I have generalized anxiety disorder and I don't feel my doctor is really listening!  I am currently taking cymbalta (for depression) and focalin (a type of low-dose ADHD med).  My therapist doesn't think my issues are ADHD but anxiety.  I am very sensitve to meds.  Has anybody had any luck with meds that don't cause you to become knocked-out?  (I do realize that everyone's reaction is different)
122606
you might not like this but i think alot is behavioral, you have to change the way you react to things and see things. it takes more than meds. you have to make yourself hange
555023
Hello,  I have not taken cymbalta, but have tried a combination of anti-depression med and mood stabilizers for bipolar, Lexapro seems to work well, just dont stop taking it because it feels like someone is periodically shocking you with a stun gun, it's not that bad but you feel jolts. It helped with my depression ,the pain I constantly felt in my upper spine and shoulders and helped me to focus more and not feel so sad. Talk to your doc about it if you havent tried it yet. And if you want to know what my regimen is, you can email me.
152728
No you're not alone.  I also suffer from anxiety and have the same worries.  I also suffer from depression, and my anxiety can be quite severe.  At one point about 2 years ago, when I was changing medication, as the one I was on wasn't working, this caused my brain to really flip out and I started suffering anxiety in relation to events that happened 10 years or more ago, and worrying that I'd done something bad, sick, perverted or whatever and that it was going to rebound on me (even though there was no proof, and no one else thought that what'd I'd done was anything like what I'd feared).  My thought patterns became so bad that I thought I was really bad and deserved to die and that if everyone else knew what I'd done, they would think I deserved to die too.  I ended up in the psych ward of the local hospital for about 12 days.\n\nMy reaction was probably quite severe though, and at least partly caused by the medication change, and my circumstances at the time.\n\nOne thing that helped me was Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which helps you change the way you think about things, and ask yourself questions when these thoughts occur, like what's the worst that can happen if what I'm thinking is true, and then is that worst thing really actually likely to happen etc.  You should ask your psychiatrist about this if you are not already doing it!\n\nI should also add that at my worst, 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with not just depression and anxiety, but panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia.  I'm not saying I'm 100% now, but I'm definitely better, and I can live relatively normally!
350352
I have both generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as well as obsessive cumpulsive disorder (OCD). It's really difficult to cope with at times because I feel helpless and I get pretty severe panic attacks.  I take both medication and I go to therapy which are both helpful. I take Lexapro daily to help me with the anxiety, Neurontin is something I take when I feel a little anxious and need help so I don't have a panic attack. But when I get super overwhelmed and I have a panic attack I take either Xanax or Ativan. I have a really hard time sleeping sometimes because I wake up in the middle of the night anxious and worried. \n\n\nThere are things such as alternative medicine, would you do them?\nYou can do acupuncture, aromatherapy, theres something called the emotional freedom technique, flower essence therapy, and hypnosis hypnotherapy. These thing may sound stange, but deep breathing exercises are good things to do. Daily exercise is really important and helps sooo much. Avoid alcohol and carbonated soft drinks. Eat bananas, broccoli, brown rice, dried fruits, figs, fish, garlic, soy products, yogurt. Try eating small meals rather than three meals a say. Magnesium supplements are useful. Limit your intake of animal protein. \n\nAromatherapy can help try carrying a bottle with you to sprink on a handkercheif and inhale when your having a hard time. Use lavender, rosemary, and valerian. \n\nSometimes affirmations can help. Tell yourself to repeat that you are alright things will be alright etc. If you cant to that daily, record a tape you can listlen to ful lof affirmations. \n\nColor therapy can help with radiating the colors blue indigo and green. \n\nValerian tea can ease anxiety as well. \n\nHypnosis may not be something you want to do , but it can help. \n\nYoga, mediation, and biofeedback can help reduce anxiety as well. \n\n\nIts great you are sick of it controlling your life and seeking help. Maybe you can go with someone to talk to a docotor. Ativan comes in liquid form, a concentrate, that you can put in juice or applesauce, maybe that would be good lots of things come like that if you feel medication may work. \n\nYou can email me if you i want I have a bunch more suggestions. \nGood Luck
650336
Anxiety is normal in the stress full world we all live in. Some individuals just get more anxious than others. This does not make a person crazy. \nIf you do not treat your anxiety, it will only get worse. Worrying about it  just increases your stress level. Xanax is just an emergency preventative to reduce that stress. \nYou should not be embarrassed to talk to your doctor.You should present this problem to your doctor as a way of making your life more livable. This is a mature way of dealing with and resolving a problem. He should be willing to work with you on this issue.
