"Paxil is effective for social anxiety disorder"

I tried Paxil for 7 days in response to advertisement that it is effective for social anxiety disorder. In that period, I experienced just about all of the side effects that are listed to some degree. Worse than the side effects was the feeling of being drugged, similar to how you would expect to feel on pain medication. I found the feeling intolerable, to the point I was dreading having to take another pill. I stopped taking the drug on the 8th day, and did not experience any of the withdrawal symptoms. To the contrary, I felt very refreshed and clear headed the next day. I have concluded that drugs are not the answer to social anxiety, or any other kind of anxiety for that matter. My mother has "panic disorder" and is being "treated" with a variety of drugs, including Paxil. She walks around in a stupor most of the time, and is completely dependent on psychiatrists and their prescriptions. I will shoot myself before I allow myself to end up like her. Only by facing your fears directly can you overcome them. If something doesn't feel right, trust your instincts, not doctors or the marketing people at companies like SmithKline Beecham.

-- submitted by pgrub1, 39