anxiety and severe tremors??

[worriedsick]

My husband has had problems with anxiety/depression for years. A few years ago he started on Paxil and was doing great. Last fall I noticed he seemed a little more withdrawn and work was getting to him worse than usual. He had a blow up at work over too much stress. He went back to his doctor and got different anti -depressants. That was last December. Since then everything seems to have just gone downhill. The doctors have tried different meds but it seems like he is just getting more and more stressed. He was put back on his Paxil awhile back and two weeks ago started on Wellbutrin too. He is now having severe trembling. He will wake up with it in the morning even. Sometimes it goes away, sometimes it's worse than normal. He thinks it's the Wellbutrin, but looking back, he was having some episodes of it before the Wellbutrin was even started.
The trembling (tremors) affects his whole body. It's like a vicious cycle. If he has the tremors he gets even more nervous/anxious. These things are happening to him even if hes at home sitting there relaxing.
I would like some other opions on this, please. Do you think it's just the anxiety or could it be from some of the meds? Have any of you ever had this reaction to "prior" meds? He's concerned about all the switching around they have done and he was also on a low dose of Abilify for awhile.
Thanks for your help.

[Marlow]

Im new to the whole support system and I am in no way a doctor, but I do do my fair share of self diagnosing on wiki :) . I recently started anxiety/depression meds, I am 21 and have been dealing with anxiety my whole life, panic attacks not as much. I would have to say that meds can make someone feel off and with people who are sensitive to how their body feels (like me or your husband) Im sure that it just creates more anxiety

Now Im not saying that going off of meds is your best option but if that is what may be causing the more severe problems I think that maybe you should look into other, more cognition based treatments.

Disclaimer: Im no Doctor

Marlow

[Swelshy]

Hi. I cannot really comment on the medication he is recieving as ive never been on any of them however I do have tremors caused by Panic Attacks. it sounds alot like your husbands however not as intense. I believe the anxiety would be causing it but the medication would make them more intense.

I have a list from my therapist who said if you have 5 or more of these symptoms withing 10 minutues it would become a panic attack
Fast Breathing
Fast Heart Beat
Chest Pain or Pressure
Dizziness
Sweating
Nausea/Sickness
Fealings of Unrealness
Weak Limbs/Trembles
Flushes or Chills
Pins and Needles in mouth and hands
Impatient/Angry

I hope this helps somewhat but you probably have heard all of this befor.
I hope everything turns out ok.
Regards, Steven

[worriedsick]

Thank you for the replies. He definately has a lot of the symptoms on the list you gave me Swelshy, but these trembling episodes can last all day. I try to talk to him about it and reassure him through these times, but it is getting frustrating for me as well cause NOTHING seems to help. The only thing that did help was when I gave him a Xanax of mine one day. His doctor/phyciatrist won't give him them. My doctor had given me 10 of them, 6 months ago. We are not druggies! Within an hour after taking the xanax, his stomach felt better and he had quit shaking. He just kept saying over and over that he felt so much better. But he is scared of taking drugs like that so I don't know if he would even take them if they were prescribed. I'm kind of wondering if something like that wouldn't be good just till he gets used to the new med and gets "over the hump". Something has to give soon. I think this is all literally driving him nuts. It consumes him. I guess you all know what I'm talking about.
Thanks

[knsxo]

I personally HATE anti-depressants, benzos (xanax, ativan, etc.) work so much better for me. I understand why doctors push the SSRI/SSNRI drugs (because benzos can be habit forming) but it isn't right to assume that everyone will become addicted. I have taken anti-anxiety meds off and on for about 11 years and I am definitely not addicted. I've had full-blown panic attacks (chest pain, paralyzed hands, etc.) on anti-depressants. If I had just had an ativan or a xanax during those times I know I could have avoided the ER. I suggest finding a new doctor, one who understands that your husband is going through hell right now and taking a xanax isn't going to land him on the next episode of Intervention. Good luck to you guys.

[worriedsick]

My husband went back to the phyc. nurse practioner yesterday and they agreed with him that it was probably the Wellbutrin that was making him shake so bad. So now he's been off of it a couple of days since he decided to stop it due to the shaking. He only took it about 10 days, but he hasn't gotten over the trembling completely yet. They decided to put him on Cymbalta along with his Paxil and are giving him a real low dose of Klonopin to take up to once daily. They also upped his Trazadone to 100mg at bedtime to help him sleep. Do any of you have any opinions about any of these meds.?? My daughter just told me that she felt like she was in a "coma" when she took Cymbalta. I feel like when he goes to the doctor that they just stick their hand into a bucket and pull out the name of a different med and give him that.

[Robbed]

I should also note that Welbutrin is well-known for causing tremors and seizures. If he is having these sorts of problems, then discontinuation is probably the best course of action.