Cathleen186I am anxious all the time. I'm scared of interacting with people, going out, oh God I could go on and on. Is there any relief from anxiety? It's a part of my thoughts but also my body. I have rushes of adrenaline for no reason, heart races spontaneously, my body is rigid, breathing shallow. When I catch myself like this, I try to "relax" like people are always trying to say to me. I DON'T KNOW HOW. I'm asking this because I have an appt coming up with my doctor. The celexa and klonopin aren't working. So I'm asking for help, what has worked for anyone like me? Is it just not possible to get rid of this much anxiety? I hope I don't sound pathetic. I thought maybe someone has experienced something new that's come out that i haven't heard of or something, ok i'll stop rambling, any ideas welcome
To all those with anxiety? What in your opinion is the best for GAD, SAD?
- Posted:
- 18 Jan 2011 by Cathleen186
- Topics:
- anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder
Responses (47)
Anonymous 18 Jan 2011
Hi Cathleen,
I do not suffer with anxiety quite like you do, so sorry this is happening to you !! Perhaps a switch from Klonopin to Valium might help you.
I've heard that Valium affects the body as well as the brain with anxiety. It can help with being tense. Talk to your doc about this situation.
Best wishes to you, hope you feel better,
sweetlemon
caringsonbj18 Jan 2011
have you ever dealt with extended release Xanax 2 or 3mg one tablet four times daily, my pain doctor will prescribe this the 3mg was too strog for me so she reduced it to 2mg Extended release four times daily Valium I think the strongest dose is 10mg and its given four times a day I am not for sure about Klonapin have never taken this have heard people who have had good results, just me but I get to thinking sometimes the SSRI's cause more problems than they help with Lexapro, Celexa I don't mean to offend anyone if it works for you I am so pleased but I haven't had the best experiences with them, of course its like pain meds what works for one won't work for another I wish you the very best and please keep me posted
Cathleen186
19 Jan 2011
caringsonbj, i like yours the best, i didn't know there was long acting Valium. I will ask about that and let you all know what psychiatrist says.
oxyaaron
19 Jan 2011
There is no point in taking the ER 4 times a day, thats why it is ER so you dont have to take it so many times a day, it should be taken twice or even once a day.
Springer10
caringsonbj
christine...18 Jan 2011
Yes! There is relief from anxiety. Finding the answer is the tricky part. Some folks need medication AND therapy. Others find therapy alone works. Some may disagree on this but I think there's usually an underlying, unresolved issue(s) causing this. I used to have really bad panic attacks. I knew what was causing them but didn't know how to stop them. I did end up going to my doctor for help. He put me on xanax for a while and it did help. But that darn underlying issue was still unresolved. I was just covering up the symptoms with the xanax. I ended up where the prescription wouldn't last half the month! I knew I had to get this resolved. I did get in to some counseling and talked about my issues and asked what I should do about it. Standard response, "What do you think YOU should do about it?" Gee, thanks Doc! And you're getting paid HOW much? Long story short, I worked up the nerve to deal with something that was really bothering me.
Sacosam
18 Jan 2011
"Oh yeah Sis , You're SOOOOO right on... and Cathleen said she's afraid of people or meeting people"! ! "Jus' Me"!
stephen55
18 Jan 2011
Not trying to insult you, but true Panic Disorder occurs to people (like me in the past) who have NO idea of the cause. That's the scariest part, you don't know when or where. I'm sure there is a cause, but it would be buried beyond conscious retreval without a psychiatrist interested in probing your subconscious. I understand that Freud is out of fashion these days, but I would certainly get no closer to any answer from a Behaviorist. And "desensitization" therapy like the kind used to help overcome fear of flying and other things simply would not work: with Panic Disorder you are not aftraid of a certain activity or thing; though the thought of walking down into a valley or on a Manhattan street might make you pause, you may or may not have an attack: you're not afraid of the street or the valley; it's much deeper than that.
