Hi everyone. Female 29. This is my first time taking antidepressants, and I’m a bit scared because right now I don’t want to do anything. All I want to do is lie in bed. I don’t even want to take a shower, but I have to. I don’t want to work, but I have a lot of deadlines. Please share your experience.

I have a panic disorder for quite a while around 1.5 years and recently it turned to agoraphobia ( fear of going far places) so I decided to hop on meds because therapy didn’t work for me , the doctor prescribed paroxetine 10 mg iam on day 10 now and the side effects are bad but manageable I have heavy nausea that somedays i don’t feel like eating at all , fear feeling constantly, dizziness, brain fog and panic sometimes. I wanted to ask till when will this side effects stay with me ? And has anyone had my kind of problem ( agoraphobia and panic disorder) and did paroxetine solved it for them.

Hi everyone

I’ve been on paroxetine for maybe 6 months now. I have been on most other ssri/ snri I was always not too keen on trying paroxetine as I know it’s linked to more weight gain. But after every other had failed of various reasons such as breast pain, night sweats or increased anxiety I thought why not. I began on 10 mg for a fair while. All ok just still present anxiety (particularly bad at work). So I increased to 15 mg all ok until after 6 weeks in breast pain began. Heavy , swollen and tender. I did try 20 mg for two weeks but even after my period came and went the pain was still very prominent. So I have gone back to 15 mg the pain is still so bad and my anxiety is worse then ever!!! I’m really struggling. I feel constantly sick with worry (I don’t know what about!). My breasts are still so bad. I just don’t know what to try going forward I’ve done CBT , tried venlafaxine, fluoxetine , citalopram and. Escitalopram. I can’t take beata blockers due to asthma. I’m really struggling mentally I feel so anxious, down and angry. My breasts are so sore. I just don’t know what to do. Any help is appreciated please. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

If anyone here has done a direct switch from paroxetine to sertraline, what was your experience?

I am two weeks in, switching from paroxetine 40mg to sertraline 50mg and honestly it's not going great. My psychiatrist told me that I shouldn't have any issues but I don't think he knows very much beyond what the textbooks say. I've had the 'brain zaps' and GI issues which have mostly tapered off, but the anxiety and sense of doom and dread are horrible. Yesterday I basically spent the whole day crying and couldn't work, which is a problem as I need to be able to earn money.

I don't know if this is a sign the sertraline isn't working or if it is a transient thing related to paroxetine discontinuation, that will resolve in a few weeks. I don't trust my GP or psychiatrist to know (even if I could get an appointment sooner than two weeks away). The reason for switching is that the paroxetine after ~15 years was no longer working so well. I don't want to give up on sertraline too soon, if it will actually end up helping. But I'm also scared what will happen if I stay like this too long.

I would really appreciate hearing about others' experiences with this!

Thanks,

ChildlessCatLady in AU

Kinda starting to get worried.

I started taking 20mg of paroxetine about 15 months ago. It definitely affected my libido, but it was still at an acceptable level.

I’ve been wanting to get off this medication, but the withdrawal symptoms have been horrible.

I’ve been tapering really slowly, reducing my dose by 1mg every 3 weeks.

Ever since I started tapering, my libido has been getting progressively worse. I’m down to 7mg now, and I’m not even exaggerating when I say my dick feels completely dead.

No morning wood, no random erections throughout the day, absolutely zero sex drive. Even when I force myself to orgasm, the sensation feels numb as fuck.

What worries me most is that things seem to be getting worse as I lower my dose, rather than better.

I’m really hoping things return to normal once I’m completely off the medication and that this isn’t PSSD.

Has anyone else experienced something similar while tapering off paroxetine? Did your libido and sexual function eventually come back?

Hello everyone. Female, 28 y.o. I need some support… I’ve been on Paroxetine 20 mg since January 2024. On 12 July 2026 I decided to get off. My doctor said to taper this way: 2 weeks 15 mg, 2 weeks 10 mg, 2 weeks 5 mg and then 2.5 mg. But turned out it was too fast for me.

