[dusty]

I used to have panic attacks many years ago. And They vanished till recently. I am under a great deal of stress not working, running out of money and no support from my adult daughter.
I just saw a T and he recomended Paxil and wean me off the zanax my regular doctors gave me for anxiety.

I am so fearful that the paxil won't work because I never heard of that before, but then I wasn't depressed like this either. I see here that some of you are on Paxil for this and it comforts me, that it works.
I seem to get them when I first get up and through out the day something fierce. I feel I am starting to avoid going places for fear of having them.
I don't remember them being this bad or so often 16 years ago. I think this is more depressing then not finding work to me.
Well that is a little about my situatuion and I wanted to say Hello.

[seeker1950]

Hi, Dusty...
Paxil has helped me, and I too have suffered from anxiety all my life. Xanax, on the other hand, only made my anxiety worse the longer I took it, and I found myself wanting to increase the dosage of it just to remedy the symptoms of anxiety. Xanax is very addictive. Please wean yourself off it, whether you take Paxil or now.
Paxil is not like Xanax, and my understanding is that one of the things it helps most is anxiety.
Seeker

[dusty]

Seeker, Thank you for that post! My T said I would have two months to slowly stop taking the zanax and the paxil would kick in. I now wonder if Zanax was doing the same with me as the more attacks I got the more zanax I took.
You have had them your whole life? I had them for a year but I got on a program at one the hospitals in Miami and they stopped immediately. It was a study and I knew I was on the right pill cause they stopped so fast and the side effects I had I noticed immediately.

I don't want these forever I am sure no one does but I guess it could be a possibility?
You made me feel better about taking the paxil and I needed to hear that. (Thanks)

[Finna1]

Hi, in my expereience, make SURE that your Doctor adds the paxil to your Xanax, you must wean off the Xanax very slowly. Also, the doctor's want you to taper off Xanax beccause people become tolerant, which means they need to take more and more. I have been taking Klonopin, it is like Xanax, but not as strong, along with Paxil. I have tried tapering off the Klonopin over a period of 7 months, but it did not work. I have not had to increase my dose over these 13 years, and so my doctors are content with keeping me on the Kloopin. Please make sure you have let your doctor know if you have had to increase your Xanax dose. If you have been on the same dose for a long time, they are more likle just going to see if you can taper off. You have to agree to go off the Xanax.
I don't believe that the Paxil helps very much, but it does a little bit. Having the fear of tapering off Xanax adds to the anxiety, so whatever happens, if you do taper off, do it over the longest possible time period.