New Member think SSRI stopped working after 11 years, scared please help!

[dkny1121]

History:

Been taking 200MG Zoloft for approx 11 years now. It has worked fairly well for Anxiety and Depression, sometimes things would happen and I would get Depressed or Panicy but nothing like what is going on now. I would normally just go to a local Medi-Center (drop in random Dr here) who would get me a 3 month perscription. I gained a ton of weight over time (was at 435 pounds at 6-3) but to be honest the weight did not bother me.

Current:

I have been on a diet since Jan 2013 (start of this year) and have lost 92 pounds so far, everything seemed to be going good for me and I was doing a ton of walking.

Approx 5 weeks ago which on vacation with family all my anxiety and depression seemed to come back at once, I had to leave the room and literally go to bed. Since then I have had major anxiety and panic attacks and bouts of crying for no reason (nothing triggered any of this that I can tell). Since then I have quit drinking coffee (used to drink 2 cups a day) quit Decaff as well. A month ago while on a camping trip with family the feelings got really bad (irrational feelings, very sad, felt like I was going nuts) and my family saw the big change and I ended up going to the ER.

At the ER they set me up with a Phychologist who I saw the next day. Him along with a Phychiatrist decided to put me on .5 of Clonzepam 2 times a day (morning and night). Since then I have been taking it daily and to be honest notice no change at all (other then it making me have memory issues) I have still gotten panic attacks and still have had boughts of random crying (Most days I will feel jittery and on edge 1/2 of the day) I recently saw him again and he thinks that I have issues from my childhood and past that I have not delt with that is causing all of this (like i said nothing has triggered this, I have had issues in past (mom died, father was never there then died ect) but everyone deals with that) and decided to cut my Doze of Clonazepam in half .25 2x a day for a week then stop it.The rest of that day I felt ok, and felt ok the following day.

The following day I went for my first Physical (I set up a new Family Dr while this was all happening) and got tests of recent bloodwork back as well as I got sent for a neck Xray (main symptom of the anxiety is neckpain/stiff shoulders) My blood work was ok but he said my B12 was really low (202) and my urine had some protein in it (could be signs of liver issues or dehydration) so he suggested I get 1000mg of B12 and start taking a suppliment every day and he would check my protein in the urine in a month with no fasting. I went that day and got my neck Xray done as well. The next day I got a call from his nurse saying he would like to see me about the neck xray and that it was not urgent. I felt ok, not really anxious about it and will see him next week about it.

Now, Friday and Today I have felt like total shit all day non stop. Would being on the Clonzepam for a month cause a dependancy? It feels like my anxiety and depression have been increased 2x. I asked if I could go off of it because I read the horror stories about dependancy and quitting Benzo's and felt that they were not really affecting me at all.

I do not know where to go from here, I feel like the Zoloft has stopped working after 11 years of helping me. I am on a fairly high dosage of 200mg, does anyone suggest I go up to 250mg or 300mg? Or should I try another SSRI or something else?

Please I would love any advice, It has been 5 weeks since this started and i feel like im losing my mind.

Symptoms are:

Whole Back Radiates (warm Tingling)
Neck/Shoulders really tense
Hot Flashs/Cold Flashes shaking
Sweating
Feeling drunk/unreality
Thinking about 20 things at one (hard to stay on one task at work)
Thinking feeling is going to stay forever
Cannot Concentrate
Pressure base of skull
Very Tired/Weak
Head Pressure
Feel like just wanting to sleep
Feel like want to cry just thinking about it


Since this all came back I have begun taking suppliments

1xMultivitimin
3000iu of Vit D3
500 mg of Magnesium
Omega 3 fish oils.

I am out of ideas, could a issue in my neck be causing this? Alergies? Both times the major panic triggers I was at higher altitude, could it be a issue with my ears (they always feel full).

I read online that low b12 can cause depression and I have been taking 1000 mg for approx 3 days since he said mine was low anyone have any exp with

this?

Please help!

