NEW: General Anxiety Disorder meds

[Mustang09er]

I went to the psychologist and took a 3 hour long process exam and the results came back that I had GAD: General Anxiety Disorder. Doesn't seem TOO bad but at least I know it's not ADD/ADHD and actually can put a name to it. I've ALWAYS had anxiety, especially when taking Sudafed (allergy med) because it has Pseudoephedrine in it and that causes me extreme anxiety.

Me and my [ex] boyfriend have been dating for almost 10 months and I strongly believe that most of our arguments (reason why we couldn't get along a lot of the time) was because of my anxiety. I am really into him and want things to work out (i'm 24).

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow (to discuss my test results) and i'm going to ask to be put on something that doesn't make me gain weight and doesn't interfere with my sex life. I'm not sure which meds to take but my [ex] boyfriends sister said that she has taken a few and Wellbutrin has helped her the most. I know it all varies by person but what are the meds that helped you?

[DaneV]

Everybody reacts different to certain types of medication, so it`s hard to give any advice. It`s basically trail&error until you find the medication that is right for you.

Wellbutrin is, from what i`ve heard, believed not to cause much sexual side effects and weight gain so if you`re afraid of these side effects it might be a good med to start. If that doesn`t work out for you, you can always resort to other medications like SSRI`s, which could cause the side effects you mention but not for everyone.

Also i think it`s important to know that drugs will NOT solve your problem. They can mask some of the symptoms that are caused by your GAD but while taking them, you should work on yourself to learn coping strategies and to improve your way of thinking. If you don`t do that, relapse after quitting this medication is almost guaranteed.

Good luck with it and keep us updated.

[Mustang09er]

Everybody reacts different to certain types of medication, so it`s hard to give any advice. It`s basically trail&error until you find the medication that is right for you.

Wellbutrin is, from what i`ve heard, believed not to cause much sexual side effects and weight gain so if you`re afraid of these side effects it might be a good med to start. If that doesn`t work out for you, you can always resort to other medications like SSRI`s, which could cause the side effects you mention but not for everyone.

Also i think it`s important to know that drugs will NOT solve your problem. They can mask some of the symptoms that are caused by your GAD but while taking them, you should work on yourself to learn coping strategies and to improve your way of thinking. If you don`t do that, relapse after quitting this medication is almost guaranteed.

Good luck with it and keep us updated.

I have been taking Lexapro for the past 2 days. I have felt nothing but nausea, dizziness, and headaches. I'm pretty sure this is not the drug for me. I don't really want to take something that will make me feel like this for 48 hours, whether it is just the first couple days or not. I don't have motivation to take something that is going to make me not want to do anything but be inactive and not feel well. Anyone have this same problem or recommend something else that helped them?

[JaneB]

I was on prozac for years for my GAD and I didn't like the person it turned me into. Now I have a regimen of natural herbal supplements, b vitamins and amino acids that seems to be helping big time. Maybe try out the natural route before jumping into the meds? But I'm biased. I think doctors and pharma companies are mostly crooks. =)

[DaneV]

I think doctors and pharma companies are mostly crooks. =)
Sorry but that is just bulsh*t... Most doctors are human beings that choose their profession because they wanted to help people, not to medicate them to make a lot of money. And for the pharma companies, like all other companies they want to make money (just like to companies that sell these "natural" supplements) but they are also helping people get better.

I agree that doctors could look more into the whole holistic way of healing people, but most of them are doing their best to help as many people as they can and to call them crooks is just silly in my opinion.