Anti-anxiety, anti-depressant medication. What do you take?

[jimbo fett]

I was wondering what prescription medication other sufferers of anxiety attacks and/or depression took. How much? Are you pleased with the results? Any side-effects?

I'm on 15mg/day of Buspar and 37.5mg/day of Paxil CR. But I find myself still having anxiety attacks. I'm having to take my "last resort" medicine (Xanax) far too often in my opinion.

Any body know of a better anti-anxiety medicine?

[rumguy]

1. I don't think you'll find to many people wanting to disclose what

kind of meds they may/may not be on...

[Skittles]

2. are you kidding?

they hand 'em out like candy these days. I'm disgusted, because such medicine should only be prescribed to people with debilitating anxiety attacks and severe depresion.

[rumguy]

7. they do hand them out like candy...and that's to bad

It just seems like a personal issue.

[Bertha Venation]

64. "It just seems like a personal issue."

This looks like a job for Obviousman! :eyes:

My thirteen years of intensive therapy made me a whole, well person, but therapy cannot cure chemical imbalances. No amount of therapy could take care of what I experience without an antidepressant. I imagine others would say the same.

[IronLionZion]

11. Yeah it was a last resort for me

I kept trying to get by normally with excercise and all that but my doctor said I had to take something because it wasn't working.

[jimbo fett]

12. I don't buy that. No one spends the time going to a doctor, go thru

tests and pays the prices for these drugs unless they really need them.

It's not like you can get high of them or something. If someone is only suffering mildly they'll know they don't need meds and stop taking them.

[camero]

25. They don't really test you.

They just ask you a few questions about how your life is going and any conflicts. Or suicidal thoughts.

[jimbo fett]

26. I went through several tests. Medical and psychological.

[camero]

28. Your insurance must have been better

Because all they asked me was a few questions. No medical tests at all and immediately put me on Wellbutrin. Didn't work so they went to Celexa. Just made me groggy.

Then I figured out that my diabetes was messin my brain chemistry up because it wasn't getting sugar. No more meds.

[spinbaby]

87. That's pretty common

Getting antidepressants when there's really a physical problem. I got Paxil once for what turned out to be hyperthyroidism. If they'd stop to do a real exam, it wouldn't happen so often.

[blondeatlast]

34. Moi aussi. No "candy" here.

If I hadn't already been on the Celexa and Xanax for more than a year when my father was diagnosed with colon cancer, I wouldn't be writing this now, I'm sure.

Going into my second stage of weaning; the first week was very tough (horrendous headaches) but it's getting better. Now comes the REAL test: every other day.

[Lady Freedom]

49. I took Celexa for a while...

I was in pretty bad shape! I never went out of my bedroom, refuse to even go shopping of food!Two years ago I went to counseling and I say about six months or so later they decided that that was just not enough and put me on Celexa. And wow what a change! Now I work two fantastic jobs go to the university full time and am enjoying life. I take Effexor now because my body got use to the Celexa. But thank God for modern medicine!

[amazona]

40. it's even worse than that

If you're a woman of a certain age and you say you're tired...boom...anti-depressants!

It happened to my mom, and not in 1960 but in 2001. It turned out she was tired because she needed a quadruple bypass.

She almost died before they realized what the problem was.

I am a little peeved about this issue to say the least.

Anti-depressants can be life-savers for a very specific subset of the population...but they can kill when they are handed out just because "oh she must be tired because she's bitter about being 60."

Grrrrr.

In all fairness, my mom is slim, and there is a perception that slim people who eat right don't get heart disease. Wrong. Just wrong. We need to wake up, people. If you live in an urban area and exercise out door an hour every day -- which is what she did -- you are at risk because of the crap in the air you're breathing.

[camero]

72. Thank God. Somebody said it.

I wish they would research more on what is happening to us from the air we breath and the water we drink. Environment is not looked at nearly enough IMHO.

Everybody thinks skinny people don't get heart problems or diabetes either but I have diabetes and they are trying to bring my cholesterol down. These are not just obesity diseases or may not even be lifestyle diseases. But they don't look.

The polluters get away with everything.

