New Nurse on Paxil

Nurses Stress 101

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Hi allnurses!

So I've been prescribed Paxil today due to anxiety issues which I will be taking the first dose (12.5mg) tonight before I go to sleep. I've been wanting to ask allnurses, especially nurses who are or was on Paxil, what their experiences are taking it including side effects and effectiveness. I am a little nervous about taking it although my anxiety isn't severe. According to the GAD tool that my family doctor used to assess me, I have moderate anxiety. I guess I'm always a worrier and always anxious about work and what I may do wrong. I always think that it could be just a "new nurse blues" kind of anxiety. I had graduated last year and only had 5 months of LTC experience and now starting a new job in Complex Continuing Care in a hospital. I have not practiced in a hospital for 2 years now so I'm definitely very anxious to start on my first night shift (never had a night shift throughout my nursing school or the 5 months as a licensed RN). I would really to hear or read everyone's input regarding taking anti-anxiety drugs and if it's even worth taking it.

Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Please see my previous thread, Do we need to take drugs.. in order to do our job?

You made the post I replied to first. There is a difference between medicating anxiety & depression if it has nothing to do with work. Of course there is stress & anxiety related to work.

But at what point should we stop ignoring it & start doing something about it? What if the person has done CBT & it hasn't helped? Should the person quit their job?

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Please see my previous thread, Do we need to take drugs.. in order to do our job?

Sometimes...

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

BTDT...just curious. Would you tell a diabetic to get therapy instead of taking insulin? Would you advise a cancer patient to use CBT instead of chemo? Of course not. So why would you not treat a mental illness like anxiety and/or depression? Yes, therapy is great and I think it needs to be a part of every treatment program. But with a lot of people, it takes more than that, and I can honestly say that ADs and other drugs for mental health issues can save careers AND lives. I know I personally wouldn't be here without them.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
These "pills" at best , mask the symptoms of anxiety and depression. At worst.. they cause much more damage to the psyche. Please... do your research.

A couple of things:

1. The only reason a person should ever be prescribed any med is because they're experiencing symptoms that are outside the range of normal for healthy people, whether we're talking about mood, HR, cell mitosis, neural firing, or whatever.

2. If a person is experiencing emotions in an intensity that causes them to be unable to work, to maintain relationships, to fulfill their responsibilities, or to care for themselves then it would be unethical to tell those people they shouldn't seek help for those symptoms.

3. See my previous post on the benefits of CBT for anxiety. A good prescriber has more than one arrow in their quiver.

4. When meds are prescribed well (and you're not experiencing refractory symptoms) you don't get affective blunting, and can still experience the full range of normal human emotion.

5. I'm the guy to talk to about doing your research. I read research when I'm on my lunch breaks. When I'm taking a break from reading research I read other research. Let's talk.

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Paxil saved me, I am utterly useless and cannot get out of bed without it after about 4 days off. I've been on it for years. Tried multiple times to taper off or switch to another AD and always reverted back to severe depression and almost constant panic attacks. My psychiatrist finally bluntly told me to take my Paxil and plan on staying on it a looooong time if not forever. Recently had some issues surface when I ran out of my Paxil and couldn't afford the refill, ended up very badly. BTW, they added Wellbutrin to my mix at that time and now I feel stable and normal.

So sometimes people need these medications to have a full, normal life. Took me a long time to come to grips with that fact.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

Do your research on the efficacy and adverse effects of the antidepressants that make big Pharma even richer.

I will happily line the pockets of "Big Pharma." Lexapro has saved me and allows me to live like a normal person. I'll take the weight gain and whatever long term effects over the years of depression I dealt with.

I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience but it has literally been a lifesaver for me.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
I must be the only person in the world that benzos don't do anything for. I just don't get it. I've taken Ativan and Klonopin and I mean....nothing! If they make me calmer I sure as heck don't notice! Yikes. You must have to take a high dose to feel anything...

