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Originally Posted by goddfather40
madp,
I have been on 20 mg of Paxil for about 5 years now due to panic disorder. I have a very hard time losing weight and keeping it off. When I started on Paxil I was around 200 lbs (I'm 6'2"), now I am around 290 lbs. I am now 26 years old and I eat a 2200 calorie diet and exercise 3 times a week. That should be enough to get me down to around 250 at least. Is the lowering of the metabolism due to the Paxil at fault for my weight difficulties? Or is it the fact that I am now 26 and getting older? Also, I would love to get off Paxil, but whenever I consider it, it seems I have a minor panic attack within a week or so of considering and I don't do it. Any insights?
Thanks
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Weight gain is not a common side effect with Paxil, and certainly not the degree to which you're talking about. And, to be completely honest, that's where my expertise ends on this subject. However, if you want to get off of Paxil, psychotherapists with expertise in cognitive-behavioral therapy have great succcess in helping people with panic disorder completely overcome the problem to the extent that they no longer require pharmacotherapy. If you life in a metropolitan area, there should be an expert or two around. However, if the therapist only "dabbles" with cognitive-behavioral therapy, it is likely to be a longer "trial and error" process.
Getting back to the weight gain. . .if you REALLY eat a 2200 calorie diet and exercise 3 times a week. . . .I'm completely baffled. Is this degree of obesity (and let's face it. . . 290 at 6'2" is dangerously obese) common in your family? Are you on any other medications? I'm afraid I don't have any insight, but I would go see an endocrinologist if your diet and exercise routines are as you describe them. That just doesn't make any sense to me, and quite frankly it doesn't sound normal.
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Originally Posted by tamiks8
My Family Doctor cannot figure out what is wrong with me, can you offer an opinion? Over the last 6 months or so I have been experiencing heart palpitations very often, and usually many in a row. These happen mostly after exersize, after eating, or sometimes when Im doing absolutely nothing. My Dr feels that panic attacks bring on the heart palpitations, but I feel that the palpitations bring on my anxiety, as they are very scary to have. I was put on Zoloft, 50 mg, which has done nothing at all, even after 6 weeks. The only things that seem to help are beta-blockers, which I dont like taking, because I cannot exersize, or even walk fast after taking them. Not to mention drink any alcohol. As a mental health Professional, do you beleive that a person with anxiety should be having so many palpitations (many per day), especially after eating and exersize?
I know you dont specialize in this field, but could a certain birth control pill (or horomone related issues) alter a persons' anxiety level to the point of panic disorder?
Thanks so much!
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Panic disorder can definitely cause heart palpitations, and most people who go to the ER thinking they are having a heart attack are actually suffering from a panic attack.
Having said that, there are way too many things that could be causing your palpitations for me to even give you an educated guess. I often ask people if they take any decongestants (i.e., claritan D, Allegra D, Pseudophed, etc), or drink excessive amounts of strong coffee, because all of the above cause heart palpitations like an MF. But again, there are just far too many possibilities for me to give you any kind of meaningful or reliable response. Sorry. Go to a cardiologist and get a stress test if you aren't happy with the answers you're getting from your primary care doc.
Also. . . a brief afterthought. . . Paxil is generally considered to be the SSRI of choice for people suffering from panic disorder.