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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Deneb on December 3, 2010, at 0:12:23
I get stressed out easily and when that happens, bad things start happening. I don't get enough sleep, I start crying for 5 hours at work and my heart starts flip flopping all the time.
I wish there was a pill for stress.
I wish I didn't get stressed out so easily. I bet this shaves years off my life. I'm never going to live to 120 at this rate.
Posted by AlexanderfromDenmark on December 3, 2010, at 4:20:49
In reply to I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Deneb on December 3, 2010, at 0:12:23
Benzo's?
Posted by Phillipa on December 3, 2010, at 10:28:03
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by AlexanderfromDenmark on December 3, 2010, at 4:20:49
Worked for me for 40 years now don't seem to. Maybe a short course of them worked well at your age for me. Phillipa
Posted by Solstice on December 3, 2010, at 13:54:45
In reply to I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Deneb on December 3, 2010, at 0:12:23
> I get stressed out easily and when that happens, bad things start happening. I don't get enough sleep, I start crying for 5 hours at work and my heart starts flip flopping all the time.
>
> I wish there was a pill for stress.
>
> I wish I didn't get stressed out so easily. I bet this shaves years off my life. I'm never going to live to 120 at this rate.Sounds like anxiety. Anxiety is a terrible thing to suffer from. I've had my share of long periods of anxiety. Good news is that there are medications to treat anxiety. May want to tell your pdoc what's going on - especially what you've described at work. You've talked about how she has put a lot of emphasis on wanting you to get a job. Tell her that this anxiety is interfering - and maybe she can help you get enough relief to keep you functioning.
Solstice
Posted by softheprairie on December 3, 2010, at 23:11:02
In reply to I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Deneb on December 3, 2010, at 0:12:23
- PRN perphenazine
- PRN a beta blocker such as nebivolol
Posted by Deneb on December 4, 2010, at 22:55:12
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by AlexanderfromDenmark on December 3, 2010, at 4:20:49
I can't get benzos. I don't think pdoc thinks they are good for me. I should do the progressive relaxation she showed me. My pdoc isn't all about meds.
Posted by Deneb on December 4, 2010, at 22:56:13
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by softheprairie on December 3, 2010, at 23:11:02
I have propranolol. I've been taking that a lot. It helps.
Posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 14:25:16
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Deneb on December 4, 2010, at 22:56:13
I am not able to get access to benzos either, at the moment, and even if I were, I'm not sure I would take them. When I took them briefly in the past, they worked great for me, but then when I went back to my doc to get a refill, I was informed that they were addictive and that I could get only one more prescription filled. I was not ever addicted to benzos, being on them such a short time, but even in that short period, I was becoming psychologically dependent. That is, every time anxiety reared its ugly head I *thought* about taking a klonopin pill, though most of the time I didn't. Knowing that I couldn't get more benzos made me really scared about what would happen if I really freaked out and had nothing to turn to, so I basically stretched those last 30 pills out over a year! Taking a quarter of a pill here, a quarter of a pill there, and then, only when I was really desperate. Running out of pills became a new source of anxiety for me because benzos were really the only thing I found to help me in my worst periods. (Exercise helps a lot for more mild anxiety.)
Recently, my anxiety has been worse again, and I've started to investigate alternatives to benzos. I heard good things about niacinamide (one of the forms of vitamin b3), but so far, it has not had the hoped-for effect. Then again, I just started it a few days ago, so maybe there's still a chance it will help. (I started a thread about this on the "alternative" board.)Inositol helps me a tiny bit, but it's nothing to write home about. It might take the sharpest edge off of my panic, but that's about it.
I hope you find something that helps you!
Posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 15:25:46
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 14:25:16
I wanted to add that I believe the standard treatment for anxiety is SSRI's (not Benzo's). Benzo's are usually recommended only in cases of extreme acute anxiety and/or to deal with short-term stressors (duration 1 month or less). Unfortunately, I have never tried SSRI's. I wish I had, but now my life situation does not allow it, which is why I am looking at alternative treatments. However, you may want to read this article and then talk to your doctor about trying an SSRI. Here's the article:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1015/p1477.html
(title: What to do when SSRIs fail: eight strategies for optimizing treatment of panic disorder, published in American Family Physician (2002))
Posted by Deneb on December 6, 2010, at 20:28:00
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress, posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 15:25:46
I just saw my pdoc, she increased my Celexa by 10 mg. I'm now taking 30 mg Celexa, 60 mg Prozac and 0.75 mg Risperdal. I also take 40 mg propranolol as needed.
My heart rate is high. I just checked it today at a time when I thought I was calm and it was 95 bpm. I think it's anxiety. I have a lot of physical symptoms.
Maybe I should take a propranolol.
Posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 21:19:52
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress » Melanie-00, posted by Deneb on December 6, 2010, at 20:28:00
I think you are going down a good path to be working with your pdoc. I do not have one, so I am looking at alternative treatments for anxiety. I would also investigate prescription drugs, if they were an option. I don't know about these meds, so I can't add anything on that. But I hope your anxiety gets better soon! If you find any non-prescription treatments that work, let us know!
Posted by sukarno on December 14, 2010, at 14:28:42
In reply to Re: I wish there was a pill for stress » Deneb, posted by Melanie-00 on December 6, 2010, at 21:19:52
I've been prescribed benzodiazepines for the past 20 years and they still work as well for my anxiety and panic attacks today as they did in 1990.
Perhaps I am not one of those who develops much of a tolerance because I still experience daytime drowsiness and sedation on a daily basis despite 20 years of taking them regularly as prophylaxis.
If there was a nonsedating BZD on the market which was equally effective, I would jump at the chance to try it.
I won't take SSRIs because they prolong the QT interval, which can cause cardiac arrhythmias in some folks, including TDP (Torsades de pointes). Then there are the sexual side effects which can be permanent, tachyphylaxis (tolerance/"poop-out") and the risk of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage along with the well recognized withdrawal symptoms which include seizures (albeit rarely, but seen in neonates whose mothers took SSRIs throughout pregnancy).
Fluoxetine and sertraline, for example, increase the production of gastric acid in addition to inhibiting platelet aggregation. This can result in gastritis and exacerbation of existing gastric ulcers (or possibly even cause them).
Some evidence suggests use of an H2-receptor antagonist or proton pump inhibitor along with an SSRI might reduce the risk of upper GI bleeding.That said, I am only opposed to SSRI antidepressants in the treatment of anxiety (without comorbid depression) because benzodiazepines are largely non-toxic, tried and true and very easy on the human body (to put it in layman's terms). Approximately two percent of people will misuse BZDs according to the studies I've read (which means that 98 percent won't and 98% compliance is pretty good as you won't find those rates with opiates or C-II/C-III CNS stimulants).
For treatment of depression though, I feel SSRIs may be appropriate and using them may outweigh the risks.
Many psychiatrists prefer to combine a benzodiazepine with an SSRI and prescribe both for the long term.
That's just my $0.02.
;-)regards,
sukarno
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