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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
I am 27 and have had GAD practically all my life. I've tried Paxil which helped for a while then abruptly stopped working about a year ago. At that time my doector put me on 75mg of Effexor XR. It worked for me for about two months, then I started feeling extremely jittery and angry about everything. I realized I started being extremely angry towards those who love me and who I love so I stopped taking it about four months ago. However, recently I have been having extreme (for me) anxiety and mild depression so I started taking Effexor again. It has now been a week since I started and my General Anxiety is worse then ever. Also as of last night I have had really bad OCD symptoms. I had to take Klonopin just to stop my mind from working so much. I woke up this morning with even worse GA and OCD. In addition to all this, I am extremely aggitated about everything and just angry in general!! I dont know what to do. Are these initial symptoms of Effexor? Will they go away?? I feel like I am having a constant panic attack. I cant get in touch with my doctor for another 2 weeks so I dont know what to do!! The only thing that helps me is benzo's right now but I dont like taking them for obvious reasons.
I really could use some advice. Thanks in advance and sorry for the bother
Posted by evercare on December 31, 2003, at 11:20:25
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
For one, you are not a bother. IT is so easy to think of yourself way, I know because i feel that way towards people i love as well. I want more than anything to be good but i never feel good enough. They just remind me basically that i am being stupid, and i remember that that is true.
I have depression and do not know much about OCD or GAD, i wish i did. However what i can say is that although this is a disease, God cures diseases if you let him or if it is His will. (remember that God does what we would want if we knew what He knows) You mentioned anger. and while mine is not as extreme i guess, i have had problems with anger all my life, stemming from my depression. While i do not know you enough to say where this anger is coming from, i bet it is frustration. frustrated that you don't seem to be getting better (at least that is what you think) There is nothing wrong with being angry, just acting on it is where the problem begins. My advice (which seems to work for me) is to ONE - look at what you are getting angry at, see if there is a different side TWO - see where your anger stems from and try to work on that. It is hard, but very worth it. I can have people yell in my face and i simply shrug it off because i know it is not worth my time to deal with them. It takes self-control which God smiles on. I really hope that helps. I know what you are going through because i have been there,....and partly still am there.
Posted by watergirl on December 31, 2003, at 12:09:43
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
Effexor drove me mad. Sent me to psychosis. Definitely gave me symptoms of OCD(big time). Paxil always worked for me too. I take xanex as needed for my anxiety. Im on WellbutrinSR 400/day
& Trileptal. Im starting to lose it too Im afraid Im on the verge of another breakdown. I dont see my New Pdoc till 2/3/2004. That is the soonest they can get me in for an intake. There is one pdoc in my town. wish me luck. I have all my best wishes for you. Hang in there. were all here to support each other. Psycho babble saved me. Helps me keep my sanity or helps anyway.
Posted by Gaza on December 31, 2003, at 13:11:34
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
> I am 27 and have had GAD practically all my life. I've tried Paxil which helped for a while then abruptly stopped working about a year ago. At that time my doector put me on 75mg of Effexor XR. It worked for me for about two months, then I started feeling extremely jittery and angry about everything. I realized I started being extremely angry towards those who love me and who I love so I stopped taking it about four months ago. However, recently I have been having extreme (for me) anxiety and mild depression so I started taking Effexor again. It has now been a week since I started and my General Anxiety is worse then ever. Also as of last night I have had really bad OCD symptoms. I had to take Klonopin just to stop my mind from working so much. I woke up this morning with even worse GA and OCD. In addition to all this, I am extremely aggitated about everything and just angry in general!! I dont know what to do. Are these initial symptoms of Effexor? Will they go away?? I feel like I am having a constant panic attack. I cant get in touch with my doctor for another 2 weeks so I dont know what to do!! The only thing that helps me is benzo's right now but I dont like taking them for obvious reasons.
>
> I really could use some advice. Thanks in advance and sorry for the bother
!! Get on Lexapro, FAST !!
Posted by gardenergirl on December 31, 2003, at 13:54:45
In reply to Re: Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by Gaza on December 31, 2003, at 13:11:34
It's a shame that you are not able to see your pdoc quicker. It sounds like a very difficult situation. What are some things you have tried in the past that have helped that you can control right now? Meditation, exercise, deep breathing, yoga, watching certain movies, listening to music? Some of these have helped me through bad moments, particularly when my mind is working overtime.
Take care,
g
Posted by JohnFromCalifornia on December 31, 2003, at 19:29:51
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
If it's any consolation, I had severe anxiety and panic attacks in my 20s and they gradually went away by themselves. (I'm in my 50s now.)
If things get REALLY bad you might need a "super downer" like Remeron to just put you to sleep for a couple of days. When my depression is severe it works like magic.
