Exhausted and just want it to go away! Anti-depressants the answer?

[stardust]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post so just to give you a bit of background.
Im 28 female and have suffered with anxiety intermittently since 2007. My last bad attack was last year. I felt pretty much the way I am feeling now..tearful, overwhelmed, frustrated because I just cant stop thinking and relax my mind.I dread going to work because I feel like I am going to go into meltdown any time soon and dont want it to be at work.

Im angry with myself for allowing myself to get to this state again when I have absolutely no reason to feel stressed or overly anxious. I really dont want to go back on Fluoxetine because I want to beat this myself but I cant see any way around it. It's the only thing, which calms my mind and stops my racing thoughts.

I am particularly worried this time around as I am convinced my anxiety has brought on other health problems. I cricked my neck on waking about 3 months ago. This was followed by a terrible burning sensation in my back. I have had to take 2 weeks off work to rest both times. As a result of this, I have been to an acapuncturist twice and has managed to cure the problems both times. She asked me a lot of personal questions about my stress levels and she told me basically that I am a ball of tension. Sound familiar? She prescribed me chinese herbs for relaxation on Friday just gone and they have helped slightly but have not had the same effect as anti-depressants.

Through listening to the acapuncturist talk about 'chi' and entering a total state of relaxation in our sesssions, I have started to meditate, which is the only thing, which is working at the moment. I have tried before but could never silence my thoughts, but I have improved and would recommend this to anyone as it definitely helps. I can recommend individual websites to anyone interested.

I know this is just an 'episode' and I should just try and sit it out but I keep worrying that I am going my back is going to go again as a result of all the tension!
Also as usual my horrible thoughts worry me. So silly! I know they are just thoughts and cant harm me. I am an expert on this illness by now but no one can tell you to relax when you are in this state.

Anyway..what I am wondering is if I should give in and pay for counselling once and for all. I am going to start taking my tablets tomorrow I think which is a shame but an inevitability. But I can see how paying someone £40 an hour to tell me to breathe properly is going to help! Am I missing a trick here? I just want this to go away! Thanks

[Nikita]

It, to me, is not the answer taking the meds. I did and now I fight 2 problems. Talk to a counselor, get things of your mind, keep meditating. You are doing the right things but its not a quick fix problem. It does take time and practice. Baby steps as they say.
Have you ever tried EFT? Go to youtube.com and you can get what its all about.

Good luck and if I can help in any way let me know.

Nikita

[Robbed]

Doctors and most therapists will tell you all kinds of great things about antidepressants. You might even get the whole line about how you have a chemical imbalance and you need antidepressants to correct it in much the same way as a diabetic person needs insulin since their body can't make it. But none of this is really true. In reality, medications such as antidepressants are more like painkillers than insulin. They simply cover up the symptoms of anxiety disorder rather than making it go away. And that's a best-case scenario. Because all too often, antidepressants are either ineffective or give levels of relief that leave quite a bit to be desired. Furthermore, regardless of what a doctor says, side effects can be significant AND antidepressants can be as hard to discontinue as benzos (or even worse for some). So consider all of this carefully before taking antidepressants. Also consider whether you have actually tried all nonpharmaceutical treatments possible (ie CBT, ACT, self help books, etc) AND given them the time necessary to actually help you (and no, two weeks or a month is not enough).

In the end, the decision to take medication is yours. And maybe you just might be one of those people who experiences alot of relief with few side effects. But remember also that antidepressants often 'poop out' after a while. And even if you experience good relief for years, do you really want to be on pills for the rest of your life?

[murdoch]

I agree with your thoughts for I know meditation can work wonders in such problems with inherited property of synchronizing body, mind and soul to the healthy side. One should always try these tricks to avoid side effects of Allopathic medication.

[stardust]

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking time out to reply. Robbed - I have taken Fluoxetine before so I know they work really well for me. I started back taking them today. I was only prescribed a month's worth so I figured I see the month out and see how I felt. When my anxiety struck last summer I only took them for 2 months and then didnt get another prescription, so I can come off them easily and dont get addicted. However, I do agree with your point. Its not good to think of them in as a comfort blanket when anxiety returns but I think we should all stop be so hard on ourselves. Would we tell someone who is suffering from serious depression not to take medication? Of course we wouldn't and I think its a shame that anxiety if often not deemed as serious a condition as depression. Thanks guys