i reccomend a program called attacking anxiety and depression by Lucinda Basset its a twelve week/ twelve step self help program. Its Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Its hard work but very well worth it in the end.

jf,

I had such tremendous problems with illicit drugs when I was young that even the thought of taking "drugs" again for any length of time seemed very scary to me. But Forever_Fighting makes a valuable point when he says that sometimes we just have to admit that the medication is what we need.

I hope you will commit to your medication and stick with it, but at the same time, if you have any problems or side effects just tell your doctor right away. You may also find that your doctor has to try several different combinations before you get to one that's right for you. That doesn't mean you are failing or that your doctor is incompetent - it's just that emotional problems are difficult to treat and sometimes it's hit or miss until process of elimination gets you to the right medication and doses.

I hated the idea that I was "back on drugs" at first, but it was the medication that restored my sense of balance and calm and allowed me to focus on the real work I needed to do.

Much love,
Larry

I agree with what everyone has said... I had sever panic attacks as well. My doc put me on Xanex initially until my other med (celexa - same class as paxil) could take effect. I was worried about the addictive properties of Xanex, but once the celexa was at appropriate levels, I stopped the Xanex without any difficulty (and I am a recovering alcoholic...so I was doubly scared) The most important thing to realize with paxil is that it will not be immediate, but don't stop suddenly... stopping can cause more axiety and depression... if you decide to stop, you need to do it slowly... talk to the Doctor of the pharmacist who dispensed it... they will have a lot of information on it.

I also have problems with delayed ejaculation... it's like you had a few too many drinks and can't finish easily - they actually prescribe SSRI's for men who have premature ejaculation so they can last longer.... I found the positive outwieghed the negative...

Good luck
Dan

i dont see-the meds i take today-----------as related to the drugs and drinking----of my past that ruined my life--------------------------my present meds help me keep on a even keil--------------------and ward off the depression------------------drinking- made my depression worse

thanks a lot guys i'm actually feeling a lot better already since i've starting taking that stuff and doing the breathing stuff. The beta blocker must be keeping my panic attacks at bay cause its way too early for the paxil to be doing very much!

i'm actually pretty glad that i went to the doctor and asked for something because i was also on the verge of turning back to illicit drugs to help calm myself down. I'm going to try and stop to self-medicating with booze now too. I feel like i need to be the picture of health while i'm on this stuff!

Thanks for all the help and encouragement guys!

hey guys another question,

how long were you guys on stuff like this? i don't like the thought of taking this stuff and i don't want to get into a situation where i'm dependent on a medication. I've only taken it for like two days and i think i'm going to stop.

j.

Please don't bail out now! If you have managed for two whole days you can manage two little weeks! The first time I was put on an SSRI (it was zoloft), I felt just as unsure as you are right now. In fact, I sat and stared at the pre>

hmm...yea i guess you're right
how long were you on them craig?

Are you sure you want to know?

I can't exactly remember when I started, but I do remember I was waiting tables at Max & Erma's when I took the first one. I think it was 1998, so that makes 9 years. That's a lot longer than I thought. Well it doesn't matter because I was able to enjoy life again and stop thinking about what's wrong with me.

To say that they cause "dependency" is not correct. I just realized that it wasn't a perfect fix, and life was much better on it.

About a half a year ago I added a certain anti-parkinson's drug to my daily SSRI that prevents dopamine in my brain from being destroyed, leaving much more for re-use. I started feeling my sex drive go way up, and my confidence did too. The addition of the second drug gave me the confidence and motivation to start dealing with things, but without most of the fear and fatiguecaused by the SSRI alone.

If you want I can give all you guys a crash course in "Neurotransmitters 101" so you can better understand what changes you are making by taking the SSRI. That might help you to understand how it greatly reduces your anxiety but also your sex drive, makes you crave carbs, makes you want to sleep more and lay around the house, etc.

Let me know.

Craig