Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just a short background on myself, I've dealt with severe anxiety issues for pretty much all of my life and at the age of 35, have gone thru several job losses due to layoffs and was diagnosed with cancer 4 years. I decided about 2 years ago to go on 20mg of Paxil and it worked for a bit, but now I feel like I have learned ways to defeat it and become angry, rotten and anxious. Is it possible that I'm just that stressed and nuts or is it time for a different medication?
You say you feel like you have learned ways to defeat "it." I'm not sure what you mean by "it." Do you mean you have learned ways to defeat your anxiety or do you mean you have learned ways to defeat Paxil?
If you mean you have learned ways to defeat your anxiety, it seems to me that you would feel stronger, more confident and would have higher self-esteem. That doesn't seem to be the case with you.
If you mean you have learned ways to defeat Paxil, could you explain what you mean in more detail? How does a person "defeat" a medication? Do you mean that you think you don't need to take Paxil anymore? Or do you mean that it isn't working anymore?
You say that you have become angry, rotten and anxious. I'm not clear on what you mean by "rotten." When people say they feel rotten, they may mean they feel physically rotten, as in unhealthy or sick, or they may mean they feel emotionally rotten, as in feeling unkind, cruel-hearted, and/or lacking compassion or empathy for others.
I also don't see a clear connection between feeling rotten (either physically or emotionally rotten) and learning how to defeat either anxiety or Paxil. If you have defeated anxiety, you should be feeling the opposite of rotten, in either sense of the word. In the physical meaning of rotten, you would feel healthy and strong. In the emotional sense, you would feel kind and compassionate toward others.
I also don't see a clear connection between feeling physically or emotionally rotten and learning how to defeat Paxil, mainly because I don't see how someone can learn how to defeat an anti-depressant medication.
You say that 20 mg. of Paxil "worked for a bit." You seem to be implying that it isn't working as well anymore. You wonder if it's possible that you are "nuts" or that you're just stressed more than usual. You ask if it's time for a different medication.
That's a question you might want to discuss with your doctor. It may be that you need to change meds. Depression and anxiety are caused by low levels of one or more of three naturally occurring brain chemicals: serotonin, nor-epinephrine, and dopamine.
Each class of anti-depressant works on different brain chemicals. Low levels of serotonin is the most common cause of clinical depression, so doctors usually start by prescribing a drug that works on serotonin.
If you have low levels of nor-epinephrine, however, and are taking meds designed to raise your levels of serotonin, your meds are not going to help much. If you have low levels of both nor-epinephrine and serotonin, a drug that works on serotonin alone will help a little, but you may still feel depressed.
Now it may be that Paxil is the right med for you, but it's not working as well as it used to because, after two years of taking it regularly, your body has become accustomed to it. So you may just need to increase your dosage of Paxil.
Since there's no test to determine which brain chemical you lack, getting the right medication is a trial and error process. Whatever the cause may be of your feelings of "rottenness," the first step you need to take is to talk to your doctor. He or she can help you find the medication that's right for you.
I guess I should have better explained myself. I feel that even though I am taking 20mg of paxil, I am just as anxious if I wasn't taking it at all. You would think 20mg would cripple my anxiety and depression, but I'm just as quick to fly off the handle at any time.
If your medication isn't helping you, you're either on the wrong medication or taking the wrong dose. I would suggest that, if possible, you book an appointment with a psychiatrist who is experienced in prescribing psychiatric meds and tell him or her what you've just told us.
After a mental health professional evaluates you, he or she may recommend you withdraw from Paxil. Since it's not helping you anyway, you haven't got much to lose if you stop taking it. However it is important that you do the withdrawal gradually under the supervision of a medical doctor -- which psychiatrists are -- in order to do it safely as there can be unpleasant withdrawal symptoms with some antidepressant meds. Good luck to you, and I hope you feel better soon.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
