Anxiety issue. Reduced sexual urge etc?

Hello. Your concerns are valid. It is wise to get your queries answered before you start taking antidepressants. First of all, Clonazepam is primarily an anti-anxiety medication. It is a good add-on to an antidepressant such as Paroxetine. Hence, this combination is good for someone who might have anxiety / panic symptoms , with probably some depressive features. The sleep inducing property is an additional effect of Clonazepam. This leads to some fears about getting addicted. Dependence is a better word. However, 0.5mg is not that high a dose. And with proper monitoring, this dose can be reduced after a few weeks. Once you and your doctor decide to stop the medication, it is possible to gradually reduce doses over a few weeks and stop then, without having much trouble. Dependence on Clonazepam is a problem usually when people take it for longer periods of time, such as a few years. Now about Paroxetine. The prominent side effects of this medicine are delayed ejaculation and lowering of sexual desire. However they don't occur in each and every person who takes Paroxetine. In fact, paroxetine is also taken by people who have the problem of premature ejaculation, as it delays ejaculation. Lowering of sexual desire can be observed and reported to the doctor. There are ways you can overcome this problem. One way is to take the medicine after the sexual activity. That way, it will have minimal effect, if any. More importantly, if you do experience the above mentioned side effects, they usually go away soon after you stop the medication. And you can always try alternatives to paroxetine. As I mentioned earlier, your concerns are valid. However, we should keep them as concerns in stead of letting them grow into fears. Because, whenever in doubt, you can always contact your doctor and solve the issue.

Maintain a diary of your routine once you start the medicine. That will help you notice any changes.

Avoid alcohol with this medication.