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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by innterested on April 5, 2010, at 23:06:21
i am about to start this to treat anxiety and have been reading about some side effects, am curious about weight gain related to the medication... I was taking seroquel last year and had increased appetite gained about 10kgs and have almost managed to lose this through begginning a diet and exercise regime.
was wondering if it's just the increased appetite that makes you gain weight i.e if i continued eating the same and exercising the same i would gain weight..?
might sound a bit silly.... thanks :)
Posted by morganator on April 6, 2010, at 0:00:39
In reply to starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by innterested on April 5, 2010, at 23:06:21
Do you just have anxiety? Is that what you were taking Seroquel for, simply anxiety? How bad is your anxiety? Have you been to therapy? Sorry I'm getting off topic, I'm just curious.
You may want to consider trying some other options. You don't want to begin the SSRI ride that many of us have.
Have you ever tried St. John's Wort? Although it is an antidepressant, it may be beneficial for anxiety. Besides, anxiety and depression typically go hand in hand, one may just manifest more than the other.
Posted by innterested on April 6, 2010, at 6:00:00
In reply to Re: starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by morganator on April 6, 2010, at 0:00:39
thanks for your reply! I was taking the Seroquel to treat psychosis- had a drug induced psychotic episode end of '08 (was seeing psychiatrist in relation to that) I have been clean off narcotics for 16months and have found since then my anxiety increasing.
I would say the anxiety is related to kind of social phobia? certain situations will get my heart racing make me really flustered and lost for words then embarrassed sometimes even paranoid
my dr. said he thought this medication would be more effective than cognitive therapy, my mum actually told me to take St. John's Wort last year when my friend passed but I didn't feel any different while taking this? I've never really felt depressed either.... ramble ramble
Posted by sukarno on April 6, 2010, at 9:03:58
In reply to Re: starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by innterested on April 6, 2010, at 6:00:00
Hi and welcome to Psycho-Babble! :-)
My guess is paroxetine (Paxil/Seroxat) will decrease appetite initially. Later on it might increase your appetite and possibly slow down your metabolism.
Simply eating less along with exercise and multivitamin/multimineral supplementation should prevent any weight gain.
Benzodiazepines make me hungry and I used to eat a lot and gained quite a bit of weight (on Xanax), but I forced myself to eat less, although I did it gradually. Hunger is not an issue now and I actually feel better. I probably dropped 10kg (22lbs) or more since January.
You can eat as little as 1500 calories a day, although 1800 would be an easier target and that's still healthy eating. It can be hard to count calories, but eating three meals a day, high in fiber (fiber makes you feel full and is devoid of calories) should help.
Good luck.
Posted by ace on April 6, 2010, at 9:09:37
In reply to starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by innterested on April 5, 2010, at 23:06:21
> i am about to start this to treat anxiety and have been reading about some side effects, am curious about weight gain related to the medication... I was taking seroquel last year and had increased appetite gained about 10kgs and have almost managed to lose this through begginning a diet and exercise regime.
>
> was wondering if it's just the increased appetite that makes you gain weight i.e if i continued eating the same and exercising the same i would gain weight..?
> might sound a bit silly.... thanks :)I would be more worried about a possible withdrawal syndrome with this medication. I'm sure people have benefited on this drug, but i have seen some concerning data on Paxil.
No it is not just the increased appetite. In fact, no one knows exactly what it is: it could be the way in which these drugs effect fat cells, possible changes in the way the hypothalamus functions, etc etc etc etc.......................
Ace:)
Posted by Lou Pilder on April 6, 2010, at 9:27:15
In reply to starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by innterested on April 5, 2010, at 23:06:21
> i am about to start this to treat anxiety and have been reading about some side effects, am curious about weight gain related to the medication... I was taking seroquel last year and had increased appetite gained about 10kgs and have almost managed to lose this through begginning a diet and exercise regime.
>
> was wondering if it's just the increased appetite that makes you gain weight i.e if i continued eating the same and exercising the same i would gain weight..?
> might sound a bit silly.... thanks :)innterested,
You wrote,[...start this to treat anxiety...].
Here is a link to an article that I think could help you make a more informed decision as to if starting this chemical in your system would or would not be a wise decision for you.
You see, the drug could cause you to think of killing yourself and I do not know how anyone could use this drug intellengently if the drug has the potential to alter your mind to the extent that you could be compelled to kill yourself. Also, there are the footnotes that have other infomation that could help make a more informed decision as to take this drug or not in particular the role of the company that markets it and the suits against them and what was found durring the discovery processs.
