Paxil for OCD

My doctor prescribed me to take Paxil for my OCD about calories and counting and weight loss and anorexia, but I'm afraid to start taking it. I'm thinking about seeking therapy first, any opinions or anyone who has take paxil  can tell me more about it? 

I wouldn't suggest anything against your doctor, but I had some issues (NOT OCD/Anorexia), I found the best solution for me didn't require meds, although I had the option.

I would seek therapy, possibly start taking it (you can always stop if you don't feel it's best for you).  If you are doubting that medication is the best thing for you, than you should definitely get a second (third) opinion, this is your body and your life, so you get to decide how you want to treat your problems.

Good luck.

i'm wondering why you are scared to take it. If it's due to anxiety about dealing with your OCD I would definitely reccomend therapy in addition to taking Paxil but not in place of it.

You should take it as your doctor prescribed and NOT stop whe you feel better or if it doesn't seem to be working. There are many prescriptino meds similar to Paxil that may work better. Most people need to be on their medication consistantly for at least a month before they adequately assess their progress.

You may require a combination of different medications or meds + therapy. But your doctor prescribed it for you for a reason. If you have questions about Paxil you can usually call the adivce nurse at your doctors office or your insurance company.

Hope all goes well.

For my anorexia, OCD, anxiety etc. I found Citalopram to be much more effective. If your doctor has already prescribed this for you though, listen. Seriously, s/he is looking out for your well-being. You can always mention these feelings to him/her or mention the above drug if you wish, but start the medication right now.

thanks everyone for your opinion, i guess im just afraid of anti depressants in general....since i know they can make a person even more depressed

I have the SAME exact issue.  I was on paxil for a while and it stopped working, all I wanted to do was sleep...plus Paxil is known for weight gain...the last thing you and I need.  I just switched to Lexapro...after two other medications that I couldn't stand (Wellbutrin and Effexor). So far so good...

I will tell you though, I am seeking out a specialist.  Not that I don't trust my primary care doc, I just don't think he is versed enough with these issues. 

If you need to talk, I am here.

Lindsay

Thanks that means a lot :)

oh yeah the weight gain, i stopped birth control cause of weight gain lol, my mind can handle it that right now. I decided to seek out a specialist too right now, I rather talk to someone before taking the medicine

just out of curiousity how does paxil help with OCD?

I have no idea, apparently I'm obsessed with calorie counting and the paxil will help me not think about it so much

prescription drug, right?

yeah, prescription

each one works differently for everyone, i tried paxil and it didn't agree with me, but wellbutrin did. i think in an ideal situation the meds are just there to help break patterns, and they should work subtlely so when you go off the meds you don't miss them.

now the meds will help break the habit, but what happens once your off them?

you are supposed to use the time you are on the meds to make new habits. whenever i have taken them i was usually on them between 6 months and a year, which was long enough to make changes and get used to them. this was just my personal experience though, everyone will have thier own experience with it of course.

If you think that you'd rather try therapy over medication, I think you should go for it.  What's important is that you do something that you're comfortable with, and that will work for you. 

That said, I've read that therapy + medication in combination can often be more effective than either of them separately, so that's something to consider.  I went on Citalopram, in combination with therapy, this January for depression (I deliberately didn't choose Paxil because I too have heard that it's often linked to weight gain), and for the first time in my life, I've been able to lose weight without being obsessive and unhealthy and ultimately setting myself up for failure.

So, yeah.  I was hesitant about the possible side-effects of medication, but so far I've been really really happy with it.  I think therapy can be very helpful too, though, in a way that medication can't necessarily be - meds can change your brain chemistry for the better, but you have to keep taking the meds.  Therapy can help change your thought processes so that you may no longer need the medication.

Just my two cents, anyway.  Best of luck, whatever you choose to do!

Thanks

Thanks everyone!! You posts really helped, I'm still trying to seek therapy and do a combination of the two. Right now its just hard to find a therapist I can afford :( 

Hi midtheory,  You are very smart to combine therapy with Paxil.  Be sure to come up with a plan that includes weening yourself off of Paxil. Maybe after 3 to 6 months of using it.  Family Practice docs and Internal Medicine docs one of which I assume suggested Paxil to you are seeing you in distress and sincerely want to help you and the studies they know about and the information they get from drug reps that visit them at the office tell them Paxil is a good choice for you.  And once again you went to your doc for help and she (or he) wants you to feel better. 

I started Paxil 3 years ago after seeing my Internal Med doc.  I was a mess, job issues, family issues, menapause.  I was a mess.  Paxil gradually gave me the relief I needed.  At the sametime my husband and I were seeing a therapist.  I remember him saying something about working on ways to manage my stress and anxiety and eventually going off Paxil.  In my head I thought, "What are you, nuts???  I'm not stopping this stuff it helps me survive."  Well 3 years later I now know he wasn't nuts.  SSRIs like Paxil to result in dependency.  So I wish I would have had a plan then to stop Paxil, if not 3-6 months maybe a year.  Here it is 3 years later and I'm 30 pounds heavier.  Sure at my age I would have gained a few pounds but not 30!

I stopped Paxil about 6 weeks ago cold turkey.  After 5 days the discontinuation symptoms began and lasted 2 weeks.  Sort of like flu symptoms without nausea.  Really dizzy, sensitive to light and sound and lots of diarhea.  Then really emotional and crying lots.  But that's behind me now.  Although it was miserable at the time it was survivable.  What I'm left with is I cry when I see something sad.  But that sounds kind of normal to me.

You mention anorexia so I think you should take the Paxil because that is life threatenning.  Just go into it with a therapist and a plan to discontinue Paxil once you have the skills to 'survive' all that life throws at us.  Make sure your doc and therapist support you on your plan.  Your doc especially may disapprove but you want his buy in so you can ween yourself off of Paxil rather than cold turkey like I did.

As far as the weight gain keep in mind that was me, I'm in my 50's.  Metabolism changes naturally.  I think Paxil contributed to my weight gain but was not the sole reason for it.  So here I am Paxil free and using Calorie-Count.com to help me lose some weight.

I just looked closer at your last post about the expense of a therapist.  That is a real concern.  I understand.  Discuss that with you're doc prescribing Paxil.  Does your employer have EAP (Employee Assitance Program) that sometimes offers a limited number of therapy visits?  Have your docs office staff do some leg work for you.  Get some numbers of medical centers/hospitals that offer free group sessions for issues similar to yours.  They can at least give you some phone numbers to call. 

Finally make sure you Med Doc knows you want a 'Paxil Exit Plan' that includes his or her support for tapering off the meds.

Take care, Lynn (timbuk2k)

Unless your doc is a psychiatrist, his diagnostic understanding of meds for things like OCD and anxiety is limited. A lot of medical doctors prescribe prematurely, assumming nearly every problem is organic in nature.

Given that it seems like your body is sort of sensitive to medications already, I'd say go see a therapist and ask for help learning to control your thoughts and compulsions naturally before you jump right in to taking meds. You'll feel better about yourself if you can learn to control your behavior, which will lift your mood as well.

Thanks everyone for your advice again! I started seeing a therapist and she told me she understands why my doc put me on paxil (which i still havent taken) because it would make me gain weight, but she wants to give me something like prozac which is weight neutral. She wants me to gain the weight on my own and not forced by a medication. 

It sounds like you are taking charge of your health and making sure your healthcare providers hear you.  Good for you!

Take Care,

Lynn