[private_ryan]

42. hahahaha

they hand that crap like candy. Feel down? here's some Prozac. Eventually you'll believe you're sick and keep taking it. Most of the time, working out and going out with friends will solve your problems, but Americans love to get everything in a pill.

[Bertha Venation]

65. "Most of the time, working out and going out with friends will solve..."

Whose problems are solved like that? I daresay you're right, private ryan; some peoples' problems can be worked out that way.

But not those of the clinically depressed. There's a difference between feeling blue and feeling you've nothing to live for; working out & going out w/ friends can't "fix" the latter. Neither can meds alone; in my case, therapy alone couldn't fix it. I required both, and that's what worked. If I'd relied on your "fix" I'd've offed myself long ago.

[MountainLaurel]

74. Not to mention

That it's real hard to work out when you can't get out of bed for days at a time, as my grandmother did for months when I was a child, before she began medication.

[Skittles]

67. you know it, private_ryan

I'm fed up with this industry convincing everyone who is going through a bad time they need serious drugs.

[Bertha Venation]

76. I'm fed up w/ the industry period.

It's not just anti-depressants. The drugs they hawk -- Zoloft or Viagra or Zocor or Plavix or Procrit or whatever -- have valid uses for people who honestly need them.

But the drug companies don't care about who honestly needs them; they care about sales.

[Nikia]

27. I do think that sometimes they are given out too easily

I only take Xanax in an emergency and considering that I had a few panic attacks in a month after my first one that brought me to the emergency room, it probably was good that I was prescribed it right away. I had no medical tests though in my initial diagnosis, just my word and the sheet that the first emergency room doctor gave me. One of my coworkers who goes to the same clinic was given some though, without a dignosed anxiety disorder or a panic attack. Everytime I go to the doctor also, they ask if I need more Xanax. They also ask me if I want to try other psychoactive drugs even though they agree that I have gotten a lot better. People can get high off of Xanax. I would describe it as having that effect on me within a short time if I am not having a true panic attack. Paxil did do something to me mentally too. Although I would not describe it as enjoyable, some people would.

[jimbo fett]

5. Is Bill Frist monitoring us? I thought the anonymity might open up people

[Booberdawg]

10. I don't care.

They have been VERY successful for me. I've taken them for 11 years. Depression is a condition that can be treated. Why should I suffer when I don't have to? :shrug:

I also take high blood pressure meds. That is also successfully treated. Why should I have any shame for saying I take antidepressants? That's ridiculous. I'm not sensitive about it. It's something I have no control over.

[blondeatlast]

35. Well said.

[AlienGirl]

15. I'll tell anyone

Paxil, for severe depression, and Klonopin, for anxiety. I also have Desyril for sleeplessness, but it often causes me to wake up with a migraine.

I am a depressive with generalized anxiety disorder, and I look forward to the day when saying that will have as little stigma as saying "I'm diabetic."

Tucker

[Booberdawg]

3. I take Effexor and Trazedone

but have had dosages adjusted over the years. Each person is different and it's really something that should be discussed with a physician familiar with your medical history and circumstances.

How long have you taken these meds? Sometimes it takes a few months to get adjusted to a certain dosage.

[Deja Q]

4. They're all worthless

Paxil gave me an OCD. I started pulling out my hair.

Buspar did nothing.

Wellbutrin worked but I eventually developed a side-effect (that, go figure, nobody believed for the longest time). The left side of my body would spasm. Went off wellbutrin, got better - for about 2 years before the side-effect returned on its own accord. Fortunately, it's only a minor nuisance.

Society creates the problems and then treats you with mind-altering drugs you have to pay tons of $$$ for. I choose to cope the best I can without the drugs. They've done enough damage to me already; what's the point of living if you're crippled because of what you need to take?!

[blondeatlast]

36. Worthless to YOU--for me they were a God send. Still, I'm hoping

to get off Celexa, but I won't hesitate to go back if doc and I think it is warranted.

[HuckleB]

38. So you believe that the brain is not a biological organ?

Or that somehow it is immune from disease and illness that affects other biological organs and mechanisms?