patriciajsmith
Sacosam18 Jan 2011
Hi Cathleen: There's SAD , Which I got , so I know the meaning of ... and GAD , which I don't know the meaning of , but anyway , drugs scare hell out of me so I avoid 'em when I can. Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD, is mostly caused by lack of sufficient Sunshine (Not lack of vitamin -D) , so I bought a "Sunshine Supplement Light System" called "Happy Light Deluxe"! It's a bit expensive ($200), but it's easy, and after just one week I think it's starting to work. You just find a comfortable chair, set it up so the Lite shines on your face , get comfortable , and sit there for 15 min. to 1/2 hr. You can't look directly at it (just like sunlight!) but that's no problem. If anyone's interested, tell me and I will send you the address via D.D.C. as for drugs, one of the "Welbutrins" is recommended. Sacosam
christineATU
18 Jan 2011
Hi sacosam. I hope you are feeling well. Very happy to see you posting. I've missed you.
Cathleen186
19 Jan 2011
Sorry Sacosam, by SAD I meant Social Anxiety Disorder and GAD is general anxiety disorder.
18 Jan 2011
I can sympathize with your plight. I suffered from global anx. for 50 years; my rescue came in the combination of citalopram and bupropion. It's interesting that bup. could have an effect on anxiety. It is an "unusual" anti-depressant in that it has no serotonin effect; instead, it inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine. Norepi. is of course the "speed" chemical in the brain, closely related to amphetatmines, which you'd think would make you more anxious. But it for me seems to work the way amphetamines work for kids with HDLD: it focuses or directs the bundled chaos of that neurotransmitter system; along with the dopamine, which is the "goal setting" the "vision" part of the brain, it streams the anxiety towards goals; it gives some order to the chaos.
Now, this is all purely anecdotal, and probably your Doc would dismiss it, but here it is for what it's worth.
Cathleen186
19 Jan 2011
stephen55, what is buproprion? is that Wellbutrin?
18 Jan 2011
All these comments advocating valium, xanax, klonopin, etc. really bother me. THEY ARE NOT LONG TERM SOLUTIONS. Plus, your body quickly builds tolerance to them, which doesn't seem to happen with anti-depressants, certainly not as quickly. Anxiety is an expression of depression, so you really need your primary med(s) to be true antidepressants. Making more serotonin available has a "relaxing" effect. and while xanax works for maybe an hour or two (at first) you do "come down" and need more. This WILL NOT HAPPEN WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS!
Again, good luck!
Cathleen186
19 Jan 2011
stephen55 i heard a good antidepressant is Pristiq, is this true? I need a dramatic change. I'm also on Lamictal and Neurontin and Abilify. Still anxiety haunts me. Help!
christineATU
19 Jan 2011
With my answer to Cathleen, please note where I said "THEN" and "as a last resort" regarding the use of BDP's. I should have been more specific as I was not advocating these meds. But usually the average joe, like me, associate anxiety with BDP's, not antidepressants. Your explanation of them is very good!
sealcleo19 Jan 2011
To all those who responded, thank you. I'll take it all into consideration for my next appt. This anxiety is too much and now I'm going thru addiction and my son was diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers, and so lots is going on. Stress tends to make me more anxious. I know its bad to say, but opiates help my anxiety, why is that? I think that's why I tend to cling to them more than benzos. I'm truly messed up.
loridiane
17 Sep 2011
I just joined this forum-hence the late response. But when I read your comment, I just had to respond! The only thing that has ever worked for my depression is opiates also. The problem is tolerance. I had to continue to increase my dosage, or they wouldn't work. I finally made the decision to discontinue and go through withdrawal. Not fun!! My depression is back, and still trying to find a med that works. Hope things have gotten better for you this year!
