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Severe anxiety not getting better...advice?
I'm feeling very low today and could use some encouragement. My Lexapro pooped out 6 months ago and I have not been able to get my anxiety back in check. I tried Effexor for 6 weeks and found it too stimulating. I have been on Zoloft now for 6 weeks. I find this stimulating as well. I increased to 75 mg today. I tried this a few weeks ago and had panic attacks so I went back to 50 mg. On all these meds I will feel better for a few days then get bad again. The past few days have been the worst. I do go to therapy but I don't know how well that is working. I also exercise and do yoga. No caffeine, alcohol right now. I just feel like I will never get better and it is really bringing me down. Has anyone else had this experience? I feel like I'm going to lose it.
I appreciate your feedback and your experience. I see the doc in another 2 weeks so I have some thinking to do till then. While Lexapro did work well for me, it stopped and other ADs aren't doing the trick now. This relapse of anxiety is way worse than the original onset of it. I would love to be rid of ADs so we will see how it goes. I'm not sure she would be to keen on prescribing a long term benzo since she already suggested I be on 2 ADs. She also casually mentioned Seroquel which I told her thanks but no thanks. I'm neither bipolar nor schizophrenic. Just plain old gad and panic disorder. Thanks again for the advice!
I've been sitting here staring at your post for about 20 minutes and honestly don't know what to tell you.
I'm not going to get into a pissing match with a psych doctor and a great many other people who believe so strongly that when a person presents with anxiety/panic issues and NOT depression, that the best treatment is an anti-depressant. And yes, I DO understand that virtually all AD's state among their many "secondary uses," anxiety issues. But their MAIN function class remains as an antidepressant.
I think I must have been extremely lucky when I went to my doctor all those years ago and told him my symptoms which were immediately diagnosed at anxiety/panic attacks and I was give an anit-ANXIETY medication. There WAS a discussion about UNCONTROLLED anxiety leading to depression and it was noted that I had some symptoms of depression, but not enough to warrant being scripted an antidepressant. I was given Klonopin and informed that I may not feel relief from the anxiety for a number of weeks, as Klonopin, as with AD's, needs to build up in your system until they reach steady state, the point at which their efficacy kicks in. I was also given Ativan to be used PRN (as needed) for the "bad days" until the Klonopin began working. I was on Klonopin for nearly 9 years, only had to adjust my dose upwards (25mg) once in all that time and both my terrible anticipatory anxiety as well as the panic attacks virtually stopped. I had a couple of "break-through" attacks, but had the Ativan to use for those times. After 9 years, the Klonopin did stop working as well as it use to, which happens with many meds, and I was slowly tapered off the Klonopin and began taking another antianxiety med which I've been on for the past 12 years with only one increase in dosage.
There is a tremendous amount of controversy surrounding the addictive qualities of benzos and I call hog wash on that. I firmly believe you can develops a tolerance, even a dependence on these meds, but NOT an addiction. After 9 years on Klonopin, I was able to taper off slowly under the guidance of my doctor.........I did not end up in a rehab hospital screaming about spiders crawling all over me. The withdrawal took a long time because after long term use, it DOES take a long time. But it ALSO takes a long time to taper off AD's after long term use. Neither AD's nor AA's can be stopped cold turkey.
The last time I was on an AD was after my mother suddenly passed away. I was put on Zoloft and was kept on my antianxiety med. I was on the Zoloft for not quite a year, and for another year I experienced what is called "brain zaps." They don't hurt and last only a second, but they are extremely weird. They believe it has something to do with the receptors in your brain "fixing" themselves when the AD is removed.
I really feel like all I'm doing is rambling..............anytime you get into talking about psych meds, you run into strong opinions, most of them opposing, all the pros and cons and your own personal feelings about these types of meds.
If you have a fear of benzos, then perhaps you should stay on AD's which apparently don't scare you......but that takes us back to MY opinion that if you're not clinically depressed, you do not need to be on antidepressants. Your doctor feels benzos should only be used as supplements to AD's. And that leaves YOU not knowing which way to go................
I can't tell you to stop or start any medication. That is a decision strictly between you and your doctor.
I guess because of MY personal experience with anxiety/panic, I would like to see you get off the AD's and onto something that targets your real problem which is anxiety.
I feel I've done nothing here except confuse you and I apologize for that. That too goes back to having strong opinions.............
It would be a long process for you to taper off your AD's and begin taking a long term antianxiety med.........I just want you to know there are options, but they come with their own set of controversy. The choice ultimately resides with you. Your doctor cannot force you to start or stop any medication but should be willing to let you try, under her guidance, something different.
More food for thought or a quick tap on the delete button.
I wish you the best
RubyWitch
I'm not going to get into a pissing match with a psych doctor and a great many other people who believe so strongly that when a person presents with anxiety/panic issues and NOT depression, that the best treatment is an anti-depressant. And yes, I DO understand that virtually all AD's state among their many "secondary uses," anxiety issues. But their MAIN function class remains as an antidepressant.
