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New Here.Opinions Wanted.Change Doc Again?
Hi, this is my first post and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I'm glad I came across this forum. I will keep my question as short as possible. I need some advice on what you would do. I'm 29 and I've had anxiety since at least the age of 11. I did not seek help until I was 20 and this was from my primary care physician. He did as much as he could for me, but since this was not his specialty, he advised me to find a physiatrist.
My first psychiatrist was very nice, however, after 2 years of treatment I was not getting better. She had diagnosed me with bipolar and had me on several medications.
My friend recommended a physiatrist that specializes in bipolar. I went to him for a second opinion. The consultation went very well. He stated that I did NOT have bipolar, but instead had an array of conditions. He gave me this list of conditions: A.D.D, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury (this was weird, it was because I broke a forehead bone when I was younger), and Sleep Disorder (I don’t have sleeping problems by the way).
Its been well over a year, and my anxiety has gotten much worse. I am on an array of medications at this point. Ive read that this is not abnormal for anxiety to increase as you age, but that there is always "help" (at least that's what I've read). This doctor is very open to trying new medications and treatments, but so far nothing has helped. I've seeked counseling, but all the techniques do not help either (breathing exercises, identification of the anxiety, etc). This anxiety is strange-it occurs in the morning and continues throughout the day with little relief in-between. There is no rhyme or reason, its just there. The newest treatment he felt may relieve my anxiety involved increasing my Vyvanse to 140mg a day. I enjoy this medication because it finally gives me the energy of a normal person (I haven't felt that way in years). However, anxiety is still the same. The doc says that although that is great, it should have cured my anxiety, and therefore he wants me to go to a sleep study to find out why I haven't had the energy all these years in the first place. In the meantime, he has me on .5mg of Xanax 3x a day to combat the anxiety, but it barely helps.
Ive been reluctant to get this sleep study in the past, but now he's pushing me into it. Ive told him a million times I don't wake up in the middle of the night, I don't have trouble sleeping, and I can wake up fine. But he says he will keep me on the Vyvanse until we can figure out if I have a sleep disorder. Ive had this anxiety for so long its beginning to become painful. I have almost went through all the medications on the market (or that's how I feel). And now with him saying to get a sleep study, I'm really confused as to whether I should jump for a new doctor/opinion. Its nice to find a doctor who is nice and will try things, but how long should one wait for results? I know anxiety is tricky and it may take a while to find the correct treatment. But I guess I just assumed that the problem would get progressively better, not worse.
I appreciate your reading my situation. I would really appreciate your thoughts on what you would do in this situation. Would you stick with the doc, or try and find a new one. Also, does anyone know where to find "recommendations" of doctors? Most people don't like to discuss the fact that they see a psychiatrist in the first place, so finding recommendations is really hard to do. Thanks for any advice.
My first psychiatrist was very nice, however, after 2 years of treatment I was not getting better. She had diagnosed me with bipolar and had me on several medications.
My friend recommended a physiatrist that specializes in bipolar. I went to him for a second opinion. The consultation went very well. He stated that I did NOT have bipolar, but instead had an array of conditions. He gave me this list of conditions: A.D.D, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury (this was weird, it was because I broke a forehead bone when I was younger), and Sleep Disorder (I don’t have sleeping problems by the way).
Its been well over a year, and my anxiety has gotten much worse. I am on an array of medications at this point. Ive read that this is not abnormal for anxiety to increase as you age, but that there is always "help" (at least that's what I've read). This doctor is very open to trying new medications and treatments, but so far nothing has helped. I've seeked counseling, but all the techniques do not help either (breathing exercises, identification of the anxiety, etc). This anxiety is strange-it occurs in the morning and continues throughout the day with little relief in-between. There is no rhyme or reason, its just there. The newest treatment he felt may relieve my anxiety involved increasing my Vyvanse to 140mg a day. I enjoy this medication because it finally gives me the energy of a normal person (I haven't felt that way in years). However, anxiety is still the same. The doc says that although that is great, it should have cured my anxiety, and therefore he wants me to go to a sleep study to find out why I haven't had the energy all these years in the first place. In the meantime, he has me on .5mg of Xanax 3x a day to combat the anxiety, but it barely helps.
Ive been reluctant to get this sleep study in the past, but now he's pushing me into it. Ive told him a million times I don't wake up in the middle of the night, I don't have trouble sleeping, and I can wake up fine. But he says he will keep me on the Vyvanse until we can figure out if I have a sleep disorder. Ive had this anxiety for so long its beginning to become painful. I have almost went through all the medications on the market (or that's how I feel). And now with him saying to get a sleep study, I'm really confused as to whether I should jump for a new doctor/opinion. Its nice to find a doctor who is nice and will try things, but how long should one wait for results? I know anxiety is tricky and it may take a while to find the correct treatment. But I guess I just assumed that the problem would get progressively better, not worse.
I appreciate your reading my situation. I would really appreciate your thoughts on what you would do in this situation. Would you stick with the doc, or try and find a new one. Also, does anyone know where to find "recommendations" of doctors? Most people don't like to discuss the fact that they see a psychiatrist in the first place, so finding recommendations is really hard to do. Thanks for any advice.
I appreciate all of your replies. Its nice to find a place to talk about this, since I really have no one else who understands.
Currently in addition to the Xanax & the Vyvanse, I am taking these daily: Lexapro 20mg, and Topiramate 100mg.
Over the years I have tried a different array of medications including abilify 2mg, focalin 10mg, lamictal 300mg, pristiq 50mg, invega 3mg, lorazepam .5mg, nirivam .5mg (same category as xanax), cymbalta 20mg, risperidone .25mg, and zoloft 50mg.
I finally started dieting about 5 months ago and I have successfully lost 33 pounds so far. I thought that would help a lot with the anxiety, but alas, it has not. However, me and exercise are not friends at the moment :) and I think that I will take M4Y0U's advice and start getting in some exercise and see if that helps. I've also tried some of the over the counter natural remedies, and they seemed to work for few days (can't remember the names but they were anti stress/anti anxiety natural pills) but then they seemed to stop. Maybe I should have taken them longer.
For the Xanax although it subsides some of my anxiety, my biggest problem is that if I take more than .5mg a day I seem to get really depressed. I've advised my doc a million times and asked if this was because it was considered a relaxing medication and asked if there was any alternatives. He wouldnt suggest any alternatives, but instead just advised that yes, some people have that effect because its a relaxer. I had the same issue with the Nirivam and I advised my first doc about this. She took me off the medicine without any alternative. This was another reason I had to leave her. Although the depression from the pill is upsetting, I would rather have to go through that then the constant anxiety for an entire day.
Again I appreciate all of you. I will go for the sleep study and see what they find. If everything is ok and my doctor is still stumped as to what to do, then I will be sure to try and find alternative treatment from a new doctor. Thanks again & Happy Thanksgiving.
Currently in addition to the Xanax & the Vyvanse, I am taking these daily: Lexapro 20mg, and Topiramate 100mg.
Over the years I have tried a different array of medications including abilify 2mg, focalin 10mg, lamictal 300mg, pristiq 50mg, invega 3mg, lorazepam .5mg, nirivam .5mg (same category as xanax), cymbalta 20mg, risperidone .25mg, and zoloft 50mg.
I finally started dieting about 5 months ago and I have successfully lost 33 pounds so far. I thought that would help a lot with the anxiety, but alas, it has not. However, me and exercise are not friends at the moment :) and I think that I will take M4Y0U's advice and start getting in some exercise and see if that helps. I've also tried some of the over the counter natural remedies, and they seemed to work for few days (can't remember the names but they were anti stress/anti anxiety natural pills) but then they seemed to stop. Maybe I should have taken them longer.
For the Xanax although it subsides some of my anxiety, my biggest problem is that if I take more than .5mg a day I seem to get really depressed. I've advised my doc a million times and asked if this was because it was considered a relaxing medication and asked if there was any alternatives. He wouldnt suggest any alternatives, but instead just advised that yes, some people have that effect because its a relaxer. I had the same issue with the Nirivam and I advised my first doc about this. She took me off the medicine without any alternative. This was another reason I had to leave her. Although the depression from the pill is upsetting, I would rather have to go through that then the constant anxiety for an entire day.