[blondeatlast]

89. I've been insulin dependent diabetic since age 7.

Surely no one has a problem with me injecting insulin???

So why should anyone have a problem with anyone adjusting dysfunctional brain chemistry?

[REP]

91. Well, If You Just Tried Harder...

You could kick insulin by force of will!
(another diabetic with minor crazy problems)

[RC]

6. bu$h&co out of Gore's WH & in prison?

"Any body know of a better anti-anxiety medicine?"

[camero]

29. None that I know of.

:)

[IronLionZion]

8. I'm supposed to be on Lexapro but can't afford it

so I'm taking St. John's Wort for now. I've been on it for about a month and it seems to be working fine. The hard part is remembering to take three pills each day.

If it doesn't work out, then I'll switch to Fluoxitine (generic Prozac) until I can afford Lexapro.

[Droopy]

9. I suffer from a different illness than you

But I've had my share of depression. I have schizo-affective disorder and I have severe mood swings. I take Lithium for the mood swings and it seems to be working just fine. The only problem I have with my meds is that they make me feel a little lethargic.

[hlthe2b]

13. I'm convinced that there are nonmedical ways that may be at least equally

effective, including regular meditation, exercise, a change in eating patterns that includes much more omega 3 fats (think salmon/tuna), nuts, and eliminates simple carbohydrates. While this is a tough road to hoe initially, that's my conclusion. But, I do not, in any way diminish the seriousness of severe depression and anxiety. The important thing, I think is to get help.

[jimbo fett]

14. Exercise does HELP. But it hasn't elminated the problem.

[rumguy]

16. I imagine there's tons of info. on the internet about these drugs

go google it up, I'd bet you'd find mountains of stuff...

[jimbo fett]

17. Yeah, there's lots of info but I was looking for personal experiences

Quite often the reality of drugs as their marketed, described or prescribed differs greatly when you see how they do in the "real" world.

[AlienGirl]

22. My experiences

I like Paxil better than Prozac. Paxil does a better job of elevating my mood, and seems to help with the repeating thought-loops I get when things get stressful. Zoloft had a minimal effect. Paxil has been very good for combined depression/anxiety/mild OCD that many of my relatives have.

Wellbutrin was great for mood elevation, but I developed a tremor and couldn't stay on it.

Xanax was not that good for me--I had to take a double dose to get *any* effect from it, and then it didn't completely stop the panic. Ativan and Klonopin do a better job for me, at lower doses.

Desyril (trazodone) is good for getting me to sleep when I'm having the wake-up-panicky problem, but it gives me headaches in the morning. However, Desyril is an anti-depressant as well, and I think it helped with my mood--I just couldn't take the headaches.

Of course, this is just my particular experience. YMMV with your brain chemistry!

Tucker

[Heyo]

18. I've tried a few...

Buspar (nothing) Celexa (nothing)

Unfortunately.. the only thing you have that will really and immediately calm down true anxiety is the alprazolam (Xanax.)

Unfortunate that it's addictive... but anything that actually *works* (i.e. makes you actually *feel* better) tends to be addictive.

I'm not a big believer in SSRI's, and ended up feeling alot better anyway not taking any medication.

Best of luck.

-Heyo

[Nikia]

19. Just Xanax as last resort, Anxiety support group/class

After trying Paxil, Zoloft, a tricyclic antidepressent and having horrible side effects with them, I decided not to take drugs. Zoloft made me have higher levels of anxiety most of the time. The tricyclic anti depressent made me feel dizzy. Paxil was giving me mental problems worse than anxiety.
I went to a ten week anxiety support class/group where I learned how to do relaxation breathing and stretching, analyze situations to make them less scary, and steps to take to be able to do stressful things again that I had been avoiding. This helped quite a bit. The changes in me during and after for the next few months were huge. I was suppose to have a few individual therapy sessions also but I had trouble getting an appointment and thought that I was so much better that I didn't really need individual therapy. This was a year and a half ago and sometimes I think that perhaps I should make an appointment.
It also helped me when I got my chronic sinus infection, which was also causing stomach distress, properly diagnosed. Being physically ill can cause an increase in anxiety and/or depression. The worst thing is that when you have anxiety disorders or depression, the doctor wants to blame all your physical symptoms on that.

