hello

[xavier]

i have dealt with anxiety and occasional panic attacks for about 10 years and i also am subject to bouts of severe depression.. i actually got off meds for the past year but i am going thru a rough time again. i need to find a new medication and i have already taken Paxil and Effexor before..i am only surviving right now because of xanax .. i am here to find out what other people are using and i guess just to find some people to talk to about it.

[Bridgie]

Hi Xavier! Welcome to our little piece of the internet! The Paxil and Xanax probably really helps with your depression. I was on Zoloft for a while and it helped with depression, but didn't really help with the anxiety and panic attacks. I think that is why we are all here, to try and learn from each other what things may work for these problems.

If we all talk it out and learn from each other we may find some solutions that work.

Hope you can find some comfort here!

[brickyard_red]

Welcome Xavier! I'm very glad to see that you found this forum. There are many people here that are willing to listen when you need an ear and also to offer advice when you may want it.

You will find that there are others out there that have experienced the same trials that you may be going through right now and I'm sure that you can find someone that will identify with you. :) Hang in there my friend, it will get better.

Cath :)

[shoe]

xavier, welcome to the board.

xanax is good for treating anxiety, but I've read that if you take benzo's on a daily basis it may actually contribute to feelings of depression

For my depression, I think paxil and Effexor both helped, but in the end they turned out to be the wrong medication for me. I had taken SAM-e (available over the counter) to help with my depression, and it worked pretty well for me - but the problem is its generally expensive.

There's other natural remedies as well.. I hope to get some more links put into the resources section when I have more time.. right now its pretty scarce but you could check it out if you like.

of course, you could also do things like regular exercise and meditation and doing stuff you enjoy, hobbies etc.. to help with mood.

just my thoughts :)

[xavier]

well the past few days i wasnt taking my xanax but i still felt prettty bad so i called my doctor today and told her i think i am depressed again and wanted to try something other than effexor and paxil so she started me on zoloft as of today..i really hope it works for the anxiety part unlike what happend to you bridgie. i was concerned because its for panic disorder and i dont necesarily have as much problems with panic attacks as i do with just constant anxiety,, i do have the occasional panic attack but to me its just my anxiety on a higher level. im scared to go to work tomorrow cause i dont want to lose my job. i have been lucky that i have been off the past week dealing with this.ty so much for the welcome everyone! i feel good already just knowing i found others to share my experiences with and get input.

[Bridgie]

Xavier, I think that most of the anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications take several weeks to take effect. A few days on it, and you probably won't feel anything yet. Hang in there! And let us know how it goes!


:lol:

[shoe]

SSRI medications (which zoloft is) are commonly used to treat both anxiety and depression, since the neurotransmitters they work on are involved in both mood and anxiety. there are other medications such as SNRI's or multiple reuptake inhibitors that work on other neurotransmitters as well, and those are generally more helpful for mood.

I believe wellbutrin has been suggested for helping with mood too but there's mixed results from users on it's effectiveness.

there are a number of 'off-label' uses for medications as well - which means things that the medication doesn't list as its targets for primary use.

anyway, i believe zoloft is worthy of a try at least.. I hope it works for you. it can take a few months to really 'kick in' though so be patient.

[JustaGal]

i have dealt with anxiety and occasional panic attacks for about 10 years and i also am subject to bouts of severe depression.. i actually got off meds for the past year but i am going thru a rough time again. i need to find a new medication and i have already taken Paxil and Effexor before..i am only surviving right now because of xanax .. i am here to find out what other people are using and i guess just to find some people to talk to about it.

Same thing happened to me. I am on my 26th day of Lexapro after coming off from 12 years. It only took 4 months to decline. I am taking Lorazepam until the Lexapro is solid. AT first I though it was withdrawals. What ever the case is, I am back on. It has been very rough for me too.