Is Citlopram the 'best' for anxiety?

[92220]

Dear Forum,

My doctors seem to think that Citlopram is the best out there for anxiety. I wonder if this is right
as i've been on 20mg for a couple of years and the anxiety has been building for some time to a
fairly large crack a couple of weeks ago.

Now been upped to 30mg for a couple of weeks. But again, not really feeling it.

Any advice or opinions?

Cheers,

92220

[PanicCured]

The best for anxiety is to use the many resources to cure your anxiety naturally without drugs and just face your fears. Do you really think a drug can cure anxiety at it's source? You do not have a disease. Give yourself some time and focus on true healing and you will get better. It's hard work but I did it, so you can do it too.

[Girlie77]

Anxiety IS a disease. Medication is not meant to cure it, but to treat it. Does insulin cure diabetes?? There are a variety of tools you can use to overcome the symptoms of your anxiety, and often medication and therapy combined is your best bet. That being said, there really isn't one particular medication that is best for everyone. It is different for every individual. If you feel citalopram isn't working for you, discuss it with your doctor. It is also possible for an AD to lose its effectiveness after a while.

[PanicCured]

No it isn't a disease. It is a behavioral disorder that you can be rid of 100%!. Cancer is a disease. Not anxiety. You are comparing diabetes to anxiety? Really? Diabetes is caused by the pancreas not secreting insulin so one needs to take insulin. That is not like someone who panics. You have been misguided if you think anxiety is like diabetes or is a disease. There is no easy way out. Just put in some hard work and follow the steps I and others here have outlined and in 5 days your anxiety will be for the most part gone. Seriously. 5 days. Give yourself 6-9 months and it will be totally gone like it never happened. But guess what? That doesn't happen by hiding in your home googling for 17 hours a a day and popping Klonopins and saying, "I dont drive", "I dont go in crowds", "I dont..."

I get it. You think you cant do those things but you have to hear that voice in you that says you CAN do it, you just got to push through it. You will have panic attacks in the healing process, but the less you fear them the less they will happen. Start seeing panic attacks as no big deal. Your heart does not explode and you don't go crazy. This is a completely different situation than diabetes, heart disease or cancer. A diabetic can't just will their pancreas to work.

You cant just pop a pill for everything. Meds only maintain, they rarely cure. I realize there is a time where this may be the best option, but it is always a temporary option.

Really sad how misguided everyone is about health and healing.

[Girlie77]

Do neither of you believe that there is a real medical cause behind panic, anxiety, and depression? Do you truly believe that anxiety is "all in your head" and those of us who suffer from it are just weak people with no coping skills? I know that we do cause ourselves to go into panic episodes with excessive worry and "what if" thinking, but do you not believe that there is something wrong with us on a chemical level that causes our bodies and minds to react the way they do? Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but when I see people on here chastising others for taking medication and saying that their way will cure you, I think it invalidates the others' personal experiences. I choose to believe medical findings that naturally occurring chemical imbalances and deficiencies predispose us to these irrational ways of thinking and the overwhelmingly abnormal ways our bodies react. Psychology is medical practice and these are psychological conditions. I am fully aware of what diabetes is and what causes it, I was merely stating that insulin, like psych meds, treats but doesn't cure. Perhaps anti hypertensives for high blood pressure would have been a more comfortable comparison.

[bhamlaxy]

Paniccured- I get what you are saying about medication. But you need to understand it has it's place.

For many of us, we can't take the time to struggle through, it has to be a slower process and medication can play a part in it. For myself, I was starting a new job a few weeks after my panic disorder hit. Without medication, I would have had to quit, probably broke up with my girlfriend and moved in back with my parents.

It can stabilize you while you seek therapy and heal. While the way you phrase it makes it sound like getting over anxiety is simple, we both know it's not. While the thoughts you need to change are very reasonable, it can take some people time to make it.

[Girlie77]

Kev-

I have had problems with anxiety my entire life, panic for about 5 years. My thinking has always been pretty much the same-- lots of what if, worst case scenario-- but I had a panic attack several years ago out of the blue with no obvious stressor or trigger, which of course started the cycle of panic. That being said, my thought is this-- there is something abnormal in me that causes me to react to minor fear in such an exaggerated way. Everyone experiences fear, not everyone experiences panic. Maybe my ego is getting in my way, but I don't think it is weakness or a character flaw that causes me to be this way. There is a lot of evidence that indicates that a GABA deficiency is a causative factor in many mental illnesses including anxiety. Unfortunately, they aren't currently offering a GABA supplement! I congratulate you on finding your way out of panic, and I am doing well with mine (I am reminded of this when I read posts by others who suffer constantly) and I think we can agree that everyone's journey is unique.

[PanicCured]

For those of you not keeping up with all my posts:

I was addicted to Klonopin and was not helped by doctors, so I have a gripe with how the medical establishment treats anxiety. I have cured myself 100% naturally, so I am worth taking at least somewhat seriously!

Anxiety IS NOT all in your head. It stems from your head, but then your nervous system is physically "sick" causing you to be so oversensitive. That is why I recommend taking certain supplements and learning reduced breathing exercises and a few other things such as regular yoga. The great thing about the body, is it wants to heal. It just needs to be allowed to heal. Medication inhibits true healing. There are times when it's necessary, so I am not 100% against it, but it is not true healing. I try to beat into people's heads what a true healing process is. It is a process and it happens little by little.

The example above about Diabetes Type 2 is very good. So many things we call "disease" can be turned around by changing your lifestyle and diet, and doctors just treat it with surgery or medication without any true healing or cleansing. Doctors create the illusion of health. You may seem better, but the root of the problem has not been addressed. You're just functioning as if you are healed. But then again, life itself, is a healing path.


If you get your mind right, fully grasp the bluff anxiety is and how it can't hurt you, and learn to not hyperventilate and lead a healthy lifestyle, face your fears as often as you can, you are well on the path to being anxiety free. In 5 days of practicing Buteyko breathing I was 50% better. About 9 months later I was 95% cured. Now the only time I think of anxiety is when I come on this forum to help others out of the goodness of my heart.

Please try my quick guide to stopping panic and read my thread how I cured myself. My quick guide is so incredibly simple, you won't believe how easy it is to turn a panic attack around.