[jimbo fett]

21. Are these classes part of a clinic? Are they attended my medical experts?

Or are they just informal support groups?

[Nikia]

24. They were through my HMO

My HMO has a behaviorial health clinic. The class was lead by two therpaists and there were nine (originally twelve) people in the group. This was covered completely by my insurance. I am not sure how much it would have cost for someone without that insurance. You might want to ask your doctor or other health professional if there is anything like that in your area or part of your health plan if you have one.

[Baclava]

20. Ohhhhhh.....

Prescription??????
nevermind............

[sendero]

23. I've had...

.... about 5 panic attacks in my life, the last one in 1991.

If I was still having them, I would do anything, take anything, try anything to stop them. If you have never had one, you just simply have no idea.

[Heyo]

31. Amen...

That is so true...

It's so hard with people who don't understand what it's like.....

Unless you've lived it you can't possibly imagine...

It's so frustrating and scary when people just dismiss it. "Well you look fine".... worst thing imaginable.

-Heyo

[blondeatlast]

37. Ain't it the truth! I thought I was having a heart attack

the first time (since I already have a heart condition, it just added to the panic). I was sure I wasn't going to survive.

[Maddy McCall]

30. Be careful with Xanax...highly addictive

perhaps the reason you are having to use it more and more often is because you are building up tolerance to it--be careful--it's highly addictive.

[blondeatlast]

32. Xanax as needed, weaning down Celexa; eventually I hope to be off of it

entirely.

No reason other than that I take several other meds (heart, anemia, etc) and just want to take a few less.

I rarely take the Xanax anymore but I'm grateful it is there when I need it.

[HuckleB]

33. Effexor or Lexapro might be better for the anxiety.

Lexapro doesn't have the research behind it yet, but clinicians are finding strong success with it, and it doesn't have as many side effects as Effexor, Paxil and the others that came earlier.

[undergroundpanther]

43. Lexapro

Lexapro does have a side effect for me.And it's an embarassing one.

Lexapro did something bad to my bowels. At first it gave me diarrrea from hell and nausea.On the first dose.
I assumed it was just either some side effect that would clear up or it was something I ate.Eventually the nausea lessened but I got carsick on curvy roads.The nausea and carsick faded away thankfully. But,down below it got much worse,it felt like I was pooping hot lava and I had to go upwards of 5 times a day.The most I went was every hour.I began to wonder if my intestines were messed up or something.After a week and a half of this I developed hemmaroids that bleed. I never before had this kinda roid' issue before taking that lexapro.While I was taking lexapro my butt got so tender that sitting down in a soft chair even hurt me.I considered getting one of those old fart doughnut cushions.I dreaded hitting the bathroom.Than one day it got to be too much.I bled an awful lot,it was scary and the pain was really bad.I quit the damn lexapro. So,I have been off of lexapro since summer and my rectum is still sore sometimes and it still bleeds,even though the diarrea issue is long gone.
I think Lexapro may have damaged my body.
My doc said some of his other patients had the similar complaints about lexapro.
May I suggest if you decide to take lexapro and if your bowels get weird on you don't take it anymore.

It might damage you and it very well could damage people since nowadays drug companies don't have to go through the slighly more rigorous testing hurdles like they used to have to do years ago ,to put a drug on the market.The baseline for what public safety is has changed compared to what it was before Rayguns deregulations.The FDA is now just a corporate infiltrated, run, bought and paid for organization for industry..So IMHO the FDA might as well admit they are drug company shills on the government dole.

Doctors are in the dark somewhat about the drugs they prescribe too.
I have been prescribed drugs with black box warnings,and my doc was not aware that the drug was illegal in europe and there were lawsuits mounting threatening to take it off the market(serzone). So it's good to ask around about any drug you get prescribed,because being aware how drug companies are requires this. Drug companies dump thier chemical cocktails onto unsuspecting doctors,in all glowing reports ,they do all kinds of manipulations with plenty of pushy perky sales hype and pro industry reviews pretending to be'unbiased' and scientific.This shameless self promotions makes me wary of the pharm companies and be wary of the FDA and mistrust the health industry's motives.

