worried

[reyes85]

Well one day I went to the emergency room from having a severe panic attack they gave me Ativan and then I followed up with my doctor and I told him im having this anxiety and my mom recently passed 2 months ago and I just got out of an 8 year relationship and I moved to another state with no job he wanted to put me on Prozac but im so afraid of taking any antidepressants because the suicidal risk and side effects is there any other way to recover from depression without any medicine?

[reyes85]

thank you very much for your response right now I stopped my anxiety medicine because it was really messing with my mind although I still have some anxiety I would rather deal with it on my own than take any medicine I am looking to see a therapist as soon as I start working which I already found a job so excited for that and as far as loosing my mother I guess im still going through the grieving process its really hard for me but I will get through it :)

THANKS!

[amanda714]

                 A few months ago, I experienced what you currently fear.  During March, I tired an anti-anxiety medication, clonazepam, and it induced panic attacks and depression within me.  Therefore, I started experiencing suicidal ideation.  There may be a risk of suicidal behavior with psychotropic medication BUT if you begin to experience that, it is of utmost importance that you contact your doctor right away.  My psychiatrist was definitely prepared to help when it happened to me.  My psychiatrist even contacted my psychologist to meet with me as a means to help me feel less distraught.
               After that event, my psychiatrist talked to me of the option of trying an anti-depressant but I declined for the reason that I wanted to work towards feeling better organically.  After 2 months of weekly psychotherapy sessions with both a psychiatrist and psychologist, there were only slight improvements with my mood.  There were days in which I continued to undergo spontaneous panic attacks and crying spells.  I was leaning heavily towards suicide.  In desperate shape and knowing that my condition was not improving, I decided to accept a prescription to an anti-depressant, Mirtazapine.  After a day of taking it, I didn't feel any improvements in my mood.  I tried 3 other anti-depressants and they all were just making me feel physically sick.  Eventually, I decided to go back onto Mirtazapine.  Today, with the combination of psychotherapy and a psychotropic medication, I no longer experience depression or anxiety.
            For me, restoring my emotional health was achieved through trusting the knowledge and advice of my doctors.  They always expressed that they have a higher hope of me bettering my condition than their other clients because I placed such tremendous effort into getting better.  I did my "therapy homework" and committed to taking Mirtazapine daily even though it only produced negative outcomes during the first few weeks.  Getting better is definitely not easy but it is possible with hard work and a strong support system such as help from mental health workers.  
          Reyes85, I shall keep you in my prayers during this difficult time.  Death of a love one is the most traumatic life experience an individual can undergo.  In addition, unemployment can definitely place a person into a stressful and depressive situation.  To continue to carry on after all you've been enduring shows how much strength you have within you.  I hope you continue to seek emotional support, whether it is from a mental health professional or from this website, as it can act as a protective factor against suicide.

[reyes85]

thanks alot

[DeeJaye45]

I have anxiety & depression both related to bipolar disorder. I believe that if it's depression causing the anxiety or vice versa, yes you can get help for them without meds. And any real mental health professional would want to try without meds first. By talking with someone. Then if that doesn't work be evaluated by someone with a lot of experience doing that(evaluating people). That way they know what kind of med you'd best get help form whether it would be an anti deprssant or an antianxiety. Who knows maybe the counselor/therapist you'd be talking to could be the one to help decide.

In my case I need meds, but for mood stablization & that helps with the depression & anxiety. There are so many types of meds with so many varying side effects that IF you start one & it doesn't help or you don't like it for whatever reason don't give up. There are others.

Hope this helped.

[pickles80]

let me just start off by saying i get where you are coming from. i too suffer from bad anxiety and i feel that it's due to my depression. taking meds is one thing that i myself am not to keen on but what's helped me is talking to someone. confiding in someone helps put things into perspective. i hope that works for you.
good luck.

[x89rt]

you are welcome :)

[reyes85]

thanks a lot :)

[x89rt]

well, im not a doc or anything and i dont have any experience with prozac but im on my second
anti depressant and ive read a little about others and i believe the risk of suicide is minimal. as for the side effects, i would say they are definately worth it. this is just me but other than sleepyness with lexapro (which i got over by taking it at night) i didnt have any side effects. best thing to do if you decide to take them, incase you are still scared, just do fun activities. go watch movies, hang out with friends (if you have any), or go take a walk in the sun (its been proven that sunlight helps your mood).