> I've been taking some anti-depressives for the last month now, on account of
> social phobia, anxiety, obssessive thinking and what not. I started feeling some
> slight improvements a week or so back and they've been helping me significantly,
> so i'm getting pretty optimistic about the treatment, but i'm getting some
> nagging side-effects, mainly delayed ejaculation up to total innability to cum
> and some insomnia.
> I've been taking paroxetin 20mg and now the doc has tried cutting it back to
> 15mg to try and ease the side-effects, if that doesn't do it, he'll try
> switching me to fluoxetin.
>
> What have been your experiences with meds, good or bad?

I was on paroxetine/seroxat/paxil (all the same thing) for a while. Started off on 20, moved up to 30, and I think I was on 40 for a little while. Altogether, I think I was on it for almost 2 years. However, for some of that time, I was still going out drinking, which negates the effects a bit.

I got the delayed ejaculation thing when I moved up to 30mg. I had a girlfriend at the time, and she loved it! It seemed to get quite a bit better over time anyway (after about a month, 6 weeks, I think). I didn't get insomnia, though my sleep pattern did get messed up a bit. Insomnia can be a symptom of the under-lying depression itself, so that may ease over time anyway. There are lots of tips about how to get to sleep in a leaflet I have ... including
- don't exercise too close to bedtime
- (obvious, but) don't have caffiene for many hours before you go to bed, also alcohol and nicotine
- try to eat healthily
- make sure you feel comfortable in bed (not too warm, too cold)
- [this is the best] if you haven't been able to get to sleep for, say, 30 mins, try reading a book or listening to chilled music for a while, then try to sleep again a bit later. TV and gaming aren't good for this, as they "over-stimulate" you

I think the pills probably helped me through a rough time, but I'm not sure if they were right for me. I became a bit too relaxed about every day pressures, to the point where I couldn't be bothered to do any uni work, or even get out of bed. Sounds like my depression was different from yours though, so they could be just right for you. Word of warning though - there's stuff in the leaflet about consulting your GP before you stop taking them ... this is something you should definitely do. I went cold turkey, and had a fucked-up few weeks.

Anyway, best of luck to you dude - glad things are on the up.