Do research on any drug you may take for yourself ,checxk all sources try to make an informed choice and listen to your own body.If you feel at any time the drug might be dangerous to you don't accept it just because a doctor thinks it might work. If you take a drug and you are not so sure it's just a side effect,or that the cure is as bad or worse than the sickness is pleasde just QUIT taking the drug,wean off of it,if your doc gets on your case for non-compliance,demand he give you a safer drug to take.It is your right not to be a pharm companies guinea pig because they are so greedy and don't want to have government regulations or pay for tests and trials and deal with critics to prove thier drugs are safe.No,they can now put a drug out on the market after a few tests, and wait until a certain amount of people die or get sick from it and than recall it. Oops doesen't cut it,but our corporate dominated society seems to thinks oops that harm people is a great way to keep the public safe and misinformation goes a long way in keeping profits coming. Corporate self regulation is basically a call for no regulations.The FDA and pharm companies aren't fit to tell you what is safe,because to them profits are more important than people .Corporations the FDA and industry shills are not fit to decide what is safe for the public because they are sold out. Conflicts of interest.

.

[SiouxJ]

77. Were you on any kind of antacid?

I saw on some website that you shouldn't take some antacids with Lexapro. I was so pissed as I take Prilosec for heartburn and my doctor KNEW this and he still gave me the Lexapro. I ended up losing a lot of weight as I completely lost my appetite. I didn't have your problems but I've heard that the combination of drugs can mess up your digestion.

[TopesJunkie]

83. Yes, a good clinician is key.

Drug-drug interactions are far more common than many people know.

[Bertha Venation]

66. Beware Effexor & hypertension

I had a severe problem w/ high blood pressure while on Effexor. Unfortunately it worked great and it was a bitch when I had to stop taking it.

[SiouxJ]

75. I wouldn't touch Lexapro with a 10 foot pole

I was on it for two weeks and it totally messed up my system. I don't know why I even agreed to take it, I wasn't depressed I was in pain from my MS. A stupid doctor I was seeing said it would help. I was so desperate that I tried it. It made my mouth so dry that it broke out; it made me sweat at night; it made me lose weight and sleep. After I went off it, I checked the web (should have done that first - duh), and saw message boards where people had posted about the horrible side-effects they had while on it. I doubt I'll ever do any sort of anti-depressant again.

[TopesJunkie]

82. It's had the fewest side effects of any med for me.

And it works wonders.

[NightTrain]

39. I've been taking Effexor since December 1999.

Have had pretty good luck with it, too. I'm not nearly as irritable as I was before I went on the pills.

[Booberdawg]

41. That reminds me

of the changes I noticed when I first started taking antidepressants 11 years ago. The first drug I was prescribed was Prozac, and shortly after that Trazadone to go with it at night because the Prozac caused me to wake up several times at night.

I'd had several bouts of depression over the years - some very severe. It takes a few weeks for the meds to get well into your system and be effective.

The first major thing I noticed were trees and bushes and flowers. I was just amazed! I never noticed these things around me. i was literally going through the motions in life and seeing what was in front of me and had no peripheral vision, so to speak. I was walking wounded - just barely surviving day by day.

Meds have been a tremendous success for me. My energy is 10-fold what it used to be when my depression went untreated. I used to have terrible insomnia at night too, and worry and stress and ruminate about things that would run through my mind over and over at night and keep me awake. I call it musterbattion. Turns out that problem was has chemical roots too and I've not had sleeping problems anymore for the 11 years I've been taking the medications.

I am a completely different person now having been treated for depression with meds. I'm only sorry I suffered with it for so many years when I didn't have to before I got help.

[101 Proof]

44. I'm taking the maximum dosage of Zoloft....

200 mg., for anxiety (panic disorders) and depression. It doesn't work worth shit. I'm getting off it ASAP. I've tried Paxil before, but it hasn't worked right either.

I'm going to try something different as soon as I get my medical insurance back.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

45. On the one hand I am happy people can handle their symptoms

On the other hand I hope everyone is working equally hard on handling the issues that create the symptoms..or all the drugs in the world won't matter.

