Posted , 3 users are following.
doesnt seem to matter which anti depressant they give me, i get heightened anxiety, it wont go away and I have to take anxiety med to just exist. Eventually it gets too bad and i end up changing to another, same thing again. My life is impacted so much with this and i dont know how to change it.
1 like, 6 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
Guest ann55375
Posted
trudilu ann55375
Posted
Ann
Anxiety is an awful thing to have to live with. I used to have anxiety/panic attacks so badly that at first I would have to leave work and drink several glasses of wine to calm down because it helped and I felt I had to hide from the world because of my symptoms that I could not control.
Antidepressants alone do not help anxiety (from experience). Sometimes they help a little, but not enough. I used to take Xanax for a little while a long time ago, but it was very addictive and I had a hard time getting off of them. At the time, I had a psychiatrist who prescribed klonopin to me (an anti-anxiolytics) that is also addicting but stays in your body longer.
A lot of people are against Klonopin because it's addictive, but I've been taking a very small dose at night for years w/o increasing the dose, and since that time, I haven't had a panic/anxiety since. There are people who want me to get off them, but why should I? They have helped me deal with the world around me and I'm on an even keel. As long as you don't get carried away and increase the dose and under the care of a Dr. I encourage it if it helps one deal with their lives. I know how hard anxiety is to live with.
Talk to a Dr about it. Talk therapy does little to alleviate the physically symptoms of anxiety.
ann55375 trudilu
Posted
d loads of cbt without help. I cannot concentrate to read the books, i am in such a mess, social isolating etc. Friend told me the other day i need to broaden my hobbies and interact but just cannot. Is this the anxiety, depression or the valium?
trudilu ann55375
Posted
Ann,
Anxiety & Depression go hand-in-hand. If your depressed, it increases the anxiety and if your anxious, it lead to depression primarily because you can't interact with the world around you causing withdrawal.
This was a very long time ago, but I was depressed/anxious and the Dr prescribed Prozac to me (a then new SSRI antidepressant) which helps not only depression but also anxiety. It helped, but not so much the anxiety. In fact, it agitated me more.
To reduce the agitation, he prescribed me 'klonopin' a long-term acting benzo which is addictive (like Valium or xanax) but less so because it stays in your body about 24 hours so you don't feel the need to follow up with another dose in 6 hours!
It seemed like the perfect combination and so I stuck with it. I couldn't live the other way. Valium is a good substitute fo Klonopin sometimes, but ask your Dr. About Klonopin. And, I've always been very careful with it, taking 0.5ml only at night and not increasing that dose. I intend to stay on it for the rest of my life despite others telling me it's bad for me. Who are they to say?
When something isn't broken, why try and fix it. I'm also taking Prozac and hesitate to be a Guinea pig for all sorts of antidepressants. It doesn't work as well as it used to, but I still take it on & off.
I intend to take this for the rest of my life. I never want to go back to feeling the way I did. And, my Dr. Agrees.
Ask your Dr about Klonopin..
Good luck
ann55375 trudilu
Posted
trudilu ann55375
Posted
Ann, I don't know if Klonopin (Clonazopam) is in the UK, but it never hurts to ask. Many Drs. Are hesitant to get their patients started on an 'addictive' drug, but if you don't abuse it and it helps, why should you have to suffer?
All the benzos that end with 'pam' (like diazepam) are all anti-anxiolytic meds. The difference is that some stay in your body a longer time so you're not chasing it 4 hours after it has worn off or start going through withdrawal symptoms (like xanax). It works! But only for a short period of time. Taking more isn't necessarily better.
If I were you, before I agree to take any drug, I would research it as much as possible. I've heard of the drugs you mentioned, but if they're hard to get off, probably means they are addictive as well.