FFS does ANYTHING work for anxiety?

[orangeandlemons]

Beacuse it damn well doesn't for me.

In Jan suffered stress and anxiety form work. Have been off since then. Was on 100mg amitriptilene when I went under.

Since then have been on a whole raft of ad's. ALL of which made me worse, much much worse, Crisis team intervention worse.

Failed ad's include: trazadone, imipramine, escitalopram, sertraline: all made anxiety terrible, or made me want to top myself. Even when I managed to get through the start-ups. Am allergic to prozac and lofepramine

Now on Mirtazapine which seems to be doing nothing at all for anxiety. Nothing. Have seen consultant ho suggested Paroxetine or Duloxetine, bith of which are SSRi or simila type drug. My gp thinks would be unwise to take this bearing in mind previous episodes, and I am terrified of taking them

I had high hopes for mirtazapine, but it just seems like an anti-histamine, made little difference to anything. Anybodyoffer any help?

I take olanzapine major tranquilliser.

Aside from meds I like kalms, rescue remedy and vertiver essential oil.

I felt a bit light-headed for a few days when I first started on it but then normal.

Am on a low dose 1 tablet (20mg?) per day.

Is fine, honest

Shit isnt it? I am one of the lucky people for which prozac works for and in record time too. I know its a bit annoying when people say this but exercise seriously works well too.

But there has JUST been a report out today, that say's it doesn't work.

It was done by the BMJ for the NHS to test current guidelines. It failed. Now the NHS will have to revise their guidelines.

Myexperience of anything SSRI related is more like Agaless. Makes eveything much much worse. I thought 20mg was normal dose for paroxetine.

Yes I am sure it is normal dose - I have read on here of people having higher I think. Any less would involve chopping up a tablet!

I must admit I was a bit relieved to hear the news about exercise today
Although TBH have been doing more since DD1 started school and it hasn't made any difference.

Hi orangesandlemons ive just left a message on your other thread re. clomipramine if you get a chance to look at it.

Ive also been through a bit of a range of ads - and had the 'no one else seems to get side effects like this' conversation. Ignore them. Yes lots of people dont get the severe side effects but a significant minority do.

Its so difficult when youre in the middle of it. So bloody horrible.

Maybe give the mirtazepine another set amount of time and if still no improvement talk to your doctor about one of the alternatives.

Paroxetine is also known as Seroxat and is an SSRI. Has a good reputation for anxiety but can be very difficult to withdraw from. Needs to be done very very slowly.

I know its really awful and feels like going round and round in circles - but you will find solution in the end.

out of interest - how long hve the severe side effects lasted with things like escitalopram.

I always suffered terrible side effects from ADs and went through a whole raft of them, was unable to bear any of them apart from lofepramine (which you say you're allergic to) - one which is meant to be similar is dothiepin? I think it's called dosulepin or something as well. Anyway my third time on lofepramine, it didn't work any more, just increased my anxiety to unbearable levels, so I stopped it.

I've now been drug free for 8 years (with the odd sleeping tablet, or diazepam for flying/dentist). The thing is, the anxiety doesn't really get better - once you've got into that cycle where your anxiety is partly about worrying about getting anxious, I think you've pretty much had it . I've had CBT/and normal therapy, but again, it just did nothing for my anxiety.

I cope by enduring a general low level of anxiety most of the time, that cranks up when I have to do stuff (school run, waiting in queues, social occasions, transport etc). Occasionally it will crank up to a level which is unacceptable and unbearable - I deal with this by avoidance. I will cancel plans/journeys/social attendance at very short notice because there is nothing else I can do. Usually this will be once or twice a year, tops. I don't like doing it and I'm not generally flakey, so usually people who know me will just accept that I really can't go through with it.

It's a bummer though and I really sympathise. I hope you find a good balance soon.

Exercise defo works for me and im a size 16 couch potato so hardly a fitness freak. Wahen i had it really badly I joined a gym for thre first time in my life and it helped me a lot,I think its the adrenaline that you expend.

I havent had it for ages cos im on prozac but its the most horrible thing ive ever experienced,my chewing gum disintegrated in my mouth once,i presume cos of the excess stomach acid

PS re. the exercise report. If you look at all of the research together it looks like exercise is never going to be the cure all. Which is a good thing because theres nothing worse than someone really struggling with depression - and they go to the gp who tells them to go for a jog and all will be ok .

But that doesnt mean that 'light' exercise isnt a good thing part of doing a range of things to help.

Ive long since given up on the thought if either medication or one other single thing being the solution. Maybe its more a bit of medication, a bit of cbt, a bit of relaxation, a bit of light exercise, a good diet etc etc etc ??