19 Jan 2011
I hope this suggestion helps I am sorry if I overheard the druggist wrong about insurance not paying but if that is the case your doctor can always get a prior authorization saying you have tried many things and he would like to try this usually that goes through in 24 jours Celexa didn't work for me it made me worse I know everyone isn't alike, I would either sleep or be jittery
20 Jan 2011
I forget who said it... but the reccomendation to do yoga, walking, etc., gave very sound advice. Don't get me wrong, I pop pills all day long to combat my own varieties of madness, but I also know, if you can motivate yourself to do those kinds of things, those type of activities do help. Oh, and the tighteninng of the muscles, starting with the bare feeet and slowly tighten muscles up your body is really good. When you finally get up to the top of your head and release all your muscles - voila! - no nervousness. Any exersize is good. And finally, practicing slow, controlled, deep breathing would be good for you, so when you panic, just start focusing on your breath. I don't know why, but it helps to have that tool in your back pocket. It helps you regain control. Beleive me, before I learned these tools in DBT, I was walking around hyper-ventilating at the drop of a hat.
Post-script - I hated it when someone would tell me to "calm down" - it would just make everything worse.
Anonymous 20 Jan 2011
Tried to give you a thumbs up tonka, it wouldn't let me!!
I still think benzo's are the best bet for her situation, along with Therapy!!
SL
christineATU
21 Jan 2011
I did it for ya SL! And that other issue?? I'll send you info.
Tonka8561 Cathleen186
20 Jan 2011
of course , caringsonbj, you are a friend.
20 Jan 2011
I was at a point in time until I was afraid to talk and respond with people afaid they might think I was crazy, I was so focused on every word I said until by the time a day was done I was physically and emotionally exhausted I think the Lexapro and them giving me the freedom to use Xanax 2mg in an extended release form it just seemed to help although having a knowlegable doc she warned me not to use more of the Xanax than I had to she put a limit of four times a day on the extended release but I did not take more than 2 per 24 hrs, I think it helped just knowing I had something and if things got bad I had something I could fall back to but as (I think Marvell said no one would want to go through Benzodiazepine withdrawl) I watch it and know that the doctor is willing to listen and help make adjustements as needed. I wish you the very best I care about you and if I can help in any way please let me know
scooby1234
25 Jan 2011
I think Cognative Behavioral Therapy is really good. It makes you look at your fears in a way that allows you to put them into perspective.
Cathleen186
25 Jan 2011
i think you're right, which means i need to change my psychologist. she doesn't do much for me. it's like we're two girlfriends talking and I pay her!!! not good.
25 Jan 2011
you have to fight and fight hard I have had problem with Chronic Pain and serious anxiety, each time I think I can't take it I fight harder and harder work with the medications, keep telling yourself I can do this, I have experienced it so bad I thought it would kill me, don't ever ever give in, you are stronger than you ever know, the more you keep tellingyourself I can do this the simpler it will become, not at first but the more you do the better it will get!! I want only the best for you, I don't look at this as rambling I think you need a friend to help encourage you and to help give you the strength to get through, just remeber when it comes in waves it will get better especially the harder you fight. you take care and please know I do care and do understand
Cathleen186
25 Jan 2011
thanks caringsonbj, i always listen to your advice, you're always right on about things.
ksemak17 Feb 2011
I have suffered from panic attacks all my life to the point where I have butterflies in my stomach 24/7 and fear everything and anything! I hate it I also have tried xanax and klonopin but having a addictive personality these were no good for me so I now take effexor 150 mg a day and it works great. Mayby you can try this I have tried lexapro and a miriad of others but effexor is the only one that works for me. Good luck :)
Cathleen186
17 Feb 2011
Since my original post my doc switched me to Lexapro and Ativan, both new to me. So far the Lexapro is great but the ativan is no help. I think I'm tolerant of all benzos after taking klonopin 10 yrs. What do you all think ? But besides Buspar can anyone think of an anti-anxiety that's not a benzo?
cowildflo...18 Feb 2011
Hi Cathleen-
I have recently figured out that I have GAD as well. It started this summer for no real reason that I can see. I had major, major panic attacks, hospital, etc. I simply could not function.
