# Paxil



## bluesclues (Dec 30, 2001)

Anyone had any negative side-effects from taking Paxil?


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## Cindy3535 (Jun 28, 2002)

yes I had no sex drive for almost a year so I stopped taking it also my IBS D acted up again and it wasn't worth increasing the dose of that med have you tried elavil?Cindy


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## bluesclues (Dec 30, 2001)

Yes, all of my friends tell me it is so hard to believe that I am the only person who they have met who has no sex drive at all.


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

I had low sex drive during the first weeks, then it changed. The only long term effect that I complain about is the weight gain, other than that this med has given me my life back.


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## Jetfan20 (May 31, 2003)

Paxil has given me my life back. I swear by it. IT worked immediately from day one on ibs d. It has been 6 months since I started using paxil and the only problem that I have is that I put on 20 pounds because I am eating everything in sight.David


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## 3fans8 (May 3, 2002)

Only weight gain







Other than that Paxil is Great!







Gonig to try something else.


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## MDN (Mar 14, 2003)

Is the weight gain in EVERYONE? My brother has been on it for 7years and has not gained a pound. He is in terrific shape, however, he does not take it for IBS, does that matter? I am thinking of switching to it for IBS-D because Lexapro isn't cutting it.Is there any way to avoid it? My diet is great, but what causes the weight gain?THANKS!Mike


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## bluesclues (Dec 30, 2001)

I experienced weight gain as well while being on Paxil but I thought it might have been caused by the new birth control pills I was put on. I have found it to be very addictive - especially coming off of it. I also found my body to be very strange while first going onto it - not being able to eat, nauseated, headaches, fatigue, and a weird sensation of not being able to think and spinning inside. I also have experienced a "non existant" sex drive.


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## Jetfan20 (May 31, 2003)

I personally feel that the paxil is not causing me to gain weight, but not having to worry about what type of food I'm eating and/or at what time of day I'm eating is the culprit. After 21 years of having IBS-D, I have been given a get out of jail free card. I went from a too thin 185 pounds to 219 pounds (about 12-14 pounds heavier then my target). But I would gladly make the weight for IBS-D trade any day of my life.David


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## MDN (Mar 14, 2003)

Jetfan- Did you try any other antidepressants for IBS-D besides Paxil? I am on Lexapro and it isn't strong enough so we are either going with an older TCA like Elavil or Pamelor, and if not..another SSRI..which will be the Paxil.After reading these posts it almost makes me want to skip the TCA trial and jump onto Paxil!


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## Jetfan20 (May 31, 2003)

I did try elavil, it did nothing for my IBS-D, but it made me exhausted andzombie like. Paxil worked on my IBS-D right away, but I did have to deal with some side effects like sweating, waking up in the middle of the night but the side effects went away within a month. I would definitly try paxil, it has been a miracle for me.


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## snickers32471 (Dec 5, 2003)

As soon as I started taking Paxil, my IBS-D when away. Before Lotronex came along, I didn't have a life. It was filled with constant bathroom anxiety to the point where I couldn't even go food shopping. When Lotronex was taken off the market, my world was shattered. I had to find something else that would help me! Finally, someone else that I worked with who had severe IBS-D suggested I try Paxil. What a miracle I thought it was!Since trying Paxil, I have some side effects like night sweats (I'm drenched when I get up in the morning) and weight gain (25 pounds). But you know what, I'll take the weight gain and the sweating over the horrible IBS-D anyday!!!! I am currently waiting for cilestron to become available and when it does, I'm going to ween myself off of Paxil and try it. However, ,I will be happy with the normalness "Paxil" will provide me until that time. Good Luck!!!


