My brother started taking paxil about 3-4 weeks ago and his depression and anger has worsened.?

Has any one known of someone who was depressed and started taking paxil and it got much worse, almost suicidal? His anger and tolerance level is at 0, i thought he was bad before but since being on Paxil it seems much worse. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi sometimes these kind of medications can have the opposite effect on a person. Its hard to say how someone will react to a medication until they take it. I think at this point your brother needs to be going back to the doctor and getting the medication changed to a different one as if it was going to work well for him there would have been some signs by now that it was working. take care good luck

These adverse side-effects are covered by the Black Box warning on the drug - if you haven't the prescription literature to hand, you can read it over at rxlist.com.

The advice as to what to do, is covered by the Black Box warning info.

"All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of a course of drug therapy, or at times of dose changes, either increases or decreases. The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania, have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric."

"Families and caregivers of patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder or other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric, should be alerted about the need to monitor patients for the emergence of agitation, irritability, unusual changes in behavior, and the other symptoms described above, as well as the emergence of suicidality, and to report such symptoms immediately to healthcare providers. Such monitoring should include daily observation by families and caregivers. "

He should see a psychiatrist who specializes in mood disorders. Although it may be possible that Paxil just isn't the right antidepressant for him, what you are describing is a typical bipolar response to antidepressants. Been there, done that, I have bipolar.