Drug Uses

Paxil is an agent in a newer class of antidepressant medication known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Depression and anxiety disorders might be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. One of these chemicals is serotonin, which helps send electrical signals from one nerve cell to another. In the process, serotonin is released from one nerve cell (the sender) and travels to the next (the receiver), where it is either absorbed or returns back to the original sender cell.

How Taken

Paxil comes as a tablet to take it orally. It is usually taken once daily and may be taken with or without food. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Continue to take Paxil even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Paxil without talking to your doctor, especially if you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably will want to decrease your dose gradually. This drug must be taken regularly for a few weeks before its full effect is felt.

Warnings/Precautions

Before taking Paxil, tell your doctor if you have liver disease, kidney disease, seizures or epilepsy, or a manic disorder or suicidal thoughts. You may not be able to take Paxil, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above. Paxil is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether it will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take Paxil without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. Paxil passes into breast milk and may affect a nursing baby. Do not take Paxil without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Missed Dose

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

Possible Side Effects

If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Paxil and contact your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical treatment: an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives); an irregular heartbeat or pulse; low blood pressure (dizziness, weakness); high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision); unusual bleeding or bruising; or fever or chills. Less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take Paxil and talk to your doctor if you experience headache; tremor, nervousness, or anxiety; nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, or changes in appetite or weight; sleepiness or insomnia; or decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm. Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Storage

Store at controlled room temperature between 20-25°C (68-77°F).

Overdose

Seek emergency medical attention if an overdose is suspected. Symptoms of a Paxil overdose include nausea, vomiting, tremor, seizures, agitation, drowsiness, hyperactivity, and enlarged pupils.

More Information

Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Paxil may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities. Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness or dizziness while taking Paxil.

Disclaimer

This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Other info about Paxil-cr at Wikipedia.org and other resources:

Glaxo Birth Defect Litigation Reveals Paxil Promoters on Speed Dial
(NaturalNews) In the first Paxil birth defect trial against GlaxoSmithKline, much of evidence focused on the doctors on Glaxo's payroll involved in the corruption of the medical literature and seminars given to promote the off label use of Paxil with pregnant and nursing mothers.On October 13, 2009, the trial of Kilker v Glaxo ended with a Philadelphia jury awarding $2.5 million in compensatory damages to the family of Lyam Kilker, after finding that Glaxo "negligently failed to warn" the doctor treating Lyam's mother about the risks of Paxil and the drug was a "factual cause" of the child's heart defects.Glaxo's lead attorney at trial was King and Spalding partner Chilton Varner, and the family's lead attorney was Sean Tracey from Houston.During his opening statement on September 15, 2009...

Paxil Birth Defect Trial: Battle of the Experts
(NaturalNews) In the first Paxil birth defect trial that resulted in a $2.5 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline in October 2009, the infant, Lyam Kilker, was born with three heart defects; an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect, and an interrupted aortic arch, after his mother took Paxil while pregnant. Pregnant women cannot participate in clinical trials on drugs due to the risk of harm to the fetus. But after a drug has been on the market for a while, epidemiology studies can review the medical records of women who have taken a new drug while pregnant and the records of women who were not exposed to the drug while pregnant and compare the outcomes of the infants.The plaintiff's experts, Doctors Ra-id Abdulla, David Healy, Shira Kramer and Suzanne Parisian, all testified...

PAXIL (Paroxetine Hydrochloride) Tablet [STAT RX USA LLC]
Updated Date: Feb 18, 2010 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

Paxil Birth Defect Litigation - First Trial A Bust for Glaxo
(NaturalNews) GlaxoSmithKline has paid out close to $1 billion to resolve lawsuits involving Paxil since the drug came on the market in1992, according to a December 14, 2009 Bloomberg report. But the billion dollars does not cover the more than 600 Paxil birth defect cases currently pending in multi-litigation in Pennsylvania.Glaxo has settled about 10 birth defect cases, according to Sean Tracey, a Houston attorney who represented the family of a child victim in the first jury trial that decided in favor of the plaintiff on October 13, 2009, Bloomberg reports. The settlements in those lawsuits averaged about $4 million, people familiar with the cases told the new service. First Trial A Bust for GlaxoThe first trial, in the case of Kilker v Glaxo, ended with a jury in Philadelphia finding ...

Are Antidepressants Safe for Pregnant Women?
Americans take more antidepressants than they do any other type of prescription drug, and pregnant women are no exception. One out of every eight pregnant women in the U.S. takes selective serotonin re­up­take inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat depression or other mood disorders. A handful of recent studies suggest that these drugs could have adverse effects on infant health: they may increase the risk for rare heart defects, premature delivery, low birth weight and withdrawal symptoms. Nevertheless, some doctors argue that the benefits these drugs provide still outweigh the potential risks.Worries over the use of SSRIs during pregnancy first surfaced in journal articles published in the 1980s, but it was not until 2005 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conceded that babies born ...