[Strawberry]

It sounds like you have anxiety more that depression and sometimes medication does not work on it's own. I have severe OCD and I take zoloft 50mg and I don't really think it is working for me but I really don't want to increase the dosage until after I get some CBT (Cognitive Behavior Techniques) from my therapist. I am not giving you any medical advice whether you should change your dosage or change your medication because this is between you and your doctor but I think you shouldn't rely just on medication alone and some talk therapy might be good for you as well. First and foremost try getting your vitamins on track, I am low on both b12 and vitamin D and I really believe that can be one of the reasons why I have bad anxiety. You said you were pretty low on vitamin B12 too so try to take supplements.

Also I think you should write down a plan for yourself:
1. Go to a psychologist and talk out your fears. Your therapist will help you figure out why you are feeling this way and why you are having panic attacks (for example: Both of those times you were with your family, maybe you are scared of dying in front of your family members, etc.) She/he can help you find patterns in your thinking and emotions.
2. Go to a psychiatrist and let them know your situation. Don't just go to a clinic and let them prescribe you something, you need professional advice from someone who is qualified. They can help you make a decision whether to stop the SSRI and get a new one or increase the dosage (NEVER EVER STOP THE MEDICATION WITHOUT LOWERING THE DOSAGE AND NEVER LOWER THE DOSAGE WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION)
3.Get your b12 fixed. Eat more meat or supplement.
4.Be active and go for a walk, jog or go to the gym. Physical activity is great for depression and anxiety.
5.Try not to be scared or over think about the medication not working. It will cause more anxiety and then you will feel bad about it.
6.Focus on being in the present than to think about what happened in the past or what will happen in the future.

I hope you feel better soon :)

[Strawberry]

History:


I read online that low b12 can cause depression and I have been taking 1000 mg for approx 3 days since he said mine was low anyone have any exp with

this?

Please help!

Oh yeah I have really bad b12 deficiency. I have to take shots every month. I really think this is why I am feeling so bad. Don't worry, 1000 mg may not be enough but talk to your doctor if you should increase it, B12 is water soluble so your body eliminates whatever it doesn't need. Make sure you get the methyl b12 because it gets absorbed better. Take care.

[dkny1121]

Oh yeah I have really bad b12 deficiency. I have to take shots every month. I really think this is why I am feeling so bad. Don't worry, 1000 mg may not be enough but talk to your doctor if you should increase it, B12 is water soluble so your body eliminates whatever it doesn't need. Make sure you get the methyl b12 because it gets absorbed better. Take care.

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it.

I just checked and my 1000 mg is Methylcobalmin. I have been taking it for the last 4 days.

Have you noticed that you feel better getting the B12 shots? How low was your B12 if you do not mind me asking.

[Strawberry]

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it.

I just checked and my 1000 mg is Methylcobalmin. I have been taking it for the last 4 days.

Have you noticed that you feel better getting the B12 shots? How low was your B12 if you do not mind me asking.

I don't mind. It was 300 which my doctor said was pretty low. It was because I don't eat meat as much and I just stopped eating dairy for a while. The shots made me super anxious mainly because I hate needles and I keep thinking I will get an allergic reaction to it. I do feel much better than before. I went outside today and enjoyed the weather which was something I couldn't do for a while. I still have fatigue but it can be due to the other deficiency I have which is the Vitamin D which I am going to take as 50,000 IU once a week under my doctor's supervision. This also plays a part in depression and anxiety so make sure this is checked and good as well okay?

[Lingua]

Well, I'm in the middle of switching meds because my psychiatrist thinks that my SSRIs have stopped working after 10+ years as well.

Can you get a psychiatrist who will take you on as a patient? This sort of change needs to be made with supervision, and it sounds like you haven't gotten good medical supervision for this, just a series of random doctors. I'm glad you've got a primary care doc. I would write out the list of anxiety symptoms and bring them in. If you can note good days/bad days and what seems to trigger them, it might help.