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Paxil
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In addition to Paxil®, there are several other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on the market today. Celexa® (citalopram), Lexapro® (escitalopram), Effexor® (venlafaxine), and Zoloft® (sertraline) are available by prescription in the United States. These drugs, which are prescribed to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety, can cause a host of unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. Most noteworthy are the reports of increased suicidal thoughts experienced by patients when they start treatment with SSRIs. Psychiatrists who prescribe Celexa®, Lexapro®, Effexor®, and Zoloft® should monitor how individual patients react to these powerful drugs.
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GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) steady addition to the list of disorders Paxil is supposed to treat and an energetic campaign for its use have lead to an astounding increase in the number of users. There are an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 new users every day. In 2001, doctors wrote about 25 million new prescriptions for Paxil. Some of those were for pregnant women. However, GSK did not tell them or their doctors about the risks of defects, including heart defects, in unborn babies. How does this happen?
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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.
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Unfortunately, Paxil® has some unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. Studies have shown that some patients who take paroxetine experience worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety. In particular, Paxil® may cause patients to experience an increase of suicidal thoughts. In fact, studies seemed to indicate that the risk for suicide doubled for patients taking paroxetine. Patients were most likely to experience suicidal symptoms at the start of treatment, when doses were changed, and upon abruptly stopping the use of Paxil®. Physicians should closely monitor the reactions of patients taking anti-depressant drugs like Paxil®.
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Paxil® (paroxetine HCI) is a newer class of antidepressant medication known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Disorders such as social anxiety and depression may be caused by an imbalance of chemical messengers in the brain (serotonin). Serotonin 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. When someone suffers from one of these diseases, there may be a problem with the serotonin balance that affects the cell to cell communication.
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Since the first SSRI (Prozac) was approved in the United States in 1988, there has been considerable controversy over whether SSRIs, including Paxil, can cause some people to become violent and/or suicidal. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration required Paxil and other antidepressants to carry a bold black box label warning of the increased risk of suicidal behavior in children and adolescents. Later, that warning was expanded to include adults.
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