Anyone doing this without meds?

[jjb1983]

How many of you guys are on meds?

How do you cope without meds? Or just have back up benzos?

Are you still getting out and about or able to hold down a job. I unfortunately gave my job up due to this.

[Xena13]

Yes, doing this without drugs. I always have back up benzos. I have been dealing with this for many years. I think therapy and meds are needed until your body settles down. Then therapy and natural meds and supplement can support you. You can still have a great life....

[jjb1983 in reply to Xena13]

Hello xena13,

Wow well done you, I'm the same but I have tried antidepressants but I get terrible side effects and cannot deal with how anxious they make me.

So I have diazepam for if needed but i have a tablet phobia from trying Prozac I had terrible effects from that drug.

I'm still waiting on therapy

Ate you in the UK?

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

Diazapam is nothing like Prozac, it relaxes you and helps you sleep. I've had nightmare results from antindepressants, but the few times I have had diazapam it just relaxed me and made me sleep. Propranolol are good for anxiety but they give me insomnia.

[Hidden]

No I’m to unable to work in my condition. Makes me practically invisible. Anti depressant meds don’t work for me. Have to be on pain meds as I have nerve pain from being thrashed around like a rag doll being thrown into railings; thrown out of a moving van at work and a bus as well. My neck almost got broke. Have several ruptured vertebrae and deep depression, anxiety and ptsd symptoms that are debilitating

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Hello floydbhot,

Sorry you have been through that is that from a relationship?

Do you use therapy and benzos?

Keep talking to ppl will help.

[Humankind-BE_BOTH]

After my psychotic break 5 months ago I have been on a pharmacological roller coaster...

the worst part is I have all of the side effects and none of the efficacy for healing

[jjb1983 in reply to Humankind-BE_BOTH]

Hello humankind-be_both

Have you found any that help you?

I find that all ssri medicine im sensetive to so i get really anxious on them all. But it didn't help taking Prozac back in 2013 I felt bad derealization very anxious and lost 8lb in a week.

[jkl5500 in reply to jjb1983]

I can relate to you about Prozac. I was prescribed Prozac when it first came out (around 1988) , and it was the worst two weeks of my life. I called my doc and begged him to put me on something else, which did work.

Antidepressants are going to be a roll of the dice, with possibly some very unpleasant side effects. But there is bound to be one that will work for you. You do need a lot of patience, though, to wait for them to start working.

[jjb1983 in reply to jkl5500]

Hello jkl5500,

I was exactly like that too I phoned my doc they gave me others but unfortunately Prozac stays in your system more than the others for a longer period and due to this I've had a lot of ssri and still had side effects from Prozac going on.

I only found this out after speaking with a cpn nurse.

She went through my meds history and I've tried them all.

I was on citalopram for 2.5 year but even then caused very heightened anxiety on 10mg, I had to take diazepam while in them.

Have you found one that works?

[jkl5500 in reply to jjb1983]

I found a few that worked, but after a few years they stopped working. That's been the problem for me. The side effects of these drugs can be different for different people. I've read where people said that Prozac was the best thing that ever happened to them. From my experience, I don't see how that could be, but that's what they said.

[Hidden in reply to jkl5500]

My friend swears by Prozac but they are definitely not me

[kenster1]

I wish I tried recently but it backfired on me.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

Hi kenster1

How did it backfire?

[kenster1]

I was on mirtazapine but felt they stopped working.ended up on sertraline took one tablet ended up in hospital then put back on mirtazapine again.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

Sorry to hear that you ended up in hospital, was it the sertraline?

What mg mirtazipine are you on?

[kenster1 in reply to jjb1983]

yeah it was sertraline I am on 45mg mirtazapine again.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

What did it do to you?.

I'm glad the mirtazipine is working for you.

[kenster1]

I just started blotching all over my body skin bubbled up.everyone different mind you that was just a reaction I had.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

Oh dear at least you had it checked over.

Keep on with the mirtazipine of they are working. I was given them but decided against taking them.

[kenster1 in reply to jjb1983]

nightmare to come off so they are that's how I ended up back on them.vicious circle wish I was like my mum she suffered for years and never took a pill.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

Now I think about the conversation I had with the cpn nurse about meds I was thinking to taper off them you would need to cut down, but cutting down mirtazipine would make you sleepy as she said smaller doses is a sedative.

Have you spoke to the doctor about coming off them.

[kenster1]

yeah I cut down but when I got to the smallest dose and then a week of cold turkey I had terrible insomnia.thats how I ended up back on them.still not getting a good sleep mind you.

