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Post by Patter on Jul 6, 2017 11:15:07 GMT
I am not interested in taking hormones, and my doctor and I like the natural stuff I am taking. But yesterday she also added in Paroxetine (Paxil) to help with hot flashes, sadness, etc. I am a bit nervous to take it because of some of the bad reviews I have read and the possibility of weight gain. I am on a low dose (10 mg) so she doesn't think I will have a problem at all. Does anyone have any experience? Would love to hear how it worked for you. Thanks!
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Post by baslp on Jul 6, 2017 11:38:04 GMT
I started to take it to help with nighttime sweats. I think it has helped a little.
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Post by Patter on Jul 6, 2017 12:09:19 GMT
I started to take it to help with nighttime sweats. I think it has helped a little. Did you have any other side effects? How long did it take to notice a difference? Thanks! |
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MorningPerson
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,506 
Location: Central Pennsylvania
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Post by MorningPerson on Jul 6, 2017 12:21:37 GMT
A good friend of mine took Paxil for postpartum depression ~15 years ago.
It helped immensely with her depression, but after a while she wanted to see if she could go without it, and the withdrawal symptoms were pretty bad. She said it felt like her brain was being "zapped." (And this was with a slow withdrawal, not cold turkey.) It was bad enough that she gave up on trying to quit. She'd give it another try every couple of years until 5 years ago when she was finally able to go off successfully. She lives on the other side of the country now and I don't know how she was finally able to succeed, but it came up in conversation that she no longer takes it.
All that is to say that if you do go on it, you'll probably want to talk with your doctor about that possible side effect. Maybe your dose is low enough that it's less likely to be an issue.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 6, 2017 15:34:48 GMT
I take Pristiq for hot flashes and symptoms. It's a different antidepressant and honestly after having taken both this one is amazing. I took Paxil for post partum and hated it. Love Pristiq!!!
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Post by Patter on Jul 6, 2017 16:02:01 GMT
I take Pristiq for hot flashes and symptoms. It's a different antidepressant and honestly after having taken both this one is amazing. I took Paxil for post partum and hated it. Love Pristiq!!! That's good to know. If I have trouble with this, I may ask about Pristiq. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 6, 2017 16:17:25 GMT
I take Pristiq for hot flashes and symptoms. It's a different antidepressant and honestly after having taken both this one is amazing. I took Paxil for post partum and hated it. Love Pristiq!!! That's good to know. If I have trouble with this, I may ask about Pristiq. My friend (a GP but not my GP) says she recommends it to her patients. It's a cousin of Effexor except there is no heat in it. Miracle drug! |
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Post by Kymberlee on Jul 12, 2017 6:56:32 GMT
Patter, how is the Paxil working for you? I just started taking it myself a couple of days again, and I'm so, so nauseous. Peri is causing pretty bad nausea for me, and this seems to just be making it worse. I'm on a higher dose (20mg) so maybe that is the reason? I dunno...just wanted to reach out and see how you were feeling.
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Post by Patter on Jul 12, 2017 10:17:40 GMT
Patter , how is the Paxil working for you? I just started taking it myself a couple of days again, and I'm so, so nauseous. Peri is causing pretty bad nausea for me, and this seems to just be making it worse. I'm on a higher dose (20mg) so maybe that is the reason? I dunno...just wanted to reach out and see how you were feeling. I am on 10 mg dose but my doctor told me to start with 5 mg for at least a week. They are very hard to split because they are so small. I talked to the pharmacist about it, and I am trying to get even splits but sometimes I don't. Anyway, the reason I say that is because when I have a large "piece" of the split, my side effects are worse. When I get a perfect split, I am doing well now. I think I only had one hot flash yesterday which seems to always be in the morning. I did have nausea the first few days but it went away. I also don't think I want to move up to 10 mg. I think I want to stay on the 5 mg. If the lower dose works for me, I would rather do that since the larger "split" piece tends to make me feel extremely foggy in the morning. I can't imagine a whole 10 mg. Usually you want to work up to your dose with these meds. Maybe you need to be starting with 10 mg. I would call your doctor. Hope it works for you. I am still on the fence but think I might find my answer with 5 mg. Hugs. |
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Post by tracyarts on Jul 12, 2017 11:00:34 GMT
My doctor wants me to try another antidepressant to help with the mood swings. Because of my medical history, hormone therapy is not an option. But I had such bad experiences with them in the past that I'm not willing to try another drug. I tried Celexa/Citalopram most recently and developed tinnitus. And it was near impossible to wean off the drug. My body developed such a dependence on it, that I'd have horrible withdrawal symptoms each step down in the dosage. I've taken pain meds long term, and benzos long term. Going off them was a piece of cake compared to going off antidepressants. And in the end, I still have tinnitus, and the doctor says there's no way to know when, or even if it will ever go away.
So yeah, not interested in spinning the pill roulette wheel again just yet, and see what side effects I "win" this time.