Lou
http://en.wikipedia.org/Paroxetine
Posted by Laney on April 6, 2010, at 9:45:47
In reply to Re: starting paroxetine hydrochloride... » innterested, posted by ace on April 6, 2010, at 9:09:37
Personally I wish I had never gone on paxil to begin with. I have been on it for 13 or better years and have tried numerous times to taper off of it to no avail. It has been hell for me and I'm still on 10mg. and it's not doing a thing for me other than keeping me from going into withdrawl.
Just go into it knowing that you will eventually need to come off of it at some time and then you might really regret it.
Just my opinion.
Laney
Posted by ace on April 6, 2010, at 9:46:19
In reply to Lou's response- » innterested, posted by Lou Pilder on April 6, 2010, at 9:27:15
> > i am about to start this to treat anxiety and have been reading about some side effects, am curious about weight gain related to the medication... I was taking seroquel last year and had increased appetite gained about 10kgs and have almost managed to lose this through begginning a diet and exercise regime.
> >
> > was wondering if it's just the increased appetite that makes you gain weight i.e if i continued eating the same and exercising the same i would gain weight..?
> > might sound a bit silly.... thanks :)
>
> innterested,
> You wrote,[...start this to treat anxiety...].
> Here is a link to an article that I think could help you make a more informed decision as to if starting this chemical in your system would or would not be a wise decision for you.
> You see, the drug could cause you to think of killing yourself and I do not know how anyone could use this drug intellengently if the drug has the potential to alter your mind to the extent that you could be compelled to kill yourself. Also, there are the footnotes that have other infomation that could help make a more informed decision as to take this drug or not in particular the role of the company that markets it and the suits against them and what was found durring the discovery processs.
> Lou
> http://en.wikipedia.org/Paroxetine
While we are at it, take a look at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sstoa406Oa0
Drug companies have knowingly suppressed data on the negative side effects of Paxil (and other SSRI's), and their potential to cause pronounced withdrawal symptoms.
And the poor old psychiatrist doesn't even know about this...he only hears the 'good news'!!
I believe some people do benefit from SSRI's- but I am concerned how many suffer because of them and at what expense is the benefit?Dr. Healy does not see all psychiatric drugs as anathema ala Breggin............and I think it is very commendable what he has done..........
Posted by Lou Pilder on April 6, 2010, at 9:51:59
In reply to Lou's response- » innterested, posted by Lou Pilder on April 6, 2010, at 9:27:15
> > i am about to start this to treat anxiety and have been reading about some side effects, am curious about weight gain related to the medication... I was taking seroquel last year and had increased appetite gained about 10kgs and have almost managed to lose this through begginning a diet and exercise regime.
> >
> > was wondering if it's just the increased appetite that makes you gain weight i.e if i continued eating the same and exercising the same i would gain weight..?
> > might sound a bit silly.... thanks :)
>
> innterested,
> You wrote,[...start this to treat anxiety...].
> Here is a link to an article that I think could help you make a more informed decision as to if starting this chemical in your system would or would not be a wise decision for you.
> You see, the drug could cause you to think of killing yourself and I do not know how anyone could use this drug intellengently if the drug has the potential to alter your mind to the extent that you could be compelled to kill yourself. Also, there are the footnotes that have other infomation that could help make a more informed decision as to take this drug or not in particular the role of the company that markets it and the suits against them and what was found durring the discovery processs.
> Lou
> http://en.wikipedia.org/Paroxetine
>
> innterested,
If you are about to start this chemical, here is a video that I think could help you make a more informed decision as to if you are or are not going to start taking this chemical into your system. Could not the axiety be from a source that could be delt with without altering your mind with chemicals that could have the potential to cause you to kill yourself?
Lou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfQUTHrWnRk
Posted by Phillipa on April 6, 2010, at 11:41:48
In reply to Re: starting paroxetine hydrochloride..., posted by Laney on April 6, 2010, at 9:45:47
Laney that's where I am with the luvox a mere 50mg and my body won't let go. I'm stuck same as you no help at all. Now the paxil first one was okay was able to come off easily. And I've never gained weight either on benzos in over 40 years and no ad either. Wonder why? Phillipa
Posted by sukarno on April 6, 2010, at 17:28:13
In reply to Lou's response-abouttupsart, posted by Lou Pilder on April 6, 2010, at 9:51:59
Interestingly enough, a simple Google search of Paxil and withdrawal reveals something very worrisome: some folks describe withdrawal from paroxetine as worse than that of benzodiazepines.
