anxiety?

[peterh]

I have had depression on and off for past 12 yrs.My doctor usually prescribes zoloft and I`m normaly ok after a few weeks.However this time my symptons felt more like anxiety.ie felt on edge all the time,agitated,.My doctor eventually decided it was still depression as as I was having trouble sleeping and my appetite had gone and he prescribed zoloft again.I have been on it for 3 weeks but I am only sleeping 2 to 4 hours per night, and feel jittery and shaky.I am still able to work which helps as I am occupied.Anyone had similar experience and can anyone recommend any other medication?

[jitters]

Medication is not always the answer. Try thinking about the causes of the anxiety. If they are real then your reaction is normal and valid, if they are mearly over inflated responses to everyday things, you need to look into coping techniques for anxiety, breathing techniques, stress relief techniques and Distraction techniques. These along with positive self talk to challenge your thinking should make those jitters leave.

Welcome to the board any question we are here.

[juliana]

I have had some of your symptoms -- the jitteriness, the lack of sleep, no interest in food -- and it was anxiety, not depression. Some SSRIs have the side effect of increasing anxiety. You should go back and talk to your doctor again. You need to get to the source of your anxiety and make sure that your medication isn't making it worse.

Doctors don't always listen and they don't always know best. I had a psychiatrist tell me that I was bipolar -- despite the fact that I have never had anything remotely resembling a manic episode in my lifetime. She tried to put me on Seroquel -- for acute mania. At the time, I was terribly depressed and complaining of feeling lethargic. Go figure. :roll: Anyway, I didn't take it and when my GP found out about it, she referred me to a different psychiatrist because she knew damn well I wasn't bipolar. Agoraphobic? Yes. Claustrophobic? Yes. GAD? Yes. Depressive? Yes. But not bipolar. Drugs can really mess with your head if you're prescribed something for a condition you don't actually have. Wellbutrin threw me into one of the worst depressions I have ever experienced (and I wasn't depressed before I started taking it; it was supposed to help with the panic attacks). I tried Effexor for a short while and it made me so damn jittery I couldn't sit still. You need to be careful with all those drugs and make sure your doctor knows all your symptoms, is listening to your concerns and offering you all the help you need. Best of luck to you. I hope you get it figured out.

Like Jitters said, medication isn't always the answer, but the medications that are SUPPOSED to work best on anxiety and depression simultaneously are Celexa and Lexapro. Celexa worked for me for a while and now I'm trying Lexapro. Everyone is different, though, so this is not a recommendation or an endorsement of those drugs.