I think I must have been extremely lucky when I went to my doctor all those years ago and told him my symptoms which were immediately diagnosed at anxiety/panic attacks and I was give an anit-ANXIETY medication. There WAS a discussion about UNCONTROLLED anxiety leading to depression and it was noted that I had some symptoms of depression, but not enough to warrant being scripted an antidepressant. I was given Klonopin and informed that I may not feel relief from the anxiety for a number of weeks, as Klonopin, as with AD's, needs to build up in your system until they reach steady state, the point at which their efficacy kicks in. I was also given Ativan to be used PRN (as needed) for the "bad days" until the Klonopin began working. I was on Klonopin for nearly 9 years, only had to adjust my dose upwards (25mg) once in all that time and both my terrible anticipatory anxiety as well as the panic attacks virtually stopped. I had a couple of "break-through" attacks, but had the Ativan to use for those times. After 9 years, the Klonopin did stop working as well as it use to, which happens with many meds, and I was slowly tapered off the Klonopin and began taking another antianxiety med which I've been on for the past 12 years with only one increase in dosage.
There is a tremendous amount of controversy surrounding the addictive qualities of benzos and I call hog wash on that. I firmly believe you can develops a tolerance, even a dependence on these meds, but NOT an addiction. After 9 years on Klonopin, I was able to taper off slowly under the guidance of my doctor.........I did not end up in a rehab hospital screaming about spiders crawling all over me. The withdrawal took a long time because after long term use, it DOES take a long time. But it ALSO takes a long time to taper off AD's after long term use. Neither AD's nor AA's can be stopped cold turkey.
The last time I was on an AD was after my mother suddenly passed away. I was put on Zoloft and was kept on my antianxiety med. I was on the Zoloft for not quite a year, and for another year I experienced what is called "brain zaps." They don't hurt and last only a second, but they are extremely weird. They believe it has something to do with the receptors in your brain "fixing" themselves when the AD is removed.
I really feel like all I'm doing is rambling..............anytime you get into talking about psych meds, you run into strong opinions, most of them opposing, all the pros and cons and your own personal feelings about these types of meds.
If you have a fear of benzos, then perhaps you should stay on AD's which apparently don't scare you......but that takes us back to MY opinion that if you're not clinically depressed, you do not need to be on antidepressants. Your doctor feels benzos should only be used as supplements to AD's. And that leaves YOU not knowing which way to go................
I can't tell you to stop or start any medication. That is a decision strictly between you and your doctor.
I guess because of MY personal experience with anxiety/panic, I would like to see you get off the AD's and onto something that targets your real problem which is anxiety.
I feel I've done nothing here except confuse you and I apologize for that. That too goes back to having strong opinions.............
It would be a long process for you to taper off your AD's and begin taking a long term antianxiety med.........I just want you to know there are options, but they come with their own set of controversy. The choice ultimately resides with you. Your doctor cannot force you to start or stop any medication but should be willing to let you try, under her guidance, something different.
More food for thought or a quick tap on the delete button.
I wish you the best
RubyWitch
Thanks for the reply. This is a psych doc I see. She mentioned Klonopin but only as a supplement to an AD. I'm a little scared to take a benzo long term due to the addiction issues. I'm also scared to stop taking ADs because I've been on them so long I don't know how my brain will react! Lexapro did work very well for my anxiety for a long time but clearly I need a new approach.
Since your problem is anxiety/panic, not depression, talk to your doctor about going onto a long term benzodiazepine like Klonopin.
If you're not depressed, why take a powerful medication to treat something you don't have?
You said your frustration was causing you to become depressed......I disagree. I think the frustration of not being treated for the correct issue is causing you FRUSTRATION which does have some slight similarity to depression.
Sometimes people have to try several AD's before they find the one they can tolerate and actually helps them. I don't think "medication resistance" happens as quickly as your doctor is implying.
My advice is to discuss approaching your anxiety disorder with the long acting drug Klonopin.
It is my humble opinion that most PCP's don't have enough training in the use and management of benzos.........so they play it safe by scripting AD's. I have only taken AD's twice in my life for clinical depression, but I've always ended up also being scripted a benzo for my panic disorder which the AD's could not control.
Some things to think about and I really wish you luck. Sometimes you need to search out a doctor who understands there IS a difference between anxiety/panic and depression.
RubyWitch
If you're not depressed, why take a powerful medication to treat something you don't have?
You said your frustration was causing you to become depressed......I disagree. I think the frustration of not being treated for the correct issue is causing you FRUSTRATION which does have some slight similarity to depression.
Sometimes people have to try several AD's before they find the one they can tolerate and actually helps them. I don't think "medication resistance" happens as quickly as your doctor is implying.
My advice is to discuss approaching your anxiety disorder with the long acting drug Klonopin.
It is my humble opinion that most PCP's don't have enough training in the use and management of benzos.........so they play it safe by scripting AD's. I have only taken AD's twice in my life for clinical depression, but I've always ended up also being scripted a benzo for my panic disorder which the AD's could not control.
Some things to think about and I really wish you luck. Sometimes you need to search out a doctor who understands there IS a difference between anxiety/panic and depression.
RubyWitch
The doc said maybe we should try adding remeron to the mix. I also have Ativan although I don't like to take it. She said we could try another AD but switching them too much can cause medication resistance. My frustration with all this is causing me to become depressed, something I never had before.
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