Meds

[brokenwingx9]

So, I have an anxiety disorder. And having recently talked to my doc about it, I've been prescribed an anti-depressant (paxil). But ultimately I'm fearful that the cure is worse than the disease. These sorts of drugs have a laundry list of side effects, many of which are common. Furthermore, they have a long warm-up time before they're really

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Unsolicited Skunkadvice

[bobskunk]

I've been on a number of them over the years and now I'm no longer on any. I can say, however, that a low dosage of Risperdal (an effective, low risk anti psychotic that can help to stabilize moods and 'take the edge off' when used in low doses) was the only thing that I could tell helped. But, like everything else, things change and it didn't work so well. I ended up quitting it cold turkey just so I could graduate.

YMMV, hun, but there is truth to some of the things they say. If you've got a safety net of some sort if this medication doesn't work out (many probably won't), I think it's worth giving a try. Just remember if you can tell something isn't right, speak up, and make sure you're firm about it. You'll get massaged and "gently disagreed with" and one-more-week'd to death by some practitioners until you relent.

[verix]

Paxil did zilch for me. Literally, nothing. Apparently Paxil is the one most infamous for doing ridiculous things like making you levitate books and using them to seppuku yourself or some ridiculous shit like that, and yet it did nothing for me. I took it for a few months (because I thought Zoloft was affecting my sleep-- turns out I actually have insomnia, oops!) and felt nothing. So I was like "eh. my diet changed and I feel better. droppin' it." So I dropped it cold turkey. No problems!

Then again I didn't have anxiety shit, I have clinical depression, I'm sure. Or this new thing they call "bipolar depression disorder." Either way I'm going to the psychiatrist soon.

Hope my anecdote at least helps quell your fears to a degree. I mean, I don't know your body chemistry, but it did absolutely nothing to me. It was like taking a sugarpill. Food for thought, I suppose.

[toumal]

Anxiety disorder is just a fad disease used to prescribe drugs that fail even basic scrutiny tests. It's a huge market for snake-oil drugs like Ritalin out there. Bogus Psychopharmaca.

Also, a friend of mine was prescribed rather large doses of Lithium for many years. It took him a while, but eventually he found that all the health problems he's had (skin irritations, chronic dizzyness, vomiting, etc.) went away as soon as he stopped taking them. Turns out the good doc prescribed him an overdose for years o.O

[verix]

Really? What studies have shown that medications like Paxil and such have "failed even basic scrutiny tests"? And what studies have also shown that having an anxiety disorder is essentially fake? I'd love to read them.

[toumal]

I'm sure there are plenty of studies that verify their claims. The question is how many of them are repeatable, double-blind and cover a significantly large and diverse test group.

[brokenwingx9]

Yeah, uh, having an anxiety disorder I can tell you you're full of crap.

I get panic attacks regularly, freak out about the most basic of issues, can't stop thinking about things like my own mortality at night and have trouble getting to sleep, sometimes for hours. I've gone to ER or urgent care countless times for effectively non-issues or very small issues. I have stomach problems WHENEVER I need to board a plane, or drive a long distance, or meet someone new, or do something else that makes me anxious.

It's not fun. I bet you think restless leg syndrome is also a fake disease, huh? I had a friend in college for whom it was debilitating.

[toumal]

>Psychopharmacology is mostly a good thing, but no replacement for trusting human interaction.

Thank you, that was an excellent sum-up of my personal worries in this matter.

[wingywoof]

I have a history of anxiety and depression in my family. You know what helps me keep it together

[brokenwingx9]

Yeah, Xanax seemed to work alright. Killed my inner monologue and worked nicely. Kinda an odd experience cause I could just zone out and not think about things...

I totally support therapy as well, and I've gone to multiple therapists. Unfortunately I don't know any good ones around where I live now, nor do I know anyone to recommend me one. All the therapists I've ever talked to have discouraged medication, but often times I still had some relative issues.

Zoloft is an SSRI, right?

But yeah, I dunno. I'm a pretty relatively lightened up personality, but I still have these issues. Eating right might be a culprit, but I have light foods and veggies and fruits and such... I definitely get enough sleep, but I need to adjust where I'm getting that sleep.

[wingywoof]

Yeah, Zoloft is a SSRI.

Your story sounds familiar. I consider myself fairly outgoing and happy, but I also have these issues that plague me.

Whatever you choose, I hope it works for you.