elllo:)

[Skymilks]

Hi, Im Sky. Im a 17 year old male. Ive been dealing with severe anxiety since the beggining of the summer and am scared that it will ruin my next one. It started when I was driving with my friends and avoided an accident that could have been fatal. We laughed it off and the next night after watching a movie with my friends i began to think "What if?" I became very worried and spaced out, shaking and trembeling. I immediatly hid from my friends and went up stairs to my mom. Wanting to go the emeregency room, my mom reassured me it was a panic attack.

Since then the anxiety has become much worse and consumes about 80% of my day. I have changed my diet, reduced my alcohol and it worked for a while then came back. I went to the doctors a few days ago and he perscribed me a anti depresent called CIRAPLEX.

Ive never been on anti depressants before and im scared ill be tempted to mix it with alcohol. Im scared of being on the anti depressants for along time and am freightend by the side effects. Can anyone help me

Your help is appreciated thanks
-Sky

[Garen]

Sky,

The medication is called Cipralex it is for anxiety and depression. Let me tell you one thing there's nothing to worry about, i've been on the medication for 3 months 10 mg and it really helped me. At first you may feel increased anxiety and the side effects will go away within a week or two, but to be honest with you it's worth it. In addition you need to give it some time for the med to be effective it takes around 3 to 4 weeks to be in your system, as for the alcohol a few light beers wouldn't be that bad 2,3 bottles max since alcohol is considered to be a depressant, but it's better not to consume heavy booze ex whiskey vodka etc.....your scared of being on antidepressants for long time? :D that's anxiety. The treatment is for 6 months and after that your doctor will gradually decrease the dose for you not to have withdrawal symptoms. There's nothing to worry about it's a phase your passing through and you'll defeat it for sure. Good luck anyways, reply if you need further help and information.

Garen,

[Robbed]

Besides changing your diet and reducing your slcohol intake, have you tried doing anything else to deal with your anxiety disorder? I personally think you should try other options before jumping on the antidepressant merry-go-round.

[Garen]

Hey Robbed,

Can you give me some examples on other ways than medication ? I really need to know cause me too i'm against medication for anxiety disorders, but i'm taking the med since i had a severe panic attack and wanted to feel better. thank you.

Garen,

[Robbed]

Hey Robbed,

Can you give me some examples on other ways than medication ? I really need to know cause me too i'm against medication for anxiety disorders, but i'm taking the med since i had a severe panic attack and wanted to feel better. thank you.

Garen,

The most common non-pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety disorder are CBT, ERT, and ACT. CBT is a method of dealing with anxiety-provoking negative thoughts. The negative thoughts are replaced with thoughts that are more positive, which helps to reduce stress and anxiety. This type of therapy is most useful for people who are worriers. It is also useful for phobias. However, it is generally not as good of a treatment for obsessions, out-of-the-blue feelings of anxiety, or symptoms such as derealization. ERT is basically exposure therapy. Exposure is good for reducing fears associated with specific things or thoughts. For instance, if you are afraid of elevators, you might start by stepping in an elevator and then start to actually ride on one. Exposure is also a good therapy for certain obsessions.

ACT is acceptance. This type of therapy teaches you to accept anxiety disorder and realize that it is not harmful. Although this might make it sound like it isn't really accomplishing anything, it's actually one of the most powerful tools available for zapping anxiety disorder. You see, anxiety disorder is kind of like the 'schoolyard bully within'. The more you react with fear to, say, a symptom (like derealization or a panic attack), the worse it is. But if you accept the symptom instead of worrying and fighting, your stress levels will decrease. And anxiety will diminish overall. In other words, the 'bully' will no longer have fun picking on you. I should add that ACT and ERT are often grouped together under the label of CBT. So a CBT therapist might practice all three.

You don't need a therapist to practice any of these. Numerous self-help books exist which can teach you how to practice these treatments all by yourself. They all have a good track record. They have no side effects. And they have the ability to cure you of your anxiety disorder (which medication CAN'T do). ALL of these things are worth trying before taking pills.

I should also mention that various lifestyle changes can be helpful as well. Increasing exercise, improving diet, spending time outdoors, and doing things which occupy your time can all help to reduce anxiety disorder. In fact, exercise ALONE is said to be as successful of a treatment for anxiety as medication. And unlike medication (which can cause dependency as well as side effects such as drowsiness, emotional numbing, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction), exercise actually makes you healthier.

[Skymilks]

Ive been working out and taking it easy. I have good days and i have bad days. Im not taking the meds because i think i can do it on my own. It all in the head and thats what i tell myself to get by.
thanks for the info guys!

oh and one more thing
do you have any tips for preventing derealization, thats wat triggers my fear, the weird sensations and foggyness in my head.
your help is appreciated
-Sky