ay0_x Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Hey guys. I had a psych appointment yesterday. I'm in my final year of school and dealing with major depression & anxiety attacks. My psych really wants to get me through this year alive (we're both scared that the depression/anxiety will make me drop out of school a week before my exams... This happens a lot with her patients and i know a lot of people whove done it too) She called my GP and informed him to prescribe paxil to me. I'm scared of paxil because of its side effects. Mainly weight gain. Has anyone had any experiences with paxil? Link to comment
karvala Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 If you're scared of the weight gain in particular, then the name of the drug, which I see you've changed in your title, becomes particularly important. Paroxetine is not the same thing as Prozac (whose pharmacological name is fluoxetine), and unlike Prozac, IS associated with a significant weight gain. So paroxetine is probably the worst choice for you if this is your particular concern, and something like Prozac would be better. The other observation I would make is that, although the action varies considerably between individuals and illnesses, there is often a delay of over a month before the drug reaches full efficacy. I don't know when your exams are, but I wouldn't hope for a quick fix here. That said, if you need the medication and your psych is quite convinced that it's the best thing for you, then it's a good thing to take, so go for it. Link to comment
ay0_x Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 If you're scared of the weight gain in particular, then the name of the drug, which I see you've changed in your title, becomes particularly important. Paroxetine is not the same thing as Prozac (whose pharmacological name is fluoxetine), and unlike Prozac, IS associated with a significant weight gain. So paroxetine is probably the worst choice for you if this is your particular concern, and something like Prozac would be better. The other observation I would make is that, although the action varies considerably between individuals and illnesses, there is often a delay of over a month before the drug reaches full efficacy. I don't know when your exams are, but I wouldn't hope for a quick fix here. That said, if you need the medication and your psych is quite convinced that it's the best thing for you, then it's a good thing to take, so go for it. Oops, I'm sorry lol i got confused... My exams are in October-November so yeah. My 'psych' is my psychologist, not my psychiatrist. She talked to my GP about paxil/paroxetine but ultimately i'm going to meet with him and discuss it. He's a family friend so i could probably get him to give me prozac instead. I know that the efficacy of both drugs is similar. The main reason I'm concerned with the weight gain is because I already have a reeeeeeally bad relationship with food and my body image is less than great. Thank you for your help. Link to comment
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