301712
OMG you have one of THOSE doctors!!!!! \n\nGET A NEW PSYCHIATRIST that KNOWS whats going on in the world of Mental Illness!!!!! \n\nGo to your local mental health clinc vs. private doctor. They are better and more informed on the latest therapies and medications. \n\nDiscussing Your Medications: \nWhat You Need to Know\n\nHere are some tips to help you effectively talk with your doctor about medications:\n\nLet your doctor know all medications you are taking. This includes any prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, herbal or dietary supplements and vitamins.\n\nWhen your doctor prescribes a new medication for you, make sure you get all of the information you need. How will the medication help you? What side effects can you expect? Should you avoid any foods or drinks while on the medication? Are there any drug interactions that may occur with other prescriptions you are taking? \n\nMake sure you know when to take a new medication and how-on any empty stomach or with food? In the morning or evening? How often? Take notes on these instructions.\n\nFind out how long it should take for the medication to start working and what you should expect when this happens.\n\nAsk about what you should do if you develop any side effects. Do you stop the medication? Should you call the doctor? If so, how can you reach him or her if it is after office hours?\n\nYour pharmacist is another great source of information on medications and over-the-counter products if you still have questions. He or she should be made aware of all your prescriptions in order to advise you properly about possible drug interactions, side effects, and instructions for use.\n\nAtypical Antipsychotics   \nAugmentation therapy \n\nThese medications may be added when symptoms only partially respond to another medication to increase the overall response to treatment \n\nAbilify\nGeodon\nRisperdal\nSeroquel\nZyprexa Aripiprazole\nZiprasidone\nRisperidone\nQuetiepine\nOlanzapine  \n\nAffects the concentration and activity of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical in the brain thought to be linked to anxiety disorders \n\nTricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)\nAdapin *\nAnafranil *\nAventyl *\nElavil *\nLudiomil *\nNorpramin *\nPamelor *\nSinequan *\nSurmontil *\nTofranil *\nVivactil * \n\nDoxepin \nClomiprimine\nNortriptyline\nAmitriptyline\nMaprotiline\nDesipramine\nNortriptyline\nDoxepin\nTrimipramine\nImipramine\nProtriptyline \n\nPD, PTSD, GAD\nOCD (Anafranil only) \n\nAffects the concentration and activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, chemicals in the brain thought to be linked to anxiety disorders
123754
Howdy ADD; By your writing I can empathize with your frustration; however, frustration may be a result of an emotional allergic reflex by your understanding and sensing of your inner self which may be harmful to your future emotional welfare.\nAntidepressants do work on many people especially those that suffer anxiety disorders.\nMood Stabilizers (Paxil, Prozac,etc.) also tend to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with ADD.\nI can feel for you if you had an adverse reaction this far into your treatment with psychothropic medicants.\nAt this time and in my limited psyche can only offer a comforting suggestion and that is that you may be a 'hyper-allergic' person.\nHave you had any physical allergy tests to date?\nIt is my opinion that an allergic reaction in the atmosphere may irritate the mind into a distracted state that will make short-term mamory stagnant in neural flow and therefore long-term memory retention impossible.\nRetake your psychological tests again and ask the Psychologist to place the results of both tests side by side for your personal assessment.\nIt is normal to forget the answers that you have provided in the previous test, but it you reapproach this process with a hopeful attitude I am sure that you will be that much closer to your emotional betterment. Good Fortune to you, Jose
220169
Give the medication a try. I used anti-anxiety meds and it also helped with depression. And the medication did not make me high, woozy, dizzy, or anything else. I felt normal, just better.
180693
I've taken Celexa, too, and it took at least couple of weeks for it to have any effect on the way I was feeling...  so I would GUESS it's the anxiety and not the medication since you've only been taking it for three days.  But if I were you'd I'd take a look at the drug info that came with it and see if that's a side effect you need to worry about.  Call the doctor and ask--better safe than sorry.
78133
I've had panic disorder for 18 years now and I say if the meds help you than stick with it, only speaking from my own personal experience I can tell you thats whats worked for me so If I have to take meds for the rest of my life to relieve the symptoms than I will.  It's kinda like when you get a headache you take tylenol for it...Thats the way I look at it anyways...Good luck with it!
