Paroxetine (seroxat)

[foxyroxy]

Hi im new here and today have taken the big step of seeing my GP about the anxiety ive been suffering for over a year along with some depression, my GP has prescribed me Paroxetine (seroxat) 10mg, one a day.
Ive been looking this med up on the internet and am not finding a lot of positive reviews on it, ive read that it gives you weight gain, well im already overweight and hate it so i really dont want to gain anymore, also read that if you miss one dose it can have a really bad effect on you and they can give you bad effects when coming coming off of them. I had fluoxetine a few years ago to treat mild drepression and found them to be good, the GP said i could go back on them if i wanted but i explained that it was the anxiety that i mainly wanted treated so she suggested that i take the Paroxetine but im feeling slightly worried about taking them now, has anyone on here taken them or are taking them now?

[elainey70]

Hi Foxy,

I currently take seroxat 30mg for anxiety and depression. This is my second time on these meds, the first time i was on them was in 1995 and i stayed on them for 14 years, only coming off them in 2009. I was fine for about a year and had a relapse, so here i am again back on seroxat. (Sept 2010). I wont lie they are horrendous to come of, you will have to do it in a controlled way and really slowly, but it can be done. If you miss a dose you will feel the withdrawal effects. These meds literally gave me my life back the first time and fingers crossed they will again. Oh and haven't had any weight gain due to these meds Good luck x

[foxyroxy]

My GP said i should only be on them for about 6 months, im hoping i wont need them long term, I feel so low some days and just want to feel slightly human and normal again, i have read a few positive messages that seroxat has been a life saver and given people there life back so to speak, but got quite worried when i started reading the horror stories too, when the time came for me to come off them i would only do it in a controlled way via my GP and glad to hear no weight gain for you, that is one thing that i really don't want to happen, if it does i will see my GP and change the meds, im overweight now and unhappy with it so don't want to add to it.
Glad to hear it worked for you and i hope they work for you a second time round, thanks for taking the time to reply x

[paul75]

I was on them for 12 years and they gave me my life back as well, it's coming off them that's the really bad part. But, I would rather be on medication and have a decent life than slip back in to old habits. Don't let any horror stories put you off, just take them as prescribed and don't miss a dose, you will be fine.

[angelica1414]

im glad others have replied and said they gave them thier lifes back. in a way i suppose they did me also...........but i have to dissagree here there are far better tablets out there for you to take, ones that have a longer half life (this is how long the medication stays in your body before withdrawel starts) i have been on seroxat for over 17 years and am currently withdrawing from it, its hell its the worst thing to come off this medication, and im sorry if im out of line saying this, but it should be banned from being prescribed to new patients because of this, i cant believe how many gp's and phyciatrists still prescibe it, knowing how hard it is to get off it! GSK who manufactor this drug dint know how bad the effects of coming off it was when it was first brought out, it WAS seen as a mircle pill, infact my own doctor who initally gave it me said they were mircle pills! yeah right, try the withdrawel off them doc .
please if you havent started these tablets go back and ask if there is another antidepressant that could work for you, you have done your own research and as you said there isnt much positive feedback, it speaks for its self, the medication might work but unless you want to be like me and thousands of others out here who are trapped on it, ask for an alternative please cause the withdrawel can be just as bad if not worse than the inital illness, i know im going through it now, i hope you sort it and start to feel better soon xx linda xx

[angelica1414]

sorry i just wanted to add.........can you tell i feel so strongly about this drug??...... i am also noticing a pattern to this drug, people who succed in coming off it seem to relapse sometime down the line and have to go back on it, i dont hold out much hope but il try my hardest! xx linda xx

[Geoff2301]

im glad others have replied and said they gave them thier lifes back. in a way i suppose they did me also...........but i have to dissagree here there are far better tablets out there for you to take, ones that have a longer half life (this is how long the medication stays in your body before withdrawel starts) i have been on seroxat for over 17 years and am currently withdrawing from it, its hell its the worst thing to come off this medication, and im sorry if im out of line saying this, but it should be banned from being prescribed to new patients because of this, i cant believe how many gp's and phyciatrists still prescibe it, knowing how hard it is to get off it! GSK who manufactor this drug dint know how bad the effects of coming off it was when it was first brought out, it WAS seen as a mircle pill, infact my own doctor who initally gave it me said they were mircle pills! yeah right, try the withdrawel off them doc .
please if you havent started these tablets go back and ask if there is another antidepressant that could work for you, you have done your own research and as you said there isnt much positive feedback, it speaks for its self, the medication might work but unless you want to be like me and thousands of others out here who are trapped on it, ask for an alternative please cause the withdrawel can be just as bad if not worse than the inital illness, i know im going through it now, i hope you sort it and start to feel better soon xx linda xx

Obviously, not everyone has these withdrawal effects....... I was on 60mg and had no significant withdrawal problems...... lucky perhaps!! Regarding relapses..... I don't think this is specific to paroxetine......... unfortunately, there is quite a high relapse rate for ALL antidepressants..... personally, I think that unless you can change your lifestyle somehow, relapses are very likely no matter what pills you take.

[Thyme]

Hi

I agree with Geoff. I was on Paroxetine a few years ago. I thought it was really good in that it did the job. I took it for about a year and took about 4 months to wean off it. I don't think it is hard to wean off but it does take time, I didn't have withdrawal symptoms but I think you have to play by the rules and not try to get off it too quickly. It wasn't the fault of Paroxetine that I relapsed. I didn't find that I had any weight gain with it...my only problem was night sweats. I think if you are not sure of a medication then you should ask your doctor, the internet is great (I use it all the time) but remember it isn't specific to you...your doctor can tailor your meds to you.

[angelica1414]

im sorry if i seemed to step out of line regarding this 'mircle' drug, but the poster asked for people's opions as to taking them, as i said they worked great AT 1ST but then when your feeling well and no longer need them, theres the chance you will want to come off them, as i stated iv been on them over 17 years, thats through no fault of mine, i just couldn't get off them, after upping the dose and lowering the dose over them 17 years (and ive never done any of that without medical advice) two years ago it was me who decied i wanted off them, but after a failed attempt i had to stay on them after getting down to 12mgs...at that time....i had to re up them to 20mgs and stayed on that dose for two years. when i went to see the gp last september feeling depressed it was him who said the seroxat was no longer having the desired effect, so he started the reduction. i wouldn't call getting down to 3mgs....of which im on now.... a quick taper down, this is being done very slowly, but its still giving me withdrawel effects! Also to reduce propley you need to swap the tablets to medicine so you can get an exact measurement of how much your taking.....a lot of hard work if you ask me just to get off a medication that has brought a lot of problems MY way, as tyme said the only problem they had was night sweats, well i wish that was all i had, iv suffered with aching joints, vertigo, tremors ect i could go on but i think its just how it effects you, to ME this drug is evil and should be taken off the market completly, unless you are already on it and then you HAVE to have that monthly perscription, otherwise you can feel like a junkie needing thier fix........cause thats how bad withdrawel can be for a lot of people. xxlinda xx

[haz]

Hi,

I know it might sound like just "swapping one drug for another" but perhaps you could ask your doctor to cross taper with another SSRI with a longer half life, like prozac or citalopram?? It might make the Seroxat withdrawal easier.

Just a thought?

Good Luck.