Which AD for me ?

[haz91a]

Hi, i have had anxiety for 3 years and have just let it go until now, i have been seeing the doctor for 3 weeks now, just talking to her about it etc, today she put me on cymbalt, but after alot of research, this AD is not the best thing to take ? Im ( 19 ) years old, drink most weekend with my mates. What AD do you guys recommend ? I am willing to cut down on drinking, but not stopping as i love having a good night. Thanks in advance

[pawsupinthedark]

Hey, Im 21 and have had anxiety and depression since i was 16-17. I was put on Cymbalta around 2 years ago and had a terrible experience with it. I was vomiting for days on end, moody, and just ill in general. My doctor prescribed me with some anti-nausia medication to take initially with the cymbalta so that my system would have time to adjust. I stuck it out for a while and then found that i gained HEAPS of weight. I am usually small/average in weight so this was a new experience for me also.
I felt like i was a zombie when i was on cymbalta and many of my friends commented that in fact i seemed worse with my mood etc since i had been on it. I also noticed i HAD to take it at night time because it pretty much knocked me out!
Eventually my doc changed me to zoloft and i havent had any problems since then. no vomiting, mood swings or dizzy/nausia feelings. I believe it helps if you halve your dosage for the first week or two and work your way up so that its not such a shock to the system.
Hope that was helpful!! xxx

[pawsupinthedark]

oh and also, i used to drink every single weekend too. i tried it once or twice while i was on the cymbalta and trust me its seriously not worth it. I was a horrible and mean drunk while i was on it and couldnt remember a single thing. unfortunately i had to learn from experience that alcohol and medication realllyyyy just dont work together unless its in REALLY small doses :(

[Robbed]

Have you tried to treat your anxiety with any nonpharmacological treatments, like CBT or ACT? If not, this would be a better route for you to go than pills. Chances are, one of these treatments can make a HUGE difference for you, and without the side effects of medication. In fact, I believe that medication should be used only as a last resort.