If your doctor is not aware of the seriousness of your condition, you should get another doctor. And once again, bear in mind that panic attacks seem for many people to be self-curing as they approach middle age.
Posted by Viridis on January 1, 2004, at 3:23:41
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
It really sounds like Klonopin would help (yes, I know you don't like benzos, but they're less likely to cause dependency than SSRIs anyway and have a much longer record of safety--Paxil is the top medication of all for inducing dependency).
Could you see a regular doctor and ask him/her to prescribe a benzo short-term (maybe if you put it in terms of sleep problems etc.). I'd say that you've heard that clonazepam is helpful for short-term use. Xanax (alprazolam) would probably be the best for immediate relief, but asking for it these days can suggest "drug-seeking behavior".
A very mild anti-anxiety med that you can buy over the counter or on-line is L-theanine. It won't match the benzos, but does provide some relief.
Anxiety is a serious problem with major health consequences, and you really need to be aggressive about getting appropriate treatment. If one doctor can't help, then keep seeing others until you get relief. You can go through the various antidepressants etc., but I suspect that ultimately you'll find that benzos are the best.
Posted by joeyD on January 1, 2004, at 7:17:43
In reply to Re: Need help.... Starting to lose it over here » joeyD, posted by Viridis on January 1, 2004, at 3:23:41
Thanks to everyone for your support! I really appreciate it. This board is great. I was able to talk to a GP yesterday who told me to stay my course for another week (which would total 2 weeks taking Effexor XR @ 75mg to see if things get better. He also gave me Klonopin for an "as needed" basis. I'm now working to find a "good" Pdoc in my area. Thanks to you all and have a happy and safe new year.
Joey
Posted by Stann on January 1, 2004, at 14:25:47
In reply to Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by joeyD on December 31, 2003, at 9:14:01
Normally when a person with anxiety starts an AD they will experience an increase in there anxiety, before they feel the benifits. This is why some docs prescribe benzos during the first few weeks of treatment. You may even consider reducing your dose until your body ajusts to the med.
Hang in there,
Stann,
Posted by worrier on January 3, 2004, at 18:36:19
In reply to Re: Need help.... Starting to lose it over here, posted by watergirl on December 31, 2003, at 12:09:43
> Effexor drove me mad. Sent me to psychosis. Definitely gave me symptoms of OCD(big time). Paxil always worked for me too. I take xanex as needed for my anxiety. Im on WellbutrinSR 400/day
> & Trileptal. Im starting to lose it too Im afraid Im on the verge of another breakdown. I dont see my New Pdoc till 2/3/2004. That is the soonest they can get me in for an intake. There is one pdoc in my town. wish me luck. I have all my best wishes for you. Hang in there. were all here to support each other. Psycho babble saved me. Helps me keep my sanity or helps anyway.>Well'wecome to the starting to lose it here club. I think alot of this is related to the weather (depending on where you live,of course, if you're in Key West or Palm Beach this probably doesn't add much. I haven't posted in quite a while...holidays,bad days, barely livable days....lots of them lately. I've tried wellbutrin (no sleep for days on end, dizziness,etc., Prozac...same basic side eeffects plus headache and depersonalization, paxil, which sent me to the ER for the first time after 20 years of panic attacks. After the Paxil ordeal my Pdoc said it was s serotonin storm amn to stay far far away from SSRIs, so we tried remeron ...made me sleepy, irritable and ravenously hungry all the time, gabitril which seemed to do nothung but make me cry all the time, a pinch of zoloft (12.5mg per day) which seemed to help a bit even though it is an SSRI (he felt o.k. about it due to the really small dose, but then it started making me very nauseated all the time, so back to square 1. Now I'm on serzone with xanax which I started taking after the Paxil fiasco and haven't stopped it. The Serzone doesn't seem to do much except make me lose my balance and forget words. The Xanax keeps the worst of the anxiety at bay, but it'still there(which I would like to mention this daily awful verge of a panic attack didn't start until after the paxil). I too have reached the end of my rope...have an appt. with my pdoc 1/7 so hopefully he'll have something new to pull out of his bag of tricks. This life is unbearable.I go to work (most of the time) I do what is required of me. but it is so much harder and more painful than it was before. I'm not suicidal (yet) though thr thought that if "If I should die before I wake" doesn't scar me like it did when I was a kid! Honestly, and I've told both my therapist and pdoc this, that if they told me tomorrow there was no hope for help, nothing that would ever change me back into the me I was before this crap started then I would be suicidal. As for now hope lives eternal and I continue to stick it out. All I can do is wish us all a better new year and hope that someone who reads this might have an idea or 2 for yours truly. Best to all, worrier.
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