SSRI trouble

[mercy]

Hey all, Hope everyone is doing well or is on their way to getting their life back. I have had anxiety/panic/depression since I was 15, thats 10 years ago. When I finally came to the realization that it was anxiety and nothing physical I decided to try an SSRI, My doctor prescribed me Celexa. I had a horrible time adjusting to it but after a month or so I was starting to feel great! I was on this mediction until about 6 months ago when it suddenly stopped working, All of a sudden the depression and panic came back 10 fold, I was even waking up in a panic :(

Since this "poop-out" I have tried many different ssri's(Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Zoloft) with no success. Its like they all make me feel worse. I've been taking the zoloft for about a month now and getting worse instead of better.

Im thinking about kicking these SSRI's because the more I read about them the more I hate them. Infact, One of the original developers of the SSRI drug now calls them "monsters", and scientists now believe that Seratonin levels are opposite of what they thought, meaning that these pills allowing us to soak up more seratonin are actually making us worse.

Anyway, I am thinking about trying Xanax XR or another type of benzo by itself, without ssri's. Just wondering if this has been successful for anyone else? I have EXTREME Anxiety/Panic, Its not a mild case at all.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Good luck and god bless all of you!

[Auron]

I was under zoloft and it worked well. however, changes took a long while to work. maybe about 2 months it took for me to actually realize that i was improving. It also depends on the amount you are taking. I started with 25mg for 2 weeks. my phycologist saw not much improvement, so she gave me 50mg every day to the point where i reached 200mg every day.

It worked great and it improved me after i left the medication, eventhough i was suggested to not leave it(which now i realize that i still need it) but anyway...

I would suggest Zoloft, and just have patience with it. A good councelur or advisor helps ALOT..or a person to hear you and give you advice.

And just my opinion from what you wrote; dont rely so much on medecine. try to work things out on your own. I meditate, listen to soft music, exercise almost everyday (to the point of forcing myself), play guitar...you know, get things to distract you. force yourself to improve.

Find an inspiration, like religion. This may sound stupid, but since my issues with anxiety and depression i found listening to the band Metallica very very inspirational. in fact, they were the cause that inspired me to learn guitar 3 years ago.

I used to practice body movement and try moving fluently without getting twiches or nervousness on my body, and after a long while it work on little things.

My councelur once told me, you can be in all types of medicines but you will never improve unless you can put some effort in improving yourself. ;)

what part of NJ are you in? i just moved from Rahway to florida for vacation, though will go to Canada to live there next year! :D

[mercy]

Thanks for the quick reply, Why were you prescribed zoloft? for anxiety or depression? I dont feel depressed at all... Actually I think these ssri's make me feel depressed! The only symptoms I have is all day anxiety! I mean physical symptoms all day long... dizziness, depersonalization, panic, headache, lump in throat, twitching and hot flashes. I truely believe I just need an anti-anxiety medication, but not one that plays with my seratonin levels.

Im in morristown NJ, How do you like florida ?? Good luck with your move to Canada.

[MissBrownEyes]

Welcome to the forum. I know excatly where you are comming from. I take paxil and xanax. Xanax is a "quick fix" if you are feeling really really anxious and on edge, if you take one, it goes away fast, its fast acting but not long lasting, now the meds the new doc I have wants me to take is called Lorazepam, it is not as fast acting as xanax but it will last longer. I have not switched over yet though because I HATE meds, and I HATE how they make my body feel the first few weeks. I'm just so scared to be come depend on meds its unreal.

I have found xanax to help so far. I also hear its addicting, but I take a very low dose, so I have nothing to fear of that problem.

Well I'm here if you need to talk and my aim name is lovinlime06

Good luck and God Bless.

[mercy]

Thank you for your input and comfort.

I also take Lorezapam, It makes me really tired and gives me sort of a high feeling. My new doc sais that Xanax has been reported to be tolerated better and that xanax has recently made a new pill called Xanax XR, which is taken once in the morning and should subside all oncoming anxiety.

I am going to try that by itself cause I really dont believe that im depressed.

I will let you know how it works. But good luck with your change to lorezapam.

[MissBrownEyes]

This is a horrible thing for me to ask b/c i have been on meds for so long and i should know ... but... here i go...whats the definition for ssri and what excatly is it they do and how do you know what meds have them?

[mercy]

SSRI = Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor

What they do is, Allow your body to absorb more seratonin because scientists believe that low seratonin levels are what cause depression and anxiety.

If you want to know what meds have them just look up the med to see if its a SSRI or if its an SNRI. They work different but they both affect seratonin. Almost all of todays Anti-Depressants are one or the other.

Hope this helps.

check this site out for information on your question
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_ ... _inhibitor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor)

[MissBrownEyes]

Thanks for the speedy reply

[ls]

Hey Mercy, sounds like you have tried many medications. I also suffer from severe anxiety, panic and depression. I have found the only drug to really work is Paxil 40 mg. I also have Ativan for times when I need a quick relax (it is like Xanax). I personally choose to use medication because I cannot function in daily life without anything. I have also tried Zoloft (made me feel crazy). Wellbutrin (did nothing), Effexor (worked for a while then did not help). Lexapro (did not help). Buspar (for anxiety and it made me worse). I hear that a lot of people try Klonipin, you might want to ask your doctor about that. Withdrawal from these SSRI's horrible, I literally have to sleep for a week just to get off them.
With the right combo of medication, I think it can help you function.
Good luck on finding something right for you.
Always here to chat.

[Auron]

it was mainly for social anxiety.

anyway, i just meant to say that if you dont find the correct medecine do a sort of self-therapy. but for me it worked with Zoloft

[mercy]

Hey ls, I forgot to mention I also tried paxil and that didnt agree with me either. I am done with AD's. I think they make me feel worse. But I am glad to hear it worked for you. Im going to try and self medicate and only use a benzo when i need one. I will let you know how it works out...

[Auron]

good luck:)

[MissBrownEyes]

Hey Mercy, sounds like you have tried many medications. I also suffer from severe anxiety, panic and depression. I have found the only drug to really work is Paxil 40 mg. I also have Ativan for times when I need a quick relax (it is like Xanax). I personally choose to use medication because I cannot function in daily life without anything. I have also tried Zoloft (made me feel crazy). Wellbutrin (did nothing), Effexor (worked for a while then did not help). Lexapro (did not help). Buspar (for anxiety and it made me worse). I hear that a lot of people try Klonipin, you might want to ask your doctor about that. Withdrawal from these SSRI's horrible, I literally have to sleep for a week just to get off them.
With the right combo of medication, I think it can help you function.
Good luck on finding something right for you.
Always here to chat.

You really find paxil to work? I take 30 mg's a day just before bed, and dont find it to have much of a help to me. I take 1/2 or xanax .25 before bed as well, and some days still have anxiety attacks or panic. I'm glad you have found the right meds to work for you. I hate trying new meds, they always make me feel likea zomibe for the first few days. :shock: