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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Remeron and Xanax
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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Remeron and Xanax
by dont, May 28, 2004 12:00AM
I have have had major health anxiety the past 5 months and have been convinced I am dying of neurological diseases. It has been a huge roller coaster for me because I am med sensitive. I have finally found one I can tolerate or at least better than the other three I have tried.
I am in therapy and am doing the Mastering Stress program.
My question is though is I am on 15 mg of Remeron a day and 1.5 mg of Xanax a day.
I get up in the morning fine now and not anxious. If I take the Xanax as prescribed I stay calm during the day. My problem is at 7:00 PM everynight I am ready for bed and can sleep through the night. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old and cannot function like that. I am starting to feel less obsessive about my death thoughts due to therapy, your program and the Remeron but I want to know will the tiredness ever go away. I have been on it for 11 days. I also feel emotionally numb toward my family. My husband thinks that is because of what I have put myself through and that because I am emotionally and mentally and physcially spent from all the panic over what disease I did or did not have.
My two worries are:
1) will the fatique from the Remeron ever go away?
2) Is the emotional numbness from the Remeron Xanax or just my experience?
My therapasist says the meds are just like getting back to yourself in a car with them as opposed to getting back to yourself without them by walking BUT
Will they make me happier now that my obssesive thoughts are diminishing?
I don't want to take an Anti dep. if it's going to make me numb to the world and not care about anything or anybody.
I am really getting a lot of issues out in the open in therapy and understanding what my problems are but I just hate this emotinally dead feeling that I have toward everything and everybody. I thought AD were supposed to stop you from feeling that way not make you feel that way or am do I just need to give both the therapy, the program and the Remeron more time? Or is it just because even thought I'm not obssessing about dying anymore amd I just still depressed?
I hope I made sense. The local physchs that you go to here are so UN warm and fuzzy. They just say, "you'll feel better" and change the subject. I want to be myself again not be an emotional dead head. Thanks for any input you can give me.
I am in therapy and am doing the Mastering Stress program.
My question is though is I am on 15 mg of Remeron a day and 1.5 mg of Xanax a day.
I get up in the morning fine now and not anxious. If I take the Xanax as prescribed I stay calm during the day. My problem is at 7:00 PM everynight I am ready for bed and can sleep through the night. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old and cannot function like that. I am starting to feel less obsessive about my death thoughts due to therapy, your program and the Remeron but I want to know will the tiredness ever go away. I have been on it for 11 days. I also feel emotionally numb toward my family. My husband thinks that is because of what I have put myself through and that because I am emotionally and mentally and physcially spent from all the panic over what disease I did or did not have.
My two worries are:
1) will the fatique from the Remeron ever go away?
2) Is the emotional numbness from the Remeron Xanax or just my experience?
My therapasist says the meds are just like getting back to yourself in a car with them as opposed to getting back to yourself without them by walking BUT
Will they make me happier now that my obssesive thoughts are diminishing?
I don't want to take an Anti dep. if it's going to make me numb to the world and not care about anything or anybody.
I am really getting a lot of issues out in the open in therapy and understanding what my problems are but I just hate this emotinally dead feeling that I have toward everything and everybody. I thought AD were supposed to stop you from feeling that way not make you feel that way or am do I just need to give both the therapy, the program and the Remeron more time? Or is it just because even thought I'm not obssessing about dying anymore amd I just still depressed?
I hope I made sense. The local physchs that you go to here are so UN warm and fuzzy. They just say, "you'll feel better" and change the subject. I want to be myself again not be an emotional dead head. Thanks for any input you can give me.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., May 29, 2004 12:00AM
, May 29, 2004 12:00AM
I think you are in a healing phase, and the numbness is a temporary protection for you from being too passionately involved with your fears. Your husband is partially correct, you are emotionally and physically exhausted, and that contributes to your tiredness and low contact level. I think that as you continue your inner exploration, all of your feelings will come back in a new integrated and modulated way that will be more stable and sustaining for you. Those doses of medication, even for a sensitive person, will probably work out for you if you give it another two weeks. If you are still as tired then, then ask your doctor to lower your dosage.
2) The emotional numbness you are feeling MAY be more related to the Xanax...do you take 1.5 mgs. all at once or in divided doses...if you take it all at once, try dividing it.
3) Sometimes ALL antidepressants can cause blunting of emotions....since you are having a good experience with Remeron, don't be quick about discontinuing it.
4) One thing that is different about Remeron is that the more it is INCREASED, the LESS anxiety you SHOULD feel.....maybe if it was increased, Xanax could be DECREASED?
Good luck!
Good luck.....
Karen, I hope you are doing well. Trying to get all the info for you about Remeron that I can. Lynda