I FEEL LIKE A LAB RAT...

[MRawPR]

Today, I had my 3-month appointment with my doctor. I moved to Florida 2 years ago and I have been seeing him for that long. He had prescribed Cymbalta to accompany my anxiety medication 3 months ago. This is the 6th antidepressant that I have used in 4 years. This type of medication does not agree with my body. I get bad side effects of insomnia the worst and induce panic attacks. So I asked my doctor why the need for an antidepressant to treat anxiety disorder/panic attacks. He explained and I understood but still, I feel like an experiment. He keeps changing meds and seeing which one works. Have anyone experienced this?

[Gealtachta]

Hi MRawPR,

I have recently (3 mon)been changed to cymbalta as well. Over the last 2 years I have tried 4 -5. I have been taking wellbutrin the whole time as well. I told my doctor that I won't go off wellbutrin, I don't feel like eating the whole world at night! lol

A wee bit of an exaggeration there!!!

I find it hard to tell if it is working but some days I do feel better. Effexor was the first one I tried, with no idea of the difficulty coming off it. It was awful, I had the electric shocks, nausea, just not able to function. While I was on it several times I slept through my alarm. I had just moved but still it is usual for me. I realized after I stopped taking it, that effexor was the reason I slept through my alarm! Message me anytime.

G

[CL3V3R-G1RL]

Kind of. My problem is my thyroid medication makes my anxiety on steroids. I never had the intrusive thoughts of panic, phobias that turn into panic etc. I told my PA about the side effects of the thyroid medication which are anxiety and depression. I have both. 1 I already had but it was controlled and now I have depression.

His answer to me was "but the med is working. Your TSH levels are in good range" but I said the side effects, I can't live like this. He said he understood. But as long as my levels are good my mental health can take a backseat. Ugh 😮‍💨

[Blueruth]

Yes. I get that. I stopped it by educating myself and stopping what didn’t make sense. I also got a prescriber that gives my options and treats me like a partner in my own care. For instance the last time she told me x has activating effects and y lowers your energy. Either are fine. I went with the activating one for me and it worked well. Unfortunately she is very expensive, doesn’t take insurance (and I have ridiculous deductible anyway ) and will probably retire any year soon. But totally worth it. The way to find such a prescriber is to insist on alternatives and ask what the difference is. Most people go in with whatever they heard in an ad or from someone else. He sees you for 45 minutes…maybe. Tell him you want to be an advocate in your health. He will probably love it. Cymbalta may have been one of the three. I went with viibryd bul luckily only for a year because it is very expensive.

[Loves22read]

Understand completely! Have been on anxiety medications for 15 years. Everything was stable until 4 years ago when I nosedived into major panic attacks.

Took me 4 years and having to be placed in inpatient psychiatric hospital for them to finally find the right medication cocktail that works for me. While there they had me trying different things for my anxiety, waiting 3 days then mixing it up again. Was horrible until they got the right combination of medications to work for me. I was discharged and now see a psychiatrist that is great!

My tip to you is If you are seeing your PC for help then you should try to switch to a psychiatrist for your mental medications. It may take a while to find the right one for your personal needs but it is definitely worth it!

[Daesin]

Yep. I think in the last three years I’ve been on probably five or six different medication’s to try to treat headaches. We haven’t even really tried anything for the anti-depressant because I’m reacting so oddly to medication. Let’s try one drug at a time.

It is frustrating.., it is maddening when you have to wait 3 to 4 months (sometimes six months) to see if that medicine is even going to make a difference. Then it takes a month or so to wean off of it before you can start the next trial of a different medicine…. Yep. Sadly I think a lot of us are familiar with this.

All the while they tell us to be patient and that’s the only positive thing we can be. We have to be kind to ourselves and be patient with ourselves. I know it’s hard. I hope they’re able to find something for you soon.