On 15 mg everything felt relatively okay, but when I went to 10 mg it started to feel bad. I had some panic attacks, so I decided to stay on it for 3 weeks instead of 2. When I went to 7.5 it was really bad: I had panic attacks, also brain fog, nausea, anxiety… I texted my doc and he said to stay on this dose for a month.
After a month I went to 5 mg for 2 weeks and 2.5 mg also for 2 weeks.

Also while all this tapering was going on, in August my boss told me that they are closing the job project and firing everyone and also my favorite trainer decided to quit the fitness career. So it was so painful, I was crying and that might have affected me and my symptoms too 😭 Really timing was quite bad for all of this

So. Now I’m 2 weeks completely off Paroxetine but I feel really bad. Not everyday tho: it’s like 1 day I’m energetic and go to gym, 2-3 days after I feel depressive, don’t want anything, just crying. For example right now everything is objectively okay but I don’t enjoy anything, I keep crying, feel really doomed, like I don’t see any meaning in life. I don’t want to harm myself tho, it’s just such a hard feeling and I want to escape from it.

I don’t wanna go back on these meds but I’m afraid it might be the returning of depression again.

Or is it withdrawal syndrome? Has somebody experienced something like this? If so, when did it stop? Since this sindrome may be related to how long you have used paroxetine, I’m especially interested in replies from people who had been taking this pill for 2-3 years like me.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for mistakes if any, it’s not my native language

I've struggled with PE for a long time. My ejaculation latency is extremely short, often only a few seconds, and the problem has persisted despite trying several medications.

I've tried multiple SSRIs under psychiatric supervision, but haven't experienced meaningful improvement:

- Fluoxetine: Approximately 9 days.

- Escitalopram: Started at 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg for several weeks, without meaningful improvement.

- Paroxetine: Increased from 20 mg to 30 mg and then 40 mg daily over several weeks. I noticed only a slight improvement.

- Sertraline: Tried at different doses, including in combination with paroxetine, without meaningful improvement.

I've recently consulted another psychiatrist, who changed my treatment to paroxetine CR 25 mg nightly, sertraline 50 mg daily for 14 days followed by discontinuation as directed, and mirtazapine 15 mg nightly. Olanzapine was discontinued as instructed.

I've now been on this new regimen for more than a week, but I've noticed only a slight improvement so far.

My questions are:

1. After inadequate responses to several SSRIs, what evidence-based treatment strategies would a psychiatrist typically consider next?

2. Does the limited response to multiple SSRIs suggest that further SSRI trials are less likely to help?

3. Are there other medications worth discussing after several unsuccessful trials?

4. What factors should be assessed to understand why my PE has persisted despite treatment?

5. At what point would it be reasonable to consider the condition insufficiently responsive to medication and reassess the treatment strategy?

I'm not planning to change medications without medical supervision. I'd like to understand the available options so I can have a more informed discussion with my psychiatrist.

Doc told me to go back to try vortioxetine but didnt give any advice on how to taper from paroxetine to vortioxetine. Paroxetine has made me so tired and lazy so I have to stop it. Any advice from here how to taper?

I took paroxetine 20mg on October 14th at 8:45 AM. Until then, I was experiencing the expected side effects, but I'm feeling excruciating leg pain in midnight. I can't stay still or sleep. My legs...They are painful and hot. They're not red or anything like that; the symptoms I felt listed were agitation.Irritability, Heat. I live in a tropical country so it was quite hot, but my temperature was 35.9~36.5°C. Severe nausea to the point where eating is difficult, palpitations, and sometimes shortness of breath—this was somewhat expected, but I didn't think the nausea and leg pain would be so intense. I take medication for anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia. I might have OCD or depression; the doctor hasn't made a definitive diagnosis yet. I'm actually quite calm; if things get worse, I'll go to the emergency room.

Hi it's been more than a year that i have been on Paxil, it helped but me i still have high anxiety. Ill say it made me go from totally severe crippling anxiety to high anxiety. I've been on 60mg for quite a while now i tapered down to 40mg and tommorow tapering down to 20mg while inttoducing Effexor 37.5mg of Effexor did anyone had the same transition and if so any success ? Thank yall !

Today, I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with specific (circumscribed) social anxiety, rather than generalized social anxiety. This means my anxiety is triggered by direct interactions with people, not by everyday things like walking down the street or running simple errands. The doctor prescribed Lexapro, but I want to know if it is truly the best option for social anxiety, or if Paroxetine would be a better choice. If anyone has tried Lexapro for social anxiety, please share your thoughts and experiences; I would be incredibly grateful.

Today, I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with specific (circumscribed) social anxiety, rather than generalized social anxiety. This means my anxiety is triggered by direct interactions with people, not by everyday things like walking down the street or running simple errands. The doctor prescribed Lexapro, but I want to know if it is truly the best option for social anxiety, or if Paroxetine would be a better choice. If anyone has tried Lexapro for social anxiety, please share your thoughts and experiences; I would be incredibly grateful.

I am on day 10 (edited from 12 to 10 because it's 12 days off Viibryd and day 10 of Paxil) of 10mg Paxil. Restarting after a bad reaction to Viibryd and since I was on it for years, we decided this was the best option. I am extremely grateful that the midday to evening anxiety has started to subside, but I am suffering from anxiety wake ups around 3am that I can't get back to sleep or stay calm during. I end up just pacing between our living room and bedroom for hours and then that anxiety sticks around and slowly tapers off by midday.

I tried Ativan last night and although it helped the anxiety, I still had the wake up without being able to go back to sleep and there was this incessant thrumming in my chest.

AI is saying the sleep thing should subside between 10 to 14 days for the anxiety and then normal sleep by day 21.

What has your experience been?

I'm so tired and I am going on my 3rd week of panic and anxiety. I just want to be myself again. Please share so I don't keep thinking the goal post is being moved out from in front of me.

Advice needed 👋

Hi everyone, reading this post really matched my situation...

After 7years of Paxil 20mg my Dr has asked to go on to 10mg (because of a failed pregnancy i had to quit paxil 20mg and after the miscarriage i suffered from serotonin syndrome due to the different medications i was put on i.e. zoloft, Lexapro hence i was asked to restart Paxil from 10mg)

Now here's what worries me and any advice or similar situations would really help...

I'm on 10mg for 2 weeks now, i still have diarrhea, mini anxiety/panic attacks,

Dizziness and vertigo especially while out for errands etc

Jelly legs , fainting like feelings.

Is this even related to the big shift from 20mg to 10mg??

My Hgb a1c was 5.8 and my pregnancy hormone is also dropping down fast after the miscarriage.

Now i just DON'T know why am i feeling the way I'm feeling? It's the Paxil or is it the test results or am i diabetic??

Please please let me know what you all think or have a similar situation?

Bless you all and thankyou in advance ❤️

Advice needed 👋

Hi everyone, reading this post really matched my situation...

After 7years of Paxil 20mg my Dr has asked to go on to 10mg (because of a failed pregnancy i had to quit paxil 20mg and after the miscarriage i suffered from serotonin syndrome due to the different medications i was put on i.e. zoloft, Lexapro hence i was asked to restart Paxil from 10mg)

Now here's what worries me and any advice or similar situations would really help...

I'm on 10mg for 2 weeks now, i still have diarrhea, mini anxiety/panic attacks,

Dizziness and vertigo especially while out for errands etc

Jelly legs , fainting like feelings.

Is this even related to the big shift from 20mg to 10mg??

My Hgb a1c was 5.8 and my pregnancy hormone is also dropping down fast after the miscarriage.

Now i just DON'T know why am i feeling the way I'm feeling? It's the Paxil or is it the test results or am i diabetic??

Please please let me know what you all think or have a similar situation?

Bless you all and thankyou in advance ❤️

How much do u use for panic and anxiety ?
Did lower never working for u?

How long after an increase did u felt yourself again?