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My therapist has recommended that I try out anti-depressants to help with my anxiety. She said that the usual anxiety medications are starting to be used less (unless it's for panic attacks) and anti-depressants or Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI's) are usually more effective (ie. Prozac, Cymbalta, Zoloft)
I see my internist tomorrow to talk about different kinds of medications, but I was wondering if anyone here has taken them or knows someone who has, and wouldn't mind sharing the experience. Good? Bad? Did a certain brand medication work better than another?
I don't really know anyone who's gone through this and any info would help. Thanks in advance.
Post by inertiaticc on Apr 9, 2008 19:15:08 GMT -5
owsley said:
My therapist has recommended that I try out anti-depressants to help with my anxiety. She said that the usual anxiety medications are starting to be used less (unless it's for panic attacks) and anti-depressants or Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI's) are usually more effective (ie. Prozac, Cymbalta, Zoloft)
I see my internist tomorrow to talk about different kinds of medications, but I was wondering if anyone here has taken them or knows someone who has, and wouldn't mind sharing the experience. Good? Bad? Did a certain brand medication work better than another?
I don't really know anyone who's gone through this and any info would help. Thanks in advance.
About a week before "that time of the month" for me, I take Prozac... It really helps me out, as during that specific time I have a tendency to get extremely depressed. Prozac hasn't given me any bad side effects when I've taken it. I haven't had to try anything else, though. Hope this helps a bit.
I have anxiety and get panic attacks associated with PTSD, but I absolutely refuse to take drugs for it. I'm of the opinion that we're far too quick to just pop a pill for every little problem we run into. I'm not saying those of you on medication don't have real problems in need of real treatment, just that it's not for me.
Post by DystopianDream on Apr 9, 2008 19:51:40 GMT -5
I have tried a virtual salad of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds over the past few years. None of them have worked for me--they all made me feel fuzzy and out of it and never really fixed the problem.
Anxiety is a huge issue for me--I teach college english and I *HATE* public speaking, so it was really a problem for me. I had panic attacks several times a week. After trying several meds (cymbalta, elavil, prozac, etc.), my dr. suggested a beta blocker (propranonol). Works like a freaking charm. I use it *only* when anxious, it calms me down with out making me out of it, and because I no longer have to worry about panic attacks (since I know I have a med that can knock them out), I'm no longer bummed out either.
I realize that this approach wouldn't work for everyone, but it's certainly worth a try for anyone dealing with anxiety. It quite literally changed my life (sorry for the cheese, but it's true).
Watchin' a stretch of road, miles of light explode. Driftin' off a thing I'd never done before. Watchin' a crowd roll in. Out go the lights it begins. A feelin' in my bones I've never felt before...
Post by spookymonster on Apr 9, 2008 20:08:01 GMT -5
bos1969 said:
have also taken Welbutrin - it makes my skin crawl
Interesting how different people have such different reactions... Wellbutrin was a Godsend for one of my relatives when Paxil started to fail... But then I guess different treatments for different problems, eh?
I agree with badfish totally. If he can deal with PTSD without anything, he's definitely a trooper. Most power to you bro.
My father in the last several months has been on a billion different things for his anxiety and bi-polar. He actually went through many years of his life thinking he was normal. Personally, I think the druqs made him much worse, distant and strange. Not to mention I don't like the idea of him having any benzodiazepines at his disposal(klonopin[clonazepam], xanax[alprazolam], ativan[lorazepam], etc, etc.) but nobody will listen to me, alas I am too young. He recently decided to stop taking everything and I think its much better for him.
Seeing as I am genetically predisposed to these disorders(his entire side of the family is NUTS) and I think anxiety is already starting to creep up on me, I've made the decision to never use any anti-depressants. This excludes the benzo's though. The different between benzo's and antidepressant is that benzos are more of an "instant" relief and antidepressant(ssri and such) are more of an over time type of thing. antidepressants can change your entire feeling in life and the most frequent used word I have come across for many of them is "mummy".
The only problem with Benzo's is that they are basically freezedried alcohol. To mix a benzo and alcohol is basically instant retrograde amnesia, and since they are both central nervous system depressants quite possibly death.If you have an addictive personality I do not recommend them. This said they are not an everyday medicine but more of a severe anxiety dependent quick fix for lack of better words.
The decision lies with you as for what you'd like to do but I personally will not take antidepressants. I will take the good with the bad the day (if)my brain develops two poles and try and work through it naturally. I see more as an exploration of my own mind then something totally negative.
Good luck in your choice, and remember whatever you end up getting if you end up getting it, ask them lots of questions. www.erowid.org if you want to see about it. Watch out for things like seroquel which is an antipsychotic, i've heard that being prescribed for people with sleeping problems and anxiety which I think is incredibly stupid.
