anxiety/depression

[Saldav]

How many off you have been able to live a normal life while on meds. I use to only have 2 or 3 episodes a year while on meds. But when my meds started to not work for me I started getting episodes way more often, like I feel like shit for a whole month . My anxiety will last for about a month, with it gradually calming down, then the depression kicks in for about 3 weeks. I start feeling like a zombie for another 2 weeks, I finally start feeling "normal" for about 3 weeks then the cycle continues.

For the last 2and half months I've been given prozac and that seemed to work a little bit, but they just recently changed my meds to escitalopram (lexapro) 5mg for a week then 10 mg every morning, I'm only on my second day of escitalopram (lexapro). I'm hoping this works. I've lost interest in everything I don't want to work all I want to do is sleep, my life sucks right now, my bills are pilled up I'm so depressed. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Dahila]

Take the meds they will work eventually. I am having anxiety and depression for over 30 years, I am still here. I take meds. I hope you will start to feel better soon

[Saldav]

Thank you dahlia! That means a lot to me.

[Saldav]

@dahlia what meds do you take if you don't mind me asking. Pm me if you don't want the whole world to know.

[Dahila]

I do not mind; I am on Gabapentin 3x300 mg and on clonazepam 0.5 once a day, I take it twice a day when I know that my day is going to especially difficult. My doc thinks that it is better to avoid panic attack and she leaves it to my decision. She knows that I am careful with meds. I know how they work and what they do to us. Then anxiety kills us literally, so I chose meds. Then ativan as needed, which lately I do not need. Saldav Iam too old to worry what world (which is going to hell, anyway) is thinking of me :) :)

[acetone]

It would appear that meds(both SSRIs and benzos) only mask symptoms they do not cure the problem. When I discontinued my meds my symptoms returned.

[alankay]

Stay on the meds and work with you doc on that. Time also helps to heal but do stay on the meds. Alankay

[jessed03]

A few years ago I was totally unable to function cos of the mental stuff. I was given SSRIs, they didn't help, I was given mirtazipine, it allowed me to get back together with a Gf at the time who became worn down by my anxiety, as well as allowing me to go back to my studies which I'd previously quit.

A little tip that helped me, is have three things (preferably outside the house) that you MUST do everyday. Mine were, go running, buy food (I only shopped one day at a time to keep me active), and practice 15 minutes on my guitar... Even though I was really apathetic, hated myself and was real tired, I forced myself to do these things daily. It kept me ticking over. I wasn't happy, but when I stopped, my house became a mess, debt became crippling, it's more symbolic than medicinal, keeps the idea in your subconscious that you aren't giving up, and that you at least semi-believe things are gonna improve.

After a few months, the meds kicked in, and I gradually increased my 3 thing routine, to a point where I was back at college.

[Saldav]

Thanks guys!

[acetone]

I finally found something that worked for me but because of some dumb reason i came off them and after a huge amount of problems from withdrawing to fast thanks to my idiot doctor i am back worse than when i started .

I understand some of this is a mental thing where i am depressed to be back where i am .

But i also questioned my new doctor .

She said it is like having a bug in which you take antibiotics . If you stop as soon as you feel good , let say after a few day then it comes back in full force to bit you on the butt because you didn't really fix it .

This is a interesting way to look at it i think .

I guess it means from what i understand is that you have to take these drugs to support you brain and reteach it to do what it should do . I have heard them called training wheels for the brain which i like .

Maybe we were not ready to ride a big bike without training wheels just yet :)

I gave my SSRI(zoloft) a fair amount of time(around one year) to work. I found it to be an okay med. It numbed my brain so that I did not feel the main symptom(dizziness) as much and did not get as anxious as I used to. When I got off of it the dizziness returned. But really I can't ask for more. My problem is vestibular and not really due to anxiety. Anxiety is a symptom caused by the real problem. One year is more than enough time to see if the med could permanently solve my problem. I am not comfortable with the idea of putting meds in my system for a very long time. Finally meds aren't exactly free.