One drug that works for me on an occasional basis is called Mirtazapine. It's also used "off-label" for help with sleep. It's primary function is for depression (excuse me if I'm wrong). While in the hospital, my docs realized how I just absolutely could not sleep (very addicted/tolerant of ambien: been using it for years and years daily) and they prescribed the mirtazapine. I notice when I use it that it helps me sleep and reduces my anxiety. BUT; it also makes you kind of drowsy and like you are walking through jello. It may be worth mentioning to your doc if the other things aren't working. I only take it in extreme measures bc I know how wiped I will feel the next day, but you can try a really small dose.
Cathleen186
18 Feb 2011
hello cowildflower, I would like to friend you and pm you if you don't mind. It's hard to find someone with GAD who wants to talk about it. You can friend me if you want. And thanks for the med advice. I will tell my doc. Do you know what class drug it is? Sedative? Antihistimine?
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thanks sweetlemon, I will talk to him about Valium or maybe Ativan. I can't hurt to ask at least.
maybe just the change might make a difference, if you've been taking Klonopin for some time then a change might be just what you need
I use to use Ativan about 5 years ago it didn't seem to help as much as Valium did but I want to add this when I was at the pharmacy the other day I heard someone say that certain insurances were no longer paying for Valium but that may have nothing to do with you so don't worry talk to the pharmacist, he will be able to tell you for sure
cathleen, I want to say that I am sorry for your severe anxiety. My amxiety isn't as frequent as yours, but when it hits it's a whopper of a bad time. I had a bad panic attack in the middle of the night this morning (1/18/11) and couldn't deal. A good friend here, SL, advised me to call my doc right away. He gave me klonopin .05. You say they haven't worked for you. I just started, so I don't yet know.
The only thing I found very helpful for me was either valium and ativan-ativan being the best for me.
Maybe a switch will do wonders for you.
springer10 i think you're right.
I had no idea that anyone was suffering with the kind of mind bogling anxiety that I deal with everyday. Sometimes I can't even sit or I get so overwhelmed with fear I don't check my mail box. I was on ativan, I then switched to klonopin and now I am on xanax and .1mg of clonidine to be taken as needed for panic attacks. I worry myself sick and I hate to think of anyone else going through anything like myself, but it makes me feel as if I am not alone. I have to say that I am on suboxone and have a baby which wieghs on my subconscience so I think that may contribute to all of the anxiety. Me knowing I am not living my up to my potential or fulfilling my purpose in life like I should could also be making me feel overly anxious. I'll keep you in my prayers. Sorry I don't have an exact solution, but I don't think meds are the only answer as I'm sure you know... it's action and therapy as well as restoring or stabilizing our chemical imabalance.
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I hope you find your solution. Wish I was in a position to take my own advice sometimes I don't know how much I have to be thankful for until it almost slips out of my grasp. Good Luck!!
hi sickofbeingsick... i friended you , can you friend me too so i can write you a private question. when i meet a fellow anxiety person like myself i have to ask questions if you are comfortable that is. thanks, cathleen
Hello..i saw your story and wanted to let you know that I use to suffer from all of the above syptoms..for years the doctor tryed me on several diffrent meds... kept tellin me i was depressed..well none of the meds worked..I was put on Gabapentin for my carpal tunnel and spontaneously I felt like a new person..I could interact with my family and friends and feel comforatable around complete strangers! Although everyone's body is diffrent Gababpentin may work for you! Wish u the best of luck..it is an awful feeling to not b able to interact with people!
i posted a comment earlier and didnt realize u are on klonipin try a higher dose along with lexapro but just get the dose upped would probly help u alot good luck to u but make that doc listen
Thmrb5711,
Since 11weeks ago I changed to Ativan and Zoloft. Still trying to see a change. Cathleen
Hey Cathleen:
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I can totally relate. Does it happen more often when you're with people? It could be social anxiety or social phobia. I had it when they didn't have a name for it or treatment. If I was around people I didnt know, my adreneline would shoot up and stay up, I'd become shaky, I couldn't even speak well in front of people. I thought I was "painfully shy" I started drinking to get out of my head and that worked great! Until I was on my way to becoming an alcoholic, then I tried xanax and that worked so well, that one day I decided I was cured and stopped cold turkey. Please don't don't do that! I had 3 Grand Mal seizures, none of the Doctors could figure out why, my mom figured it out. The odd thing, for about 2 - 2.5 years I didn't have any social anxiety or panic attack at all, it was like the seizures rewired my brain! it was awesome! I found out I wasn;t shy at all, when they gradually came back I went to a shrink, diagnosed myself and told him I wasn't going to live scared at the world. he agreed with everything, gave me tranzene 7.5 4 times a day and a SSRI called Paxil. I wouldn't reccommend Paxil - it's hell to get off of - maybe zoloft or effexor or Prozac. The two together work really well, much better than a benzo alone. Good luck & please let me know. this one hits so close to home.
