Emilym80
03-29-2015, 09:16 PM
Hi guys,
I've been trying to see someone for CBT for about 8 weeks now. I've had to change therapists a few times and tried two SSRIs last year- one of which didn't work (zoloft) and one which gave me really severe side effects (lexapro).
My anxiety right now is the worst it's ever been, I've been having panic attacks quite frequently (never had them before this year) and I've been having sleep paralysis which is making it very hard and scary for me to sleep and when I actually manage to I don't feel rested in the morning.
I asked my gp if I could have a short-term prescription for some kind of faster-acting medication, 2 weeks' worth of something, just so I could have some respite from my debilitating GAD. I'm finally starting CBT on Tuesday so I thought it might be good idea to take the edge off my anxiety, learn the foundations of CBT and then go off the meds with a better grounding in CBT so I'll be better able to implement the strategies etc; I already know some but I find it almost impossible when I'm this anxious, as I get very scatterbrained.
Unfortunately my gp clinic doesn't prescribe benzos for anxiety/panic/insomnia and I'm getting the impression that in my country (Australia) they're very hard to get a prescription for because they can be so addictive. I trust that my gp knows what she's doing but it's incredibly frustrating to be told to suck it up that I can maybe see a psychiatrist in six weeks' time if the CBT isn't working well enough to try another SSRI, when I feel I just need some relief over the next couple of weeks. The last time I was saw a psychiatrist I was prescribed an anti-psychotic to help me sleep (which apparently doesn't even work for the kind I was given) and the script was only for a week, when I needed some kind of help for the weeks that would follow.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I see another gp and try and get some kind of sleeping tablets so I can actually sleep or some kind of anxiolytic? I do have CBT tomorrow but after that I won't be seeing my therapist for another two weeks. It's the first session, too.
Anyway I'll stop rambling, advice would be appreciated thanks :)
I've been trying to see someone for CBT for about 8 weeks now. I've had to change therapists a few times and tried two SSRIs last year- one of which didn't work (zoloft) and one which gave me really severe side effects (lexapro).
My anxiety right now is the worst it's ever been, I've been having panic attacks quite frequently (never had them before this year) and I've been having sleep paralysis which is making it very hard and scary for me to sleep and when I actually manage to I don't feel rested in the morning.
I asked my gp if I could have a short-term prescription for some kind of faster-acting medication, 2 weeks' worth of something, just so I could have some respite from my debilitating GAD. I'm finally starting CBT on Tuesday so I thought it might be good idea to take the edge off my anxiety, learn the foundations of CBT and then go off the meds with a better grounding in CBT so I'll be better able to implement the strategies etc; I already know some but I find it almost impossible when I'm this anxious, as I get very scatterbrained.
Unfortunately my gp clinic doesn't prescribe benzos for anxiety/panic/insomnia and I'm getting the impression that in my country (Australia) they're very hard to get a prescription for because they can be so addictive. I trust that my gp knows what she's doing but it's incredibly frustrating to be told to suck it up that I can maybe see a psychiatrist in six weeks' time if the CBT isn't working well enough to try another SSRI, when I feel I just need some relief over the next couple of weeks. The last time I was saw a psychiatrist I was prescribed an anti-psychotic to help me sleep (which apparently doesn't even work for the kind I was given) and the script was only for a week, when I needed some kind of help for the weeks that would follow.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I see another gp and try and get some kind of sleeping tablets so I can actually sleep or some kind of anxiolytic? I do have CBT tomorrow but after that I won't be seeing my therapist for another two weeks. It's the first session, too.
Anyway I'll stop rambling, advice would be appreciated thanks :)