreased and paroxetine added to help with my obsessive thoughts about death. I'm not suicidal but since I reached the age my mum died I am obsessed with my own death.

I feel utterly horrible, washed out, and no energy. I feel sick, the thought of food makes me feel ill. I was told by the psychiatrist not to stop them even if I have bad side effects and that they take around 12 weeks to work for obsessive thoughts rather than depression.

What are other people's experiences of paroxetine? Do they work and do the side effects get better?

Hi - just saw your post - paroxetine is not often prescribed these days, but it's been the only med that has helped me over the last 30 years with panic/anxiety/depression.
I have just started it again 3 weeks ago, I'd cross tapered onto mirtazapine, as I was getting anxious again., but that hasn't helped at all. So I'm back on paroxetine and just today increased dose from 20 to 30mg. It isn't easy to take to start with, I'm struggling myself I know how much it's helped me in the past and hope it will again.

I really sympathise with your obsessive thinking about death - my mum died a few months ago and I can't get it out of my head. I feel so isolated feeling so bad. Hope you're getting support. Do keep the thread going, then maybe we can support each other.

Do you know why they don't prescribe it very much these days?

I'm glad it has helped you in the past and hope that your side effects subside this time too.

I forced myself to eat a roll and feel a bit better for it, I could do with losing some weight anyway!

I'm happy to keep this thread going.

I take Paroxetine,I have taken in for several years this time around.It is the third time in my life I have taken it for depression.

It is not prescribed often nowadays,I think it had some bad press for being difficult to come off.I haven’t tried to taper off yet,but have had no problem the previous twice.

My GP prescribed Prozac for me this time to try first.It was horrendous,I have never felt so ill.Paroxetine must suit me.

It does take a while to feel the benefits,but so worthwhile persevering with.

I've taken it 3 times over the last 25 years. It helped massively, I had almost no side effects the first twice and only minimal ones the last time and I had no problem coming off.

It doesn't suit everyone but if I needed treatment again, that's what I'd ask for.

Good luck, hope the side effects will settle down soon.

It's absolutely dreadful stuff, be very, very careful. It can really screw you up. Why is the GP prescribing this? Have they exhausted all less risky options?

@SingingSantaChristmas How helpful! You didn’t even read the OP’s post! It wasn’t prescribed by a GP,it was a Psychiatrist.And the question was do they work and do the side effects get better,the answer to both of those questions is yes.

Please don’t post such idiotic comments.

No, the answer to those questions is sometimes. Often not. Hence is not being regularly prescribed anymore. The withdrawal can also be horrific.

I hope it does help you OP but be careful, particularly around the tendency to increase the dose repeatedly.

I don't think a psychiatrist should be saying don't stop them no matter what, that is dangerous. What they maybe meant was don't stop it immediately because the withdrawal can be worse than the side effects. When you have to come off it you have to do it very slowly and carefully.

Are they booking regular checkins with you OP to ensure you are ok? And do you have a way to contact them for an urgent appt if the side effects become unmanageable? That is key. To just give you this medication and leave you to it and say "we'll see how you are in 12 weeks, don't stop it no matter what" would be totally irresponsible. I'm not saying they've done that, but if that's the message you've received then please go back to them and clarify.

I felt less sick yesterday so that is progress.

I wasn't impressed by the psychiatrist. He is new and I didn't like his manner of ordering me about and not really giving me a choice in what I took. I will see him sometime in the new year, my GP is lovely but won't touch my mental health meds but I will just stop if it gets too bad.

I am worried about the withdrawals after having a horrific time coming off venlafaxine.

Pleased to hear you're feeling less sick. Finding medication that helps is such a minefield in my opinion. What helps someone doesn't necessarily help someone else. I'm 4 days in on my increased dose. Hoping I get some benefit before Christmas.

Probably because, although it’s as effective as any other antidepressant, it is often very difficult to take people off, I worked in mental health in UK as a nurse and a prescriber and cannot remember the last time I saw it started.

Here's an update.

I still have a loss of appetite and have lost 5lb over the past fortnight.

My intrusive and obsessive thoughts had gotten much quieter but now seem to have increased again. I've been feeling really tearful for the past couple of days too which is unusual for me. The trazodone on its own had my depression under control so my mood was good on it so I'm really not liking this change. I think part of it might be because I had pneumonia over the past week so am physically really tired and hope I might feel better when I fully recover from this.

I'm going to make a GP appointment but it won't be until after the New Year I get seen now. She won't touch my mental health meds but will be able to get me seen by psychiatry quicker since I have no idea when my next appointment will be.