[AlienGirl]

47. I was diagnosed at age 4

I think the issue that causes my symptoms is, ultimately, a matter of brain chemistry--the same kinds of chemical things that, in other members of my family, cause OCD and Tourette's.

Tucker

[Hillsey]

48. Frankly I think you are misinformed

and your comment demonstrates part of the problem with the stigma attached to depression and mental illnes. You imply that if people just handled their issues better they wouldn't be depressed, and also that undealt with issues would cause the drugs to become ineffective anyway.

Are you serious? Nothing could be further from the truth. It's true that antidpressants are not happy pills - they do not cause issues to disappear. Clinical Depression is caused chemical changes in the brain, and does not need to be precipitated by any particular life issue, outlook, or attitude about life. It is often the case that taking antidepressants have no outstanding life issues that need addressing. Suggesting a person isn't working hard on the issues or they wouldn't be depressed is doing a great disservice.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

50. Please don't call me misinformed simply because you take an

alternate approach. I am quite informed on the issue. I realize there are organic symptoms but am quite clear that not all people claiming to have them actually have them.

Much of what is being taught is based on drug company studies designed to sell more drugs.

Not every person who thinks they have an organic problem has an organic problem any more than every person who has a chest pain is having a heart attack.

When one is talking to these drugs, they are told we should not be insensitive as we would not be to people with other physical ailments..the only problem is..if you have diabetes, we can measure it..and adjust your insulin..if you have high blood pressure we can measure it and adjust your meds accordingly..if you have epilepsy, we can measure your brain waves and blood levels of dilantin of other anti-convulsives and medicate accordingly.

Why after all these years are we still not able to measure people's seratonin levels?

While I have seen people GAIN a great deal on these medications combined with other therapies...I have also seen people who simply need to modify behavior, or NEED to modify behavior in conjunction with meds...I have also seen people take meds and NOT modify behavior...the gains are usually limited.

I am not negating anyone's depression. I am only asking THEM to question the source of it and act accordingly.

[Hillsey]

53. You mistakenly assume I take an alternate approach

I am fortunate that I do not suffer from depressive illness and I do not have to take any apporach at all. My preference would be to start with the least intrusive means and go from there.

It is clear you have a strong bias on this particular topic. Frankly I think the decision of what symptoms people have and how best to treat them is better left up to a Dr.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

55. It is clear I have opinions as do you only you think only yours

are based on facts. Perhaps we can avoid personalizing this.
I, too, would like to see people in the hands of competent specialists getting the help they need.

Far too often I see them getting pills thrown at them with no further guidance and direction..from children placed on these meds, to adults...we do have a crisis in mental health care in this nation so maybe we are both half right.

[Hillsey]

57. Who is personalizing this?

You are the only one I see here getting huffy?? :shrug:

I honestly thought your first comment in this exchange was over the top and predudicial, and I still think so. Your rather huffy follow-up indicated you do have a bias on the issue. Now I am sorry if my observations about your comments offended you, but it looks like I was right. I'm not of a mind to have a flame war over it, however.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

58. Please explain what exactly is prejudicial in suggesting that people

go the extra mile for their own well being?
Are you going to tell me EVERY SINGLE CASE of depression in the world is based on a chemical imbalance? Even a board certified psychiatrist would disagree.

The remainder of your comments were indeed personal but since you are not personalizing this, then I guess I should just pretend they aren't there.

Nice talking to you.

Later.

[Booberdawg]

52. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Good Grief! :eyes:

Although, I do think there are some people who are treated for depression on a short term basis and it is due to some temporary life crisis or stressful situation. I've known of people who have been on antidepressants for 6 months to a year and were able to stop taking them.

I'm one of the people you refer to though. I had lifelong issues with depression and I don't think I ever got above mild depression before I was treated, but at times had very severe episodes lasting for weeks. These episodes were not preceded by stressful events or issues - they just happened for no reason. I could do no more than go to work and go straight to bed when I got home at night, and stayed in bed all weekend for weeks at a time. I don't know why I didn't see a may years Dr sooner.

