Hello all, im new here!

[Hemispheres]

Hi,
Iam 35 years old, i have been dealing with depression and anxiety (gad) since i was 13 years old. I was diagnosed with gad about 5 years ago. I have been on cymbalta 90 mg and trazodone 150mg (insomnia). Lately though, i feel like i may need to add something to my cymbalta like abilify? Or maybe valium? Iam still having bouts of depression and getting panic attacks. Iam going through a very hard time now. Me and my boyfriend broke up (a year together) and i live with him, i have had a fight with my dad recently and je stopped talking to me. So iam a wreck. I fear the worst now. Afraid i will get kicked out of apt and have no where to go!! I have 2 dogs and my fily wont take me in nc of them. I have bad credit so i cant get approvef for most apt complexes. And on top of all that, iam going thru bankruptcy too! I just feel like my worlds crumbling around me. And constantly feel down. I ceel as though i can not catch a break. Any advice? Or reccs on meds that may help more?

[Lin]

I am sorry that you are having a terrible time at the moment and I am sure that there are people on this forum who will be able to advise you on medication and your problems.
I have clinical depression and anxiety and I take an anti depressant called agomelatine and for anxiety I take diazepam which I take 8 x 2mg a day to keep me calm. I have been on lots of other anti depressants over the past two years but tablets which worked in the past are not working for me at the moment. I have also been on temazepam (?) for anxiety but although that gave me quick relief because I slept straight after taking it I was climbing the walls waiting for my next dose whereas diazepam keeps me calmer during the whole day, most days.
If you are having all your problems with credit approval, housing etc, have you considered going to see your local Citizens' Advice Bureau - they have experts in many fields who will be able to help you and advise you how to get over these problems. Working on these problems rather than just worrying about them might help you to get back some control over your life and feel better.
When life is down relationships are always the things that get hit the worse - I have been married for 28 years but this bout of depression has pushed our relationship to its limit and at times I have wondered how we can ever continue, but we know that it is because of my illness and that we can get through it eventually. My husband gets very cross and nasty with me at times, but he is just frustrated because he can't help me get better and we can't go back to living how we used to when I was well and we were able to socialise.
So don't worry I am sure that your dad will realise that you need help and most parents will want to help their children, so try approaching him when you feel able to and get back on speaking terms with him so that he can help you.
If your relationship with your boyfriend is going to work out it will, if not then it is fate and you will have to learn to move on. Just give it time and wait and see what happens.
But if your health is being seriously affected by all of this please make sure that your doctor is getting you access to all the mental health services there are which can help you.

[Hemispheres]

Thank you for your response! It was very helpful. Yes, i will look into more help with housing if it comes to that. I will try and communicate more with my boyfriend. And see if things are worth saving. And if we both love each other things will work itself out. But if its not meant to be its not meant to be. He too at times does not understand my illness. I cant seem to get out of the house at times bc of it. And iam constantly worrying over everything and i fear the worst will happen. Sometimes he says " just calm down and get over your anxiety" but i wish it were that easy. There are times at the grocery store where i get nervous in crowds and we have to leave. He too gets upset at me. But knows iam not well. Maybe i might need to ask my doctor about the diazapam. Which may help for panic attacks. Thats great your husband tries to be patient and understanding about your illness. It isnt easy to deal with. And 28 yrs is a long time!!
Yes, iam sure me and my dad will talk sometime soon. He too does not understand anxiety. But i will try and stay positive through all this. Bc i do need family support.
Yes iam going to make another appointment with my doctor and see if i can add something to my cymbalta. And also maybe a referral for a psychiatrist that i can talk too. Depression and anxiety runs in my family. And i have past issues i need to address. Step mom beat me n my sister when we were little and real mother got murdered when i was 19. So that messed me up bad. And now with everything happening all at once. Im starting to get more depressed. But im glad i realize i need help and it is a daily struggle as well as life long.

Hope things stay well for you :-) glad you got on the right medds for yourself.. Takes some trial and error.
Be well :-)

[Hemispheres]

Hi lin,

Got a question? The diazepam, is that valium you are taking 2 mg through out the day? I didnt think of it when i messaged you back. Thats something i was meaning to ask my doctor about. I did try a low dose and it did seem to help calm me down.

[Lin]

I take diazepam - 2 mg x 2 four times a day ie 16 mg of diazepam a day. I take 2 at 8am, 2 at 12.00, 2 at 4 pm and 2 at 8 pm.

I am lucky being able to take that much - one of my friend's psychiatrist only allows her 3 tablets a week! So I think it depends on your psychiatrist.

When I started taking diazepam I was on 5mg tablets, but I can't remember my dose then, but it was when I was in hospital and I think I was on higher than the 16mg a day I have taken since hospital.

Also I have been on this dose for over 2 years now which is also unusual, but because my psychiatrist says I have never shown signs of an addictive personality, he is not worried about me being able to come off them. Although, it is going to take a while to get off them when I do.

Also my clinical depression is because of my hormone imbalance during the menopause so although we don't know how long the menopause will last, we do know that once it has ended, my hormone problem will be over and then my depression will go. Over 28 years since we married all my bouts of depression have always been because of a hormone imbalance ie after having a baby, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy or several lots of pelvic inflamation disease. Unfortunately, each time has been worse and I get suicidal so during my last bout in 1996 I ended up in hospital for 3 weeks and then I was OK completely until my age started the menopause and depression struck in March 2011 and in June 2011 I had 7 weeks in hospital. So it is a bit different for me than some people because I have never had depression because of any reason except hormones, and in between bouts I come off all medication.
I don't know about valium at all. I am afraid I do not know all of the tablets I tried when I was in hospital for 7 weeks because they tried so many to get me better because this time my body has rejected all of the tablets which have helped me before.
Hope this helps.

[Malyn]

Yes Diazepam is a generic name for Valium

[Hemispheres]

Yes Diazepam is a generic name for Valium

Yes, you are right about diazepam is generic for valium. I just looked it up online.