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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 17:34:54
Hi I suffered on and off with panic for 20 yrs ...now 50...I black out with major attacks...horrible..ie wake up drenched in sweat and shaking/vomiting...I was on 5mg Prozac for yrs ...helpful but not curative ...took klonopin on occasion ...avoided lots but worked full time ...1 yr ago I stopped the Prozac (have done this several times over the yrs) and was off it for 1yr ...my anxiety and panic seemed manageable eventhough I went thru sandy flooding, death in family and job change etc ...I was meditating and except using and eating right daily...the 2wks ago(right before my bday and 1yr anniversary off Prozac) I became depressed and anxious with racing thoughts 24/7...it's like the switch was turned back on ...I also have OCD thinking...been back on 5 mg pzac 2 wks and anxiety is not good at all ...I'm also losing weight and anxious all the time ...exhausting ...also becoming more agoraphobic ...I can't believe 3 wks ago I was fine off meds for 1yr and now like this ...perhaps I should have stuck it out longer off meds? But I could tell I suddenly was not in a good place and got scared ...but the Prozac isn't helping with anxiety after 2 wks and feeling desperate for relief ...taking klonopin with it makes me feel sick ..my dr wanted to add risperdal but that scares me!
Posted by Twinleaf on May 6, 2013, at 18:09:48
In reply to Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 17:34:54
APs can be difficult drugs to take, but you should be safe if you take it in low doses, and perhaps only on the toughest days. If it really helps a lot, you can monitor your blood sugar and go on a preventive diabetic-type diet to reduce the chance of complications.
This sounds like an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Prozac, even in low doses, may not be the best choice. Have you tried Zoloft or Lexapro? They might be more calming, or it might be that SSRIs are not the right class of drugs for you.
Posted by gadchik on May 6, 2013, at 18:24:01
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Twinleaf on May 6, 2013, at 18:09:48
Hello, I think zoloft would be good to try, start low though, then build up. I took 12.5mg at first for 2 weeks,then went up to 25mg and stayed there. Remeron 7.5mg was added too, couldnt go above that. I also took klonopin .5mg. This is the combo it took to get my extreme anxiety and racing thoughts under control.Now I just take the klonopin at night. I do consider going back on zoloft sometimes, but I just wait it out. I would go on zoloft before raising my klonopin if I had to.
Posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 18:30:58
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Twinleaf on May 6, 2013, at 18:09:48
I don't do well with meds ...Prozac is the only med that ever helped at low dose ...lex was good but made my ibs awful ...Zoloft bothered my stomach ...I don't do well with meds ...I wonder if I should have just waited it out and not restarted the pzac ...
Posted by gadchik on May 6, 2013, at 18:50:46
In reply to Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 17:34:54
did your dr agree that you should start prozac or did u just start it with some you had? your anxiety sounds like it would have been horrible to wait it out, so I do understand you going back to a med that helped u in the past.But the klonopin doesnt make you feel relaxed?
Posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 18:55:46
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » Mhillqt, posted by gadchik on May 6, 2013, at 18:50:46
I've been seeing my psychiatrist weekly for therapy ...he really wanted me to try risperdal but it scares me ...so I went back to the drug that scared me the least ie Prozac ...I feel like a fsilure because I worked so hard and did so well off meds for 1 yr ...I belong to this website called panicend that is any meds and many recover from panic by just facing, accepting and letting time pass but I faint with my panic so it's complex! Confused about treatment!
Posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 19:00:18
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » Mhillqt, posted by gadchik on May 6, 2013, at 18:50:46
When I'm more stable with panic ... .125 or .250 klonopin is very effective ...I took .25 on Saturday to go to a friends party ...felt relaxed and was enjoying myself but sfter lunch I suddenly felt anxious/close to fainting that I had to leave ...now I'm afraid the klonopin won't work when I go out ie this coming Sunday for Mother's Day...ie family outing
Posted by Hugh on May 7, 2013, at 12:43:00
In reply to Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 17:34:54
If the meds don't kick in and provide relief, look into neurofeedback. This can be very effective for panic attacks.
Posted by mhillqt on May 7, 2013, at 12:51:55
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Hugh on May 7, 2013, at 12:43:00
Thanks...I did a stint a LENS - Low Energy Neurobiofeedback in the fall of 2012 ie a few months ago...about 12 sessions...i was off meds and doing relatively well with my panic disorder but i was a functional agoraphobe...ie worked, went out etc but had lots of anticipatory anxiety, etc...so i thought lens would help....after 12 sessions i didnt notice any change but willing to try again.....i know that a few sessions i reacted negatively to stronger pulsewaves....
