Q: I am an IT professional. Whenever I do a presentation, or go for any meeting, the first 10 minutes I feel very tensed and start speaking very fast. I feel very tensed half an hour prior to any of the above. I also have motion-based tension. After 10 minutes I become normal. This has caused a lot of disturbance to my career. I consulted a psychiatrist who told me this is due to some deficiency in the nervous system. He prescribed Paxidep CR 12.5 mg tablet one/day for the first 10 days and 2/day for further 10 days. I found some interesting facts about this drug on the Internet, stating that it is very dangerous to health. Can I take Paxidep or not?

A:Millions of people around the world get tense and nervous while facing a group of people be it a presentation in a small meeting or a TV programme. Such feelings get resolved in due course on their own and by will power or by non-drug means such as Yoga. However due to aggressive promotion by drug companies, anti-depressant medicines are prescribed even when there is no clinical need. Paxidep SR is the brand name of a medicine called paroxetine. It is indicated only in major, correctly diagnosed depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) not responding to conventional medicines. Its side effects include worsening of symptoms of depression, suicidal tendency, sweating, tremor, asthenia, dry mouth, dizziness, bleeding, constipation, diarrhoea, impotence, decreased libido, abnormal ejaculation, dystonic reactions, fits, blurred vision, yawning, and akathesia. Severe agitation-type events including agitation, disinhibition, emotional liability, hostility, aggression and depersonalisation are also a few side effects. Hallucinations, and serotonin syndrome can also occur. The medicine can also lead to withdrawal symptoms when discontinued.