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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
new to this
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Wed, 02-25-2004 - 9:34am
HI everyone or anyone. I have been battling anxiety and depression for many years. I was taking elavil for 10 years and was down to taking 10mgs and feeling prety well. due to some twitching of my eye the dr took me off. I took a real tail spin and ended up in day outpatient therapy and started Paxil. That took about 3 or 4 months to regulate me and effexor was added. I did well for about a year but then off and on was trying to regulate my dosage. NOw I am on 4o mg Paxil and 37,5 effexor. It doesn't seem to be doing the trick yet. I have only been on the 37.5 of Effexor about a month but I think it should be starting to work by now. I had to take .5 mg. of Atavan today and started crying which I haven't done in a long time. I was an office manager in a Physical therapy Office with 35 employees under me. I was there for 21 years. Then my mother died and I had the responsibility of my father and my daughter was getting married and my last son was graduating from college. That was when I lost it in 1992. Until then I was working and taking care of family and parents and doing great. I am 55 and hope to have a long happy life ahead of me but I just don't know how to regulate drugs and I do go to a wonderful therapist. I pray to God and know he loves me. I have a wonderful husband and family. They don't all get it but I have a wonderful daughter-in -law who will help me any time of night or day. I jus want to feel better and get on with my life. I have been dropping all responsibilities that I once enjoyed but now can't handle. where do I go from here?
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Wed, 02-25-2004 - 11:42am

Welcome, (((((((Tcarestia))))))))!

AcornLeaves
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2003
In reply to: tcarestia
Wed, 02-25-2004 - 3:23pm
Welcome to the board!!

I am glad that you found us.

YOu will find a wonderful group of women who can relate to what you are feeling.

Take care

Pamela

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
In reply to: tcarestia
Wed, 02-25-2004 - 5:06pm

Welcome Tcarestia!


Barb has done a wonderful Job of welcoming you and this is sort of a rough week for me sorry. but I did want to take a moment to add my HUGS and send some Support your way.


I hope you will stay around with us a bit and let the wonderful circle of support here gather you in its arms..

*hugs

*hugs             

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Fri, 02-27-2004 - 9:41am
Thank you for replying to me Barbara, I have never been on a chat line before and am looking forward to it. YEs I am going to a psychiatrist. He is a very nice older Italian gentleman. He isn't in to much couseling but he helps me with the meds. Do you know anyone who is on both Paxil and Effexor at the same time. I often worry about too much medicine. I have been on the effexor for 4 weeks now to enhance the Paxil which used to work. I have been taking these meds and keep trying to go down a little on them and then I get in trouble each time. I think if I get ok on these I will not try to cut back ever!!! What has been your experience?
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Fri, 02-27-2004 - 9:51am
Thank you for replying Pamela, I need to talk to people who know how I feel. I have a good support team with my husband and daughter-in-law but they don't know how it feels. They love me. I have been going thorugh this off and on for 12 years and it gets old. I am sure you know what I mean. are you on Meds? I was on elavil for 10 years and it was pretty good. I could regulate it whenever I wanted and it did pretty well for me. Then I started to get a twitch in my eye and they took me off. I wnet down hill fast and then to an outpatient clinic for six weeks where I started Paxil. That took about 3 months to kick in for me and then they added Effexor. I took that for a few months and then cut down just to the 40mg Paxil. That went ok so I cut back to 30 Paxil. Not good. Then back to 40 and now back on the 37.5 effexor with an adavan .25mg to add to the mix a couple times a day to get me through. I have anxiety problems and depression. I have resigned myself to the fact I have a disease and will not feel great again. I just have to deal with each day as it comes. But there is still that part of me that wants to feel like my oldself again. What is you experience with this disease?
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Fri, 02-27-2004 - 9:55am
Thank you Caly for replying to me. I could use some friends who know what it is all about. As soon as I am back to feeling strong I hope I will be able to help any of you who need a hug. This is a miserable way to live but I turn to God whenever I can and he does give support. You just have to really pay attention and have faith. Love Teresa
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Fri, 02-27-2004 - 10:44am

Hi, (((((((Teresa)))))))!

AcornLeaves
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
In reply to: tcarestia
Fri, 02-27-2004 - 5:49pm
I am happy to talk to you. How much effexor do you take? how long did it take to take affect? I am never going to change a thing if I can get back to that place I was . Did you have a tight feeling in your chest for awhile before you got on the right dosage? Did you have thoughts that you didn't know where they were coming from? I look at older people and think they all feel bad. I know that can't be right but it is the way I feel.I seem to project my feelings into what I think others are thinking and feeling. Then when I pass certain buildings or smell certain smells or feel a breeze or some other weather related feeling I feel like there is something wrong with it. Although I have no idea what.When my meds. are working I have no problem with any of that. Do you understand what I am talking about?