As well as being g Hypothyroid for 20 years I have Body Dismorphia.
I have had a bad time with it over the last few years and have had to resort to antidepressants.
I found Citalopram worked a couple of years ago, but have been on it again for 8 weeks with no improvement. My doctor has taken me off it and put me on Paroxetine.
I can't find anything good about Paroxetine on any forums and wondered if anyone here has had any good or bad experiences with it?
I am concerned and looking for a bit of reassurance.
Thanks
Sophie ☺ xx
Written by
sophiethecat2003
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So glad you posted this here. Yes I have taken Paroxatine (seroxat) on and off for many years. I have found it to be an excellent anti depressant. I tried Citalopram in the past but for me Paroxatine was far better. I have always taken the branded version Seroxat.
Please don't be frightened off by all the scare mongering on the Internet.
You will find huge amounts of negativity about all numbers of anti depressants including venlefaxine, duloxatine, Prozac....the list goes on. Most of the negativity is about the discontinuation problems surrounding these meds and indeed these problems do exist amd have been well documented and so caution must be executed when stopping them.
Neurotransmitters in the brain do take a bit of a bashing when we stop them.
I come from a family ( all creative and artistic) who have all battled with severe forms of depression etc and without the intervention of peroxatine would be incapable of leading any form of normal life let alone being creative and vibrant.
Peroxatine has helped millions of people but we seldom here the positive stories.
I have known many people who take this SSRi and it has helped all of them. Myself included.
Some SSRI's can increase the conversion of T4 to T3 so if you start to feel a bit over stimulated then get your Thyroid bloods done and check levels. This happened to me on Seroxat. My FT3 level was always much higher when taking it and then it would drop when I stopped taking it. I never became hyper...just well!
By the way, I have never experienced any discontinuation problems with peroxatine. It suits me very well.
Body dismorphia must dreadful to live with. I have felt the healthiest both mentally and physically when taking this drug. Only good things to say about it. It has helped so many people I know lead normal lives. It has enabled them to confront each day spontaneously and with a sense of calmness and freedom.
One thing to add. Hypothyroidism can cause not only depression but has been associated with other psychological illness like OCD....etc.
All the members of my family who have suffered from severe forms of depression and OCD etc are ALL HYPOTHYROID. I believe there is a link somewhere. But I also believe ( because I have to) that for some people thyroid hormones are not enough. That the brain is so interdependent.......dopamine, nor epinephrine, serotonin etc........that all these neurotransmitters rely not just on good levels of T3 but much, much more.
Goodness we are so mind bogglingly complicated. But for now...we must take what works😊
I hope this has reassured you. Even just a little. X
I've taken four different SSRIs over the years. Seroxat was the only one I actually got some minor improvement on. I came off it after a couple of years because I was hoping I didn't need it any more. But then, when I wanted to go back on it, because of the bad press it had been getting I was never allowed to have a prescription for it again.
The last SSRI I ever tried was Citalopram and it made me feel 50 times worse. I would never take an SSRI again now.
The bad press was a mixture of things. The discontinuation problems which are well documented and also that in some people suicidal ideation resulted. There were some suicides.
Another reason was that this particular antidepressant hit the headlines after the BBC made a documentary about it. It was catapulted into the headlines. If you choose to read the forums you will always find negative posts. About Most meds...levothyroxine included!
If your doctor thought you were at risk I'm pretty sure he would not have prescribed this particular SSRi. It is contraindicated in people younger that 18 years I think.
Please stop being frightened of it. When it works it is a very good anti depressant.
Day 2 is early days......remember for every negative post there will be thousands who have turned their lives around because of this drug.
I forgot to say that BBC was lambasted for their documentary as it was a purely biased piece of journalism.
We are so used these days to googling everything and often to our own detriment. Are you taking 20mcgs?
Well the side effects didn't last too long maybe a couple of weeks. I think I started on 10mgs for a week and then bit the bullet and went to 20mcgs.
I think the worst thing was feeling sort of drunk and very nauseas. I think they upset my tummy too if I remember rightly.
The good thing about taking SSRI's with levothyroxine is that they tend to kick in a bit faster. The addition of levothyroxine seems to hasten the effect of the anti depressant.
If you're on day 2/3 you're doing really well. Stick with them Sophie. I'm looking forward to the day when you PM me and tell me that you're feeling loads better about yourself. I am convinced that it will happen for you and sooner than you imagine.😊
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Very worried.
Just joined Thyroid UK
Sad and anxious 
REALLY REALLY SCARED
