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any1 with anxiety disorder/attack or paxil experience?

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Originally posted by: Tinkerhell
I suffer from panic/anxiety attack and have tried many many drugs, and the only that has worked for me is Paxil CR. It really helps and made me feel alot better. Paxil is not habit-forming and yes you need to take it everyday so it can help you. I would not recommend Xanax, that was the first med i was put on, and its horribly addicting and i was taking it up three times a day. Its better to treat it with therapy and a medication like Paxil then relying on a quick fix from Xanax that doesnt last very long. Along with Paxil CR i do take Klonopin when needed. Its a benzo but its a longer lasting one then Xanax so its easier not to get addicted to it. I hope this helps, good luck and i definetly recommend Paxil CR! 🙂
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Sorry but Paxil IS Habit forming. You cannot come off of it cold turkey. You have to taper off your dosage and also you will still likely have side effects when coming off of it. My friend that came off of it cold turkey ended up in the hospital by not taking his 20mg a day for a week and 1/2.
 
If you stop something your body is used to of course there is going to be effects. If you plan on getting better and staying better then there is no reason to think about getting off Paxil. Don't scare him away from trying something that might help him. I know i was scared off by many drugs because of what people said, trust me it doesnt help telling someone negative things they've heard about the drug. I think he should try it. It helped me, and i was pretty bad off.
 
Originally posted by: Chadder007
Originally posted by: Tinkerhell
I suffer from panic/anxiety attack and have tried many many drugs, and the only that has worked for me is Paxil CR. It really helps and made me feel alot better. Paxil is not habit-forming and yes you need to take it everyday so it can help you. I would not recommend Xanax, that was the first med i was put on, and its horribly addicting and i was taking it up three times a day. Its better to treat it with therapy and a medication like Paxil then relying on a quick fix from Xanax that doesnt last very long. Along with Paxil CR i do take Klonopin when needed. Its a benzo but its a longer lasting one then Xanax so its easier not to get addicted to it. I hope this helps, good luck and i definetly recommend Paxil CR! 🙂
Click to expand...

Sorry but Paxil IS Habit forming. You cannot come off of it cold turkey. You have to taper off your dosage and also you will still likely have side effects when coming off of it. My friend that came off of it cold turkey ended up in the hospital by not taking his 20mg a day for a week and 1/2.
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Just because you cannot come off it cold turkey does not make it habit forming; it does not mean you are addicted to it. Xanax IS habit forming because you constanly feel the need to take it. I dont feel that way on paxil. and if you taper off paxil you should be fine. but unlike paxil, if you taper off Xanax it can still be horrible to get off because Xanax is habit forming.
 
http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/paxil/Injunction/pr_inj3.htm
Going to the legal merits of the Paxil ?habit forming? issue, the court rightly ruled for the plaintiffs because the operative test for determining the truthfulness of an advertisement is the context of common usage envisioned by the consumer, in other words ?plain English.? ?Non Habit forming? to the consumer means he/she can walk away from the drug at any time without ill effects.
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It takes up to two weeks to feel any benefits, during which time you might have unpleasant side affects. After this period of time, you will learn if this medicine is right for you. If not, you need to taper off it and start all over again with a different med.

And when you find the one that is right for you, you stay on it until you feel you dont need it anymore. Then it is a matter of tapering off it, with all the unpleasant side affects AND bounce back depression.

After decades of being misdiagnosed, I find I am BiPolar. I don't want to be medicated for the rest of my life, so I am tapering off.

I subscribe to the theory that anti-depressants should only be prescribed to those who have a chemical imbalance. Failing that, the patient should have more than just one visit to the general practioner's office. Unfortunately, they are thrown around all too easily these days as a 'magic feel good' remedy.

If you are not prone to panic attacks, and are just going thru a stressful time, see a counselor, get St. James Wort (or any herbal remedy) and take a deep breath. I am not saying to just suck it all up and suffer. I am just saying be careful. See a specialist, ask LOADS of questions.

Anti-depressant medication should be a LAST resort. They might not be 'classified' as addictive or 'habit forming' but ask anyone who missed a few doese, or has tried to come off them if they are addictive.

🙂 KarenMarie
 
Originally posted by: Chadder007
http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/paxil/Injunction/pr_inj3.htm
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Perhaps to some people, it is habit-forming, I wont argue with you on that. However, if he wants to help his anxiety, he will need to go on a pill if therapy and alternative options dont work for him, and unfortunetly these pills may not be 100% perfect, but thats the price to pay if you want to feel better. I feel there is no reason to worry about the habit-forming aspects of a drug if you intend to stay on it. If for one, intend to keep taking paxil because it helps me, and i therefore dont think about or worry about something that might happen if i decide to get off the pill. It cant hurt to try something. It is not habit forming if you take it for 2-4 weeks, ive taken many pills and they didnt help me so i got off them after 2-4 weeks with no problem. he should give paxil or some other medication 2-4 weeks and see if it helps if not he can stop it.
 
Why would anyone who is feeling temporary anxiety what to be on a medication for the rest of their lives? He went to ONE doctor for ONE visit, and was prescribed a serious medication.

If some people have addiction problems and some wouldn't it be wise to try other stuff, or at the very least, get more info before taking something that is potentially (maybe) habit forming?

From what I have seen/heard/read over the past dozen or so years, anti-depressants are VERY difficult to come off of more WAY more people than not.

Get a second opinion, see a specialist, try herbal methods.

Anti-depressants should be a LAST resort.

🙂
 
Thanks again for all your help...Tinkerhell I understand your position supporting Paxil but again this was a 1st time occurrence and so my illness (whatever it is) is likely acute and not any long-term disorder requiring constant medication. Karen I'm gonna try the St. John's Wort. I'm afraid of counseling though because its something i would want to hide from family and coworkers and i don't know best way to do this. Need to check with insurance if i'm covered too 🙂
 
I'm on Zoloft. Don't let them tell you it isn't addictive. If I miss a dosage, I get very sensitve to sound/sound pressure. It makes my head feel like I have the flu.

That said, I love what this stuff has done for my anxiety/depression. Sure, i'm a bit lathargic now, but it beats the hell out of being afraid of everything.
 
realscurred,

Good choice, imho.

If you find that this feeling gets more and more frequent and more intense, then by all means, see a specialist get properly diagnosed, and ask LOADS of questions.... I am not suggesting that you suffer or ignore it. However, I have seen, many times, what anti-depressants can do. So, if you dont NEED to take them, well.. it is best not to open that can of worms if not absolutely necessary.

St. John's Wort is all natural. It is a 50/50 on whether it will work. Many people also swear by a good brand of B complex. Also, watch for the triggers that set this off. Learn to recognise them and you will probably find that you can deal with it a lot better.

🙂 KarenMarie
 
For just having one panic attack, you should only have ativan or valium lying around in case you need it. If the panic attacks continue, or get worse, then you should think about something else. Seems like overkill to have you on paxil for an isolated attack with no Hx of them.

As far as the one tablet you took today, no problem with that. Like others have been saying it would take weeks before your blood levels get to a therapeutic level, so stopping after one is not a concern.

<disclaimer>***Talk to your doctor, this is only my opinion***</disclaimer>
 
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