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Avatar universal

Escitalopram?

i am a sufferer of major depression and suffer from GAD (general anxiety disorder)  the anxiety  is 10 times worse than the depression , i ended up back at my docs this morning because i was so on edge and couldnt relax i hadent slept all night properly i felt terrible, . My anxiety is so bad its caused servere depersonalization / derealization , and this is why i felt it nessersary to visit my doc to explane this, bareing in mind this is the 4th time since last monday ive been back to the docs,
I even ended up crying because i have so much nervous energy and can never keep still or relax, the doc wouldnt supply a specific anxiety med, but decided to change my current srri prozac 20mg to Escitalpram 10mg? it really dosent make sense lowering the dose and changing meds,.
is this Escitalpram used for anxiety then? because ive never herd of it before, ? i just want a propa chill pill so i can relax my thoughts and give myself a chance to get myself together and think about how im going to tackle this anxiety in the long run , and im now seriously concidering buying some meds off the net,  im so frustrated and feel helpless , I want to relax feel ' normal again ' and get back to work but ijust dont feel im getting the correct help i should be :(
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358304 tn?1409709492
I'm sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. Just remember, it won't last forever. =) You will have good days. Especially once you find the right med for you. And you probably wont even need to be on a med for ever. =) Seeing a therapist will help greatly too combined with a little med.

Take care of yourself. Try to get some rest, and remember we are/have been through similar things... thats why we are here. =) To listen and help as much as we can.

-Cnote-
Helpful - 0
505916 tn?1248792942
Trust me, if there was a miracle pill we'd all be taking it!! Then again we wouldn't be here ;)

20 mgs is generally a low dose. You shouldn't have too many withdrawal symptoms from that if you taper off of it for a week. I'm not sure why your doctor suggested missing a day. Generally when you taper off you go from one dose to a lesser one to even a lower one, etc.

If you want to cut it cold turkey and start with the other stuff, I wouldn't necessarily do that. I had to do a fast taper from a cousin of Escitalopram and it was not fun. I was cut down from 20mgs (doctor recommended taper) within three days for a drug study I volunteered for. I realize now that was not the smart thing to do.

Try asking your doctor about something like Clonazepam. It's a benzo like Xanax however I found it to be less addicting than xanax--which should only be used for short term. To be honest, I wouldn't try Xanax at all. Don't chance it. Clonazepam helped me through the rough days when the anxiety was pretty high.
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Avatar universal
i carnt cope with not being able to relax its doing my head in and really distressing me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for your support :)
im defo not going to buy any meds online now at all , i was just having a bit of a panic earlier and was thinking irashonally .
Ive been taking prozac for the past it will be 1 month this friday , and the doc i seen reconmended i taper off 1 every other day for the next week then completly stop and start taking the celexa , i shouldnt get any discontinue effects at all i dont think ? concidering ive been on prozac less than a month , i know you have to be patient with these meds i just wish there was a pill that ya took and with in half and hour you felt ready to face the day , no more depression , no more anxiety , no more Dp/Dr that will be the day ay , in an ideal world lol im just wondering if it would be ok to just start taking the celexa now with out the tapering thing of prozac .. mom and dad recond il be fine but i guess i have to listen to the doc, x
Helpful - 0
505916 tn?1248792942
In my experience, prozac has been used more for depression than anxiety. Escitalopram (celexa) is one of the better medications for anxiety & depression. As CJ said above, a lower dose of escitalopram does not mean it's less effective.

You're already taking the right steps to get better. You're on a waitlist to see a counsellor and yes 6 weeks seems like a long time but it will fly by. If you're not satisfied with your current doctor then it's time to shop around for a new one that you're comfortable with. You don't buy a car after one road test, why would you do that with someone who's basically in charge of your medical life?

Never ever buy medication off the internet. You never really know where it's coming from or what you're getting in it. Last year we had a woman die after purchasing medication from the internet. Many news stations did reports on the medications and found that most were filled with "fillers" and no real medication at all. I remember one news station reported that one medication they ordered off the internet (and had tested) had contained road tar... Oh it had other toxic substances in it but I recall "road tar" the most. How the HELL does someone come up with "road tar" to put in a tablet?

Anyway, give the medication some time to work. They say it takes 4-6 weeks to kick in and for the most part they're right. My current medication took about 3 weeks for me to start noticing a difference, however, I realized the other month that it's taken several months for me to be truly happy. That's mostly my fault as I was not working on myself while taking the medication.

You'll get your life back. :) Right now you're learning to co-exist with depression & GAD. It's not easy however you have a lot of support.
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Avatar universal
i have put my name down to see a councillor, but the waiting list is 6 weeks to get in maybe even longer, :( ,
im just so upset at the fact the doc has not even booked me in personally to go back and tell her how im getting on , she wants me to ring and book myself, it just dosent make sense, i guarentee i wouldnt be able to see her as there always so busy, and il end up going from doc to nurse , nurse to doc, i feel as tho they just dont understand nore really care,
Its my health at the end of the day and im trying to get help for myself , its not like im not trying , my jobs on the line here im sure they would feel as distressed as me if they new they could loose there job , and loose everything. All i want is somthing so i can relax and have a day off from the constant GAD i have , just so i can get myself a clear head and think about how im going to tackle this in the long run ,
im concidering getting myself a private doctor even though it will cost me an arm and a leg ' as that saying goes but the national health service docs really are not interested, and im gonna have to take drastic measures in order to help myself,
Suffering with anxiety and depression is an illness, and i just want to get better,
Does anybody know of maybe anything other than anxiety med , like herbal stuff? or? im really desperate here :( , im scared about changing my med from prozac to Escitalopram even though ive only been back on the prozac a month , im in such a pickel :( i want my life back
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am sorry that you are having a difficult time with anxiety.  Sometimes it is a little trial and error to find out what med is the best match for you.  Remember, dosage strength is not the same with each medication, so it does not neccisarily mean that you are taking a less potent dosage even if it is lower.  In my opinion, remember that whenever you switch meds, , start, stop, adjust dosage it can cause some temporary side effects while your body adjusts, but if you are doing it under the consultation of your doctor then you are doing the right thing.

Now, as far as buying meds off the internent and experiementing on your own; in my opinion that can REALLY get you into trouble.  As soon as you go and work with substances that are not regulated I don't think any good can come of it.

Now, while you are doing this, are you recieving counseling to confront your anxiety?  I am a big proponent of medication as long as it is combined with talk therapy...hang in there, things will get better.  Keep us posted!
Helpful - 0
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