Anxiety meds

[merylou]

I have posted in various places on this site and think it's great. I really need some feedback from people re anxiety meds. I have had anxiety all my life and have been taking serepax for quite a while but they are havig less of an affect as time goes on, (which I knew tey would). Without something to take the edge of my anxiety I cannot function,even to the p oint of getting out of bed, let alone dong anything. Even the smallest tasks become overwhelming. I have agoraphobia and depression as well, which makes it even harder. I am not getting help from the Mental Health team because they don't agree with me taking serepax and tell me to face my anxiety head on. How can I? I am a blithering idiot, can't walk, can't do household chores, just sit and moan and cry all the time till I think I have gone really mad and can't control myself. I shake so much I can't even get a drink because I can't hold it. I am so totally overtaken by my situation and can't see a way ahead. I will never be a person again. HELP

[Ob1one]

I know you don't want to hear this because I know i wouldn't want to hear this when I was going through all these panics. I think you should listen to the team for this reason. When you face things head on and defeat them you become stronger. You know the old saying what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. Same situation here. Let me tell you this story of whats happening in my life. I'm starting to take on football and I'm out of shape. Each practice I run until I can't breath any more and until each part of my body is sore beyond belief. When I do practice I go in there knowing that if I can defeat this I'm going to be better for it and I am beating it and I'm feeling great about it.

Sometimes we need to go through really hard situations in our lives and the only thing we can do about it is to fight through it and while we're going through all this there is one thing that drives us through it, the light at the end of the tunnel. If you decide to work with these guys just remember that if you face this head on and you don't give up that you'll reach that light and the end of the tunnel and I believe you can do it, because I did it and you can too.

I remember what it was like being trapped at home. Unlike you though, I never even left bed. There was one thing though that gave me hope. My dad was ice fishing in main and he heard God talk to him and God told him, (Not a direct quote) Everything will be okay you don't have to do anything this will go away on its own. I was praying for God to help me and he did, he gave me hope. Cooped up in my bed as usual I decided to get up a little more and thought maybe I'll mess around with my snow-board a bit by painting it. Then I decided hey maybe I'll go upstairs. Then I decided hey lets get me out of the house and see if I can handle going to church. Through all this I kept getting better and better and I beat it, and you can too.

You can do it like I did, just remembers hope is the most important thing in the world and you can do it.

[Guest existindeath]

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Edited November 7, 2009 by existindeath

[Guest ASchwartz]

Hi Exist,

I fully agree with you. CBT and other types of behavioral therapy are wonderful in helping people learn to get rid of or control their anxiety. Those anti anxiety meds are a good example of the cure being worse than the illness. They make people addicted, like Zanax, Valium and other such types.

Along with CBT, exercising very rigorously, getting out of breath for at least twenty minutes, if you are in good health, by running, etc, is really good for getting rid of tension.

Allan

[Guest FourAnchors]

Hi Exist,

I fully agree with you. CBT and other types of behavioral therapy are wonderful in helping people learn to get rid of or control their anxiety. Those anti anxiety meds are a good example of the cure being worse than the illness. They make people addicted, like Zanax, Valium and other such types.

Along with CBT, exercising very rigorously, getting out of breath for at least twenty minutes, if you are in good health, by running, etc, is really good for getting rid of tension.

Allan

I don't do drugs. I do take one medication and have for several years now. Don't like it, and have an extremely hard time with the guilt associated with taking ANYTHING, however, in the case of severe or crippling anxiety, how is an addiction worse than an illness? Especially if that illness has the potential to end your life? For those who know the feeling of not being able to function period without the help of medicine, it's almost insulting to suggest they "simply get out of bed and go for a walk" Riiiiiight....that's exactly where you'll find anyone having severe anxiety. I am not trying to be rude but I truly don't understand this.

[David O]

Hi Merylou,

Having experienced anxiety (with mild panic attacks) and some depression as part of severe PTSD, I can relate to some extent to the inability to function… even tying your shoes can become an overwhelming chore. Existindeath gives, I think, some extremely solid advice.

In our office we may start with a benzodiazepine (anti-anxiety agent) such as Valium, Ativan or Librium, or an antihistamine such as Hydroxyzine (Atarax). This takes off the immediate edge, and does so within 30-60 minutes. We then add a cocktail of an SSRI such as Paxil or Zoloft to address both the depression and anxiety. Once the SSRI reaches therapeutic level (3-6 weeks), we begin to titrate (slowly reduce) the anti-anxiety agent, primarily b/c of their highly addictive quality. Following this, we begin cognitive behavioral or dialectical behavioral therapy. The process can take 2-4 months before we begin to see some slight progress on the SUDS scale (anxiety scale). It sounds like your team is on the right track, what I don’t know is how they’re approaching you with this information. Facing a team who is insistent but hardly sensitive can make this even more troubling, but of course, being so emotionally weakened by the illness can make looking at options objectively an impossibility.

We often have this discussion before starting treatment so the patient knows what to expect, and we discus it frequently so there will be no surprises and to ensure that everyone is in agreement. We then begin to set dates for the med changes and intro of other therapies. Everything is timed and talked out in detail with you, the client, being a full participant in the process (this is empowering). This is very delicate stuff and if we don’t manage it wrong, we end up with folks who react strongly and become resistant.

I hope this helps and good luck.