Mind & Mood

Ask the doctor: Side effects of anxiety medications

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Q.I have been taking an SSRI (paroxetine HCl) for many years for chronic anxiety and, at times, panic attacks. What are the side effects of the long-term use of SSRIs?

Like all medicines, SSRIs can have adverse interactions with some other medicines. Probably the most important is an increased risk of bleeding in people who also are using blood-thinning medicines such as aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or anticoagulants such as warfarin.

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