I've asked about getting off the meds, it's been 11 years now, and he says no way - I'd be right back where I was. And why mess with success anyway? It doesn't deal with issues, that I have to do on my own, but at least I can do that sitting up now!

I'm a completely different person now because of the medications to treat depression, and much better off for it. I wouldn't change a thing. That doesn't mean I don't get depressed about things, but it doesn't cripple me anymore.

[Hillsey]

56. I have family members who tried various

means of dealing with depression that have successfully been treated for depression with medications. One I know has been taking them for years and another I'm not really sure - it might have been temporary because it was a messy divorce situation.

Glad that medications have been so successful for you. :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

90. I believe that most causes of depression have a chemical basis

so it makes sense that this is best treated with medication. I do believe, however, that it's hit or miss, as far as what works for each person. Some will have to try several to find out what works for him/her. I used to feel that medication was an artificial way of solving one's problems, but have since changed my mind. If someone has depression or anxiety that is chemically induced, it makes sense that other chemicals could put things in balance.:shrug:

[REP]

61. Speaking Only for Myself

For me, it's a little like being diabetic (which I am, incidentally): something in my chemical makeup is off whack enough that I'll feel an oppressive sense of dread and doom where no imminent threat exists. I didn't freak out or run around screaming or throw dramatic tantrums; I just had a heavy sense of doom and panic for no apparent reason. It didn't prevent me from dealing with things that needed to be dealt with, but it did wear me down to the point where I was having dangerous lapses in memory (forgetting to shut off the oven for four days, leaving my keys in the lock, etc). Medically managing my stress is like medically managing my blood sugar - I still have to do the heavy lifting, but without an unnecessary burden.

There wasn't anything external causing this overreaction, though they could make the symptoms worse. When I became so injured I could no longer work, the symptoms didn't go away, though I was no longer at a job that OSHA rates as stressful as that of air traffic controllers. My memory loss became so bad my doctor thought I had had a stroke. All the force of will in the world wouldn't overcome my symptoms.

I understand, I think, what you might be saying, and I do agree. A lot of these drugs are marketed as a cure-all for everything, and some people may be receiving doses they don't need. For a lot of people, though, these drugs aren't a way of evading responsibility but of relieving a painful (for lack of a better word) condition that can be, to varying degrees, debilitating.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

71. I agree

I think there was more read into what I was saying. I wasn't putting anyone down for taking medication. It would also be perfectly understandable that a person WITH diabetes would have other symptoms.

My main issue with medicine (having worked with specialists for years) is they are treating a WHOLE person...not just a sugar problem, not just a chemical imbalance, not just a pain in one's knee or the like.

I am glad you are doing well.

[TopesJunkie]

84. Issues?

Why do you assume that the matter is merely environmental? Like any illness, it is both biological and environmental.

I will grant that the most effective treatment is medication and therapy combined.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

88. So do I. We don't disagree.

Please reread my posts on the matter.

However, like ANY illness it can be multifactorial or not. There are people who have diabetes who can manage it with diet and there are people who have diabetes due to a poor functioning pancreas and there are people who are a combination of the two.

Figuring out which it is requires evaluating one's diet for an analogy.
Figuring out what it is on the area of depression requires looking at one's past and behavior patterns...if everything is fine then it is probably a chemical issue..if everything is not fine, then the depressed person like the diabetic needs to make some changes.

I do find the amount of defensiveness on this issue a bit disconcerting.

[scarlet_owl]

46. Effexor, Lexapro, Trazedone, Lorazepam

I hate every one, but I can't function without them. I have bi-polar disorder and PTSD.

[TrogL]

51. Tryptophan and dexedrine

Tryptophan is the chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy.

[AlienGirl]

54. Are you serious?!

Where the heck do you get either of those? It's my impression that tryptophan has been banned for human consumption and dexedrine is all but illegal (except when prescribed to narcoleptics)?