These meds don't get me "high" either. I've taken Ativan .5 prn extreme anxiety and it has a sedating ie makes me sleepy, but it does reduce anxiety symptoms because I'm tired.

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Did you discuss your concerns with your provider? I would say it is "worth taking it" if your provider has prescribed it. Are you going to the word of a random person on a message board as to what medications you take? Yikes. Also what is "new nurse blues"? I have never heard of that one. I think the "I have no money and need a job blues" would be worse.

I think the take home from all of this could be "individual results may vary". Work with your doc to figure out what does.

I can really understand though the desire to bounce this off others, not for medical advice (as we are all required not to be giving, and people seem not to be doing that), but just to know other peoples' personal experiences.

And toward the goal of not stigmatizing people who get treated for mental illness, this helps that people are willing to share.

I have dealt with anxiety but not to the degree where I sought treatment. "Round 2" of the ADN program coming up, so you never know :nailbiting:, I could be right there with you

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Paxil saved me, I am utterly useless and cannot get out of bed without it after about 4 days off. I've been on it for years. Tried multiple times to taper off or switch to another AD and always reverted back to severe depression and almost constant panic attacks. My psychiatrist finally bluntly told me to take my Paxil and plan on staying on it a looooong time if not forever. Recently had some issues surface when I ran out of my Paxil and couldn't afford the refill, ended up very badly. BTW, they added Wellbutrin to my mix at that time and now I feel stable and normal.

So sometimes people need these medications to have a full, normal life. Took me a long time to come to grips with that fact.

You are absolutely correct. Some people don't realize why people take these medications because they don't experience the same level of dehabilitating levels of anxiety that others experience. I have tried many others ways to cope with anxiety- therapy, exercise etc but it wasnt until I combined that with zoloft to feel like I live a pretty normal good life. Can't expect everyone to understand but we have to do what works for us.

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These meds don't get me "high" either. I've taken Ativan .5 prn extreme anxiety and it has a sedating ie makes me sleepy, but it does reduce anxiety symptoms because I'm tired.

I've only ever been given ativan for rest prior to surgery. I didn't take it since I hate not being "with it". As for anesthesiology, no I didn't "bite the bullet", but I have to confess being put under was one of my big anxieties about that procedure.

Yup, guess I am a tightly wound control freak. My motto has always been "be alert, the world needs more lerts".

Seriously, when anxiety is an impediment, it can make sense to work with a doctor because some people can be helped by medication. Can mean the difference between functioning and not.

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I got quite depressed just a few days ago over a small thing that I made a big deal of and I don't know what occurred to me to suddenly take triple of my dosage of Paxil on that day. Luckily I was on a small dose of 12.5 mg....

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Mother-Baby and SCN.

I have never been on paxil but I have been on effexor (anxiety crisis in nursing school which resulted in my diagnosis). I also had xanax to use while I waited for the effexor to take effect. This worked very well and after graduating nursing school and working in my new job for a few months I gradually tapered off it. This was pretty hellish as I had a strong feeling of my heart beating in my throat and weakness like I was going to pass out each time I would try to go lower. I had to eventually count out the 'beads' from inside the capsules and make smaller and smaller doses.

I was off effexor for about a year when I started having worsening depression along with my anxiety increasing. After about 6 months of that and trying to avoid meds, I eventually started on zoloft. Was on that about 6 months with very little effect. My depression eventually got so bad that I decided I needed to try something else. Changed to Celexa last January and it has been great for me. I have also done counselling and right now I'm doing a book program for mindfulness (meditation) and I am finding this helping. Getting out of my relationship that I was in denial about it not being right for me helped my depression and anxiety IMMENSELY (of course).

I hope you are doing better :) To Been there, done that : sad to see people on a nurses forum (I don't know what your education is..) perpetuating stigma against mental health treatment. Yes there should be multi approach to treatment but please don't exclude the wonderful effects these medications can have on peoples lives. They are literally lifesavers for many.

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