[mcohen123]

Hi All,

I am new to this site and new to an "anxiety" problem. Let me remwind a bit...about 2 weeks ago I was driving home in the snow and had a full on anxiety attack..I think. I was very short of breath, my eyes felt like they were going in 100 directions, I felt like passing out and my arm went numb/tingling/hurting. I pulled over and a friend drove me home. The days following I went to a internist, who I had never seen before. I am new to the area. She prescribes .10mg of Paxil and .25mg of Xanax, take paxil every night and Xanax when you need it. After 2 days on the Paxil I felt 100% WORSE. More nervous than ever and had to take 2 Xanax to get to work. I stopped the Paxil and she now wants me to start Lexapro. I am still feeling nervous and the thought of Lexapro is making me more nevous. SO I am basically having anxiety about taking an anxiety pill. I want to try taking nothing but I am nervous a lot these days, especially in the car when it is snowing. I was in a car accident last year that involved black ice, I sis not think I was effected by it because after that I was fine, now 7 months later I am having problems. I am also seeing a pyschatrist, I just want to feel better and I do not know what to do...any advice??

[Psyched]

Mcohen,
When was the last time you saw your psychiatrist? Have you shared this information with him/her? If you express your feelings about your meds to your doctor, maybe you both work on finding a med that you both feeling comfortable with. Remember, as a patient, it's your responsibility to be your own advocate. Doctors and patients should work together on treating the patient. Seriously, if you speak with him or her about the way you feel in regards to the meds and the anxiety, I'm sure he/she will work with you on alternatives. Good luck

[mcohen123]

Thank you for replying. I have left a messgae for my psychatrist. I was for sure going to talk to her about this again. I saw her Tuesday AM and Tuesday evening I was driving in the snow again....
I like the Xanax, it works when needed, can Xanax be something that is taken everyday?

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by mcohen123

Thank you for replying. I have left a messgae for my psychatrist. I was for sure going to talk to her about this again. I saw her Tuesday AM and Tuesday evening I was driving in the snow again....
I like the Xanax, it works when needed, can Xanax be something that is taken everyday?

This sounds very much like "situational anxiety" The theory on this is that you were more affected by your accident last year than you know, and, that similar circumstances (ie:driving in bad weather) is a "Trigger" bringing about the panic. Did you have any similar episodes prior to when you were driving in snow?

All SSRI medications (paxil and lexapro are 2) have the potential to cause anxiety or make it worse. Certain SSRI's work for some and not for others. So, when it comes to taking an SSRI the only way you can know if it will work for you is to try it and see. Paxil, obviously is not a good match for you. If you can get through this without taking an SSRI (anti-depressant) you will be better off.

Xanax is the best benzodiazepine for panic attacks because it is so fast acting however, xanax also has potential for dependance and addiction. If you need to take it every day try to keep the dose to a minimum and only SHORT TERM. If you need xanax daily beyond 4 weeks then you risk dependance and would need to switch to a longer acting benzo.

You may want to try taking a Magnesium supplement for awhile and see if that helps...Magnesium calms the nerves and relaxes muscles. It is not something you would feel right away like a medication but, you should notice a calming within a few days. It may also make you a bit sleepy to. It helps me allot and you may take it with xanax etc.

If your psychiatrist thinks that your anxiety is "situational" then you should be able to work through that possibly without the use of an SSRI med. Regardless, if you have ANY questions about anxiety, panic or the med's used to treat this; Please feel free to ask. I have been dealing with these issues personaly for over 12 years..Good luck....Peace...Erin

[melinda7.5]

Originally Posted by mcohen123

Thank you for replying. I have left a messgae for my psychatrist. I was for sure going to talk to her about this again. I saw her Tuesday AM and Tuesday evening I was driving in the snow again....
I like the Xanax, it works when needed, can Xanax be something that is taken everyday?

Hi mcohen
I have had panic attacks two different times in my life,the first time I was under a lot of stress and was given paxil and xanax.I didn't like the paxil,but like you the xanax work great...WRONG....after awhile the xanax stops working so you have to take more and more....Then when you stop the xanax OMG...you really have panic a hundred times worse than you had in the first place...Like pcyched said see your psychiatrist and also get as many books on panic disorder you can get your hands on,they help you find out what is going on during a panic attack and just that alone will help you understand and you can talk yourself out of them...
Good luck to you...
Melinda

[musicman48]

Originally Posted by mcohen123

Thank you for replying. I have left a messgae for my psychatrist. I was for sure going to talk to her about this again. I saw her Tuesday AM and Tuesday evening I was driving in the snow again....
I like the Xanax, it works when needed, can Xanax be something that is taken everyday?

Daily use of benzos like xanax is very addictive.If you can stay under .50 mg a day you can stop without a lot of problems but you would still feel it.However if a person takes 3,4, 5 or more mg day the addiction become dangerous.high doses of benzos daily are very dangerous.People have died by stopping cold turkey from benzo w/d.Xanax is best used for occasional anxiety and panic disorder.It is used best for sudden onsets of anxiety and not daily use.Most people who are prescribed xanax daily on on low doses.Robert will tell you.Benzo w/d is worse than opiate w/d.It sounds like you only really need it every now and then for panic attacks.

[MaisieC]

Hi,

I totally agree with some of the people here who suggested talking to your psychiatrist. I have a very strong belief that anxiety and depression meds should be prescribed ONLY by a psychiatrist, after a proper psychiatric evaluation. General practitioners certainly mean well, but in my opinion (and experience) some of them tend to throw the SSRIs around way too freely, without enough experience in diagnosis and managing cases long-term. It's great you've been in touch with your psychiatrist: this is her territory, totally.

Also agree that Xanax is a double-edged sword. I was put on Xanax basically to deal with too high a dose of an SSRI (total mess, right?). I was very grateful for the fast action, but the risk of addiction and abuse with Xanax is very high. It's also very hard to get off of once you've been on it for a while...harder than the other benzos.

I'm sure your psychiatrist will figure out the best thing to do for you. Hang in there, and take care!

[Psyched]

Mcohen,
You're welcome for the advice. That's what this board is for Also, Musicman made a really good point. Benzo's can be a tricky thing indeed and yes, Robert will tell you that benzo withdrawls can be much worse than opiate withdrawls so you need to be VERY careful with them. As Erin commented, it does sound like situational anxiety if it only seems to deal with the snow. As others pointed out, keep working with your doctor and she'll make sure you get the right dose. Good luck.

[mcohen123]

Thank you to everyone that has responded, very good advice and nice to hear from people that know what I am going through. To follow up, I talked to my psychatrist and we decided to start the Lexapro .10mg but I am only going to take half. I had a very nervous day so hopefully this will start putting things in check....