Thanks guys for all the input. I actually decided to go ahead and take the concerta, and it seems to have cleared up all my problems. 30 minutes after talking all my anxiety and depersonalization went away. Also for the first time in my life i felt like i actually enjoyed doing simple things and getting every day satisfaction out of it. Its my 3rd day that i've taken concerta and i've only had 1 problem which isnt really that bad and that was headaches. The first day after taking it when i was coming down i got a bad headache and had it for most of the second day. It went away and today i had one for maybe 5 minutes and it was gone. I dont even notice the coming down effect any more. I dont know if i should have tried talk therapy im sure it would have help, but all i can say is now for the first time in my life i feel focused, driven, and a bit more optimistic in general.
The one thing that i notice is that i still have a persisting eye problem that started about 2 weeks after my anxiety i see lots of floaters and white walls seem to gitter all over the place. I also have a hard time with light adjustment from time to time. Oh and in the sky i see lots of little swirly things, they are different from floaters and there is a name for it but that is apparently normal but i never noticed them before the anxiety. I went to the eye doctor when all this first started happening he said there was nothing wrong.
the concerta acts is a CNS stimulant, and over-stimulation of the CNS results in anxiety/panic disorder.
i've taken lexapro for anxiety, and among all the SSRI's i've ever taken, lexapro helped me the most for anxiety.
maybe stick it out with the lexapro for a little longer to see if your condition improves.
I'm going to second greenlydia here. Ritalin is a very heavy drug, and one that has been very overprescribed, yet it doesn't appear you've been diagnosed with what ritalin is intended to treat. What's the cause of your inability to focus? And you say it's your great downfall, but I bet the panic attacks were a whole lot worse!
My own suggestion would be to try non-medicinal approaches first, since you're already taking one heavy drug, Lexapro. Why take two without trying gentler methods first? For example, meditation is known to help many people focus as well as reduce anxiety and increase energy. Have you been in talk therapy? Anxious people often have trouble with focus because thoughts control us instead of us controlling them; maybe you've had an anxiety problem longer than you think. My point would just be, don't always jump right into medication, especially one that's contraindicated by your condition and that's responding well to a relatively new medication for it. If gentler methods don't work, the ritalin will still be there, it isn't going anywhere.
This question, I'm sorry to say, is really way out of my limited field of knowledge. The only thing I know for certain about methylphenidate (Concerta/Ritalin) is that ONE of the contraindications for taking it is.......ANXIETY. I would strongly urge you to speak with your p-doc about going on this medication. The escitalopram, (Lexapro) an SSRI, is prescribed for major depression, GAD and it's unlabeled uses do include panic disorder.
I have no way of knowing how you would react to this med, and I'm pretty sure your doctor doesn't either. But she is trying to help you with symptoms that are interfering with the quality of your life, so if you trust her, then trust her with this and give it a try. If you experience unacceptable side effects, the med will be discontinued. But what if it really helps you? Tell your doctor about your concerns and the two of you can then make a decision about trying this med or not.
(Have you be DX'd with OCD or ADD?)
Please let us know how your doing, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia