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panic disorder, ocd, and depresion?
Hello everyone, so Im new to this. I have been diagnosed with panic disorder, ocd, and as you guys with ocd know depression coincides. I am on 20 mg lexapro, 5 mg kolonopin, and 2.5 mg of abilify. I am struggling bad lately. my depression is starting up again, not severe enough to be hospitalized but is starting up. Im believing that everyone around me thinks im crazy i dont know why. I got in a fight with my sister yesterday and I started crying because I also got into a fight with my mom. I was severely severely anxious yesterday. I dont know what to do. Should I change the medicine? Im a fast talker and my psychiatrist assumed I was bipolar but that was just my personality. all my life since I was little I was a fast talker. But now Im experiencing happiness to sadness to anxiousness to depression and so on. I see a cognitive behavioral therapist but my appt with him isnt until next week. anyone have tips for me? I just started abilify 2 weeks ago, at first I thought it was working but now i dont know because Im feeling sadness again. What should I do? my doctor told me I can up my medicine by taking the whole pill of abilify instead of the half if need be, but the whole pill makes me feel restless. could I still be anxious from yesterday? Im a good student I go to school full time, I work, I dont drink or smoke, and Im in a monogomous relationship. Im friendly and well liked. vut it seems that I cant get myself together. what should I do?
You've got several concurrent diagnoses, which makes treatment definitely more tricky. Who is managing your medications? A psychiatrist? That's the better option, versus a family doc.
You said your doctor had concerns about possible bipolar disorder? Did he actually diagnose you with that, and is his treatment based on that diagnosis? If so, you REALLY need to seek out a second opinion to make sure your diagnoses are accurate. Being treated for bipolar versus an anxiety disorder and depression are two VERY different things. You don't want to be treated for bipolar if indeed you don't have it.
I think you need to regroup and reassess both your medication AND therapy needs. You're already on several medications, I don't know that I would recommend adding any more to the mix. I'm a believer that less is better when it comes to medications, and I think that one should work with their current regimen, as well as making changes with their therapy regimen, before starting to add on new medications. You're also new to the Abilify, so it's possible that some (or most) of the way you feel is your adjustment to that.
Anyways, please keep in close contact with your doc about how you're feeling and DEFINITELY make clearing up the bipolar diagnosis a top priority.
Keep us posted, hang in there!
You said your doctor had concerns about possible bipolar disorder? Did he actually diagnose you with that, and is his treatment based on that diagnosis? If so, you REALLY need to seek out a second opinion to make sure your diagnoses are accurate. Being treated for bipolar versus an anxiety disorder and depression are two VERY different things. You don't want to be treated for bipolar if indeed you don't have it.
I think you need to regroup and reassess both your medication AND therapy needs. You're already on several medications, I don't know that I would recommend adding any more to the mix. I'm a believer that less is better when it comes to medications, and I think that one should work with their current regimen, as well as making changes with their therapy regimen, before starting to add on new medications. You're also new to the Abilify, so it's possible that some (or most) of the way you feel is your adjustment to that.
Anyways, please keep in close contact with your doc about how you're feeling and DEFINITELY make clearing up the bipolar diagnosis a top priority.
Keep us posted, hang in there!
It takes weeks for some meds to kick in and work, if some are bothering you tell your doctor. They make so many types of drugs it takes time to find the one that works best for you. Some just help and will not cure you, I have anxiety, it comes and goes in intensity over the years. I take xanax, klonipin just to function. Hope this helps and hope you find the right meds to make you feel better.
Fast talking is a common symptom of anxiety. I'm not a licensed healthcare provider and we're generally asked to refrain from giving dosage recommendations because there is a lot about your medical history we do not know.
You are correct that Depression is usually a secondary complication of Anxiety and Panic attacks. It will oftentimes follow a period of exacerbation in your anxiety. Having fights with immediate family members would definately up your stress level and any normal person would feel anxiety, stress or sadness from relational conflict with loved ones.
You don't really sound all that crazy to me. How long have you been on your current medication regimin? Sometimes it takes a while to get your meds stabilized. Sometimes a med you are taking just may not be working and you just may need to try something else. If Klonopin isn't controlling your panic attacks and anxiety you may need a breakthrough med like Alprazolam or ativan or some other anxiolytic. If your MH symptoms are severe sometimes you can go inpatient for medication stabilization if you get to a point where you feel like you need that level of care. Don't be ashamed if you do. I've done it before and it was very helpful. You may want to talk to psych about possibility of trying a mood stabilizer like Seroquel to help with the swings. The swings may be related to the anxiety and depression. One of the best tools I can recommend to you is a journal. I have found those things to be incredibly useful and was able to get my meds stabilized with my doctor efficiently through journaling. Staying connected to support groups like Medhelp is good and there is another forum that may be helpful to you called crazyboards . google the name. They have chatrooms and a ton of people.
You are correct that Depression is usually a secondary complication of Anxiety and Panic attacks. It will oftentimes follow a period of exacerbation in your anxiety. Having fights with immediate family members would definately up your stress level and any normal person would feel anxiety, stress or sadness from relational conflict with loved ones.
You don't really sound all that crazy to me. How long have you been on your current medication regimin? Sometimes it takes a while to get your meds stabilized. Sometimes a med you are taking just may not be working and you just may need to try something else. If Klonopin isn't controlling your panic attacks and anxiety you may need a breakthrough med like Alprazolam or ativan or some other anxiolytic. If your MH symptoms are severe sometimes you can go inpatient for medication stabilization if you get to a point where you feel like you need that level of care. Don't be ashamed if you do. I've done it before and it was very helpful. You may want to talk to psych about possibility of trying a mood stabilizer like Seroquel to help with the swings. The swings may be related to the anxiety and depression. One of the best tools I can recommend to you is a journal. I have found those things to be incredibly useful and was able to get my meds stabilized with my doctor efficiently through journaling. Staying connected to support groups like Medhelp is good and there is another forum that may be helpful to you called crazyboards . google the name. They have chatrooms and a ton of people.
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