eldimoni
13-06-13, 20:05
Hi everyone!
I'm new here but not new to Anxiety and depression. I was hoping to tell my story and get some feedback and advice from other members who have experienced or are experiencing something similar.
I'm a 37 year old male and started having anxiety / panic attacks when i was about 21. For years I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew something was wrong. I saw my GP for all the classic anxiety symptoms i.e. dizziness (for which i was prescribed Serc-8), stomach problems (for which i had an endoscopy) amongst other things.
I was going to University and had to drop out as I was having lots of constant anxiety and panic attacks on the trains.
Eventually, I somehow discovered that what i was experiencing was Anxiety and Panic attacks. This in itself was a slight relief as I now knew what the problem was. There wasnt anything i was specifically anxious about, more like Generalised anxiety.
My GP put me on Zoloft which was horrible, but eventually worked. I also has some councelling sessions in which i could talk about what i felt and it seemed to help at least for a while. Tapered off it and was ok for a year or so, then it came back again. This time I was presribed Effexor XR 75mg. I was expecting some horrible side effects for the first few weeks, but to my surprise (as far as i can remember) it wasn't too bad at all. The medicine seemed to work within a few weeks and I was feeling almost too good. I was seemingly back to normal.
There was usually a "relapse" for lack of a better word maybe once or twice a year, but it would only last maybe a week or two and then i was pretty much back to normal. I have also been tapering off of the Effexor over a period of about 3 years (Long i know, but i was willing to be patient with this) and i was down to just about being off of the medication. It has been like that up til last September.
Last September I started to get a really strange pain around my scapula and down my left arm, so i started to worry about it. I had previously been diagnosed with a c6-c7 herniated disc but that had not caused any real pain issues. I was concerned that this was the cause and my GP and a private neurosurgeon (Harley street - very expensive) both said they thought this was the cause. This made my anxiety and depression rocket.
It was now really out of control and i was desperate to feel normal again. Bear in mind that i have a Wife (who is fantastically understanding) and a 7 year old son, so I want to be the best i can for them too.
I was searching for something that could really help me hopefully with both the Pain and the anxiety + depression. My GP suggested I up the dosage of the Effexor again, which i was VERY hesitant to do as it had taken me so long to come off of them. He also prescribed Pregabalin as it is supposed to work for both Pain and Anxiety. I have a real hesitance to take new medication due to already feeling very anxious and not wanting new and uncomfortable side effects. I eventually decided to take one 25mg (small dose) Pregabalin at night and up the Effexor dose in small increments.
I also asked to see a CBT professional, which i had 8 sessions of. It was good to a certain extent as I could decide on the correct way of thinking when i was anxious, which was almost all the time. I also took a 8 week Mindfulness Meditation for Stress reduction course. I could see the benefits of such a course but i was having very strong symptoms at the time and a lot of the meditation was introspective and made me feel worse.
First time I upped the dose of Effexor I felt a bit off/anxious for a few weeks then a bit better. Then it got worse again after a few more weeks, so I increased the dose again. This time, the side effects were minor and again after a few weeks i started to feel the benefits. This was short lived (about 4 weeks) then i started to get depressed and anxious again, so for the final time i upped the dose again to about 55mg (out of a 75mg cap). This time the side effects were awful for about 2-3 weeks. Really strong adrenaline all the time, muscle twitches (especially in the morning which woke me up and made me highly distressed). I just wasnt myself and was in a very dark, lonely place. After these few weeks there was some improvement for a few weeks then back down again for a week or two, then some improvement, then back again. Its been like this for about 3 months now since stopping at 55mg Effexor.
I realise that medicine alone should not be relied on as you wont be addressing the underlying causes and thinking. I believe i have the correct thought strategy from CBT, although its often the case of telling myself how to approach /deal with the anxiety, but not really absorbing it. Kind of like I know what to say/think but its not being absorbed as the anxiety is at times overwhelming. At those times it seems like I am not making any progress as it keeps coming back after a few weeks of feeling ok.
I know that was long winded and if you made it this far, well done.
So can anyone out there give me some feedback or advice on what im going through. I know theres no magic pill and my current strategy involves the following:
Anxiety is not a monster and cannot manifest and hurt you.
It is only temporary and always gets better
Dont take it so seriously.
Its all in your head, everything externally is exactly the same.
Keep busy doing things and you will begin to not notice it.
If it comes then let it be. You dont need to react to it, it will pass.
Of course sometimes these are more effective than other times depending on how severe the anxiety is at the time.
Hope to hear back from you guys with how you deal with your issues and any advice you can give a fellow Anxiety suffering friend.
Thanks!!:hugs:
I'm new here but not new to Anxiety and depression. I was hoping to tell my story and get some feedback and advice from other members who have experienced or are experiencing something similar.
I'm a 37 year old male and started having anxiety / panic attacks when i was about 21. For years I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew something was wrong. I saw my GP for all the classic anxiety symptoms i.e. dizziness (for which i was prescribed Serc-8), stomach problems (for which i had an endoscopy) amongst other things.
I was going to University and had to drop out as I was having lots of constant anxiety and panic attacks on the trains.
Eventually, I somehow discovered that what i was experiencing was Anxiety and Panic attacks. This in itself was a slight relief as I now knew what the problem was. There wasnt anything i was specifically anxious about, more like Generalised anxiety.
My GP put me on Zoloft which was horrible, but eventually worked. I also has some councelling sessions in which i could talk about what i felt and it seemed to help at least for a while. Tapered off it and was ok for a year or so, then it came back again. This time I was presribed Effexor XR 75mg. I was expecting some horrible side effects for the first few weeks, but to my surprise (as far as i can remember) it wasn't too bad at all. The medicine seemed to work within a few weeks and I was feeling almost too good. I was seemingly back to normal.
There was usually a "relapse" for lack of a better word maybe once or twice a year, but it would only last maybe a week or two and then i was pretty much back to normal. I have also been tapering off of the Effexor over a period of about 3 years (Long i know, but i was willing to be patient with this) and i was down to just about being off of the medication. It has been like that up til last September.
Last September I started to get a really strange pain around my scapula and down my left arm, so i started to worry about it. I had previously been diagnosed with a c6-c7 herniated disc but that had not caused any real pain issues. I was concerned that this was the cause and my GP and a private neurosurgeon (Harley street - very expensive) both said they thought this was the cause. This made my anxiety and depression rocket.
It was now really out of control and i was desperate to feel normal again. Bear in mind that i have a Wife (who is fantastically understanding) and a 7 year old son, so I want to be the best i can for them too.
I was searching for something that could really help me hopefully with both the Pain and the anxiety + depression. My GP suggested I up the dosage of the Effexor again, which i was VERY hesitant to do as it had taken me so long to come off of them. He also prescribed Pregabalin as it is supposed to work for both Pain and Anxiety. I have a real hesitance to take new medication due to already feeling very anxious and not wanting new and uncomfortable side effects. I eventually decided to take one 25mg (small dose) Pregabalin at night and up the Effexor dose in small increments.
I also asked to see a CBT professional, which i had 8 sessions of. It was good to a certain extent as I could decide on the correct way of thinking when i was anxious, which was almost all the time. I also took a 8 week Mindfulness Meditation for Stress reduction course. I could see the benefits of such a course but i was having very strong symptoms at the time and a lot of the meditation was introspective and made me feel worse.
First time I upped the dose of Effexor I felt a bit off/anxious for a few weeks then a bit better. Then it got worse again after a few more weeks, so I increased the dose again. This time, the side effects were minor and again after a few weeks i started to feel the benefits. This was short lived (about 4 weeks) then i started to get depressed and anxious again, so for the final time i upped the dose again to about 55mg (out of a 75mg cap). This time the side effects were awful for about 2-3 weeks. Really strong adrenaline all the time, muscle twitches (especially in the morning which woke me up and made me highly distressed). I just wasnt myself and was in a very dark, lonely place. After these few weeks there was some improvement for a few weeks then back down again for a week or two, then some improvement, then back again. Its been like this for about 3 months now since stopping at 55mg Effexor.
I realise that medicine alone should not be relied on as you wont be addressing the underlying causes and thinking. I believe i have the correct thought strategy from CBT, although its often the case of telling myself how to approach /deal with the anxiety, but not really absorbing it. Kind of like I know what to say/think but its not being absorbed as the anxiety is at times overwhelming. At those times it seems like I am not making any progress as it keeps coming back after a few weeks of feeling ok.
I know that was long winded and if you made it this far, well done.
So can anyone out there give me some feedback or advice on what im going through. I know theres no magic pill and my current strategy involves the following:
Anxiety is not a monster and cannot manifest and hurt you.
It is only temporary and always gets better
Dont take it so seriously.
Its all in your head, everything externally is exactly the same.
Keep busy doing things and you will begin to not notice it.
If it comes then let it be. You dont need to react to it, it will pass.
Of course sometimes these are more effective than other times depending on how severe the anxiety is at the time.
Hope to hear back from you guys with how you deal with your issues and any advice you can give a fellow Anxiety suffering friend.
Thanks!!:hugs: