What can I expect from anti anxiety medication?!
Question: I used to be very happy as a child, in fact my nick name was smiler, cause I could never stop smiling. I could never tell a lie cause every time I did I couldn't help but smile. Then as life would have it my parents got divorced and life suddenly wasn't so cheery. The first time I ever felt depressed was in middle school. But I never felt anxiety until sophomore year of high school. I had my first panic attack then and they came rapidly after. Fear had taken my life over and I was no long in control. I don't have panic attacks often now but I have an underlying anxiety most the day. Whenever I leave the house I get anxious, I have a hard time going into stores, making eye contact, driving etc. I have lost many friends from my avoidant behavior and I'm having a hard time getting a job. My therapist is suggesting an anti anxiety medication. What have been your experiences with these medications? I want to be happy and in control of my life again.
Answers: I used to be very happy as a child, in fact my nick name was smiler, cause I could never stop smiling. I could never tell a lie cause every time I did I couldn't help but smile. Then as life would have it my parents got divorced and life suddenly wasn't so cheery. The first time I ever felt depressed was in middle school. But I never felt anxiety until sophomore year of high school. I had my first panic attack then and they came rapidly after. Fear had taken my life over and I was no long in control. I don't have panic attacks often now but I have an underlying anxiety most the day. Whenever I leave the house I get anxious, I have a hard time going into stores, making eye contact, driving etc. I have lost many friends from my avoidant behavior and I'm having a hard time getting a job. My therapist is suggesting an anti anxiety medication. What have been your experiences with these medications? I want to be happy and in control of my life again.
I suffered from anxiety for years, though not as intensely as you. When my therapist suggested medication, I dragged my heels too, but eventually I felt so miserable that I thought it would be worth a try. I'm so glad I did. My doctor gave me Zoloft. I gradually built up from 12.5 mg to 50 mg, and after about six weeks, I started to notice a change. I suddenly realized that the underlying anxiety was gone. I still experienced nervousness in certain situations, like leading meetings of an organization I belonged to, but it was greatly diminished. I didn't feel like I was going to have a breakdown anymore. I still experienced stress, but I felt like I had control when I was under stress, like I could act in some way to deal with the situation instead of panicking.
Before I took the medication it felt like all the doors in my life were closing, and I was stuck in a very small room. After taking medication for a while, it felt like those doors were opening, and then it felt like the walls just fell away, and I was in a wide open space.
Therapy and medication should go hand in hand. Therapy helps you see what you need to do to make positive changes in your life, and the medication helps you to see that those changes are possible.
I took medication for about a year and a half, and now I'm fine without it. Some people, depending on their situation, take it for longer periods of time.
The bottom line is, I think medication could help you.
stay away from meds. look for a natural solution
Care full of dependability's, expect some nauseous, and drowsiness, ..... better to be talking to doctor though
I was on prozak for a while in my junior year for anxiety. For the first few days, i was really restless and impatient with everyone, but after that, little by little i became cheerier and less anxious, especially in social situations. After about a year, I decided to adjust my school schedule to treat the anxiety and am seeing a therapist. I am off the medication, and I think that was the best thing. you sound like you are in worse shape than i was, though, so i think medicine would be a reasonable option. i hope this helps, and good luck.
I get Xanax for my anxiety. I don't take it all the time because I'm afraid I'll get addicted LOL. I feel better just knowing that they are there if I need them, this calms me. I've also been doing a bio feedback type exercise for years. When I recognize I'm starting to get a panic attack, I acknowledge it, know it's my brain, everything's gonna be okay, it'll pass, etc. It helps 90% of the time but I still get bad ones a couple times a year. I know what you mean about agoraphobia stuff, I absolutely HATE going into public on some days. These are the days I whip the Xanax out. Have you had them? It's amazing. It makes everything oookkkaaayyy. You feel normal for once, like how other people are.. haha.
I feel you pain, seriously. I started getting panic attacks in college, and they're not fun.
Anxiety is a very difficult condition to treat. You can't cure it with drugs, but you can lessen the symptoms. Its reallly important that you continue to go to therapy too. It definitely increases the overall efficacy of treatment vs drugs alone.
You could go on a drug like Lexapro or Celexa. These are usually taken once daily every day and help you control the anxiety on a more general level. They make several weeks to months for max effect, and you need to start at low doses and gradually increase.
There are also benzodiazepines (xanax, klonopin, valium) that help calm anxiety on a more immediate level. The benzos are controlled substances and definitely have a higher risk for abuse and addiction.
Its definitely something to discuss with the therapist, but I would start out with the celexa or lexapro and see if they help you...I'd only go to the benzos if you absolutely can't function and need immediate relief.
I was very out going and confident etc as a kid to. Nobody suspects the inside pains especially when you mask it really really well and you are left with it all inside yourself to deal with. Suddenly the anxiety from inside is too filled up and begins to push and spill out and you are in a battle with all these feelings and it is called anxiety. (My interpretation I dont know if this is right officially) You either do something about it or dont do anything about it. Either way it is fraught with anxiety!
I have been on venlafaxine for maybe a year now. (I never used to even have a cough sweet if I had a sore throat - I was that anti medication so it is a big mind change that I did decide to take medication to help myself!)
I tried fluoxitine but it didnt work because it wasn't depression that was the main problem - like you it was anxiety.
My understanding and experience of being on anti anxiety type medication is that you go on the lowest possible dose you need just to take the edge off and then you gradually gain more confidence and then that confience boosts you to do more - go to shops, walks, exercise whatever even little random normal life things like smile at someone and chat while in a queue then all those positive experiences which are made pos by that little help from the meds means you gradually gain confidence and friendship and support networks grow a bit and through therapy or doc support you learn to cope with your anxiety and then eventually you can continue your life without your medication.
Or you can go on doing nothing and worry about it. Seems if you are a worrier - like me :) then you are going to worry either option.
The one option your trying now is the without medication option and its not working so you worry. So now why not go for the meds option and then worry about that - but that option has the possibility it might change your life even a little bit (or maybe even a lot :)
Taking some kind of (good) action might help you take control of your anxiety a bit more.
- I hope so. Good Luck.
There are SO many people that are anti-drug when it comes to mental health. But the truth is, they DO work a majority of the time. If taken correctly and in conjunction with counseling if needed. And you are fortunate in that treatment for anxiety is highly successful (more-so than just about any other mental condition).
I really hope you do accept the possibility that medication can make your life better. Just as antibiotics can help you get better when you have an infection. Yes all drugs have side-effects, all drugs have the possibility of causing a bad reaction. But that doesn't stop (most) people that are physically sick from taking them - and it shouldn't stop people that are emotionally in need from taking them.
It may take some trial and error to find one that will work well for you as an individual. Or you may be lucky and find the first one works for you. But as you can read from other peoples responses, when you find one that works for you - you will be one step closer to being happy again... Then your next goal can be to find out how to be happy without any medication. Which, if you talk to many people that did have success with taking a medication - happens quite frequently as well.
Let me start by saying that I've never taken any medication for anxiety, although I probably should. Like one of the first people who answered, when I get panic attacks, I most of the time just talk myself down. I've heard wonderful things about Xanax, and would like to try it, but don't have the funds to see a doctor, let alone pay for the script.
I'm sorry, I don't have much of an answer for you seeing as I don't have any experience with any medication, but I do want to back up what a lot of the answers have said. If you do decide to start medication, be sure to keep in therapy. I really hope all goes well. Good luck.