system
Suggest treatment for panic disorder and depression
human
I am 45 yrs old man, height 6 feet and weight 90 kg. and working Delhi Police.  I am suffering from Panic disorder since october 1997 and taking Paxidep CR 25 mg.  When the treatment was started at RML hospital  I was told that it will take almost one year to be cured fully but still I have to take medicines.  The side effects I am facing are muscular zerks, loss of short term memory, concentration and loss of sexual desire. During the course I have also developed depression, probably due to nature of my ailments which seems to be incurable?  If I stop taking medicines or dare to lower its power, withdrawl symptoms noticed, sometime very severly. I have tried almost everything like walking, yoga, breathing exercise, good diet etc. which I am still on. My questions are: Whether I will have to suffer from this ailment for life ? Is it safe to take medicines (Paxidep CR 25 mg) for such a long period ? What should I do to be free from the clutches of this disease? Please advice. Thanks Raj Kumar
gpt
HelloThanks for askingPaxidep or paroxetine is a SSRI drug and it is relatively safe drug which is used in anxiety disorders and depression. You have problems of Panic disorder and Depression and are improving a little bit with medicines. But you are facing side effects like Sexual Dysfunction and jerks in muscles. See paroxetine is a safe drug and it can be taken for long periods of time without any significant risk of complications. But sexual side effects may cause significant distress. You can consult your doctor to decrease the dose by gradually tapering over 2-4 weeks. This will improve sexual functioning and will also prevent withdrawal effects. Alternatively other drugs like Mirtazepine, Bupropion can be used. These drugs are devoid of sexual side effects.There is no need to fear that you will have to take medicines for life. Usually anxiety disorders show response after prolonged therapy. With improvement the medicines can be discontinued.You can consult a Psychologist also to get free from this disease. Behavior therapy and relaxation exercises usually cause early improvement.Thanks