Jump to content

Is Paxil a Benzo?


[jb...]

Recommended Posts

My Dr. is suggesting I take Paxil for anxiety during the day. Is Paxil a Benzo? Could I get in too deep with Paxil and have a hard time getting off? He is suggesting 20 mg a day in the morning.

Thanks for all your help and input.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jbo, Paxil is an anti-depressant in a class called an SSRI, it is not a benzo.

 

I took Paxil about 8 years ago for a couple of years for panic attacks I was having back then, it worked but had some really weird side effects. Very, very vivid dreams (like living a second life), weight gain, sexual side effects (not in a good way). Like I said it worked on the panic attacks, I couldn't have cared less if the world blew up (another side effect, no emotions what so ever), but the other problems it caused finally prompted me to get off it. I slowly tapered and did not have a problem getting off the drug, some do though but like anything else it is so individual. I can say that getting of Paxil was no where as difficult as getting of a benzo, it was a piece of cake compared to this "challenge"

 

Have you tried other non-drug methods to combat your anxiety, I have been working with a good therapist that is anti-drug and has alot of good ideas to build from. I know that it isn't a quick fix but probably a better fix in the long run.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Dr. is suggesting I take Paxil for anxiety during the day. Is Paxil a Benzo? Could I get in too deep with Paxil and have a hard time getting off? He is suggesting 20 mg a day in the morning.

Thanks for all your help and input.  :)

Paxil is not a benzo, jbo123, but it still needs to be tapered off of.  I don't think anything is as hard to get off of as benzos, though, and it isn't physically addictive, as in, needing to take more and more to get the same effect.  However, if you can learn to cope with the anxiety without adding another chemical to your body, you will be that much more likely to heal quickly IMO. We have an Anxiety board with several threads of suggestions to help with anxiety. Here's a link to one of those threads:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=13001.0

 

All that being said, many members have taken a low dose of Paxil while tapering and some thought it did help them with anxiety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi JBO,

 

Just from my own personal experience, I'd like to suggest if you do decide to start on a course of paxil or any other ssri, ask your doc if you can start on a lower dose. IMO, the lower doses work as well if not better than the higher. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi JBO,

 

First of all, congrats on being off benzos...what a great accomplishment, right?  I think the others have given some good advice here, on Paxil.  Here's the link to wikipedia's description of it.  I just scan over the technical stuff, and read the easy stuff.  :D  There's also a discussion at the end on whether people get dependent on it, and whether they get "intolerable withdrawal effects".  It almost sounds like the benzo discussion and maybe it's also a matter of each person's uniqueness -- like benzos. 

 

If you do try Paxil out, apparently there's a high degree of possible nausea and sleepiness. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paroxetine

 

adelia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...