meds or no meds

[wench1975]

ive been an anxiety sufferer for over ten years now and have always refused to take meds, had lots of therapy which has helped but my anxiety has always been there in the background and then returns full blown and wipes me out and leaves me feeling hopeless and drained, ive now come to the conclusion that maybe i need to try something different and maybe try some meds to see if it can give me some tempary relief ,,,,, what are your personal opnions on medication and have they made a difference to you

many thanks

wendy

[Hidden]

Hi Wendy I have had anxiety 6 months now and although I started off taking citalopram for a couple of weeks I stopped them as the side effects where too much for me.I do have Diazapam for emergencies but only take then if Im desperate.Im doing CBT and hoping that helps also take 100mg fish oils and drink lots of herbal tea.Everyone is different some people cant get through this without meds.Its a personal choice I think

[wench1975]

thanks for the reply hun xxx ive been through this so many times ,,, ive had ctb, one to one counselling and also group counselling so im no stranger to therapy xx however i just cant seem to get over it ,,, its like a lead baloon hanging over me ,, ive even started to get nervious picking my kids up from school which is something ive never had a problem with ,,, im studying at college to become a counsellor myself and just need to be able to get myself sorted once and for all ,,, i totally understand anxiety now and know that i am fualing the fire and i do understand all its nasty symptoms but what i struggle with is the negative memory i have of it ,,, when you have held on to these feeling for so long its difficult to let them go, its a habit od the mind rather then the anxiety itself ,,, ive spoken to my doctor this morning and he has precribed me citalopram 20mg and maybe is something i need to try but im unsure at present and will see how im feeling over the next few days ,,, just want to stop the negative thoughs and get on with my life ,, im so sick of watching other have fun while ill struggle just to get through my days , im sure so many of you understand how this feels xxxx

[Hidden in reply to wench1975]

totally understand how you feel.And your right we let the anxiety feed of us its hard to keep it at bay.I have had a week of happiness but then I can feel the old dread coming back I am working hard to keep it at bay.x

[Hidden in reply to wench1975]

I like sharon had citalopram but felt so much worse on it, the doc told me to keep taking it as it hadnt been in my system long enough! Despite the horrific brain fog,memory loss,loss of appetite and generally feeling rubbish,when i came off it the shear panic,palpitatiins and shakibg came back with avengance! The doc gave me diazepam which has totally relaxed me,and have also started taking slow release venlafaxine. At the moment i just have no motivation and feel tired all the time but my head seems alot clearer to deal with things. There are pros and cons to everything and everyone is different, i think its good that everyone shares their experiences but whats not worked for me may suit you. My view is that i will try anything to have my life back to how it was,but i think im a long way off at the moment so i welcome any advice or help! Take care x

[Mandy26]

I have suffered from anxiety for 3 months. Not long in comparison to a lot of people on here I understand, but I haven't had medication and haven't had CBT. I have been attack free for two weeks however with only small niggles of anxiety.

For my first two weeks I was bed ridden and suffering constant attacks. I didn't leave the house, however my way of dealing with the anxiety was to push the negative feeling and symptoms to one side (even though I was still experiencing them) and ignore them. It was really hard. I was walking my dog with heart palpitations, thinking I was going to drop down dead, but I knew I was going to come out of it as I had every other attack. I soon started seeing that the symptoms were easing and I put this down to my brain sending stronger messages to overtake the panic.

To me I suppose this seemed like the only option as I always attack my illnesses head on, however I can more than understand that sometimes peoples anxiety is just too much and meds may be the only way. My only worry with meds however was that it was just covering up the anxiety and I wouldn't actually be fighting the causes.

xxx

[Pickle165]

HI, i currently take a small dose of prozac and have been on it for about two years, sometimes i think it does nothing untill i miss it a couple of days and then realise what a difference it makes. i never wanted to take meds but unfortunatly i needed it and thats just the way it is for some people, we are all at differrent levels in this horrible vicious circle. i am debating trying 5htp which is the herbal version. herbal remedies also have side effects tho, i tried st johns wort a few years back and i forever had headaches cos they made me so light sensitive. x

[Hidden]

Edited comment from similar thread (meds or herbal?)

Hi there

I'm on 10mg escitalopram, I take it in the mornings, but no side effects. However I have been prescribed this for OCD, and started off on 5mg before titrating up to 10. It is effective in reducing my obsessions, but there is still underlying anxiety/mood swings. Everyone reacts differently to SSRIs so es/citalopram is not for everyone.

I was once prescribed Xanax, reacted extremely badly to it, with a dramatic increase in anxiety and OCD 4 hours after taking it (only a .25mg dose and all!).

In terms of alternative/lifestyle things I do:

WARNING LONG LIST BELOW

avoid caffeine

take valerian at night

take vitamin B complex

magnesium

starflower oil

fish twice a week

no processed sugars during the week

vigorous exercise twice a week

low gi foods - using brown instead of white rice, sweet potato instead of standard potatoes etc.

That's kind of it apart from (red wine~) but that's bold and not to be recommended. Believe me. I do not practice what I preach regarding the red vino, sadly.

[whitedove]

I have carried anxiety for 18 years now since I was 17, and the only constant is the drug propanolol. I take it in smaller, 10mg doses now, and use it sparingly as I enjoy exercise, and as it slows the heart, it interferes with that and makes me breathless.. If I know I have something stressful coming up such as a job interview then I will drop 20 mg.

Other drugs I have taken are...Amitryptiline, Paroxetine, Citalopram, Buspirone all of which I can say are absolutely USELESS!!! The only useful one was Diazepam, but that's just like being drunk, no good for long term use.

Exercise and meditation and Propanolol are all that work (for me, but probably for lots of other people too)

All the medication gets pushed by GPs because Pfizer et al make so much money from people's misery. They are not interested in helping people, they are only interested in making money out of them...Isn't it interesting that the ONLY drug that works for me is 'off label' and was actually developed to lower blood pressure

Good luck mate!

[milo1]

hi how much propanlol do you take daily my doc told me that anything less than 40 is no good i was on 40 and feeling a bit faint sometimes my doc stopped them i asked if i could take less she said no