Post by trippindaisy on Apr 9, 2008 20:23:57 GMT -5
My best friend took Zoloft while going through a "surprise" nasty divorce. It totally kept her from losing it and helped her to keep focused on her job instead of geting side tracked on all the crap going on in her personal life.
My teenage daughter was on zoloft for about a year for social anxiety disorder and it really did wonders for her. She decided to come off it recently but seems to be doing much better - I think she has actually maybe grown out of some of her issues.
As far as I know, neither of them really had any side effects with Zoloft.
antidepressants can change your entire feeling in life and the most frequent used word I have come across for many of them is "mummy".
yeah, that's kind of what i'm afraid of. plus, as some of you wonderful people have mentioned, each anti-depressant affects everyone differently and i'm not very keen on introducing a new chemical to my body.
...however, my therapist did make a good case. i've been seeing her for about 3 months now and she basically said it could really help me if i take them short term to lower the anxiety level which has really been serving as a mental block, so that i can deal with the depression issues more aggressively and quickly. my mental anxiety and "obsessive thoughts" as she put it (makes me sound a bit crazy..) have really paralyzed me the past 5 months. i'm 21 and it's like my entire life has been put on hold...and it sucks. she did agree that she thought too many people are too quick to jump to medication, but she's also seen vast improvements with some of her clients who use them as a starting point.
i've really tried the past couple of months to get all this figured out and under control with very little success. so as of right now i'm gonna see what my doctor has to say and then probably try them out.
thanks for all your responses, i'd karma you all if i could!
Post by SouthGA_Festival Machine on Apr 9, 2008 20:47:27 GMT -5
It's also important to realize that the same drug can affect different people in different ways. Just because a drug worked perfectly for one person, does not mean it will have the same effect in another. Some people could need very different dosages than others and some drugs could have very different results in different people. Research is now being done to allow for individually tailored drugs.
I've been on prozac, Paxil, zoloft, and lexapro. My doc. said lexapro usually works best when treating depression linked to anxiety. They all made me really sleepy at work during certain times of the day, and by really sleepy i mean narcoleptic (sp)? One think I didnt know that i think you should know is that they have very uncomfortable (for me) withdrawel symptoms if you quit them cold turkey. If you try one and dont like the effects ween yourself off slowly, also welbutrin is one that you can take if you are worried about sexual side effects. It has the lowest occourance (sp) ? of side effects
Post by GratefulHippie on Apr 9, 2008 23:37:18 GMT -5
i was on lexapro for a while, but then i just kinda plateaued and wasn't getting anywhere. so they lowered the dosage of lexapro and threw in a small dosage of wellbutrin as a kicker, and i was great.
i'm no longer on any medications, but it was a godsend to me at the time
Over the past 4 years I have gone through multiple medications, all for depression/anxiety/insomnia issues. Whether they helped me or not, I cannot tell for sure. However, I do know that the person I was before medication and the person I am now are completely different people. In rooting out the "bad," there is always the risk of losing some of the "good" that may have gotten tangled up with it. In my case, most everything I identified as "typically Liz" was lost. Please keep this in mind, though this is only my personal experience and I trust you know what is best for you.
I wish you well & the best of luck.
And Wellbutrin/Lexapro must be a popular combo. I just got off the cocktail a few months ago. Now med free for the first time in years.
Luvox (fluvoxamine) for my Social Axiety Disorder saved my life (literally) when I was in my teens.
Now I"m not on anything..I was on Lexapro for a short stint but my dad was on that and hated it so I quit taking it. More than anything, I probably just need a monophasic BC pill that will even my hormones out. That's what makes me get all loopy. The panic is pretty manageable these days..I can usually feel a panic attack coming on and diffuse it before it gets too bad.
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Post by ☮ superbek ☮ on Apr 10, 2008 4:02:03 GMT -5
southgajd said:
It's also important to realize that the same NO NO WORD!!!! can affect different people in different ways. Just because a NO NO WORD!!!! worked perfectly for one person, does not mean it will have the same effect in another. Some people could need very different dosages than others and some NO NO WORD!!!! could have very different results in different people. Research is now being done to allow for individually tailored NO NO WORD!!!!.
exactly.
I have tried the anti depressants and I hate them.... I do not like being "forced" to feel a certain way. I have both anxiety and depression but I try to find other ways to correct it.... yoga is a godsend.
It's also important to realize that the same NO NO WORD!!!! can affect different people in different ways. Just because a NO NO WORD!!!! worked perfectly for one person, does not mean it will have the same effect in another. Some people could need very different dosages than others and some NO NO WORD!!!! could have very different results in different people. Research is now being done to allow for individually tailored NO NO WORD!!!!.
exactly.
