Hello I'm currently a senior and having issues finding the right medication. I have social anxiety, OCD, generalized anxiety, and bipolar.
I first tried prozac but made me mania so I quit.
Though my social anxiety is bad that I'm constantly worrying about my new school that I'm going to go to.
I tried Prozac and Lithum so far but they didn't really do anything but give me bad side effects.
I'm currently taking Divalproex a mood stablizer, risperdone 2mg tab, .5mg ativan, 20mg propanopal, and 10mg busperione. I feel like none of these medications are helping me and every time I approach my doctor I always have a bad appointment.
I'm bipolar so I can still take antidepressants for anxiety? I hear antidepressants help a lot for social anxiety and I have school soon.
PLEASE any advice would be appreciated.. sry bout the bad grammar..
What do for anxiety if you have bipolar? I need help for social anxiety?
- Posted:
- 28 Jul 2011 by alwaystired
- Topics:
- prozac, mania, bipolar disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety and stress, medication
Responses (5)
HPoole28 Jul 2011
the anti-depressants in the SNRI group are more effective for bipolar than the SSRI anti-depressants. Prozac is in the SSRI group and therefore, probably why it made you manic. I would try Effexor, effexor xr, pristiq, wellbutrin, strattera (often also prescribed for adhd), or cymbalta. The SNRI group is different because it not only works on serotonin in the brain, but also norepinephrine. SSRI's work on only serotonin. Divalproex did not work for me. it sounds like you'd do well on seroquel or zyprexa, along with abilify. These are the strongest anti-anxiety anti-psychotic meds.
pledge29 Jul 2011
Hello alwaysstired. I was reading all the threads. HPoole answered your concerns, questions. I've nothing to add for its well covered, indeed. My only comment is in as much as don't fear your doctor. Tell her/him your thoughts, your worries and so on. Over the years, if I have taught myself one thing well, its to use the tools available to me. Use your doctor as a tool. A tool is just that. It works for you, its there to help you. Silly tip, but ha! it might just be what the doctor ordered (cliche) best of wishes to you,
alwaystired
13 Dec 2011
kk sry for the late post but i got a new doctor thats really great.. i mean the best doctor i ever met!
kytteneyes
slattery8 Sep 2011
Hi alwaystired. I take 500mg depakote with 10mg abilify for bipolar I, and am told that these are low dosages. I did read that the meds themselves can bring out characteristics like anxiety, as much as the condition itself. I am a very nervous individual, and have had panic attacks in the past, so that I keep a supply of xanax on hand. I don't use it regularly, except for when I am feeling especially anxious, and it really does the trick for me. Nor based on the way that I use it, do I find it addictive; which could be a danger with this med also. Perhaps a low dosage of meds, combined with xanax, would work for you? Good luck in your search for the right combo!
8 Sep 2011
wow. I just became a part of this members group after using drugs.com just for medication references. Where I live it is a rural area and the doctors are few and my primary care dr, neurologist, and mental health provider have refused to help with my medical managment for four years. Thank goodness for drugs.com I began gathering information to bring along with me, yet to still be ignored by the doctors saying "it;s not my problem, it's your bipolar, or it's your diabetes, or your sleep apnea... " etc.
mitzi56
10 Nov 2011
I often wonder if a doctor chooses what he/she feels is the correct medicine for the bipolar, if it would not be wise to ask a pharmacist as well about the possible side effects and problems associated with these medicines.
After all they are the ones who specialize and went to school specifically in the total understanding of all medications and compatibility with the ones they see you are on. I believe most of the time it is mostly done with a computer and a red flag goes up if the computer sees a possible drug interaction. I think I will ask my pharmacist of all interactions of any of the medicines i am on.
mitzi56
10 Nov 2011
I want so bad to trust my doctors but it gets scary when you come to find they did not provide you with the possible side effects or they give you improper info on those side effects. Just plain scary!!
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thank you for the info but how can i tell my doctor if i can change them? I'm kind of shy about how to tell my doctor to change my medicine and yea buspar does nothin at all.
tell them a nurse suggested these medication and reccommended you try them instead of your current med regimen
wait ur a nurse Oo but I really want to change my medicine hpoole but I'm freeze at the doctor's office not knowing what to say. I feel so stuck right now.. my head constantly hurts I dunno.. I got to wait 2 weeks to go there agn and I'm going to prob screw up agn. My anxiety is just bad lately I just wish I had a solution but aite I just tell them this? or print it?
yes, you can print this if you think it would help, however, you may want to cut this comment off (haha). I'm going to say that your doctor just may take you up on the meds i suggested because, sadly, i haven't found many doctors who are as competent as they need to be. For instance: in the past, most doctors I went to ... i felt like i had to tell them or suggest to them what i needed... Only at Cleveland Clinic have i felt the doctors were actually treating me instead of just taking my advice... be brave with your doctor and tell them how you feel. if your doctor doesn't consider your suggestions, find a new doctor who you feel your personality works with better. it's important to find a doctor you trust and can communicate openly with. please continue to ask any questions if you have any.
alwaystired, just a reminder that what works for one person does not work for others. Also you should not be changing all your meds at once. Of course you must give the meds time to work at least 4 - 6 weeks. By the way how is school going?
Sorry, didn't mean to butt in lol, but i know what you mean when you say about how doctors are not as competent as they should be when it comes to medications, so it gets real scary cause you dont know what they are giving you! Or wether to trust their opnion.
My family doctor wanted to take care of my bipolar due to the fact that I have so many other health issues that require medications. I was on abilify for like 12 years before he found I was diabetic and I never thought back then to look up the medication to see it says right on there, that it can cause diabetes.I just trusted my phyciatrist to take care of me.
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The last time I saw my family doc, we discussed using Depekote and he said his concern with this was that one of the side effects is some kind of disease that makes you're skin fall off! Of course I insisted that he doesn't put me on that and he agreed, only until recently when a psychiatrist and a pharmacist said they cannot find that side effect in depekote! So now i am back to mistrusting my family doctor. I am presently taking 50 mg of doxepin at bedtime and the psychiatrist asked me? which medicine I would like to try? WTH!!! So all I could say was... I know the abilify worked for 12 years and maybe my family doctor can adjust and monitor my blood sugar. So she said ok lets do that, and she put me on 5 mg of abilify now as well as the doxepin. But this is crazy, I know there must be some kind of other medications out there I could try I just don't know them. Yet since I have been on this forum I have seen several others I had never heard of. And I assume they are for bipolar since this is what forum I am in. right? or wrong?
mitizi56,
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There are other meds that are like abilify which is an antipsychotic like seroquel, seroquel xr, zyprexa, geodon, risperdal, clozaril. Traditional antipsychotics are Thorazine, Prolixin, Haldol, Moban. As for mood stabilizers there is Lithium, Tegretol, Neurontin, Lamictal, Topamax, Gabitril. As for the rash it is called Steven Johnson Syndrome. Usually they try to give you a low dose to start with and watch out for the rash but sometimes the rash may not be seen so just have to watch for other symptoms. All medications have their own side effects. The best way I have learned about what I am going to take is searching on here through the Drugs A-Z, looking at all information including the reviews of others who take the medications. As for my doctor seeing me for bipolar well as far as I know they do not know what a psychatrist does regarding the medications and I only see my doctor to do the labs to check for diabetes, and cholestrol changes that the medications may have caused which is also known as metabolic syndrome. I also ask my pharmacist because they studied about the actuall medications and what I may need to look for. Some doctors and psychiatrist don't always tell you what you need to know of side effects. It is best for you to be your own advocate and team player in your treatment with bipolar. Knowledge is power when it comes to going on recovery from this illness.
Oh ya I have learned over the years that I don't want to decide which medication I take, I just want to be advised by my Dr/Drs stating the potential side effects short or long term. I would have liked to know that abilify can cause diabetes, or depikote can cause a skin disease. (if thats true), and be able to discuss it with my dr as to what would be the best optin considering what im going through at that time and my unhealthy physical state or low tolerance to any disease due to not having a spleen, I want all the facts layed on the table and I want a doctor who is mainly concerned over what is best and least dangerous for me. I wish there were a small pamphlet written in simple layman's terms for me and my family to read if I were to leave it on the table for myself and my family to see.
Oh yes the steven johnson syndrome. thats what my Dr explained to me as being very worrisome to him, as it can literally cause you're skin to peel away, I had to say no to that one. it just creeped me out and I feel for anyone who has gotten this illness and I pray that they are ok and can survive the mental torment they must be going through with this disease.
I'm just glad my doc mentioned it, even if it was with the wrong med lol. It appears to be the new med that can cause this illness. Its not likely that someone of good general health would get it, but I already have a very low immune system due to having had my spleen removed at age 19 and I have recently lost so much weight that I am just vulnerable to illness. So Im working on doing everything I can to re-build my immune system as much as I can through proper diet and such.
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And of course trying and hoping to regain my weight. Im gonna talk to my Dr about getting on Remeron again, if she'll let me do that for about 2 months, but I doubt it. That stuff made me gain weight like crazy. I just can't stop eating on that LOL. But of course that could be deadly for me too, since I am now diabetic. If not then I'll get a referral to a nutritionalist. It turns out bipolar is more deadly than people originally thought just because of the meds you have to take. Ok enough! I'm getting panicky again. Good night all and watch you're meds!Test you're blood often!! And i'm sure we will all live long healthy lives.
Mitiz56,
Steven johnson can also be on several other mood stabilizers and I know cymbalta too. I to worry about that but since I have actually had it to where my skin was almost to peel and fall off but from an antibotic. All medication have side effects and they all effect us different. Just need to take and be on the look out for what they do to you.