If I might add my 2 cents...

I have taken both Paxil and Zoloft. I am currently on Paxil and Wellbutrin. I had s*icidal tendencies when I was a teen. Back then, I was not medicated. I have been SSRIs for the better part of 10 years now. This past year has been a very hard struggle with PTSD, flashbacks, etc. I tried, on two separate occasions to overdose on pills... rational? Absolutely not. I was trapped in a nightmare. I was on Paxil, but it was either not working or I was far past anything Paxil could possibly help. On the average, I would not even consider s*icide as an option. I am married to the love of my life and have two wonderful little kids. I have never been happier. But my brain does weird things. I don't blame the Paxil for my attempts. If anything, it has given me the opportunity to have a mostly normal and happy life. But in the darkest moments, I do revert to my irrational and anger-filled, SI-ridden days.

Right before I discovered this site, I actually reported my own d*ath on my LJ, much to the distress of my friends. Rational? Absolutely not. I was in the middle of a major breakdown. And so now I am on Wellbutrin in addition to the Paxil to keep my brain on the rails.

And I totally agree with the good Doc, that when you start taking an SSRI, it takes weeks for the full effect to kick in, and so that initial startup period is a time of risk to a person.. the process of physically changing while still feeling so low.

Am I just rambling? Maybe. But that is my experience.

Obsidian