HI,

Have just posted about it. Clomip was by far and away the best thing I have ever taken. (including a few illegal things at uni . Wow! What a fantastic drug that is. Blew the anxiety and depressed mood into a cocked hat.

It is the most potent AD there is(I think). followed by Paroxetine(I think). Itis hugely used by pyschs but not by GP's. Mt psych said it is her favourite drug because of the transformations it produces

I'm aware that this sounds ridiculous but believe me when I say my anxiety had been unbearable since birth of DD 14 months ago - read mission to hosp, crisis team, counselling etc.

Refused ADs due to the possibility of making it worse as OP details.

I've found four cups of chamomile tea a day very helpful. Research it. Hope it can help you.

Ah well speaking of illegal substances, paroxetine when I started taking it reminded me of a drug that when you think about it, it would. Then I looked at the leaflet and saw all the possible side-effects were the same.

So basically I'm slightly off my tits all the time

Seems to work though!

Wildstrawberry, that's it in a nutshell. Sertraline was the same for me. Worked great twice, then terrible anxiety the third time.

Unfortunately I can't avoid work which was the trigger this time, so I have to find something. I can't afford to leave, and have been looking for another job for ages, but just cannot find anything

Perhaps you should try Pregabalin. It's a new drug and not an ad, I think it is a painkiller, anyway, it's meant to be excellentfor anxiety. Unfortunately I have depression too, so maybe not for me

Sounds good Sardinequeen. A legal high!

Interesting to read your experience of clomipramine. Ive never been able to take more than 50mg - sends my blood pressure through the floor at anything higher and I just fall over all the time (!)

Its gives me terrible side effects for first few weeks (mental and physical). Cant work, look after the kids etc.

And then it has helped in the past but not 'transforming'in the way you experienced. But thats maybe because i couldnt take higher dose. Just goes to show how our experiences are all so different.

I have a friend who takes prozac and it completely elimates her anxiety/panic within 3 days of taking it. Whereas it sent my anxiety through the roof...

Prozac used to work for me within a day and a half , but then I became allergic to it.

Haveyou tried amitriptyline?

Do you know what blood tests they ran and when? Definitely worth chasing if it turns out it was only a 'full blood count' or similar. For parathyroid they need to test pth and calcium, for thyroid it is tsh and t4. Could be lots of other illnesses that cause anxiety as well, I just googled those based on my family member's symptoms and my hypothyroidism

Do you know what blood tests they ran and when? Definitely worth chasing if it turns out it was only a 'full blood count' or similar. For parathyroid they need to test pth and calcium, for thyroid it is tsh and t4. Could be lots of other illnesses that cause anxiety as well, I just googled those based on my family member's symptoms and my hypothyroidism

My husband is on Buspirone and Mirtazipine full time, and diazpam when needed. He's seen various counsellor type people about it and is using a lot of will power to stay well.

He was also given this book to read www.amazon.co.uk/The-Omega-3-Connection-Wellbeing-Depression/dp/0743207092/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339016627&sr=1-12 and as a result we have as a family all up'ed our omega-3 intake. Not sure how much it's helping him as he hasn't found the right formula for him yet.

sardinequeen, I was an enthusiastic clubber in my youth (ahem) and one of the reasons I couldn't hack SSRIs was because as you say, it was like being off your tits. Right down to the extremely dilated pupils, racing pulse, heightened perception, poor impulse control etc. I remember thinking, jesus, half the nation is totally mash up on drugs from their GPS, all the time .

But I suppose if you can take the side effects, it's better than clinical depression.

Well it's great in theory but there are side-effects, which are the same as when I didn't experiment with illegal drugs which affected seratonin honest guv.

And am worried about coming off t after what read on here.

BUT the alternative was not an option so that's the way it is.

propranol has been a life saver for me.

erm.........thyroid? yes, think it was thyroid. Not the rest though.

However, I was fine until January, and the stress was definitely triggered by work. It had been coming on for about 7 months, and then in January it just exploded. But it was all work related.

But now it is everything related. It seems to have spread

Too scared to take propranol.

Saw the stuff about asthma on the box, and that was it.

wildstrawberryplace that was what I thought! OMG half the population on pills!

The side effects I suffered were not as bad as you by a long chalk - but then I always was last up and first down It was more that my jaw was going a bit (!), chewing (! again) and feeling a little rushy. They went after the first few days / week but the one that has stayed with me is difficulty achieving orgasm (TMI) which is just the same. In the leaflet it mentioned difficulty urinating which also took me back but fortunately that hasn't happened.
So just the sex thing really and the worry about coming off it. Apart from that am fine.