"i wonder if anyone can relate to my experience with paxil. during about 17 years of severe depression and anxiety, no medication (i&#039;ve tried them all) seemed to help and the ones that did, brought along unbearable side effects. ect didn&#039;t help either. paxil is the only pill that really works for me, but it makes me slightly manic. combining it with a mood stabiliser works perfect %u2013 but only for 6 months. after that, it&#039;s depression all over again. after waiting for another 6 months, i can start using paxil in combination with a mood stabiliser again, with good results that always only lasts for 6 months. this 6 months on/6 months off has become a very predictable pattern over the years. "