ANXIETY RELAPES/HELP

[13tiger]

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY. I HOPE IT ISN'T CONFUSING.I wrote in the past about how my anxiety started about 18 months ago out of the blue and my being told I had prozac poopout by Kaiser MHealth, then being put on 8 different SSRI's and o/meds like neuronton, klonipin, gabritril,Xanax etc. all with horrible side effects; was told Menopause caused me to be hypersensitive to RX's. The only SSRI I didn't try was Zoloft; when we got to that I said I couldn't do this anymore and wanted to try Prozac again, I had been off of it for 5 months by then, thinking it worked for 9 years in the past and being told it should work again.  I have also been on Loraz. for over a year. Usual dose 1mg. at bedtime. Then my husband had to have open heart surgery and I had an emotional breakdown, then I got depression along with the anxiety. I did group, individual counceling and finally got burn out. I thought after the surgery I would be fine, not so. I started Prozac liq. very slow 1mg. Oct. 24, by Nov. 19 jumped from 10mg. to 20mg. Just before my husbands surgery. Still taking Loraz. I did have some Przc. side effects srill do,(never had any when I first took it 9 years ago)I thought I was doing o.k. even my sleep had improved somewhat and I was down to 1/2 mg. Loraz. at bedtime with occasional 1/4 dose in the daytime until last Sat. when I had something emotional happen to me which put me into relapse and I have now gotten worse. I cry all the time or at the drop of the hat, wake up skaky and feel nervous all day, Lorazepam doesn't seem to help much in the daytime. I am still taking 1/2 mg. for sleep. I was weaning off until last week. I am seeing Endo. Dr. who say's I am very low normal thyroid & have many obvious symptoms but when I took 25mg of synthroid I got uncomfortable side effects; I am terrified of trying anything now. HE is running blood again to find an answer; he thinks I can be helped with med.I have been on 20mg. Prozac for 7 weeks+ and still feel some reaction when I take it and get emotional; Could it be working against me? How do I tell.Have I been taking it long enough??? Will these side effects go away and is it normal to last this long. I thought 4/5 weeks. I am desperate again, I can't fanthom having day after day of misery like this I have no life at all anymore. I had such hope. I don't know what to do anymore and Kaiser isn't helping me SO I FEEL ABANDONED.One on One was making me depressed. How can one incident cause such a serious relapse in my symptoms; what can I do to turn them around. Please tell me this will end SOMEDAY SOON and I will get better. Please tell me what you think I can do to get better. Could my Thyroid be the cause of some of this? Can Thy. med work w/Prozac or should I stop the Prozac. Should'nt I be feeling better by now on the Prozac?  PLEASE GIVE ME SOME HOPE SOME INSIGHT ANYTHING! I FEEL SO DEFEATED AND ALONE EVEN THO I HAVE GREAT FAMILY SUPPORT I STILL CAN'T FUNCTION NORMALLY! I HATE THIS! I AM TRULY DESPERATE!!

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

My advice is to stick with the one on one therapy.  It doesn't make you depressed, it only brings out the depression that you need to think about and resolve.  You are jumping all over the place looking for a magical solution.  Now you should try the real solution, dig into the issues that are causing this with a good one on one therapist.

[llis]

Hi pr tiger,
I was on zoloft for 7 years and went off for 5 months, i too had a anxiety attack and depression and I am worse then I ever was before, my mother is here helping me and my kids along with my husband, I went back on the zoloft and this time it did not do anything, I had side effects I never had the first time. Zoloft was a good medicine, I really did not have any side effects from it except weight gain 20 lbs. I just thought I was better and decided to go off. I am now on my way to trying paxil cr which I am scared to take because of the bad withdrawal, but I am to desperate and want to get better. I also am taking xanax to sleep , which I never had to before. Just keep positive , give zoloft a try, I know of 4 other people who are on it and they say it is wonderful for them.
Best of Luck

[13tiger]

Thank you for your response. God where does this come from? I have be assured the Prozac is a great drug and should work again.  I have heard alot of good about Zoloft; I just couldn't try ANOTHER drug after all the failures.  I regret not trying it now because I will have to go off Prozac to try it and worry it (Zoloft) might not work and it is the last one to try.

Maybe I should go off everything and see what happens.  Maybe my because menopause changed my hormone levels so much the Prozac stopped being effective.  I don't know i just know I can't go on like this forever.

Thanks again for taking time to write.

[llis]

Hi prtiger,
I truly know how you feel, I am the same way, Now after being on zoloft for 8 weeks and it is not working I have to go to paxilcr, I have no clue how my body will react to this medicine, I felt safe with zoloft I wish I never went off of it. WHY!!!
I am 41 and hopefully when I begin my menopause I will be on these medicines, because that will be another crazy time of life. If paxilcr works i will be on it forever, I cannot go through this again ever,also www.webmd.com is a great site and you don't have to pay, the people are really great on that site.
Hang on I will too
Llis

[susans]

I feel for all of you. I'm new to this forum but have had various forms of anxiety for 25 years, now,mostly GAD. Also had post partum depression after having a baby at 43. I was on Zoloft for the depression and it helped, but I have to say that I suffered from terrible insomnia for the first 2 weeks on the Zoloft. I needed lorazepam to help me sleep. I was just wondering if you find the SSRI's really do anything for anxiety. I've been on Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin and now Lexapro. I do use a very controlled amount of Xanax and that is what I think helps. I related to the women with menopause. I am fifty and have been so stressed out I think I'm going to explode most of the time. My concentration and memory are also going down the tubes and I work full time in addition to taking care of a 16 year old and a 6 year old. I worry I have Alzheimers, the psychiatrist says it's "stress", but my therapist thinks perimenopause is very much a cause. I was given Inderal (beta blocker) to slow down my nervous system since I'm getting palpitations a lot -- I don't really notice much of a difference. What concerns me is I hear weight gain is a side effect, and I have gained 50 lbs in 3 years. I don't know if its the meds, perimenopause, aging or a combination. I was super thin after going on Weight Watchers when I had my daughter, at age 44. I can't stop eating carbs. Does anyone know anything about beta blockers and weight gain? Thanks.

[llis]

Hi susans,
I was on zoloft for 7 years and i gained 25 lbs, when i went off of it I lost 10 lbs in one month. I am now 40. Now I am on paxilcr for depression anxiety and gad, just started taking it for 6 days now 12.5mg. and I feel like it is helping already. Zoloft did not work for me the second time I took it. Zoloft did not totally get rid of my anxiety, although I never had a panic attack in 7 years, while I was on it. I also have heart palpitations, alot of people do with anxiety problems. I never have taken anything for them.

[skorpion]

I may be an alcoholic i dont know help me please i get drunk about every other day and I am 15 yrs i know this is for 18 and older but idont care cus im drunk. please tell me if i am a drunk I can not drink but usallt drink everyother day thanks
Sean
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