Posted by Zyprexa on May 7, 2013, at 22:42:37
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 18:30:58
Are you on generic prozac? I had problems when they switched me to generic. Not that prozac worked that well for me. But you could try a different generic untill you find a brand(manufacturer) that works best for you. You might even try brand if the generics don't work.
Posted by Hugh on May 9, 2013, at 11:50:37
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by mhillqt on May 7, 2013, at 12:51:55
I've never tried LENS, but I've read quite a bit about it. It has a dramatic impact on some brains, but it doesn't help everyone. If it didn't help you after twelve sessions, then there probably isn't much point in doing more of it. Traditional neurofeedback might be more helpful. Since you live in Sandy territory, there are probably quite a few neurofeedback clinicians around you.
Posted by gadchik on May 10, 2013, at 6:48:54
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by mhillqt on May 7, 2013, at 12:51:55
How are you doing? What have u decided for meds?
Posted by mhillqt on May 10, 2013, at 8:25:25
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » mhillqt, posted by gadchik on May 10, 2013, at 6:48:54
not doing great...yesterday i felt faint and had bad ibs all day at work....dont do well on meds even at this low dose....but they have helped in the past and hopefully they will help again...part of me feels i should have just stuck it out awhile longer a few weeks back when this all started and stayed away from meds but i got scared feeling depressed as well.....my dr also started me on daily klonopin yesterday)....now taking .25mg to .375mg per day....feel drugged....i was so happy off meds last yr...felt so much more alive and in control but when this illness comes back, sometimes you have no choice...thank you so much for caring and your concern...it means a lot!
Posted by gadchik on May 10, 2013, at 9:05:31
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by mhillqt on May 10, 2013, at 8:25:25
good to hear from you. i struggle with whether to stay on this .5mg daily klonopin i take. i never liked taking meds and only took small amts when i did have to take them. im afraid like you, i feel conflicted. dont want to ever have such extreme anxiety and depression again. i fear that if i stop this one last med, that i may end up back where i started. my pdoc says stay on it for now, so i will. good luck to you. : )
Posted by mhillqt on May 10, 2013, at 9:34:33
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » mhillqt, posted by gadchik on May 10, 2013, at 9:05:31
Its such a low dose ie 5mg and you wont have much withdrawal at all if you come off of it....many with panic are on 2 to 6 mg!!!! This is the way i see it, if you can control your panic/depression on .5 mg.....be very happy and thankful.....because it can be lots worse.....i was very happy off my 5mg prozac but the relapse after 12 months is so hard.....restarting med, fear, etc.....you dont want to go thru that....but definitely speak to your doctor....and keep doing naturopathic stuff like breathing, excercise, etc.....i also started telling more people about my disorder...i kept it secret for yrs...that seems to help.....
Posted by Hugh on May 10, 2013, at 14:22:43
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh, posted by mhillqt on May 10, 2013, at 9:34:33
> ....and keep doing naturopathic stuff like breathing, excercise, etc.....
Some other things like this that can help are tapping exercises like Emotional Freedom Technique (there are lots of YouTube videos about it) and TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises).
Posted by Englishman006! on May 21, 2013, at 18:19:26
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » mhillqt, posted by Hugh on May 10, 2013, at 14:22:43
Hi, try not to lose hope, there are plenty of treatment options. I don't believe 5mg of Prozac is enough to be effective. 20mg is standard but there are reports that as little as 10mg can work. Also 2 weeks is not long enough. Ssris can take 3-6 weeks to kick in. Beginning treatment with an ssri is tricky as it can often makes symptoms worse temporarily. I think, if you are able to tolerate it, increase the dose to 20mg, then give it a few weeks.
I used to suffer with severe panic attacks but on 20mg Prozac daily I couldn't panic if I tried!
Good luck! :)
Posted by Mhillqt on May 21, 2013, at 19:18:00
In reply to Re: Back on meds...ugggh » Hugh, posted by Englishman006! on May 21, 2013, at 18:19:26
Thx ...I usually recover at 10 mg but semi recover @5 mg..u got laid off from my job if 9 yrs on Thursday so things are not great:(
Posted by Mhillqt on May 25, 2013, at 17:59:54
In reply to Back on meds...ugggh, posted by Mhillqt on May 6, 2013, at 17:34:54
So it's been 5 wks since relapse and 4 wks on 5mg Prozac ...I also lost my "safe" job that I had for 9 yrs ...now my panic/agoraphobic tendencies and depression have worsened ..worrying I will never get better and find a job like my last one ..in the last 3 days flulike depression symptoms do I upped Prozac to 7.5mg and today had the worst panic and nausea ...going back down to 5:(
This is the end of the thread.
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