136404
well i can only say that there is a book called prozac nation, that deals with depression, i suffer from anxiety attacks too.  but have not yet searched out any ways to deal with it naturally.
334010
Hi.  I have been suffering from anxiety disorder since 2000.  It was during a very stressful period in my life.  The panic attack made me feel like I was having a heart attack, which is what I called 911 for.  I felt so crazy when they told me I was only hyperventilating/having a panic attack.  And once you have one panic attack, the fear of another sets you up for multiple attacks.  It was difficult for me for awhile.  I was put on medications and I wasn't really ready at that time for that kind of thing.  Since, i have always been against putting chemicals into my body.  My attacks are not due to a chemical imbalance, so they put me on medications they thought would just calm me and relieve stress.  I fought against the meds, and my attacks increased.  I wasn't sleeping because I thought I was going to die.  I finally just accepted I needed the medication and gave it a try.  After a month I hadn't had any attacks.  Then I began to worry I was being weak because I couldn't maintain normal existence without medication.  But a friend of mine made me look at it a different way.  We wouldn't encourage someone with bipolar syndrome to not take their medication or someone who has seizures to try something outside of what the doctor prescribed.  I'm not sure what your reasons are for trying to get off your meds, but if they work...why would you want to?  Breathing methods have proven quite effective, since you are only hyperventilating.  It demands a great deal of discipline, because you have to change your thinking.  Your mind is registering this as you dying.  You may think you know you are not, but the brain works in mysterious ways.  There are several online sites that help you practice the breathing through the nose like you are smelling a rose technique and expelling out of the mouth like blowing through a straw.  I get most anxious at night, before bed and frankly I don't have the discipline needed to say screw it to my ativan and trying out some breathing excercises.  There are also yahoo groups with people to talk to in every single state.  My email is qween_o_hartz@yahoo.com and you are free to write me anytime you need someone to talk to.  It is very frustrating at times.  People look at it as just in our heads or chemical imbalances, etc.  We all handle stresses differently and panic attacks are our bodies way of dealing with it.  Good luck.  \n\nAna
313579
Well I have panic attacks too, and I just went to the doctor for the first time last week, he prescribed PaxilCR and xanax, I to like to call someone just to talk when I have the attacks.  My employer offers a free 1800 # for that sorta thing called LifeWorks.  Don't be scared to take your meds though, I have been on the Paxil for a week now, and it seems ok so far, eventhough it's gonna take a while to start working before I notice anything.  I only take the xanax if im HAVING a panick attack.  You can click on my photo and contact me if you need any more advise about anything if you'd like, I know what you're going through.
651535
It already IS bad. You don't mention meds for your ADD, but it could be a side-effect of the med. \n\nA symptom of ADHD is Impulsivity. This could explain the outbursts, but not the not realizing you are in an outburst part.\n\nKnowing you have a mental disorder, it wouldn't be uncommon for you to have more than one. Maybe one that, until now, has gone un-diagnosed.\n\nI would follow the advice of Answerer 2 and see your doctor as soon as possible.
417185
Hi!\nI, too, have severe anxiety. I am seeing a Psychologist weekly, and I am also on medication. I have never heard of the www.ConquerAnxiety.com website before, but it does look sort of hinky to me. If you go to the library, there are a ton of books there about dealing with anxiety, and they're free to check out and read. I am somewhat skeptical of self-help programs like that, at least without supervision from a doc or Psychologist....have you tried asking your psych. about it? Have you talked to your doctor about getting some medication? I found that it's next to impossible for me to begin dealing with my anxiety until I got it down to a "quiet" level, using the medications. With that being said, though, different things work differently for everyone, and this website may well work for you. I don't know, I'm not a doc. Good luck!
180479
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and am currently taking Zoloft.. it has done wonders for my anxiety.  Since I dont plan on taking this drug forever, i've also been in cognitive therapy- which teaches you breathing exercises when you have an attack.  You may also want to look into Meditation exercises and Yoga.  \n\nWhen it would happen to me in my car, I would turn up the volume on the radio and sing my heart out.  \n\nI would first try the therapy... there are ways to overcome. \n\nHope this helps and good luck!
62330
I haven't been diagnosed with anything but I myself suffer from bi-polar disorder and depression.  I think that medication to doctor who you are, is stupid.  I manage to be myself, to live my life, to hold a job and an apartment and I do it all alone.  I'm not into taking medication and altering who I am.  I was dealt this hand in life and I'm just trying to stay in the game.  It sucks but hey, I smoke lots of weed.  That helps.