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Post by Kymberlee on Jul 12, 2017 11:53:16 GMT
Patter , how is the Paxil working for you? I just started taking it myself a couple of days again, and I'm so, so nauseous. Peri is causing pretty bad nausea for me, and this seems to just be making it worse. I'm on a higher dose (20mg) so maybe that is the reason? I dunno...just wanted to reach out and see how you were feeling. I am on 10 mg dose but my doctor told me to start with 5 mg for at least a week. They are very hard to split because they are so small. I talked to the pharmacist about it, and I am trying to get even splits but sometimes I don't. Anyway, the reason I say that is because when I have a large "piece" of the split, my side effects are worse. When I get a perfect split, I am doing well now. I think I only had one hot flash yesterday which seems to always be in the morning. I did have nausea the first few days but it went away. I also don't think I want to move up to 10 mg. I think I want to stay on the 5 mg. If the lower dose works for me, I would rather do that since the larger "split" piece tends to make me feel extremely foggy in the morning. I can't imagine a whole 10 mg. Usually you want to work up to your dose with these meds. Maybe you need to be starting with 10 mg. I would call your doctor. Hope it works for you. I am still on the fence but think I might find my answer with 5 mg. Hugs. Ugh, my doctor is not a women's health specialist. She is my PCP, and although she did listen to my concerns and said all the right things, I don't think she is as knowledgeable as I would like my doctor to be about women's health. As I read more and more about Paxil, it scares me that she put me on such a high dose to start. I can tell a difference in my mood already, but the nausea might be a deal breaker. Peri was causing pretty bad nausea already, and Paxil has just pushed it over the edge. I don't have hot flashes (yet 🙄) so the Paxil is more for the anxiety and general sadness. Oh and the stupid (pointless) panic attacks. I'm almost willing to trade all that fun for a few hours every morning hanging over the toilet. I can not believe that hormones can wreck such havoc in a woman's body. Ugh. |
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Post by ahiller on Jul 12, 2017 12:09:43 GMT
I took Paxil for many years for anxiety. The withdrawal symptoms were some of the craziest things I have experienced. Like another poster said, I got the "zaps". Paxil did work well though so I guess you just need to weigh the good with the bad.
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Post by Patter on Jul 12, 2017 16:12:56 GMT
Kymberlee, are you taking the Paxil in the morning? My doc also said to take it at night so that any side effects I have I really wouldn't notice since I am sleeping. You might try that, and definitely call about the dosage if you are not pleased with it. I am 99% sure I am just going to stay with the 5mg.
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Post by Merge on Jul 12, 2017 16:18:16 GMT
I took Paxil for mild PPD after the birth of my youngest - so 14 years ago - and gained 30 lbs that I have yet to lose (working on it again). I also felt like it made me loopy and slow, and had the "zaps" coming off of it. FFW to last year and I was having a lot of mood issues, anxiety, sleep problems, etc. probably related to perimenopause since I'm 44. Doctor this time put me on Zoloft (sertraline) and I love it. No weight gain - I'm actually able to lose weight - and I feel so much better. My husband says I'm a different person and he likes this one better.  |
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Post by Patter on Jul 12, 2017 17:05:47 GMT
I took Paxil for mild PPD after the birth of my youngest - so 14 years ago - and gained 30 lbs that I have yet to lose (working on it again). I also felt like it made me loopy and slow, and had the "zaps" coming off of it. FFW to last year and I was having a lot of mood issues, anxiety, sleep problems, etc. probably related to perimenopause since I'm 44. Doctor this time put me on Zoloft (sertraline) and I love it. No weight gain - I'm actually able to lose weight - and I feel so much better. My husband says I'm a different person and he likes this one better. Hmmm, I was wondering about Zoloft. I may need to ask about that one and switch if needed. Still not sure I am happy with Paxil because of the side effects. |
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Post by Kymberlee on Jul 12, 2017 17:57:52 GMT
Patter, I take it at night to help with sleep. The terrible nausea was really what finally drove me to the doctor. The Paxil is just aggravating my upset stomach. I'm not too worried about weight gain right now as I can barely eat. 😕 I'm going to stick with it for at least a week and hope the nausea subsides because it is already helping my crazy moods. I never in a million years would have guessed that peri menopause would be this rough.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 12, 2017 18:20:00 GMT
I took Paxil for mild PPD after the birth of my youngest - so 14 years ago - and gained 30 lbs that I have yet to lose (working on it again). I also felt like it made me loopy and slow, and had the "zaps" coming off of it. FFW to last year and I was having a lot of mood issues, anxiety, sleep problems, etc. probably related to perimenopause since I'm 44. Doctor this time put me on Zoloft (sertraline) and I love it. No weight gain - I'm actually able to lose weight - and I feel so much better. My husband says I'm a different person and he likes this one better. Hmmm, I was wondering about Zoloft. I may need to ask about that one and switch if needed. Still not sure I am happy with Paxil because of the side effects. I took Zoloft for a number of years but it affected my hiatus hernia and I got acid reflux every single time I took it. That got old. I was on it for about 3 years and got fed up. For depression symptoms it works well, though. |
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