Posted by RobertDavid on May 28, 2006, at 19:52:43
In reply to Re: Best social anxiety meds?, posted by sparky123 on May 28, 2006, at 3:23:27
> i dont think any of you should be on medication its making you all crazy. and if you felt crazy before the meds then something else would have fixed it beside brain drugs. ive been there and done that.
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> yes i was just like you all and now i dont need meds.they ruined me. have any of you here ever had your thyroid tested. i bet not cause doctors are preoccupied with prescribing antidepressants straight from the start.
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> when really the underliing cause goes undiagnosed.
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> if it ant the thyroid then there are other things that cause anxiety and depression. its not always in your head. theres about 100 thigs that cause these diseases of the mind.
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> but the doctors arnt trained to diagnose root causes. there only trained to treat the symtoms of the disease.
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> i was diagnosed with social phobia and major depresion.
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> you americans have it bad. i hear that the pharmasutical companies are drumming it your head that you need all these meds to become well when all it is is a massive marketing sceem to make profit. the whole things destroying people's lives.
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> cant you see. its a business thats getting out of control. they make billions from these stupid made up diseases. there isnt any pysical evendince that social phobia exsist. or any of the other diseases.
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> they dont exray your head and say g wiz you have social phobia. or ocd or GAD or this or that. people are just feeling so rotten and ill that they cant be social. they bigin to behave wierd because there finding ways to cope.
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> you got to rebuild your self with good health and preserve it into old age. this crap can be reversed you just got to steer away from this sickness industry.
> i read in time magazine that mental disorders were diagnosed 1 in 1000 in the 1950's. now a days its 1 in 4 or five. you work it out. dont think i dont care because i care very much for you all.Though I respect your opinion as well as everyones opinion and right to take or not take meds I can say for me personally, based on my experiences I respectfully disagree with your comments on medication and mental disorters.
Since I was a kid, there was always something about life that was scary for me, I was edgy, fearful, avoided social situations, was thought way back then (I'm 49 now) to have been a hyperactive child. Though I was not given medication then as I got older and went into high school I got to the point that I could hardly go to school as when the door shut, I had panic attacks. I went to school nurses and talked with others even the family doctor who didn't know what to do. I tried some therapy even way back then, but I still could hardly function. The only thing that helped me with a social life was drinking, and when I did drink, I was social and seemed to get a "temporary" repreave from my unknown anxiety disorter.
After graduating from high school my father passed and I was forced to drop out of College, get a job. But I couldn't keep the job which paid well, because I couldn't handle the meetings, was constantly edgy, had unknown panic attacks of which I went to the ER many times certain my life was ending soon as I was convinced that the real physical feelings I was getting, pounding heart, shakes, feeling like I was going to black out was a sign that there was definately something wrong.
So I began testin for everything. Sugar levels, thyroid, heart, on and on and on. But nothing was wrong with me they said. But I wondered, "how could this be" something was certainly going on, I knew it. The doctors just told me to take it easy, relax, it was probably stress. But my sypmtoms continued and my world began to shrink. I had to quit my job. I was unaable to drive, I couldn't handle even going to a grocery store or bank because these feelings came back when I was in a line or ran into someone I knew.
So about that time, in my mid 20's I decided I needed to take things into my own hands on my quest to feel better. I became a vacume for information on how to feel your best, herbal suppliments, etc. I quit drinking, I joined a gym and worked out hard, lost weight, got in good shape, I quit smoking, I got a new therapist and went to individual and group session (for 7 years), but nothing improved though certainly my overall health was better. I was still dealing with this crazy issue in my head, "why was I this way, am I the only person like this?"
With each step I took towards trying to cure my problem I was hopeful each one would be the answer, when I quit drinking I thought that would be it, when I quit smoking it would be that, exercise would cure me, but no, I was still a scared man that lived this little fearful life. I wouldn't get serious in a relationship because of the fear of meeting her family or heaven forbid I ever had to get up in front of everyone and get married.
The therapists, of which I saw many, kept assuring me I'd get well. I tried many different approaches, but I still had this on going anxiety, fear, depression. I just wished that one day I'd be properly diagnosed, that they'd find what was wrong with me, perhaps a tumor in my brain, anything, I just wanted to find the cause and deal with it the best I could.
Then one day back about 18 years ago I saw a tv special on panic attacks and though I don't have panic disorter I said "that's me", I couldn't believe there were others out there like me, I wasn't crazy, there was really a disorter that could be treated.
After seening that I starting reaserching every bit of info I could on the topic. After a while books started popping up about anxiety disorters. I found a therapist that specialized in treating anxiety disorters and drove 1.5 hours twice a week and paid cash to see him. But I still suffered, still was anit social, still was miserable.
Finally I found a doctor that said there was a new drug out "paxil" that would help me. I finally decided to try medication and was so hopefull I could be treated for my lousy condition (which I have now come to know its generalized social anxiety disorter, generalized anxiety disorter and dysthymia).
Though Paxil didn't work for me I began to research other possible medications and went through all other SSRI's without much help. I was getting discuraged when I read a book on anxiety disorters and how to think your way through panic attacks. The writer happened to be relatively local so I called her and explained my situation to her. She was one of the first to point out that a combination of therapy and medication would be most effective. I told her of my medication failures and she suggested I try to see one particular doctor who was well known for treating anxiety disorters. He was a 2 hour drive away, but I didn't care, I would have driven 6 just to see if he could have helped me.
I reaserched him and found that he was very well known, not a quck doctor, a reasercher as well. At the time I felt he was my last hope. Within 2 sessions he properly diagnosed me. We reviewed the meds I tried and how I responded to them. It was his opinion that therapy is useful, but some people like me were just wired differently and medication would be the best solution, the most effective way to live a productive life. He gave me 2 options to try, Klonopin or Nardil. After doing a little reasearch on my own about both medications and further discussing it with my doctor I chose to try klonopin. Within days I was feeling better, more at ease, more social, in weeks I was getting out, I was finally living, I didn't know what that felt like before.
And after a period of time I started a company which I still own and have 25 people working for me, have friends a social life and don't live in the scary crazy world I once knew. That was over a decade ago and I continue to see the same doctor and continue to function and feel good. And with his recommendation I have since added EMSAM to the blend which has enhanced klonopin by further improving my mood.
So I respectfully disagree with your opinion. Medication, klonopin in particular has allowed me to have been married, have a daugher, have a career, feel good, have a social life that I would never have had. I tried everything before medication, but I'm convinced that some people, certainly me just plain won't get well, live a quality life without medication. One time I thought I'd get off it to see if I was curred. I asked my doctor what he thought. He said there would be a chance I'd be okay, but many just need to take the medication the rest of their lives and that if so to think of it as being good for you, like a vitamin pill as stress and anxiety are killers. So I got off klonopin all together, then all my symptoms returned, I had forgotten how bad life was before, all those years I had suffered. I know know that I'm well on klonopin, even better with EMSAM added.
I wouldn't trade my old world back just to be medicine free for anything in the world. I look at it this way, if your a diabetic, you need insolin. I have anxiety disorters which require medicine, klonopin in my case. If I want to be well and healthy I need to take my medicine.
Anyway, just my opinion on the topic........Rob
poster:RobertDavid
thread:643467
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060525/msgs/649891.html