[jjb1983 in reply to kenster1]

I've seen a post on here saying that melatonin is good for sleep 10mg casuals and it's natural.

[kenster1 in reply to jjb1983]

yeah the chemist wouldn't give it to my mrs because I was on medication but loads of people say it really helps.

[Hidden in reply to kenster1]

The key for me when I came off mirtazipine to wear myself out, I had 2 jobs day and night. The day job I would go to approx 1pm for 3/4 hours, so I cat napped inbetween.

[AZ1970]

My meds are vital to my recovery. They are not the fix all. But I must have them.

[Txnut60 in reply to AZ1970]

Yes. I agree.

[Hidden]

I've had crippling anxiety for years, I knew nothing about benzos until I read a medical report saying I was clearly requesting benzos. I've lost so much because of my anxiety, jobs, friends, social life, large portions of my life where I have been snowed under for 4 to 5 months of the year, I'm actually starting to feel like my care has been shocking? I vaguely remember being given a short course of them many many years ago, but I can't even remember what they were for, then I have had an emergency 'benzo tablet' 3 times in accident and emergency. I didn't even know you could get them for anxiety like that. I just can't understand why nobody thought to give me them. Between the nurse accusing me of clearly requesting them and me not knowing that I could have had them to help me through my worst times, Im feeling like my healthcare has been an absolute joke.

My anxiety isn't like occasional stage fright, it's debilitating to the point I don't function for months, I've been in absolute financial ruin at times because of it. But rather than give me anxiety meds they will stick me on anti psychotics ? I need to speak to someone about my health care, I feel like I have been badly let down

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Hello onlyme2019,

I would defo ask to speak to someone else about what meds you can take I'm not taking antidepressants, they make me feel worse, I have however a tablet phobia so the tablets that I have I don't take (diazepam) I should really because I'm struggling with pain in my muscles tripezious and shoulder tops.

Sounds a little like me I'm not in work at the moment I can't the anxiety is too high.

What symptoms do you get with your anxiety?

Are you in the UK? I've been to a n e with panic attacks and they have never given me anything.

Hope your feeling better.

There are services to use, are you getting any therapy?

I've bought a book called dare maybe look it up.

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

I find zopiclone help me with my anxiety and insomnia, but can only haven't rarely. Even though it's a sleeping tablet it also stops the pain in my back which is probably because it stops me from being so tense.

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

My anxiety is always there, but as long as I stay busy, I'm ok, when I have time to think, i can't stop thinking, I've learnt all the things that trigger my anxiety now so just avoid it. The only thing is it makes my life fall to prices when I have a change in routine. I've never been meds that could pull me through the bad patches, I'm going to find a new doctor today. It's not just my current go that I feel fed up with, it's my old one too, because I feel they should have known these tablets could have helped me a lot more

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

I find anytime I talk to anyone I don't get the proper chance to talk, it's like they narrate the assessment without giving me chance to explain what's happening, how it's affecting me and how they could help me recover. Work keeps me balanced, but as soon as I have time off, I'm so unbalanced, insomnia kicks in, anxiety, negative thoughts, Im thinking of writing my problems down, so the notes don't get confusing.

In one set of notes a nurse wrote can't work because of anxiety, that could mean I don't work, aI do work and I'm off with my anxiety, so she could put feels getting back to work will help her inner recovery (then they might actually understand that work will be part of my recovery

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

Yeah find a doctor that listens to you, might be worth asking to be referred to a cpn nurse if your in the UK.

That's how I feel when I go to the doctors.

Best write it down ask to book a double app too.

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

What's a con nurse ?

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Cpn sorry

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

That's what I meant sorry what's a cpn nurse ?

[Anna2008 in reply to Hidden]

Community psychiatric nurse x

[Hidden in reply to Anna2008]

Thanks, I think I seen one in the cmht x

[Hidden]

I never took meds for it and now I am 100% fine. I got on with life and left it all behind.

[TriggerPoint]

Xanax Is "Clutch Attack" Drug....Paxil Is My GAD Drug... & I MAKE Myself Get Out A Little Everyday...Sometimes It's Fine & Sometimes Not So... But My Doc Told Me Years Ago To NEVER Become A Shut In....He Said He Had People He Couldn't Help Because He Couldn't Even Get Them To The Door......

[jjb1983 in reply to TriggerPoint]

I don't understand the last part of your post sorry

[Anna2008 in reply to jjb1983]

My understanding of a shut in is someone who is too scared to leave their own home due to fear of others...

[jjb1983 in reply to Anna2008]

Ahh ok, I get it now. Agoraphobia isn't very nice at all.

I think exposure therapy is great for that tricky but great.

Just small steps first.