Paroxetine

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Is anyone currently taking paroxetine? I’ve been prescribed this for anxiety and OCD. Never tried an SSRI/antidepressant before. I know all of them have side effects but the reports about how difficult it is to stop taking paroxetine are really worrying me. My GP didn’t mention this. Also worried about weight gain - specifically gaining weight and not being able to stop taking it.

I have taken paroxetine in the past and had a good experience of it. I had a few teething problems at first but it settled quickly and I felt quite energetic and capable on it. I think it did cause some sugar cravings and I put on a bit of weight but nothing horrendous. If you are aware of that as a possibility then you can try to be careful with food - I try to chew gum if I feel I need something sweet. I hope you get on well with it.

It was excellent for me. When it's time to come off you have to go extremely slowly and do it over a few months,that's the way to avoid withdrawal symptoms. When you're down to the last 5mg then ask for liquid and it's easier to take smaller amounts. I did gain weight but I wasn't strict with food and I felt so shit it was the least of my problems, if you're aware of it you can be more careful than I was. It was like a wonder drug for me so hope it works for you.

Hope you start to feel better soon 😊

I didn't think this was being prescribed anymore, so really surprised to hear you've been prescribed it as the first SSRI to try. Are you outside of the UK?

I’m in the UK.

Reassuring to hear some positive experiences, thank you. I guess I would worry irrespective of which SSRI it was, but this one seems especially concerning. It looks like the liquid has been discontinued so there are only the tablets now - that might make it harder to taper down?

No, you just use a pill cutter

Stay away from it. Toxic poison. I've been on it 31 years. One of my biggest regrets is ever putting that crap into my system. I can't come off it. It has contributed to ruining my life. I was told it's banned from being newly prescribed.

I take paroxetine to prevent night sweats and it’s very effective. Have forgotten to take it on holiday before and noticed no ill effects as a result (except the sweats back within 3 or 4 days). Haven’t had any particular weight issues.

It actually causes me to sweat. I over heat horribly and have been the same since they put me on it as a child. Even in the winter I can't wear anything wool or heavy.

Hi there, Paroxetine was the only SSRI that worked really well for my anxiety. It was literally a lifesaver and I’ve continued to take a low dose for 10 years with no ill affects. I’ve forgotten to take occasionally and never noticed. I have no intention of stopping it.

Hope it works for you. Have you started it yet?

Interested in this thread as I've just been prescribed it too. I'm breastfeeding and the Dr said it's the preferred anti depressant for breastfeeding. However, after 5 days on only a low dose my baby has had terribly stomach problems and not able to sleep which I was told was a possible side effect. Also read about it being hard to come off so I've come off it for now for babies sake. How are you getting on with it OP? X

I’ve been on Paroxetine since the start of January and it’s honestly changed my life. My anxiety is almost gone, I don’t struggle with intrusive thoughts and my sleep has massively improved.

I’m on 10mg and take it every night before bed - I have no intention of ever coming off. I did feel drowsy at first and it does make me sweat a bit but it’s honestly worth it for how good it makes me feel.

I’ve previously been on sertraline and citalopram but the side effects were horrendous and they didn’t really make me feel any better.

I took paroxetine for 2 years and it really helped me. I didn’t have any weight gain but it did seem to make it impossible to lose weight. Once I came off, the weight dropped off almost instantly without me making any other changes. My personal trainer at the time thought I was lying about my diet (when I wasn’t losing any weight) but realised that I’d been telling the truth after all!

I came off it quickly so the withdrawal was awful but it was over within a few weeks. I didn’t have the patience to taper down so I knew that was the price I’d pay. I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did. 🤦‍♀️

Well the people who have no intention of coming off it, that's good as you'll not be able to. I've not been able to completely come off it in 32 years!

Also i was told it was safe to take during pregnancy and I stupidly believed them, my first ended up with severe problems which I blame myself for, stupid me for thinking the dr's knew what they were talking about and I could trust them. I stopped it while pregnant with second and suffered. Midwife told me it has been found to be unsafe to take during pregnancy as it causes birth defects. I wasn't coping so went back on it after finishing breast feeding. I'll never be free of the poison.

Thanks everyone for your comments. It’s good to hear that for most of you, it’s been a better experience. I was sufficiently freaked out by the reports around withdrawal to go back to my GP and was prescribed Sertraline instead. I’m about a month in and haven’t experienced much in the way of side effects - I guess it just shows how individual our responses are, given some of the side effects other posters have reported. Perhaps I’d have been ok on paroxetine also - it’s too early days for me to know if Sertraline is going to help, but if it doesn’t I think I’ll be less anxious about switching to paroxetine.

@strugglingwithlifegosh so similar to me! Not sure exactly how long but around 35 years. Went on it as a teenager and tried unsuccessfully to come off several times. Got down to about 5ml at one point then bang awful year. Back on 60mg now for the foreseeable.

. I know it’s huge in the states that people have been suing the company who supply it there , known as seroxat there but the same drug.

im sure I will be on it forever now despite my best efforts to decrease.

Sorry to hear you have had the same experience. I was put on it as a child. Wish I had never taken it. Have tried replacing with other antidepressants but have had no success. Am down to a low dose but have never managed to come off completely. When I had my daughter I didn't take any at all the whole pregnancy and for the first four months as was breastfeeding, so was off it for about a year, or just over.
Had PND and was just completely unable to function due to the withdrawal which was still there after a year! Ended up having to go back on it

@strugglingwithlifeyes same, I think I was around 15. Awful awful to think it was happily being prescribed to those so young.

well done for managing to come off it when pregnant, sorry to hear you ended up back on it. I almost forget day to day I’m actually taking it until I start to ponder.

best of luck!

Yes I was 12 when prescribed it.
Thank you, and best of luck to you too!