Posted by Janelle on August 22, 2001, at 14:13:07
In reply to Looking for GAD relief, posted by Hopefull73 on August 22, 2001, at 13:26:36
Although I've had bouts of depression/anxiety since young adulthood (and I'm not that old!), I too, fell into a BAD one after a series stressors one piled up, e.g., a major lifestyle change, rapid weight loss, a relationship turned bad, and jjob related stress.
I had been on Klonopin before all this, for years, and had minimal side effects (was on 1.0 mg/day). I now take it at night right before going to sleep and combined with Zyprexa taken a few hours earlier, I can fall and stay asleep and feel okay during the day.
Good for you to be successful with cognitive "thought redirecting"; when I get anxious and agitated it overrides my attempts to redirect my thoughts. I wind up "letting" them rush over me like a wave and then pass.
Since your GAD sounds more environmentally than biochemically induced, I would say you probably could come off the meds eventually. This is JUST A GUESS. Your MD's evasiveness may be because he or she just plain does not know and may be waiting to see if there's a true biochemical component to your GAD. It could also be that if you're referring to a GP doc doesn't have the background that a pdoc would, so the GP doc would just avoid this area.
I would agree with what has been posted here about Klonopin - it has been around for a very long time and has a good track record. It's longer acting than other benzo's, which makes it less addictive.
Hang in there, it doesn't sound to me like your life is fractured forever. You're going through a VERY rough patch, and you'll come out of it. Again, this is jmo.
Good luck!
-Janelle
poster:Janelle
thread:75957
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010822/msgs/75974.html