Q. it seems odd to me that I have been prescribed both Paxil and Risperdal. Paxil, as I understand it, is an SSRI, which means that, ultimately, it seeks to keep a higher level of serotonin in the brain. Risperdal is an antipsychotic, which seeks to decrease serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain. How is it that these medications are not counteracting one another?

A. A very good question. Paxil does increase serotonin in the brain, and this should help with depression, anxiety, headaches, obsessionality, achiness, lethargy, suicidality, and a host of other behaviors.

Risperdal is an antipsychotic, but does not really decrease serotonin even though it is a serotonin antagonist (which sounds like it should decrease serotonin). Serzone, the antidepressant, works a lot like Risperdal in that it is a serotonin antagonist at the same site of action. Yet, the net result of Serzone is that serotonin goes up in the brain. Risperdal may do this, too.

Not knowing the reasons for prescribing both, I suggest you discuss it with your doctor as to the wherefore and whys of using both simultaneously. I could think of a number of reasons where both could be appropriate to use at the same time.