makes you wonder

makes you wonder what meds everyone is on and more importantly have they worked???

Love Joy

Hi Joy

I have been taking citalopram for the last 8 years on and off, they have been a great help to me, although they didnt get rid of the panic/anxiety completeley i have had cbt and other forms of therapy also, but the meds certainly do take the edge of things.

Love
:hugs:
Andrea
xxxx

Atenolol worked for me but had to come of it as it made me feel horrible in the end. Valium helped a bit. I have been offered nothing else by my doctor.

Josephinex

Josephine
I'm surprised doc hasnt tried anti deps.

Love Joy

Here's my list:

Fluoxetine - Didn't agree with me and I had every side effect possible.
Citalopram - Less side effects but not very effective esp for anxiety.
Paroxetine - More side effects than citalopram but again not very effective for me.
Venlafaxine - More side effects but most effective so far for depression, still some anxiety problems.

Diazepam - Really great for anxiety, but potential of addiction is a problem.
Temazepam - Great for anxiety and sleep, again addiction is a problem.
Zopiclone - Best sleeping pill I've tried but tolerance builds up quickly, no problems stopping though for me.

Resperidone - Too many side effects, made me feel agitated, confused, didn't help with anxiety.
Chlorpromazine - Helped a bit with anxiety but too many side effects, dry mouth, spaced out.
Quetiapine - Great for anxiety and sleep, virtually no side effects.

Wow, quite a list! So currently on 225mgs Venlafaxine SR, 75mgs Quetiapine, occasional Zopiclone 7.5mgs.

I feel better than I have before now I've been on that dose of venlafaxine for a few months. The quetiapine has helped a lot with anxiety, irrational thinking, sleep and mood swings. It has taken a while for the benefits to come but I'm pleased I've got through the initial side effect stages of starting and increasing doses etc.

I don't feel fine or cured by any means but they definately have helped, it's just taken a few different types to find the right one for me.

Jim :hugs:

I think it all depends on what you mean by whether they "worked" or not. I personally think there's no miracle pill that will take away anxiety/depression/panic all by itself but a combination of meds, CBT/therapy and sheer determination does the trick. I've been fortunate as I've had good experiences with seroxat (although it seemed to stop working after seven years) and cymbalta (duloxetine). Anyhow, how are you getting along Joy? Sorry to hear things aren't going so well.

I definately felt much much worse at first, I think that is the big problem with ad's. If you can get through that initial couple of days and weeks the side effects do diminish.

I think a lot of people think ad's will make you feel 'happy' straight away and are a magic cure, but it doesn't happen like that. I think they just stop you from slipping down and getting worse, then it's up to you to use therapy or whatever means to fight your way back up again.

I know how bad the side effects can be, with prozac I was a wreck. Unable to sleep at all, sit still, rashes, sweating, burning on my skin, halucinations, complete 24/7 panic. I think I lasted 4-5 days before I ended up back at my GP. Not pleasant, and I was very dubious about trying different types after that. Since that experience I've always been started on very low doses and built up very slowly so haven't had too many side effect problems.

I would say that they are worth considering if you are prepared to get through the initial side effects, take the time to put up with a bit of trial and error and the situation is desperate enough. I honestly don't think I would be here now without meds, I know I would have got much much worse. I think in combination with therapy they really do help a lot.

Jim :hugs:

It took many years for me to decide to try meds, I have always had very good coping strategies of my own but at my worst these have never been enough, so to avoid losing another job as a result of my illness I gave it a go.

I started out on Citalopram and it didn't really agree with me, I had a bunch of unpleasant side effects which kept on going beyond the expected 3 or 4 weeks.

Then I moved onto Escitalopram and it's been really helpful. I'm currently only on 10mgs a day and a combination of that and self-help techniques is keeping me pretty much on top of things. I still have episodes and bad days but the meds give me the headspace to step back and deal with my symptoms.