Question:
I took Paxil for almost 2 years with very good results, with only a small
dose of 20 mg a day. However, one month ago i became very tired and a little
bit depressed. So, my doctor told me that it was the time for a change. He
prescribed me Effexor XR, 75 mg a day. I've been on Effexor for 2 weeks now.
Unfortunately, the anxiety and panics came back with a vengeance. I also
take Rivotril (clonazepam) 1.5 mg a day.
What i have to do? Come back on Paxil? Stick with Effexor with a higher dose
of Rivotril?
Answer:
I would try a little longer with effexor or another med for several
reasons. First, you may be having a withdrawal of sorts that will even
out. Second, it may not have been long enough for the new med to kick
in. And finally, if you do have success with a new med there is a good
chance that if it poops out you can return to paxil with renewed
effectiveness. This would be ideal because then you would have 2 meds to
rotate between. Clonzepam is one of the safer benzos in terms of the
addiction potential because it has a long half-life. I took Paxil for almost 2 years with very good results, with only a small
dose of 20 mg a day. However, one month ago i became very tired and a little
bit depressed. So, my doctor told me that it was the time for a change. He
prescribed me Effexor XR, 75 mg a day. I've been on Effexor for 2 weeks now.
Unfortunately, the anxiety and panics came back with a vengeance. I also
take Rivotril (clonazepam) 1.5 mg a day.