Again I appreciate all of you. I will go for the sleep study and see what they find. If everything is ok and my doctor is still stumped as to what to do, then I will be sure to try and find alternative treatment from a new doctor. Thanks again & Happy Thanksgiving.
Sorry, I forgot to add that I'm not a doctor and all my suggestions regarding medications and supplements should be discussed with your doctor prior taking them and especially to take care of the drug interactions.
Hello there,
Since you have tried to many treatments options i know you must feel kinda hopeless but you must remember that anxiety is curable and we are here to help and welcome in the forums.
Have you tried any anti-depressants like SSRI ( Lexapro ) or SNRI ( Cymbalta, Effexor ) ? If you want to try more meds it would be a logical choice and it's normally at least a 6 months treatment.
Have you considered doing physical acitivty and healthy diet? Healthy mind-body is not so mysterious and it could be solved by doing simple things the human being was designed for. While doing physical activity you produce at least 8 hormones that are essential for healthy mind-body and regulation of your mood and body. People tend to forget this and in the world we live now it underestimated and people move less and there are more and more diseases, mental and physical.
You mentioned the Xanax to be not effective as you would like it to be. You can try a different medications in the same class called Bromazepam or Klonopin which might be more effective for you since one drug does not fit to everyone.
You can also try Melatonin for your sleep problem but you must be careful if you use it with other drugs.
Going to a food supplements store and try to find natural anti-anxiety medication can be a good idea too. Try looking for Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA), Valerian and Kava. Also be careful with drugs interaction, not because it's natural means it have no interactions with other drugs.
Yes it can be tricky to find the right psychiatrist or doctor and it's something you should not ignore until you feel comfortable with the person that is taking care of you.
Finally meditation, relaxation techniques, deep breathing can also help.
Hope this will help you,
M4
Since you have tried to many treatments options i know you must feel kinda hopeless but you must remember that anxiety is curable and we are here to help and welcome in the forums.
Have you tried any anti-depressants like SSRI ( Lexapro ) or SNRI ( Cymbalta, Effexor ) ? If you want to try more meds it would be a logical choice and it's normally at least a 6 months treatment.
Have you considered doing physical acitivty and healthy diet? Healthy mind-body is not so mysterious and it could be solved by doing simple things the human being was designed for. While doing physical activity you produce at least 8 hormones that are essential for healthy mind-body and regulation of your mood and body. People tend to forget this and in the world we live now it underestimated and people move less and there are more and more diseases, mental and physical.
You mentioned the Xanax to be not effective as you would like it to be. You can try a different medications in the same class called Bromazepam or Klonopin which might be more effective for you since one drug does not fit to everyone.
You can also try Melatonin for your sleep problem but you must be careful if you use it with other drugs.
Going to a food supplements store and try to find natural anti-anxiety medication can be a good idea too. Try looking for Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA), Valerian and Kava. Also be careful with drugs interaction, not because it's natural means it have no interactions with other drugs.
Yes it can be tricky to find the right psychiatrist or doctor and it's something you should not ignore until you feel comfortable with the person that is taking care of you.
Finally meditation, relaxation techniques, deep breathing can also help.
Hope this will help you,
M4
My anxiety started at 12 and I didn't seek treatment for a few years too. I also have a bit of "everything" according to my doc including mild PTSD but I don't have any brain injury.
Anyway it is a good idea to participate in a sleep study. But that's totally up to you.
You only mentioned Vyvanse and xanax to be taking at the moment. You said you have been on many meds. If you can name which meds you currently take and for how long/dosage and same thing for the past meds.
And yes, your condition can and with proper treatment will get better.
Anyway it is a good idea to participate in a sleep study. But that's totally up to you.
You only mentioned Vyvanse and xanax to be taking at the moment. You said you have been on many meds. If you can name which meds you currently take and for how long/dosage and same thing for the past meds.
And yes, your condition can and with proper treatment will get better.
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