Posted by Phoenix1 on January 14, 2008, at 13:32:05
In reply to Antipsychotic drugs for anxiety and panic, posted by jms600 on January 14, 2008, at 12:16:27
> Hi
>
> I'm currently going through the ravages of a fairly bad bout of depression along with severe anxiety and panic.
>
> I'm taking 45mg of Mirtazipine for my depression but it's not really helping the anxiety and panic.
>
> I've read that low doses of antipsychotic drugs can alleviate drug resistant anxiety and panic disorder. I have taken Stelazine (Trifluoperazine) in 2mg doses several years ago which did help a little.
>
> Has anyone else found that taking low doses of antipsychotic drugs has killed the anxiety and feelings of 'despair'? If so which are the most effective and can they be taken on a long-term basis (e.g. years)??
>
> Thank you all for you advice and support!People really seem to like Zyprexa combined with an antidepressant for panic/anxiety/despair (I would say feelings of despair count towards depression?)
Also, Seroquel might be helpful. Avoid those old AP's if possible. They can cause some real problems in the long term.
The new APs like Zyprexa and Seroquel also have their share of side effects. I don't know much about the short term side effects other than sleepiness and lethargy. In the long term, they all CAN have serious metabolic side effect like weight gain, elevated prolactin levels, and type 2 diabetes. They also carry a small risk of causing irreversible extrapyramidal syndromes - weird movement disorders. But those risks are pretty small.
Maybe you need a different AD, or a different combo. Whether that includes an atypical AP is up to you and your doctor. There are other meds for anxiety that might work well. What have you tried besides the Mirtazapine?
I only take Seroquel at very low doses for sleep, for which it works wonders. I'm not sure how good it would be for my anxiety. That is treated with Nardil and Klonopin.
Hope this helps,
Phoenix1
poster:Phoenix1
thread:806409
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080114/msgs/806430.html