Anxiety and depression - perscribed Zoloft n Clonidine?

[CamCuddy]

28 y/o - Male -- So, I have always had anxiety. Got a prescription for xanex about 8-9 years ago. But I ended up only using it when I actually felt I needed it, as opposed to the .25 and .5, 3x daily (I think that's what it was). I had a couple refills and since I wasn't taking it that much. I didn't renew it after I ran out because I was no longer covered under my parents insurance and thinking about dealing with that (The bill or trying to get help, financially) gave me worse anxiety then my day-to-day. My anxiety doesn't prevent me from doing what I NEED to do. But it prevents me from doing what i know I SHOULD do. It makes me settle and be happy with getting by, when I have been "getting by" for my whole life. I rationalize this as okay by thinking about the people who are less fortunate with way worse mental health problems. Think about people who can't function because of thier anxiety. I feel like I can function, it's just a struggle. I know that everyone deserves to be happy and I shouldn't punish myself. So I finally decided to get help.

Went to my PCP who referred to me to a behavioral health practitioner. I am seeing a counselor (physiologist/therapist) and a Prescriber (psychiatrist). Was (re)diagnosed with Depressive disorder and Anxiety and prescribed Generic Zoloft and Clonidine. I don't notice much - in any way. Slight side effects (Mild sedation and Stomach issues mainly) but nothing that big of a deal, if they were helping my Depression and Anxiety.

I understand that zoloft can be used for both my issues. However, I feel like my Depression is a product of my Anxiety. I tend to let my anxiety run my life and after I do that. I feel like **** because I can recognize what I am doing it but still do it. I know so many coping skills but alot of them take the will power and I feel my will power is paralyzed by anxiety and over thinking. I plan to continue and see how it works because I am aware it take a while for SSRI's can increase some effects of Anxiety before making it better. I just feel like i'd be better off on something I know helps.

From what I understand, clonidine works by stimulating α2 receptors which decreases vascular resistance and inhibiting Norepinephrine which is one of (or the one) the main neurotransmitters in your Sympathetic nervous system. Which controls a good part of your "fight or flight" natural responses. I feel like that is treating the symptoms more than my actual anxiety and it's the mental aspect of my anxiety which i am having the real problems with. My problem with my anxiety isnt my body and how it respond to my anxiety. It's my mind going from worry to worry, when most of these worries are unfounded but just because I know that, my anxiety has a mind of it's own.

Just looking for advice or suggestions or just feedback. I havent sat down with my perscriber and told him how I feel but I feel like they will either treat me like I don't know what SSRI is and why it's not a good idea to start off with a benzodiazepin or treat me like a drug seeker because I am so interested in pharmacology and how the brain interacts with drugs and I have done some reading. Which I understand in theory because they can be addictive and if you can treat them with something else. Why not. But, since I know what has worked on my personal anxiety and have researched this topic for a year before I even was able to put my Anxiety aside to talk to my doctor.

I have been on these 2 meds for 3 weeks and a half weeks. Should I just tell him what I feel like I should be on or do I just tell him what makes me think these aren't right for me? Both the effects (lack there of) and what I actually think? Again, my anxiety makes me think he just going to think "Dumb guy goes on the internet and thinks he knows everything" when in reality that just helped me understand how how the drug is actually working in my brain, because neither seemed to help much.

Sorry for the rambling, again, anxiety kinda jumping from this thought to that thought.

Thanks,
Cam

[Paxiled]

You're using the internet the way it should be used -- after you've gotten a diagnosis and a treatment plan to ensure your doctor isn't an idiot.  Doctors are like everyone else -- some are good, some are average, some are awful.  Just having the degree doesn't mean they've done their homework or care a wit about you.  If you don't do your homework you can't help your doctors help you.  So that's fine.  It's googling symptoms without knowing what's up that's a problem.  My own view is, why start a person out on two drugs before you know if one will do?  An important and effective way to deal with these difficult problems, assuming someone actually needs medication and shouldn't be trying everything else first, is called augmentation.  That means adding second and third drugs when the first isn't completely doing the job.  But you have to try the first drug first to see if it does do the job.  As for your thinking that clonadine doesn't address the cause of your anxiety, neither does Zoloft.  No drug does because nobody knows the biological cause of anxiety or depression.  A lot of research is going on, but they haven't found the answer yet.  So all drugs only treat symptoms, not causes.  Only therapy attempts to treat causes.  As for what to tell your psychiatrist, yes, definitely share your concerns.  Two minds are better than one.  If any doctor can't provide an explanation for why he's doing what he's doing, find another doctor.  But most of them will if asked.  They're busy, so they don't often share with us what to look out for and how to avoid problems.  Most are negligent in how they put us on drugs and take us off of them.  Many don't actually know and get all their information from pharmaceutical company sales people.  Discuss it with him or her, and remember, always, that you decide, they don't.  They work for you.