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| Tue, 10-26-2004 - 10:28am |
I'm new to this board and although I'm sure in a few days I'll feel better, right now I'm struggling. I've suffered on and off with anxiety attacks and depression for several years. My anxiety symptoms usually flair up when I have PMS. I have endometriosis so my PMS can get really bad - I get very sick with migraines, fatigue, etc. Usually if I'm aware of the time of the month, I can recognize the building anxiety, and remind myself that its caused by the PMS and find ways to relax and wait it out without having to take Xanax. But if there is any unusal stress (like money problems), along with the anxiety, I'll suffer from insomnia and depression (which is what I'm going through right now) and I take Xanax but I don't really like the way it makes me feel during the day, so I avoid taking it whenever possible. I need to find a new way to deal with this but I don't really want to have to take medication all the time for something that usually only affects me a week or two every couple of months. However, about 7 years ago I became clinically depressed for several months and it was really hard to work my way out of it (which I did without medication). So now everytime the depression hits, I'm terrified I'll fall down that hole again. I've asked my GYN and my Internal Medicine doctor about my PMS issues and they say its natural and to try rest more, take soy, exercise and drink herbal tea (tried it - no help). Easy for them to say - I've got 3 kids, and work nights - try finding time to "rest more"!! Anyone else dealing with the same type of situation? Should I try something like Effexor? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Em

SSRIs like Prozac (Now being marketed as Serafem for women!) are
peace and love,
just_a_big_kid