Lola
Hey Lola,
Your comment was touching. The latest is Ativan and Celexa. The doc can't seem to fix me. I am anxious all the time and now im crying nonstop. so he thinks detox is the best for me. Best wishes. Cathleen
I dont think its your anxiety think its tolerance wd from the benzo short acting benzos seems cause alot physical issues and mental when used longterm k or v is best but also not good longterm a beta blocker /bp med would be better than benzo for panic attacks and shaky/ anxious also buspar is used up to yr for GAD , all meds cause issues longterm i think detoxing bad idea i did that many others i know did that and just causes increased anxiety and physical issues when dealing with benzos , benzos longterm are just bad period you cant just stop them google it , google ashton method also if your looking into getting off without suffering or having wds best luck to you antis are best longterm anxiety med if you have to be on something :*)
Your description of how you feel, I don't think Iv'e ever been able to describe in such detail of exactly how I feel myself. It is so frustrating to have ,even say your best friend tell you "oh you just have to start thinking differently or more positively " for me it would make me feel worse. The answer of Valium is a good one but they are short acting and stop working after a short period of time. Xanax work better. I take the stronger of the two of the two,2 mg. I went through a year of pure hell having my doctor try all these new anti-depressants and at least in my case, did not work. Hope you have a doctor who trusts you as many seem to want to stay away from these drugs. I can tell you are sincere because you are "me". Good luck
Hi, Cathleen,
I hope that you are able to get the relief you need soon. Don't know if this will help but I would like to share my story.
I started having severe panic attacks (all of a sudden) when I was 25 after the birth of my 2 daughters. I also suffered with agoraphobia (fear of leaving home). I could not go on long trips or even 30 minute trips without fear that I would be too far from a restroom or hospital if I needed one. I saw phychologists for 7 years without relief before I finally called a phychiatrist. He put me on 100mg of Tofranil & .5 mg of Klonopin per day. It definitely got rid of the the anxiety quickly, though at first I walked around like a zombie until I could get used to the drugs. I was eventually weened from Klonipin and continued to take Tofranil 100mg for about 18 years without a severe panic attack. It was wonderful - I truly had my life back.
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Then I started having hallucinations at night. I talked to my gp, who assured me that the bd meds I was on would not cause that. I told my phychiatrist & he tested my drug levels, telling me that the Tofranil had accumulated in my system to toxic levels. He told me to get off of it for a while to detox. He retested my drug levels after a few months & was able to put me back on Trofranil, 50mg per day. My hallucinations came back - I would see people sitting in the corner of my room or people coming toward me with objects, or I would see spiders, butterflies, snakes, etc.
My Dr finally switched me over to Lexapro 10 mg per day. I was fine for a while until I flew in a cramped plane for 2 hours. I had a major panic attack, then another. My Dr then raised my dosage to 15mg of Lexapro & .5mg Klonopin at bedtime. Oh, yeah, I am going through menopause now - I am 51 so the dr thinks that might have something to do with my relapse.
Oh, I am still having ocassional panic attacks - bad ones (are there any good ones?). I will have to see where this goes...
I will probably always be on antidepressants, I am resigned to that.
While Vallium and Ativan are Effective in the treatment of anxiety They are only supposed to be used Short-term to treat anxiety disorders. If you have Chronic anxiety you might want to take a long term anxiety medication.