New here and totally stressing

[DeeDee]

Hi all,
I'm really struggling right now. My partner of 8 years came home 2 days after xmas and said she didn't want to be married anymore. On top of that it was the year annv of my moms passing. I thought I was doing great...started seeing a therapist feeling good,no anxiety..then a couple of weeks ago I started feeling exhausted,weak muscles,stomach stuff etc. Well it has just sent me over the edge. My regular anxiety was the all over body burning sensation...no air in my air stuff. Well this is so different of course I now have every deadly disease known. Has any one else had the experience of your symptons changing like that? My thereapist has refered me to a Psychiatrist to talk about meds. Never wanted to do meds...but this sucks. Thanks for your feed back and time.

[Robbed]

My thereapist has refered me to a Psychiatrist to talk about meds. Never wanted to do meds...but this sucks. Thanks for your feed back and time.

Just remember that you don't HAVE to take meds. And you CAN get better without them. If your therapist has a problem with this (and MANY do), then look for a new one. I would SERIOUSLY not consider meds to be a treatment of first resort.

[DeeDee]

Thanx for you reply. Trying meds was not a first response. It was my idea not my therapist. The whole body burning I could deal with,but the being exhausted,shakey muscle thing definately isn't working for me. Have you had your symptons change on you before?

[Robbed]

Thanx for you reply. Trying meds was not a first response. It was my idea not my therapist. The whole body burning I could deal with,but the being exhausted,shakey muscle thing definately isn't working for me. Have you had your symptons change on you before?

Keep in mind that extreme exhaustion and poor sleep are VERY common side effects of SSRIs. I have a friend on Lexapro who complains about these problems VERY frequently, and only now is actually trying to consider different ways to deal with his OCD problem because he is sick of side effects. As for shaky muscles, I have also heard of this possible side effect from SSRIs, although I don't think my friend has this problem. But you need to consider these things, along with other potential side effects such as feelings of 'spaciness' (ie unreality), decreased motivation, loss of interest in sex, and weight gain. You also have to consider that, regardless of any claims by pharmaceutical companies and doctors as far as being 'non-habit forming', SSRIs CAN cause serious dependency problems with some people. And you have to consider that if you see a doctor, psychiatrist, etc, they will almost ALWAYS downplay the possibility of these side effects. AND if you experience them, they will almost ALWAYS deny that the meds could be the cause. This HAS been my friend's experience. So consider all of this SERIOUSLY before trying medication. Because medication is NOT a free ride out of an anxiety disorder. I think you would be MUCH better off trying to work your way through your anxiety than taking meds at this point in time. I would ONLY consider taking meds if you don't seem to get better over the long haul.

As for having anxiety symptoms change on you, this is more the rule than the exception.

[olga]

Robbed wrote:
And you have to consider that if you see a doctor, psychiatrist, etc, they will almost ALWAYS downplay the possibility of these side effects. AND if you experience them, they will almost ALWAYS deny that the meds could be the cause. This HAS been my friend's experience.

Oh my gosh...what a breath of fresh air!!! The side effects of anti-depressants are HORRIBLE, and it's good to see that someone else out there has had the same experience with denying doctors.

I've been on these drugs 3 times in my life. The first 2 times were Prozac, the last was Effexor XR. All 3 times I have experienced hormonal changes, sexual dysfunction and major weight gain. Of course, the doctors always say "those aren't being caused by the drug"...what??? I wasn't having these problems before. Then they offer to give you more drugs to combat the side effects...that "AREN'T" being caused by this drug...uh huh. Funny thing is, the weight gradually comes back off after I stop taking these drugs, and the hormones eventually balance back out...even though it takes a good year or two to do so.

Point blank...some people need to take these drugs. If it helps you out and you feel better, then it's a good solution. However, the medical profession needs to quit denying that these side effects happen. You've got these poor people who are suffering from anxiety and need help. You give them these drugs, that cause more problems...which in my case just increased the anxiety.

There's nothing like going to the doctor...who is supposed to help you...and have to be told your getting too fat and your blood pressure and cholesterol are high...because you're so fat. I tried explaining that it was the effects of the drug making me fat, which then led to the bp/cholesterol problem. Her response...oh no...it's you...you need to change your lifestyle. You can't stuff yourself with food then lay around and be sedintary.

I quit taking Effexor XR almost 6 months ago. I had been on it for a year and 4 months. Total weight gained was 75 pounds. In the past 6 months I have dropped 20 of those pounds with no effort, and my bp and cholesterol have decreased as well. My doctor can deny it until she is blue in the face...these drugs DO cause bad side effects.

[abcdefghix]

DeeDee,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Your anxiety is perfectly understandable. There is nothing wrong with you.

Stay away from the meds. They will make the problems worse.

[Robbed]

Point blank...some people need to take these drugs. If it helps you out and you feel better, then it's a good solution. However, the medical profession needs to quit denying that these side effects happen. You've got these poor people who are suffering from anxiety and need help. You give them these drugs, that cause more problems...which in my case just increased the anxiety.

The medical profession REALLY needs to be ALOT more selective when it comes to prescribing these drugs. The problem is that they hand them out like lollypops and tell people that they are their only hope when it comes to feeling better - even if there is no actual depression/anxiety disorder, and the person is just simply having a rough time with a particular aspect of their life. This is BAD, BAD, BAD, as unless depression and/or anxiety is particularly severe, the side effects will very likely be worse than actual problem at hand. Furthermore, taking meds when not really needed (and I believe they AREN'T needed in the VAST majority of cases) can be VERY psychologically harmful since it sends a message (conscious AND/OR subconscious) that you have a SEVERE problem. This is ESPECIALLY harmful, since MANY depression/anxiety sufferers have their problems for NO OTHER REASON than the fact that they BELIEVE they have a problem. Think, for instance, about the whole 'I'm not good enough' thing that many of us here struggle with, and how having to take meds is going to make you feel if you already struggle with this thought.