Anyone on meds?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-13-2004
Anyone on meds?
15
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 3:38pm
I was trying to avoid getting on medication, even though my therapist has suggested it, but I think it's time. My anxiety is at an all-time high, and this whole situation has really put me over the edge. I cannot concentrate on anything, and it's putting more pressure on me at work, because I am not doing the things I should be. I feel like I am always on edge and losing my patience.

I have never been on any meds for my anxiey or anything like this, and was wondering for those of you who are, how it has helped you. My H does not want me to take anything but I have explained to him that I feel like it's necessary, at least right now, and that hopefully it will make me a little easier to live with.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 3:51pm
If YOU feel you need it, and you trust your doctor that would prescribe it, then your H should help you and want to see you feel better. I myself have taken medicine and you don't need to be on it for the rest of your life...my doctor suggested a year, and I felt so much better. It isn't an instant fix. It doesn't feel like a high. I just am able to handle things much more rationally and the depression and anxiety (although still there) do not make me feel like I am drowning.

Talk to a professional that you trust. This is a very serious issue and one that should not be taken lightly.

Hang in there...

:) Frisco

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-28-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 4:24pm
Hi NYC,

Just wanted to put in my two cents here...I've been on Lexapro for about a week and a half now. Not accidentally, I started taking it around the same time I really decided it was over, no matter what. My anxiety was also OUT OF CONTROL! I kept obsessing over xOM and my nerves were shot. I know it takes a little while to get in your system, but I have noticed an improvement. I don't obsess nearly as much and I am much more focused on the good things. I'm sure it's a combination of finally waking up and the help of the medication, but look at my recent posts...I am doing better now than I have in months. I feel much more in control and little things aren't getting to me like they used to!

JMHO! :)

Love,

Lily
Love, Lily PG with #1 EDD 11/23 baby
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-08-2003
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 4:47pm
I've been taking zoloft for about 5 weeks now, and its made a HUGE difference.

The stress of the A, my pending divorce (which I have decided not to go through with), and a hectic schedule at work made me a complete mess, unable to function after me and exMM broke up. I wanted to feel "normal" again, not someone who could barely get out of bed in the morning or cope at work.

I don't see it as a crutch. Many people have misconceptions about medication, that it makes you "weak" or something. I can tell you that's not the case. My H is bipolar and takes about 5 meds a day...I don't see him as weak, he has a condition that he's treating, same as cancer or diabetes. I am treating my depression. Why I got depressed is kind of irrelevant...if there is a way for me to help myself and get on with my life, I'm going to take it.

So my advice is, don't be afraid, it could very well help. If it doesn't, no harm done.

Take care.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-12-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 5:01pm
I am on meds also and agree they have helped with my anxiety. Ar first I didn't notice it but then I did start to feel a little better. I was concerned about addiction to these pills but my doctor said the meds were necessary for me. Funny how you worry about this type of addiction.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 9:30pm
I have been taking Zoloft for a few years now. I can tell a big difference in myself, actually...obviously, it hasn't been a miracle drug since I am STILL doing stupid a** things.. :) but I honestly feel that I have a chemical imbalance dealing with depression and needed the medicine and wished I would have started it a lot sooner. My family has a history of depression so there is a good chance that I really need the medicine.

The draw back is feeling like I can't function without it. Especially now with being divorced (less than a year) and having 3 little ones and a full time job....not to mention starting the end of my A... I am afraid that if I stop taking it I will just buckle from my daily existence.

I have also found exercise to be a FANTASTIC depression and anxiety lifter and can really tell a difference in myself mentally when I do go and don't.

Goodluck with your decision!