I have tried the anti depressants and I hate them.... I do not like being "forced" to feel a certain way. I have both anxiety and depression but I try to find other ways to correct it.... yoga is a godsend.
see - I feel that way to a great extent - but having the ativan helps because it is on an as needed basis. I hated taking anti-depressants and I hate having to take my thyroid medication - HATE having to take anything that I am told I have to take. Just the control freak in me coming out, I guess
Post by freedomofmusic on Apr 10, 2008 8:38:14 GMT -5
Whatever you do, be aware of your insurance situation.
I filled just one prescription of Zoloft 7 years ago (after miscarriage and panic attacks). Four years ago, I changed to a different plan with my same insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and they took the opportunity to deny me FOREVER of any kind of psych treatment (I'm self employed) because of that one prescription.
They also informed me that my insurance premiums have been increased by 10% every since that one bottle of pills - for my ENTIRE family.
Well, I finally have a new plan (with BCBS because I am their prisoner) and have gotten the ban taken off, but the upcharge on my premium remains.
In retrospect, I should have just taken a super nice vacation to relax and exercised more.
Watchin' a stretch of road, miles of light explode. Driftin' off a thing I'd never done before. Watchin' a crowd roll in. Out go the lights it begins. A feelin' in my bones I've never felt before...
im not currently on any but i have been before. like a bunch of people said, different meds affect everyone differently. you may have to go through 2, 3, 4 different types until you and your doctor find the right one. the problem ive have with anti depressesnt is the loss of emotion. another problem ive had is a shortened attention span. to me, it almost felt like everytime i thought of something sad or started to get depressed my mind would just "hop" elsewhere and i didnt have time to really think about it. I guess that could be a good thing, but i felt like i was having trouble concentrating on school and other things as well. i talked to my doc and he changed up the meds to something that worked better. but in the end, im glad i took them because they did really help me.
the only thing i take right now is ativan for anxiety which is helpful.
i also started taking seasonique for my birth control about 6 months ago and that has reallllllly helped with my emotions. i guess my hormones are balancing out with it.
Post by Steel_City_X on Apr 12, 2008 6:10:25 GMT -5
I would say try it for a while.
Last year, actually most of my life I had issues with anger. But last year some stuff pushed me over the edge and I was ready to to get a PO uniform.
My doctor gave me a prescription for Zoloft - (BCBS/United forced generic) and once my system got used to it, I have had a much more enjoyable year. The was a month when I did not have a care in the world. I told a few people that I hoped that I would not see anyone floating down the river needing help, because I would just sit there and wave at them as they drowned by.
I consider them my "Happy Pills", yes I still have emotions and I occasionally bust through with some anger, but my wife and son seem to enjoy me not blowing my top over small things.
Good luck, my alcohol spending did drop after I stopped self medicating.
For me I would say that it has been worth the dampening of my emotions.
three numbers, 420. its how a good bit of celebrities and rich folk smoke pot legally (if theyre in one of the right states) not to mention it chills you the fuuck out, quite nicely. one of my best friends has real bad panic attacks and MJ helps keep her sane.
Post by KathrynMary on Apr 14, 2008 2:39:44 GMT -5
I've been on and off anti-depressants since I was in 7th grade. Prozac made me gain 30 lbs in 8 months (which is horrible for anybody...hell for a 7th/8th grader). Zoloft and Paxil made me throw up about 15 minutes to a half hour after taking them. I went through an "I'm not crazy I don't need these pills" time of my life around the end of my senior year of highschool into my first year of college...and then realized that I didn't need them as much for depression as I did for anxiety. I've been on Lexapro ever since and it seems to be working the best out of the buffet of pills I've taken thus far.
I was on Lexapro/Celexa for a few years to help combat my depression and anxiety, and it worked alright. I've recently started taking Prozac and it works a lot better for me, though. Unfortunately, due to my medical past (used to have seizures), the one drug I can never take which my doctor says would be most effective for me is Wellbutrin. It's been a godsend for several people I know, also.
^im pretty sure thats the point of those drugs. although i do agree some pills may help certain people out (it always seems to be the smaller names that seem to help out most) and you cant really hate on real experience. back to my main point though, i believe that the point of half of the drugs a psychiatrist can prescribe you are meant to dumb down the emotions in order to suppress free though because free thought's scary...right guys? right?...(chuckle). The worst part is that parents are sending their kids into a psychiatrists office (a place where the patient has the power if they aren't complete dum dums and the psychiatrist is...which he was in my case) and letting them tell the psychiatrist what they want to hear and then go to the store in order to purchase these emotion-suppressants just so they can feed them to the poor things (aka-THEIR CHILDREN) that theyve been dragging around all day. YOUR KID ISNT ADD!!!HES BEING A KID!! Its such a joke and the worst part is, it's not even funny anymore. I wish they would test those type of drugs on the people in legislative positions who put the bills into motion to get those drugs out on the streets. And when I say out on the streets I mean literally. College kids value a 25mg adderall more than they do a bag of dankb|_|ds. Where di the time go (and im only 18...)...sad...
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