Rhinoplasty/Septoplasty. Should I stop taking Paxil?

Every plastic surgeon has their own way of doing things. With that said, I've never asked a patient to stop an anti-depressant medication prior to any type of surgery. If your surgeon insists on this and you feel stopping the medication for one month would cause you to suffer significantly, seek a second opinion. Anti-depressants take over a month to reach their maximum effect. Thus, stopping Paxil for a month would be expected to reduce the effectiveness of this medication for at least another month after you restart the medication (at least two months total).

If your surgeon does not want you to take any medication prior to or after the operation don't take it. I personally don't insist on stopping antidepressants before after an operation.

 We do  not ask patient's to stop taking their antidepressants before surgery. We simply asked them not to take any aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, and herbal supplements so that they do not get a nosebleed after the procedure.