Anxiety Forum

duddits · the one Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 149 Location: Alabama

In an effort to see how people are coping with anxiety, I have setup this poll.

norvok · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 4 Location: Georgia

I was taking paxil cr, but im off of it for the time being, but it does really seem to help a lot. I've also tried other medications without any success.

brickyard_red · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:33 pm Post subject:

I'm on Welbutrin. I know some people haven't had luck with this drug, but it seems to be helping me with some of it. I think it is time for me to talk to the dr. about upping my dose though. Rolling Eyes

Cath

Bridgie · Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 10:22 am Post subject:

I was taking Zoloft, and that helped get me through a kind of depressed period, but it didn't do much good for the anxiety, so I stopped taking it. Now I am looking at alternative therapies to help me with the anxiety, because I just don't want to be on medication forever. There's got to be a way to deal with this without drugs!

scatmantom · mucho contributor Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 237

Hi I agree with you about the Meds. Im not saying they are bad and that people shouldnt take them, but I know there are medication free ways of beating this anxiety. Every person has a differnt story tho...and im only sayin what my doctor has said to me. I get the impression im not the worst off patient who visits him...but i have my moments smile

moviefreak13 · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Canada

I do not really cope with my anxiety at all. I have been given some advice on how to handle it but it has not worked. So far I have yet to find anything that helps me to calm down when I am extremely anxious.

mike49085 · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 7

I have OCD and tis pretty bad right now. If t feels like I'm not taking anything for it.

babycristy · Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:42 am Post subject:

Chris S. · Guest

I am taking Lexapro, for my Depression/Anxiety it helps a bit with my depression, but not with my anxiety. My Counselor has showed me some Deep Breathing Techniques to help me relax when I get anxious, they help a little, but I still wish that I could get some pills for my Anxiety/Panic Attacks, does anyone know of any medication that they would recommend me taking for this that has worked for you?

anangel4me · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 10:47 pm Post subject:

Hi Chris. I really don't have any answer to your question but maybe seeing your doctor could be a start as far as finding a medication that is not only right for your anxiety/panic attacks, but one that is right for you. Good Luck smile

Chris S. · Guest

Thanks Angel, I sure do hope to meet my new Phychiatrist soon, and get me some meds for my Anxiety/Panic Attacks. smile

LittlePeaches · Joined: 03 Dec 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Toronto

I have taken medications in the past mostly for depression and early this year for anxiety in school. I do not take any more. I took buspar and another pill. I can't remember the name it was a little pink capsule.

Personally, I do not care for drugs and medications. This is based on how they effect me and studying about them.

I find the best method for me for my depression is/was journalling, poetry writing, talking abut what bothered me, and reading self-help books and things like this. I also like alternative approches or what I'd call companion apprcoaches( dont think they work alone but are good in addition to) like medtation, exercise, aromatherapy, etc.
_________________
http://littlepeaches.blogspot.com

africanphoenix · Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 1 Location: Washington, D.C.

Sometimes I take the medication prescribed to me sometimes, which is Fluvoxamine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorders) and Clonazepam (used to treat panic disorders). But they make me really tired so for the moment I've stopped taking them. I'm just trying to cope using self-help methods right now. but the medicine did work. I was going into stores and more comfortable around other people, but I was always tired. So I stopped taking it in order to see if I could find some other methods.

shahram72 · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 7

I don't take anything regularly. I take a small dose of xanax occaisionally at night to help me sleep. Tried zoloft once and it made me terrible anxious and caused my first panic attack. I don't want meds, they are too expensive and just mask the problem. I do beleive they have their place, but there's just no money in healing us, is there?

soshy · Moderator extraordinaire Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 123

CBT and an SSRI.

For many years i wouldn't take meds. I was afraid I'd be an anxious zombie. I have a handful of friends that suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and they went on an SSRI and had extremely good results. After a couple of months, they were able to do things that they hadn't done since their anxiety hit them. But i still didn't want to take the meds. After about 2-3 years i decided to try it, give it a chance because i saw my friends having a life with little or no anxiety. I read and researched as much as i could on SSRIs and felt that i needed more than just CBT (14 yrs of, at that time). I still remember the night i swallowed the pills! I had another friend who was taking it for the first time too that night. My close friend who had been on it for a couple of years stayed with us that night. I was nervous but very hopeful that this was going to help. The next morning i had no side affects, maybe a little drowsy or tired, but i don't know if it was from all the anticipation leading up to taking the med or the med. It's been six years now and I'm so happy i did decide to take it and wish i hadn't waited so long. It decreased my anxiety and wiped out my daily panic attacks within three months; and I am on a very high dosage of it.

But there's no way I would be where I am today without CBT. If I just had taken meds alone, i believe i would still be very anxious. The meds stop the physiological portion of my anxiety so i do not escalate, but therapy stops my emotional escalation. I will always be in therapy and want to be. It's were i began to learn why i have panic attacks and social phobia and how to control and defeat. I good therapist who specializes in anxiety and social phobia has been the greatest gift I could ever ask for. The combo of the meds with CBT is the best road for me.

But everyone is different physiologically especially when it comes to meds, so I'm not a big advocator on meds. This particular SSRI worked wonders on me and a few of my close friends - we had very similar anxiety and we must be physiologically similar for this med to work. I'm very sensitive to medications. I can't even take anything when im sick except certain antibiotics(if needed) or a couple of cough drops. The only thing I take if im in pain is aspirin or acetaminophen and i really gotta be hurting. Antihistamines make me freak out/panic and so do Rx pain killers. I had a serious neck injury a few years ago and the Rx from the doc was Percodan and half a pill threw me into panic.

For me, consistently working in therapy and meds.

Long-winded soshy