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## BRking (Sep 3, 2003)

dear all paxel users i'm IBS-D;I just got a trial pack of paxil today from my doc.all you guys give me the confidence that it"ll work so i can have a life for a change ! by the way how much is the dosage that helped you on paxil? i'm starting at 20 mg. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. BRKING


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## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

I'm not on Paxil but on Elavil which is also supposed to cause lots of weight gain. I was a bit worried because I had read about people gaining 20 pounds and more. My weight had been 100% stable for years, in fact I had been unable to put on more weight but as soon as I started the Elavil I put on 4 pounds in three weeks without eating any more. I couldn't believe how fast this happened, but then I intervened. I thought, IBS forced me to stick to such a strict diet, I should be able to cope with this, too. I played around with my nutrition a bit and realised that perhaps due to the sedating effect of the Elavil, I needed less calories. But not so much less as I had thought! So I cut down on sweets. I also started to do more exercise more seriously and I use my bike to go to places whenever I can. Well, my weight has been stable again, though 4 pounds above my old weight, but I used to be too thin and now it feels just right. And I'm still eating some sweets!Though perhaps I should add that I'm on a low dosage (25mg), perhaps it's harder when you're taking more!Susaloh


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## leslie204 (Feb 1, 2003)

When I first started Paxil one and a half years ago my IBS-D disapeared completely. Then, the colonic effect wore off about 3 months later. I have stayed on the Paxil because it is a wonderful med for my depression. My doctor explained that Paxil itself does not cause the weight gain, it makes your appetite increase. My question for some of you now is how much Paxil do you take to help your IBS? I take 30 mg. and am wondering if increasing my dosage will help. Leslie


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## 16331 (Dec 14, 2005)

Paxil gave me Anxiety Attacks at night, has anyone else had this. I was on 10 mg, and doing fine, but then I was tweaking it, to 12.5 , then 20mg on my own, then back to 10 mg. You think that had anything to do with the severe Panic Anxiety attack I had one night, worst in my life.


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## 17038 (Jul 18, 2006)

Does anyone know if Paxil is good for people with IBS-C?


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## 16331 (Dec 14, 2005)

Could some one pls answer my question from above please.


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## 17038 (Jul 18, 2006)

CVOOR: I just started taking Paxil. I took my first pill last night. The doctor gave me 20mg, but I'm thinking I should have cut the pill in half and only taken that, because last night I also woke up with what felt like the beginning of a panic attack. Luckily I was able to calm myself down, and now I'm just kind of shaky, and I can't sleep. So I'm thinking 10mg is probably better. Maybe you should stay on 10mg a while longer.


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## 14244 (May 28, 2006)

I just starting taking paxil in July too. I started at 12.5 and then after a week doubled it to 25. I found the 25mg has really helped me. I haven't had any real side effects except the feeling of being tired. I still find myself feeling tense. My IBS-C is much better. I am still having problems with my weak stomach spinter and get acid refux a lot. I also take prevacid with sometimes helps. I also went to a dietian who put me on a high fiber and protein diet which is really helping the C.I don't know how long I need to stay on the paxil? My GI specialist said some people take up to 60 mg but I don't plan on going that high.


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## 16331 (Dec 14, 2005)

Well, It seems I just can't take Paxil, have tried twice, 10 mg each time. It just makes me so sick after about 5 days on it, nausea, stomach aches really bad, chills, hot flashes, no appetite, increased anxiety, I just feel bad all over. So after trying twice, I think this is a med I cannot tolerate. Too bad, it helps with the anxiety and worrying.


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## snickers32471 (Dec 5, 2003)

I've been on paxil for 5 years now (ever since they took Lotronex off the market) and after gaining 30 pounds and realizing that paxil was making me very disorganized, I decided to try to ween off of it. I started with 20mg and took it to 10mg for about a month. When I went from 10mg to 5mg about a week and a half ago, my IBS came back full force and it came right along with the Paxil side effects of nausea and dizziness....I just want to let everyone know that Paxil worked GREAT for me, but there's pros and cons to everything. If you get on Paxil, just remember, you'll have to take it for the rest of your life and it will make you more feeling-less to the point where you won't care about a lot of things that should be important to you. AND remember, getting off of it is brutal!


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