Tucker

[Piperay]

59. St. John's Wort

I take it because of anxiety attacks, I didn't want to take prescription drugs. SJW doesn't work for everyone but it really helped me. :-)

[REP]

60. Don't Take Anything Specifically for Depression

I take 20mg Buspar for anxiety and 75mg Elavil to prevent migraines. The 20mg Buspar seems to work, but once in a while I'll take an extra 10mg if something very stressful is happening (or feels like it's happening; the thing with anxiety is that it's hard to tell what's a real crisis and what isn't).

[RobinA]

62. I Was Variously Prescribed

Valium and Xanax for anxiety and didn't really like either of them, although they did work somewhat. Then I was put on Prozac and Klonopin. Prozac was a godsend. The Klonopin was to manage any side effects. It helped while I was getting used to the Prozac, but then I didn't really need it for that, so I quit taking it. Now I take it once in a blue moon when anxiety breaks through the Prozac. I prefer the Klonopin to either Xanax (very short-acting) or Valium (made me feel sluggish). It also works great for my fear of flying. It doesn't make me tired, but does quell the panic.

[Bertha Venation]

63. Zoloft 50 mg, Xanax prn

I wish I knew of something that works as well as Effexor w/out spiking my blood pressure & making me feel I'm having a heart attack.

The side effects of Zoloft suck just like those of Effexor did. I haven't had any libido for two years.

I'm sorry, 7blades, that I can't help you w/ a better anti-anxiety medicine. Don't know of one.

[terrya]

68. Wellbutrin and Celexa eom

[DemExpat]

69. My real relief only came after I stopped all the meds....

10 years of dependency on meds with only "blanket" and incomplete relief led me to end my addictions (physical and psycholgical) slowly, and find my balance with the help of "natural" aids and Homeopathic treatment (by a specialized doctor).

5 years now depression free (only short periods of 'blues'), and anxiety disorder med-free handled and comfortable.

For me, depending on meds made me feel even more helpless, and I needed to feel I had the power on my own.

Everyone has to find their own way, there really IS no 'one size' (or pill) fits all...

DemEx

[slackmaster]

70. Beer

The only pills I take are for hypertension.

[bearfan454]

73. Wellbutrin Sr.

[TopesJunkie]

78. Lexapro.

For anxiety with mixed depression. It works wonders with far fewer side effects than most SSRIs and the like.

[Zuni]

79. lexapro

several years as a paxil veteran

[Nailzberg]

80. Jack Daniels

Take 4.5 ounces as needed, with 1 oz H20 frozen.

[TopesJunkie]

81. That's the Xanax side of the equation --

it works on the same receptors. Thus, the reason why both are so addictive.

[MISSDem]

85. Meditation

All drugs have side effects. I have been there and done that as far as suffering with anxiety/depression/panic attacks. ALL of the medications that the "medicine men" prescribe are addictive, HIGHLY ADDICTIVE. Be careful. I quit taking all of their stuff cold turkey and it was the hardest thing that I have ever done! So meditate and go to a twelve step group of some sort (they all work the same way). The cleaner your diet the better you will feel. Sugar will make your symptoms worse. Coffee is good for depression, though. Read from Panic to Power.

[VOX]

86. Have been dogged by true panic disorder since I was 17...

My mom had it, her sister had it, and it hit me like a freight train during adolescence. I had all the classic stuff -- out-of-the-blue choking and suffocating sensations, nausea, depersonalization, and nocturnal attacks that would wake me out of a deep sleep. It wasn't long before I began to avoid *any* kind of situation that might make me feel closed in -- restaurants, theaters, public places, airplanes, etc. were all off limits. Driving was tough, and often I'd have to pull over while my nervous system just ran amok.

Over the years, I tried every new medication to roll off the conveyor belt, with only limited success, until the SSRIs finally came on the scene. It took a while to get the right one for me (Celexa), but God, what a lifesaver. I only wish it had been developed sooner -- I spent the better part of two decades living a life dictated by the panic disorder and subsequent agoraphobia. I still have a way to go -- the avoidance patterns are pretty deeply set, but I have come light years in terms of what I'm able to do, and to do it without worry.

If I have to take SSRIs until the day I die, that's fine by me. I've been seriously sidelined by a chemical imbalance for way too long, and these medications have "reset the thermostat" as it were.