Currently on 40 mg of prozac a day but my anxiety and OCD is so bad i dont know what to do?

I have tried prozac but not for anxiety. However, I have horrible panic attacks& anxiety. I have been on Xanax for over 13 years on & off. I have tried all antidepressants and none have worked for me. Also, I have tried Ativan,Volume, Colotipin. Truthfully, the only thing that works for me is Xanax. The only problem is that all benzos are fast acting med which usually wears off in 3-4 hrs. I really hope this info helps you.So you & your dr. can discuss putting you on a benzos or another medication that starts working fast so you don't have to wait &suffer all day. Good luck to you.

Benzos ARE NOT for long term management. I believe these are either class I or II drug, meaning they are almost impossible to kick. Get on a strong ass dual medicine for anxiety and depression..since two usually go hand in hand. Good luck, try to kick benzos.

Yeah, i am on Klonopin 2mg 2 times a day, and it doea help. but you are definetly right i should go up on the prozac and also should try some Congital Behavirol Therapy.. Have you ever heard or that? but thanks so much on answering my question i sent you a friend request.. kk
-dawnie

Hello dawn, How have you been feeling? Any changes with the Dr. yet?

I'm trying to get to this point. I'm worried about bringing up all the "crappy" stuff, and the pain I may feel, but I know that it is a part of therapy. Thanks for the comment. It gives me some hope!

it takes time. it took me over 30 years..yup, 30 longggg years ! EMDR needs a trained therapist do do it with though. ive read about it, and figured what the heck, it cant get any worse. i think about my past 24/7 anyway. the road is long, and im always wondering when or if its ever gonna end..fam and friends do not understand, nor want to, so thats why im on here... it WILL get better ! if you ever wanna talk, we can exchange emails if youd like.. my 24 year old son suffers from ocd, so i do know what youre goin through. he doesnt want to change meds, hes on effexor xr... and unfortunetly we cannot live together because of that... we will talk more , ok ?

i agree, xanax helps me ALOT with anxity.

but it also can be VERY addicting.

no, most docs will not prescribe xanax, cause of its addictive, which i think is really sad, because if thats what only helps, then the doc is 'refusing ' to treat you ! i have been on it for bout 30 years and yes, its addictive, just like most of the other stuff they give ya anyhow, but buspar did not for me except make me more anxious and sick. klonopin made me so tired and in a worse fog than im in already. they wanted to try and ween me off, but nothing else helps. they even tried different antidepressants on me, but im not really depressed, my anxiety/fibro/cfs/pain..etc, is makin me depressed... the way i feel, is that we are all guinea pigs... please let me know what happens on tues.

most reasons that doctors have for not perscribing Xanax depends on if you have an addictive behavior or not. They determine that on your first visit with them and your medical history. Just so you know :)

hi.. im glad you came and dont stop coming. ( i felt like that statement was from an AA meeting ) lol... yeah, no one understands, thats pretty much why i dont associate with others. im really sooooo tired of trying to explain to others why i feel the way i do, that i just dont anymore... wow, are you serious that cali doesnt cover mental health care ??? how can that be ?? if youre on ssi, then it automatically covers it. why is cali different ? im so sorry for that... geezzzzz, i dont know what else to say. dont they have an alternative ? well, just know that i think i can speak for others also, that we know what youre goin through, even though we all suffer from other stuff, we DO suffer ! so, you are NOT alone !!

hello thanks for the response to my note? i almost wish i was in aa, that might be easier than this. i totally understand the bad days trick, haha, this isn't agood time for me either. too many anniversiries like to creep up on me. some i almost forget them ,but like right now, i'm in a flood zone. yes, our great governor has cut all kinds of health programs here in ca. i'm on ssi, but so far, all i have is state medi-cal. i'm still a couple of years away from medicare. this is one time i really wish i was a little bit older. my mom always added an extra year to my age until i told her that only made her older, lol, i think she haunts me over that one. this does seem to help me, being able to spill my guts out for a while, again, thank you. hope to talk to you soon, carol. by the way do you know what the point thing is on this site, i'm nosy.

Hi Psyched: I love what you wrote and I totally agree!!! I was just recently diagnosed with depression add that to Lupus and Fibro and rhumatoid arthritis. Now i have the complete package. I feel like my husband who I have been with for 21 years. I'm 40 does not quite understand the pain i'm in. When i can't even walk up our flight of stairs or brush my hair or help my son's get ready for school. It's really nice to read everyone's notes knowing that I'm not alone out there and there are other people out there like me. Some days I feel all alone in a living hell. So thank you everyone for writing, I will continue to keep reading everyones notes! :)

For those of you with fibro anf arthritus, read Stop Depression Now. It goes into all the benifits of SAM-E an alternative to AD's and also benefits fibro/arthritus/the liver.
Why not cure the anxiety instead of becoming addicted which causes even more problems. Benzosshouldnt be taken for more than a few weeks. I was on them for years and it was hell getting off
CBT does not go into rehashing old memories but teaches you a new way to look at and think about events, a great benifit to anxiety- notice what youre thinking before you have those feelings and how it loops around - once you can change thhe WAY you perceive thigs you can gain control over your feelings (in addition to meds)

A few more ideas for anxiety (used to have horrible panic attacks- now I'm fine) Cut out, this is tough for some people, all caffeine( coffee, sodas "energy" drinks) Wean off, switch to de-caf (there's a good mocha one) , whatever it takes. You will feel lousy, but not intolerable, for about a week then you will be AMAZED at how good you feel (and how much real energy you have! We live in a caffeine, high adrenaine culture, we're sold this. Don't buy in, especially if you have anxiety to begin with. Also try yoga- Maya Fiennes Kundalini for Stress will leave you feeling wonderful (it focuses on breath mainly- no yoga poses). And there' s no substitute for exercise. Start small until everything becomes a habit you look forward to :)