"in comparison to cipralex, which i was on for about 6 months, paroxetine is extremely effective for me. cipralex put me to sleep, however,  i have no adverse effects on paroxetine and feel so much better on the drug. i would say the drug brings me to a state of balance. not happy, but not sad either and i can live with that. my only concern is that i have gained about 15 pounds in 5 months due to the fact that i eat far more calories than i burn off. i hate the weight gain and my body feels foreign to me with the extra weight, but even so, my mood is so much better i&#039;ll take it."