Need2b

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 9:58pm
NYC- I would never advise anyone not to take medication but I will suggest that you do alot of research first and make an informed decision. I was on Paxil and Wellbutrin for 2 1/2 years and they worked like a charm. My depression was gone, I was able to deal with my husband and kids calmly no matter what the circumstances and my PMS (very bad) disappeared. That said, I suffered side effects that were scary and ultimately led me to go off, cold turkey, after putting Paxil in an internet search and finding out things my dr. had neglected to tell me about SSRI's. I wont go into everything here because it would be like a book, but I gained over 30 lbs, (all in the stomach, an unpleasant little side effect termed "paxil stomach", suffered server electical-like pain in my head called "brain zaps", uncontrollable itching "paxil itching" was unable to sleep and had to be on sleeping pills, etc. I'm not trying to talk you out of meds but I wish I had been informed before I started. I now also have an enlarged liver, most likely due to all the drugs, as all drugs pass through the liver. I will tell you though, I really miss it, it was a quick and easy fix that enabled me to feel better without addressing what was really wrong with my life, which is why insurance companies wants you to take meds-it's cheaper for them than therapy. If you decide to go the no-med route, there are alot of natural and safe alternatives, I can give you supplement and vitamin names and dosages. I don't know what to say as far as trusting the dr. I thought mine was good, she was recommended by my therapist who had worked with her before, but she never warned me about any of these things and every time I asked her if anything I was feeling was due to the drugs, she said no and oh, yes they were. I found a huge community of people out there who had the same experience and worse and found out there are over 400 studies re: the negative effects of SSRI's. Drug companies have powerful lobbyists and if you read about how they are allowed to throw out the bad results of their clinical trials and only submit the good ones to the FDA, it really scares you. Just telling you-don't make a hasty decision unless you are suicidal and remember, your problems will still be there when you go off if you don't find a way to deal with them. The other thing to remember if you go on something like Xanax for anxiety is it's highly addictive and I think most of us in A.'s have addictive personalities and therefore must be very careful with things like that. My dr. wouldn't even give it to me-she was afraid I would abuse it. Good luck!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2003
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 10:23pm
I have a prescription for Xanex to take on an as needs basis. I probably take 2-3 a month maybe. I only take it when my anxiety is really bad. i suggest you consider it if for nothing else then to help you focus and get some clarity. I would talk to you therapist about what is best for you. :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2004
In reply to: nycgemini
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 10:44pm
I've been on Lexipro (the lowest dosage) for about 2 months & I definitely notice a huge difference in my ability to deal. Yes, I still have bad days, but considering how I was prior to it...I say it has definitely helped me. I used to cry over absolutely anything and really sob and sob, every single day (it was a combination of my A and the post-traumatic stress disorder I was diagnosed with after my accident). If your doctor thinks that it would be a positive thing for you & you trust your doctor, I'd go for it. If you're concerned over whether your doctor is advising you wisely, maybe you could get a second opinion. And I'd definitely ask for all the side effects up front. A lot of pharmacies include a list of side effects/warnings with your initial prescription - at least mine did.

Anyways, I hope all goes well for you!

Blue-eyed

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2003
In reply to: nycgemini
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 12:08am
I have found that SSRIs are helpful in the short term, but basically I finally realized that what they were doing was numbing my feelings ... and as soon as I went off of them I had to deal with the unresolved issues anyway and work through things. The feelings didn't go away; they were just dormant while I was on the meds.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
In reply to: nycgemini
Tue, 10-12-2004 - 1:36am
i'm one of those people who will not go on medication unless it's truly necessary. i think that when your anxiety, depression, or obsessive thinking or behaving becomes disruptive to your ability to function in your everyday life, to concentrate, work, or make decisions, or when you find yourself crying, sobbing at the drop of a hat on a daily basis, or if you have even the remotest suicidal thoughts, then i think an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication is called for....i was on paxil at one time, and then celexa at another later time for a year, all due to anxiety, depression, and mild suicidal thoughts (which i had never had prior to this time)....all of this occurred during the 5 year affair....i responded very well to both drugs, although Paxil made me too sleepy, and i've heard this from many people.....but i think celexa is very good, and i stayed at a low dosage, because i found that it did enough for me and i didn't need to take more....a good internist or psychiatrist, whomever is going to prescribe this for you, will start you at the very lowest dose, and will have you see him every couple of weeks to a month to discuss how you're feeling and decide on maintaining or increasing your dose....the lowest dose that gives you the relief you need is all that is required....these drugs are not, nor are they meant to be, solutions to any of our problems.....what they are meant to do is to lift you out of the depths of depression, or take the edge off of your anxiety, so that you can hopefully once again think more clearly, focus on decisions you need to make, and hopefully be able to look at your life with more clarity and cope better with things....in this respect, i think these drugs really work well.....

there can be some weight gain with SSRI's, which my internist did tell me, and the weight gain does not usually begin until you've been on the meds for close to a year.....i tried to fight it by always keeping my calorie count fairly low, and if you are on any kind of decent exercise regimen, you most likely will not gain more than 5 pounds.....i did gain about 5 pounds in the year i was taking celexa, but i was not exercising at all during that year....if i forgot to take my pill, and there were a few times that i did forget to take it for a few days in a row, then i would get that electrical buzz symptom in my head....it is a symptom of sudden withdrawal from the drug, and that's why you need to wean yourself off of them correctly if you do.....a year ago i decided i was doing well and wanted to try life off of the meds, and i weaned myself very slowly, and had no symptoms of withdrawal at all.....i figured if i didn't do well off of them, i'd go back on them.....

i think you know whether or not you have passed this point of manageable anxiety and depression.....there are simply just times when we need some help to get back on our feet....if you have doctors/therapists that you truly trust, combined with your own feelings about how you're coping, together you will come to a good decision and then take it from there.....good luck and i hope that you're feeling better and coping better soon....i know how hard it can be.....ada

Pages