I know when I took it once (10mg) in 1993, I experienced severe anxiety and ended up in the ER. The psychiatrist was called and he had no clue what to do. The several days following that had me suffering from what I thought were "mini-seizures", but were actually brain zaps.
My vision would go blank as if I was blind for 1 second along with a huge "ZZZZZZZZZZZAP!". I remember jumping out of my chair and my friends stared at me like I was from outer space. Mind you this was only from 1/2 tablet of Paxil, taken once a few days prior to this.
I pleaded, "call the ambulance.. I'm going to die!" then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP! and my head dropped a bit at the same time the zap occurred.
It didn't happen again after that, but I'll never forget it. It was the scariest thing that ever happened to me with regards to prescription drugs. I had no idea it was the paroxetine.
That said, SSRIs do help a lot of folks and Psycho-Babble may not represent the majority. Generally, people report or talk about their medication regimens when they are not doing well, have a complaint or negative reaction. People doing well probably don't feel a need to talk about their medication. Just my guess. I know that in politics, if a party is pretty much guaranteed to win the vote, the supporters don't talk much about it, whereas the opposition will speak out.
Paroxetine might work well for you as it does for many people. It might also cause some hideous things to happen to you, but if I had to guess, I would hope that's only in a minority of cases.
If you only suffer from anxiety and have no symptoms of depression, I would go for a benzodiazepine if they'll prescribe one for the short term (1 or 2 weeks).. preferably diazepam or chlordiazepoxide as they are long-acting and unlikely to produce much in the way of withdrawal in such a short period of time.
That might "reset" your mind and perhaps the anxiety will not return after the 1 or 2 week regimen. Sometimes the cycle of anxiety just needs to be interrupted/broken for the mind to heal. If it doesn't, then I would look into a tricyclic antidepressant before I'd try an SSRI, but that's just me and what I would do if I was in your position.
Paroxetine takes a long time to work and by that time (4 to 8 weeks) - if it doesn't work or doesn't work well enough - then you'll have to quit and then there may be withdrawal symptoms. Prozac is long-acting and is often used to help people come off paroxetine and other short-acting SSRIs.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or simply talking about your problems with a therapist can help. You can do that along with medication (or without it). :-)
Good luck! :-)
sukarno
Posted by morganator on April 6, 2010, at 23:17:41
In reply to Re: Lou's response-abouttupsart, posted by sukarno on April 6, 2010, at 17:28:13
>That said, SSRIs do help a lot of folks and Psycho-Babble may not represent the majority. Generally, people report or talk about their medication regimens when they are not doing well, have a complaint or negative reaction. People doing well probably don't feel a need to talk about their medication. Just my guess. I know that in politics, if a party is pretty much guaranteed to win the vote, the supporters don't talk much about it, whereas the opposition will speak out.
I totally agree with this.
If you do take an SSRI, it might be a better idea to take something like Zoloft or Lexapro.
You may not have had a good response to St. John's Wort for several reasons-you may not have been on the right brand, you may not have given it enough time, and you may not have been on the right dose. I would seriously consider giving SJW one more go at it. One other thing to consider is Rhodiola Rosea.
In the mean time, you should look into taking some supplements that may help you feel better.
Fish Oil-3 grams a day-for the rest of your life
GABA-750 to 1500 mg
Magnesium Glycinate-400mg-for the rest of your life
Posted by sukarno on April 7, 2010, at 0:11:11
In reply to Re: Lou's response-abouttupsart, posted by morganator on April 6, 2010, at 23:17:41
I've heard of some people taking dl-phenylalanine, but I don't know how effective it is. Supposedly it affects dopamine?
A psychiatrist I know recommends SAM-e, but it is quite expensive. I suppose this might belong in 'alternative' instead of the p-babble medication board.
Posted by Laney on April 7, 2010, at 22:08:42
In reply to Re: Lou's response-abouttupsart, posted by sukarno on April 7, 2010, at 0:11:11
Lou,
What do you mean by this? "Healy does not see all psychiatric drugs as anathema ala Breggin............and I think it is very commendable what he has done.........."
Thanks,
Laney
This is the end of the thread.
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