Hellobee Boards

@IRunForFun: if we're strictly talking SSRIs, effexor isn't an SSRI, it's a SNRI. if we are talking SSRIs, no, paxil isn't the most commonly prescribed one, but with 14,335,000 prescriptions written for it in the US during 2013, still seems pretty widely prescribed, it was the 12th most commonly prescribed psych med (all psych meds, not just SSRIs) in the nation last year. you're correct, it did drop in the past years, from the 10th most common in 2005 to the 12th last year, dropped two spots in nine years. stats on psych med prescriptions here:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-25-psychiatric-medication-prescriptions-for-2013/00019543
of the top 25 listed, i've had the misfortune of picking up 20 of those (in addition to many, many others that aren't top 25) for myself or for the other member of my household, mostly the other member since i've only taken a PRN med for the past 5 years. i've seen a lot of meds come and go. no med should ever be taken lightly, but as far as psych meds go, SSRIs, paxil included, are lightweights (but can still be life changing in how powerful they can be for those who find them helpful!) & i have full confidence that OP is capable of working with her dr to pick something that would work best for her & that would minimize any risks or concerns she may have.

I've taken quite a few over the past 7yrs. I've taken Paxil and it made me so mean. I mean so so aggressive and nasty that I was fired from a job, was switched to Cymbalta and I gained a ton of weight, switched to Celexa and had the same reaction as the Paxil plus weight gain. Then Lexapro which I loved! But it slowly stopped working. So, now and for quite some time I've been on Zoloft and it's done wonders for my Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression.