Weddingbee boards

Hi Bees!

Does anyone else struggle with anxiety? I went through a really rough patch a few weeks ago and feel like I am still struggling to recover. I went to the doctor because I had stomach problems and was given Prozac. I took four days worth of it and started having wicked insomnia, loss of appetite, and the jitters. With his guidance, I stopped the Prozac and was instead prescribed Paxil. I discussed with him that I wanted to try to help my anxiety without an SSRI first, and made a few therapy appointments. I have increased my exercise and am working on changing my habit of chronic worrying and "what if" thoughts. Though my stomach symptoms have gone away, I am still struggling with insomnia. It is to the point that I think I am so worried about not sleeping that it makes me NOT sleep. I was given Ambien (Kaiser prescribes with a heavy hand, haha) and took it one night. I had success the first night, but last night took it, slept four hours, and then woke up wide awake. I am finding it challenging making it through an 8 hour work day on 3-4 hours of sleep. At this point I am debating trying the Paxil but am nervous about side effects. I basically struggle with having a running mind and always thinking the worst. It doesn't help that I am extremely unhappy with my job. I am fortunate to still have a job, but it is a really negative environment. I am currently trying to "stop" my negative thoughts and remind myself that they are irrational. Does anybody have any input on Paxil? I am retiscent to start it as I have heard that it can make insomnia worse, and the withdrawl once you taper off is difficult. I'd like to try and work through this naturally just because I know that while I have a tendency to be an anxious person, in a way I'm just recovering from an IMMENSELY stressful time in my life. I got hit hard with more than a few negative situations and am still trying to cope with going from a normal amount of stress to a HUGE amount. Does anybody have any advice or input? Thank you so much...

PS - It's an interesting note that my insomnia vanishes on Friday/Saturday night when there is no pressure of "I have to be at work at 8:00!"

PPS - As foolish as this sounds, part of my previous anxiety was waiting to be engaged!! Thankfully I am engaged now and blissfully happy about the fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with my fiance!  

Thanks Lavander! I am seeing a therapist and I've only been once, but go again on Wednesday. I am looking forward to it. I appreciate the encouragement :)

Annui: Thankfully, I don't think Ive ever had a panic attack. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder. I have Ativan, but was told I can't take it in addition to Ambien. My main thing now is chilling out when I can't sleep... Wish I could pop an Ativan, but if I"ve take Ambien, can't!

McG- Thank you for your support! I will be sticking with the counseling as long as I can!! 

Karma - I have heard the best things about Lexapro. I think if I decide to go the medication route I'm going to discuss it with my doctor. Unfortunately, Paxil has all these scary stories about it. I'm sure everybody is different, but several people I know are on lexapro and rave about it.

Thanks girls!! I saw my therapist today and we discussed some more techniques, in addition to discussing a low dose of trazadone, which could help me with my sleep and "lift me" a little more. I see my doctor next friday, so I'll be focusing on getting better until then and then see what he thinks :) Your support has been amazing!! I know I will get through this.

xoxo

I have GAD, and have been on anti-anxiety drugs for three and a half years. I've struggled with depression and anxiety for years and saw numerous therapists before I finally decided to try an SSRI (Celexa, the 'old and busted' version of Lexapro-- it was covered by my insurance). I felt it was a last resort, and I was embarrassed about it.

These kinds of drugs take between 4 and 8 weeks to become fully activated, so I knew it would take a while to work. Sure enough, at 4 weeks I started to feel "normal," then good. I started sleeping well and not having panic attacks daily. I didn't have any onset side effects with the Celexa, and I saw my therapist until I felt well enough to continue without her. It was AMAZING how well the drug worked. I didn't feel "wrong" at all, I felt like myself... only functional, happy, and normal!

I did experience SOME side effects while on Celexa. First, strong morning fatigue. It was pleasant, but I was SUPER sleepy and couldn't wake up so I became chronically late... but I wasn't anxious about it. I also had issues with my libido. At the point I started to find sex gross, I decided to wean off the drug and assess my mental state. It had been three years this spring, and I wanted to do a mental "status check."

A while after I weaned off (probably when the drug cleared my system), I started to again become anxious. I started on Wellbutrin, which is more for depression than anxiety, but is not an SSRI-- it works on norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin is known for it's stimulant effect: it increases energy, increases libido, and facilitates weight loss.

Those are all good things, right? I've experienced all of them (down 10 lbs so far!) but I also had every onset side effect in the book (sleep disturbances, dizziness, dry mouth, nausea, etc  etc) including increased anxiety. Like MAJORLY increased... we're talking crazy town. I stuck it out, and I generally like the drug, but can honestly say it doesn't work well for anxiety.

I've recently started seeing a therapist again and I'm using a combination of Lexapro (the "new hotness" version of Celexa, lower dose for better effects and fewer side effects, but more expensive) with the Wellbutrin. I guess combination therapy decreases the lethargy and low libido, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

But it's clear to me I can't function normally without being on an SSRI. It's still hard to talk about, because I think medication IS overprescribed. But I guess if I had diabetes, I wouldn't be ashamed of my insulin. I'm thankful that something works, because after weaning off my medication it became starkly apparent to me just HOW terrible and abnormal I felt when I was unmedicated vs medicated.

In the meanwhile, my psych wrote me a scrip for Xanax, which is a wonderful drug (hence why it's so often abused). It really, really works to get rid of anxiety and can do wonders for sleep. I take .25mg late in the day when my anxiety peaks, and I get the best night's sleep ever. (Nothing I need when the SSRI is functioning... still waiting for it to kick back in, I'm on week two.)

Anyway, I wrote a novel, but I thought you might find my experience helpful. PM me if you have any questions or want to talk. Good luck!

I'm a pretty stressed out person in general I think and I was diagnosed with anxiety years ago.  I know its more serious that just some excercise and this is going to sound cheesy, but doing yoga helps me manage stress and helped me get through the periods when my anxiety was at its worst so much - not that I always do it these days but I should b/c it really helps.  Even just doing the breathing they teach you.

Tonight I tried a pilates class - my first ever and it chilled me out just like yoga does. 

cherry pie: thank you. It's really helpful to know other people have gone through this before!! thank you so much for sharing your experience... I am going to ask my doc about trazodone and/or celexa/lexapro and go with what he thinks would be best. My therapist is leaning towards trazodone for the sleep benefits, so we shall see!! I hope the wellbutrin kicks in for you soon, and glad the zanax is working!! PS Your wedding was STUNNING.... the pictures are amazing!!

wildstyle: good suggestion!! yoga has helped me before and I think I'll look into it again. I think my YMCA offers a weekend class I could hit up!