Follow-Up:
I took paxil for a very short period of time and found the side effects unacceptable. I also switched to wellbutrin (which I had taken before to help me quit smoking under the name of zyban). Wellbutrin takes about 14 days to kick in. I started with the 1-150mg tablet for 4 days and then increased to 2-150 mg tablets per day. It's been 11 months and within the first month I was able to get myself up out of bed and get my life going again. I have had no negative side-effects but I know that you must watch for anxiety and panic attacks - this seems the most common complaint with the drug. Unless it's unbearable, I'd say give it a month to see if it agrees with you. Take your last table no later than 4 or 5 PM to avoid sleeplessness. I had no trouble after the first few weeks once my body had adjusted some. Thankfully the wellbutrin SR has no sexual side effects. You must watch your alcohol consumption (I am a light social drinker and have had no problems). One last bonus is that it rarely contributes to weight gain and is in fact mostly noted to promote (small) weight loss. I dropped about ten pounds. One last thing, when you decide to go off wellbutrin (which conflicts in no way with the paxil) it must be done slowly! I am hoping to get off by the end of the summer if I can - although it has been used in studies for as long as ten years (in Europe) with no consequences. Good luck to you!