unsure about medication

[Francesca-H]

hey

Im alittle concerned about the amount of anxiety medication i have been on

10 years ago I was put on setraline until 2 years ago, when I was given Citralopram 20mg which was up to 40mg in Feb this year..after having alot of anxiety attacks within 3 weeks my doctor has now prescribed paroxetine...are these any good...after being on alot of different anxiety meds with all failing are these new ones going to be any different 😟

[blackcat64013]

Hi Francesca-H,

It's great that you have kept a history of medication tried. It helps you and the doctor work out what to try next.

There are medications from different classes (see list below) that work differently available in the doctor's toolkit. Your doctor will prescribe based on their clinical experience and a discussion with you about your preferences. Each person's chemistry will react differently to a drug so there is no guarantee of what will work for you or not.

My doctor tried quite a few before sending me to a psychiatrist for a medication review - the outcome was a prescription for a combination of medication which seemed to work better for me.

The thing to remember is that medication is one half of the treatment equation. Medication needs to be combined with regular talking therapy in sessions with a psychologist/counselor. Doctors (psychiatrist excepted) rarely have time to do so but may do so if they have a personal interest in mental health conditions.

1 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

2 Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

3 Serotonin modulators and stimulators (SMS)

4 Serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs)

5 Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs)

6 Norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs)

7 Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

8 Tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs)

9 Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

10 Atypical antipsychotics

11 Others

12 Adjunctive treatments

13 Combination products

You can check out the names in each group at the link below

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...

[lin62-65ze]

Hello Francesca

I agree with Blackcat, it does depend on the individual. My son has been on Sertraline for over 5 years now, he was also prescribed Depakote but that made him put lots of weight on. I am on Lithium but was also prescribed Pregablin as I do not sleep well. Only pyschiastrist's can prescribe these medications. I also read about different drugs on the internet I really would not like to be a GP as it is hard to find the right medication for the individual keep persevering and eventually you will find the right one. Hope you also try relaxation, and things you enjoy too 😊😊

[Garamanda]

Hi

I don't have knowledge of the new drug, but like you, I was on ceteraline- citalapram- exitaloprame.

Also the same dose, however, I was told at the time, that after a hypermotor episode ( adrenaline floods your body continually so you are unable to stop moving i.e. Walking swimming etc but no standing still or sitting down ) I was on 13 tablets a day, which just bounced of me. They did nothing to alleaviate. Then I was put on motiva for 1year ( no longer available) as it stopped my overdosing adrenaline within an hour of taking it.

I was then put on cetraline as what they called a maintenance dose , but they would become useless, so would go on ceteraline then exitraillin , then the circle began again. As the body eventually becaomes so used to each drug they become less effective.

I was like this for 13 years and then I had the most massive breakdown and was put on a cocktail of drugs so if these new ones don't help I would advise you ask for referral to psych to establish the underlying cause of your anxiety as 10'years is far to long to be on any medication before the underlying cause is found and treated.

In my case I should have been diagnosed years ago as it turns out that I suffer from complex trauma ( from a life of psychological, physical,psychological abus, neglect " all of which started in infancy " so was what I knew so didn't realise how damaged I was.

I also had numerous serious trauma due to neglect so was in situations of danger my whole young life .

I was diagnosed with severe depressive episode and bi polar 2 at the age of 50. I had spent my life with physical complaints because the effect of abuse locked inside me was taking its toll on my body

This was because neglect and abuse happened so early in life my brain wired wrongly to survive.

I'm not saying that this will be your story, just that something is causing your anxiety and they should be addressing this instead of painting over the cracks and allowing it to continue.

My psych team knew almost immediately what was wrong but they had to guide me to the realisation and cause. So from August to February I knew nothing about the cause of my affliction. When I saw for myself I just broke.

But know I'm still on many different meds the doses have got lower and lower, as I am working through my past and beginning to see that my whole life I have been a people pleaser, a goody two shoes, a doormat with no boundarues as I was not taught how to make boundaries as they didn't want me to have any.

I now know I was not to blame for any of it and can now see where my behaviour stems from

I was never allowed to be the innate being I should have been, but I am now finding her and learning she is worth something and have boundaries.

It is not easy I have been in hell and only seeing light now 4 years on, but I have been told after the therapy is done I will probably not have any more bi polar incedents as they believe my brain is re- wiring as I recover.

Your story may be nothing like mine, but you still have something in you that needs to be set free to heal, not just pills for the rest of your life, so fight for help.

I wish you well x

[Francesca-H in reply to Garamanda]

thank you so much....my is all related to health anxiety and the fact i always think I'm dying 😕 i am currently recieveing CBT Therpy as I do not want to be in medication forever...i jist feel I'm going something wrong because I'm still have really bad attacks even after 6 sessions of therpy.

thank u so much for sharing your story hun x

[Garamanda in reply to Francesca-H]

My hyper motor was triggered by health worry as well. I had a very bad miscarriage and nearly died.

I felt that I should make a will as we never know when our time is due sand since I had been so close to it I had to make sure my young children would be looked after.

However, when I came to the bit about who would become their legal guardian I just had to put it away as I had no one I could trust especially not my mother.

Just a few months after that a close friend died, I had visited her on Boxing Day , and the children gave her a present. She was looking great and obviously really looking forward to Christmas.

She said that she would give me a ring on Boxing Day and I left.

On Boxing Day the phone went and I answered expecting her to be on the other side, but it wasn't her but her brother in law. He was phoning to let me know she had died, due to a blood clot.

I then was terrified that I would get one and die leaving my children with out a mother.

At the time there was a lot in the papers etc about DVT with air travel. Every time I saw a head line I would just throw up, constantly had sore legs and was very short of breath.

Obviously I now know that it was anxiety causing all the symptoms which were very real, but not anything to do with blood clots. That was when I took the hyper motor episode.

So you see there might still be something lying underneath causing your condition.

I got CBT as well but the only positive I got from it was how to stop a full on panic attack by placing your hand behind your back, which pushes your diaphtam outwards, making it impossible not to breathe properly.

If you have seen an experienced psychiatrist then it most likely is what your saying, but there is a reason for everything.

i am not trying to argue with what you say, you are valid and know what you feel and suffer, I'm just asking you to coincided if something is there I your subconcience which frightens you and therefore has you panicking about your health.

Could be something you thought really trivial , but actually your Body reaction was to trauma.

So if you haven't been referred please just ask the question, don't spend your whole life papering over the cracks.

That what I did and now I mourn all those years I deserved to be happy and live a full life, not live in a state of constant stress and fear.

X