QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I was recently prescribed Paxil 20mg 1 per day mainly for depression. However I also suffer form social phobia and OCD. From your knowledge is 20mg of Paxil sufficient to also be treating my social phobia. Also I was told by my doctor that I should begin feeling the effects within about 7-10 days but told by the pharmacist it will take only approx. 3-4 days, which is correct?
ANSWER:
Your pharmacist is probably correct. Most patients do well very quickly on the SSRI’s, often in 3-4 days. Paxil may work at 20mg – particularly for the social phobia, but in my experience much higher doses are going to be necessary for your OCD.