Is it time to give up on this mad?

[Dazza123]

Thats it Pulisa, for me, Pregabalin had plenty of benefits, but gave other problems, and to be honest lots of bad came with the good. Background anxiety was better, but the other anxiety problems I had were up and down and I also suffered other issues. Sertraline wasn't awful, but I was very OCD with it, and all of the others available were horrendous. At the minute I am taking nothing, today has been quiet and calm, nothing out of the ordinary has happened, and I feel ok, so as long as my day is calm and controlled I get through and its been a decent day. On medication it would have been a decent day probably, but I wouldn't have felt normal, or myself, I would have been me on medication, whereas I prefer to be me, with no medication and feeling ok. I think that one day, you just have enough and you find a way to cope and deal with everything in a way thats safe and comfortable for you.

I do believe through experience that meds can make you feel a lot worse and for some people it just isn't the answer - However, about 10 years ago I took fluoxetine for about a year and it was brilliant, so bit weird there, but there we have it.

[hanshan]

I definitely prefer the "me on medication" feeling to the "me not on medication" feeling.

When I was not on medication I constantly had this nagging, anxious feeling that something was wrong somewhere. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was wrong, and would always be searching my mind for what it could be (classic GAD, I think).

Now that's gone, and I don't feel particularly medicated either - just the loss of negative feelings.

This works for me, but we are all different with (or without) these medications, and each person has to find what is best for them.

[Avasmummy_x]

Everyone varies don't they.
I just haven't found the right med or form of help to make life bareable for me. It's been a long gruelling 8years and the past 6months have been very intense.

I think my problem now is having ocd alongside my gad so both need looking in to and treating.
My anxiety is there all day nagging and then I get very bad scary thoughts randomly and my mind races with them.

For example last night in bed as I tried to sleep I kept seeing scary images like off films I'd seen in the past and it sent me in to a panic attack and today I was doing my make up in the mirror and had racing thoughts of should I hurt myself which also set off my panic attack.

As a result now I am anxious all day in fear of having these thoughts which brings the thougts on as im thinking about them! My mind is non stop.

[Dazza123]

For me, anxiety was passing me by throughout the day, which was great, I definitely noticed much less general anxiety, but it also felt like life was passing me by. So I was waking up in the morning, not doing very much daily and it was suddenly bed time, so everything, anxiety, life, emotion, was just passing me by. That doesn't work for me because I want to get my life back. However it was the constant blurred vision and bloating that was the biggest problem. I feel that pregabalin with something else, like sertraline, may have been better, but for now I will see how I go, and maybe try this in future. I still say I prefer me without medication, but at the minute things are ok, Im sure it wont last long as it never does, and then I will be back to the doctor.

---------- Post added at 23:35 ---------- Previous post was at 23:31 ----------

Avasmummy, you are in a cycle of anxiety, I have had plenty of them, and its difficult to make it stop, but you need to get back to the doctor because noone can live like that, there was a time 6 years ago that I really felt I was having a breakdown, I was like you the second I woke up and it went on till bedtime, it was constant and it pushed me to the edge, thats when I went back to the doctor. I think I was put onto dosulepin that time, which wasn't too bad, but Im not sure they prescribe that anymore unless you have been on it previously.

[Avasmummy_x]

I'm back and forth to my doctors dazza it's like no one cares orvdoesnt think it's as bad as it is. Very frustrating x

[pulisa]

I don't think Doctors appreciate just how devastating severe 24 hour unremitting anxiety and panic is. They just suggest listening to music/having a bath....reading a magazine etc.

Unfortunately in this state actually sitting still for 1 minute is a huge challenge. If GPs could experience this feeling of constant mental/physical agitation then they would soon change their tune.

[Dazza123]

I have a tiny sense of calmness about me at the moment, and I swear I haven't had that feeling for many years, with no medication things are hard every day, but to have that little bit of calm inside me feels amazing, I could never ever relax, my brain was on guard 24 hours a day, so for the minute I am doing ok and one day last week I even had a feeling of overwhelming happiness and a sense of well being, now thats something ive not felt for god knows how long.

GPs etc will never understand, its only people like us that do because we live it, we are the experts and I think we all find our way out eventually, but I dont think we ever get better in the greater sense of the word, we just cope better through experience, sometimes with the help of meds, and sometimes without.

[pulisa]

Yes you couldn't have put it better, Dazza. It's pointless explaining to others how you feel-unless you've been there how could anyone imagine how terrifying it all is? I doubt whether psychiatrists have much of an idea either..

You do have to find a way out of it for yourself either with or without meds.

[keggsy]

Thinking about giving up on this med too.
Am on 300 per day.
Thinking about cutting to 225 for a week, then 150 for a week then 75 for a week before stopping.
It is just not helping my acute bedtime anxiety and I think it may be hindering me dropping off to sleep, not helping.
Any thoughts?

[Dazza123]

I slept better when taking them, but anxiety really kicked in late afternoon/early evening and stayed for the rest of the night. Daytime was great, and I was very relaxed and chilled. Only you can decide Keggsy, but id speak to the doctor if you are thinking of stopping and definitely taper them off, I didn't and I felt really bad for a few days due to that.