thinking of changing meds...please help

[carter]

hi all,

about 3 months ago i started suffering from severe panic attacks..

they were sudden and come out of nowhere and disable me apart from that....i was pretty much ok.

doc put me on prozac....which i have to be honest turned me initally into a mess couldnt leave the house or anything....but i took the advice stay on them things will ease off...but 3 months on after enduring hell on earth...I still feel terrible...panic attacks have eased...but now i have this terrible anxiety it is a nightmare....i cant even go to the shops..

spoke with the docs she reckons its all part of anxiety but im not convinced...surley after 3 months i sould feel the benfits...i feel like the world is a prison i never felt like this before...the doc has suggested maybe changing to paroxetine....

i understand i need to speak to my doc...which i will do tommorrow but i can hand on heart say i never had anxiety like this before i started takin fluxotine....

please help im struggling to cope...:shrug:

[Jaco45er]

Hi mate

I really wouldn't want to suggest what to do but I read this, and I had a terrible time on Prozac so it struck a chord.

After 5 weeks, I was so bad I wasn't sleeping or eating and went into a "motor" mode, meaning I had to keep moving and couldn't sit still.

I went back to a different doc and she took me straight off Prozac as she said "her fellow GP should have seen it was not working, and making me worse".

I have read a fair bit about SSRI's since, and different types can have positve or negative effects from person to person.

I would go back to your GP to discuss, and if you feel that he/she is not fully understanding you clearly, then you are at liberty to ask for a 2nd opinion.

I do have the utmost respect for GP's, but the hard facts are that anxiety is a complex issue, and changes from person to person, and GP's are under pressure to see many patients in a day so they don't get the time to delve into each case, hence anti-depressants are often offered (waiting lists for therapy can be months).

Finally, don't worry too much about being saddled with this forever, most people who are susceptible to anxiety will have bad periods that will lift given time. And with experience, the bad bouts of anxiety last for shorter and less intense periods.

TC

Jaco

[carter]

i had motor mode too...horrible ...seems like they maybe they are not working for me after all...ill chat to my gp tomorrow..many thanks x

[Jaco45er]

Have a chat with the GP mate, life is too short to suffer on the wrong meds.

I ditched meds altogether after that, and found peace using Claire Weekes books and exercise.

Meds are an option, but not the only option.

Take care

Jaco

[Ronny]

yes I agree with you,but meds are all trial and error till you do find one that suits you.I don't take ssri's,they do not work for me and take to long to get into the system.I to read lots of books on panic/anxiety to educate myself on my awful ailment.Try deep breathing and see a good Psych about cognitive Therapy. Take care:)

[carter]

to be honest im goning to take the prescription of whatever the gp gives me....but have it as a back up..(ill will let the gp know this of course)

i think ill just come off the meds fully if i can and stick with cbt..

[KK77]

Having had a bad time on Prozac I think it's time you changed meds. Prozac is not the best AD for anxiety because it can cause motor agitation and anxiety for quite a while until it starts working - and of course in some people it doesn't work full stop.

Have you tried citalopram before, because it's a better option before you go on paroxetine (which is not easy to come off)? If you haven't tried citalopram, tell your doctor that you have a friend that it's worked wonders for and you would like to try it.

I really think paroxetine should be an AD of last resort. Also, generally speaking, cit has fewer side effects too (yes, I know everyone's different etc but I've been on both of them).

Good luck though - hope you feel better soon.

[carter]

thanks for all of your advice.i really appericate it...ive booked my appointment for tomorrow at 11.45. so ill update you.

to be honest im going to try the no meds route cause im having counciling and i feel even with this overwhelming anixety and motor thingy ive moved mountains.

ill speak with my doc but ill be honest the meds i will get will be based on the side affects and there affectiveness with anxiety....and ill only take them if i really really need to and if any cause that motor thingymebob..def...forget it...

x

[carter]

went docs today...

defo agreed the prozac was not for me....the doc i saw today advised that the reason prozac does not agree with some people and that its not good for anxiety and better for depression is because apparently it gives you the kick up the arse you need to get out of bed and fight on...but if you suffer with anxiety it gives some people the kick up the arse when you dont need it causing further anxiety...

doc agreed as ive got cbt and counciling booked its all ok to come off them and give it a bash without meds.....docs said give it two weeks and if im up to it go back to work.....happy days..she gave me a pescription for sum stuff in case it all goes west but thats gone in the bin....it seemed even scarier than anything on this site and its not even listed on here...

i have to be honest i feel like crap as the meds are leaving my system ..almost flu like at the min.... but the anixety has lifted tenfold....i waited in the docs for 40 mins as she was running late....nothing happended ... was like errr....wtf......im just a bit scepitcal about how long this going to last its all a bit too good to be true.......at the min uuuuuuhhhhmmmmmmmm..................:blush: