Anyone who either uses or has used this drug, would you please advise me on it…?
Thanks in advance.
It’s effective for like a week, but you run the risk of becoming a pill head. After a week the attacks come back. Check my source for an alternative method which worked for me.
I’ve never had panic/anxiety attacks before until this morning and so far I am on my third one today. My heart starts pounding so bad I feel like it is going to explode, I cant breathe, I cant think, I start crying I just dont know what to do!?! I am Effexor as it is for depression. I know alot has to do with the severe stress I am under, bills mounting, bill collectors calling left and right, possible divorce, my oldest daughter started kindergarten this week, I just dont know what to do anymore! How do I make this stop? I feel like I am going insane!
firth things first…calm down by doing something you like to do…next talk to your doctor…you may be on the wrong drug to treat your depression…go to a company that deals with dept management and have him/her create a custom payment plan to help you get out of dept
does anybody know of any medication that you can take just as needed? my problem seems to be panic attacks and just a few rotten days. i dont want to be constanly medicated. but at times i do need something to calm down.
Hello:
This is answer is in response to your question posted about anti-anxiety/panic disorder medications.
I understand that you would only like to take these on an as needed basis which is good. Some people with extreme cases of panic attacks or generalized anxiety disorder want to be medicated 24/7 which many times leads to addiction and if they go off the medications then they have rebound symptoms which are much worse than the original symptoms that lead them to take the meds in the first place.
There are many anti anxiety and anti panic medications. The most commonly used medications nowadays which you have to take every day are Buspar (buspirone), Effexor-XR, Zoloft, paxil, prozac all of which were originally manufactured for depression only but through the years they have found that they work just as well on anxiety and panic attacks as well.
Then there are the as needed type of medications the most common class being the "benzodiazapines" which include xanax (alprazolam), valium (diazepam), ativan (lorazepam), klonipin (clonazepam). These are all potentially addictive medications and should only be used short term and on an as needed basis only. Long term use of these medications can be detrimental. If you have anxiety attacks that come out of the blue, ie. you dont know before hand that you feel one coming on, the best of the benzodiazapines is xanax (alprazolam). It is a very rapid acting drug, unlike the others in the category which are long acting and take a long time to get into the bloodstream. If you take a small dose of xanax (alprazolam) such as 0.25 mg and put it under your tongue, it will get into your blood stream quicker, although it tastes horrible and is not usually the way to take the med (I have used this method in my patients and it works like a charm). Please only take this medication sparingly. If you notice your symptoms are worsening or increasing in intensity or more and more per month, you may need to go on a daily medication, my choice would be buspar (buspirone). It has no addiction potential and works very well or you can try Effexor-XR at 37.5 mg or 75 mg daily. I have a lot of experience in this area because I am a fellow sufferer myself so I have tried just about everything there is on the market and the two best ones in my opinion are xanax or effexor. Additionally, some counseling may be in order and possibly even traditional Eastern methods such as yoga and progressive relaxation.
I hope this helped answer your question and alleviate some of your concerns.
Regards,
Warren Shaffer M.D.
I suffer from anxiety…once of my symptoms is that I am nauseated a lot of the time. I take medication to keep me from vomiting all day, but lately I haven’t even felt well enough to take my anxiety medication. For the past month, I’ve been taking it kind of regularly, but for the past 4 days I haven’t been able to take it at all. What symtoms should I be on the look out for? I see my doc on the 31st, but wanted to know if there is anything I should be on the look out for in myself.
You can probably reduce the amount you are taking.
But, before you quit altogether, ask your doctor how safe it is to stop. Some medications cannot be stopped cold turkey because they throw your body chemistry off.
You should also be receiving therapy. Seek out a good neuro-therapist or cognitive therapist in your area.
http://themeaningisyou.com
email me with any questions.
Also, which are more effective. I wanted to know their mechanisms, how both work, how they are similar and how they are different, and if they’re both effective in treating depression/anxiety/panic, or neither, or what.
From what I’ve heard vaguely, SSRI’s actually treat it all while the benzodiazepines just..act as a short term fast relief and calm you down, but don’t actually do much else for you, mechanism wise.
Ignore None, he seems to have no idea what he’s talking about. Major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders are caused by problems with brain chemistry. Life events can contribute to anxiety disorders, but they aren’t the main cause. Compare anxiety disorders with diabetes. Diabetes is not caused by a bad diet or lifestyle, but can be aggravated by it.
SSRIs work by indirectly increasing the levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is one of the many chemicals in your brain that affects mood (the other big ones are norepinephrine and dopamine). SSRIs don’t make more serotonin, but they block the reuptake of seratonin, allowing you to soke in what you already have longer. They usually work well, particuarly for anxiety, and are well tolerated for the most part (most people only have to deal with nausea, diarrhea, weight gain, and sexual disfunction). However, they don’t work for everyone, and some people have very bad reactions to them. If you’re looking into SSRIs, Lexapro seems to work the best for anxiety and has the least side effects.
Benzos are older and work a little bit differently. They enhance a neurotransmitter called GABA, which helps calm you down. They work quickly. If you take some Lexapro, it won’t help you with a panic attack you’re having right now, but if you take Ativan, it will calm you down immediatly. You can take them with your SSRIs, or instead of, if SSRIs don’t work for you or if you can’t tolerate them. They’re a good choice if you only get anxious occasionly; SSRIs or even antipsychotics are better for constant, chronic anxiety. If you struggle with depression, you shouldn’t use benzos long term, because they can aggravate depression. They’re also quite addictive.
Research both meds and talk to your psychiatrist about them. You can take one, both, or neither, depending on what your needs are. Also, I recommend you see a psychotherapist to help work through your anxiety. Allow me to go back to the diabetes metaphor. If you take insulin for diabetes, but sit around on the couch eating chocolate all day, you’re probably not going to get much better. Same goes for anxiety. Meds will help, but only if you work through your issues and make some lifestyle changes as well.
I hope everything works out okay. You’ll be in my prayers.
I have anxiety disorder and bipolar. I know there is some link between stress and irregulars periods but the drs won’t admit this. I am not sure why. It seems when I am having different phases my periods are different. When I am manic my periods are light; when I am depressed they are heavy. Is it my period causing this change of moods or is it my moods causing the change in my flows?
Yep, does that to mine, too. My gyno told me it was probably that. Sometimes I even miss periods when I am really stressed. It is both your moods causing the change, and you period can cause you to be moody.
I have really bad anxiety. I worry alot and get nervous around people who I dont kno. I have tried some anti depresents but they all seem to make me really depressed. does anyone kno of any medications that have worked and not have that side effect?
I had overwhelming anxiety. It turned out to be my use of Splenda. Yup Splenda.
I like to say sucralose, not Splenda, because that is what Splenda is. And it is in a lot of stuff. The package doesn’t have to say Splenda to have sucralose in it. You have to read labels. So, you might still be using it and don’t even know it!
Sucralose is poison. It ruined five years of my life. I had a laundry list of medical problems while taking it, including overwhelming anxiety, depression, mood swings, insomnia and more.
The slogan, "Made from sugar…" is very misleading. Splenda might be made from sugar, but it is far from sugar. The resulting chemical is an organochloride (chlorocarbon). Organochlorides are typically poisons.
carbon monoxide - made from oxygen so its like a breath of fresh air
I’ve been taking anxiety medication for 3 years now and I wanted to know if my anxiety will ever go away. Everytime I try to stop taking it I get very anxious causing me to seem socially akward but on it I’m just fine. I’m just tired of letting a little white pill dictate my life.
you cant just stop those types of meds, if you truly want to be off of them, you have to gradually reduce the dose and frequency under the control of your doctor.
you may be experiencing tolerance to a drug which is different from addicition, meaning you need higher doses to get the same result.
Unfortunatley, some anxiety issues require lifetime medication. Panic disorder especially. some are easier to get off than others.
my personal and profesional opinion is that if it works, keep taking it.
you can work with your healthcare professional on behavior modification in the attempts to reduce and eventually get off the med.
good luck and take care
Learn how to treat heart problems and anxiety with acupuncture with expert alternative care tips in this free online Chinese medicine video clip.
Expert: Sarah and Sig Hauer
Bio: Sarah and Sig Hauer recently returned to the southwest after selling their practice in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. They were voted Best Acupuncture Physicians by their community in 2002 and 2003.
Filmmaker: Danniel Fishler
Duration : 0:0:49
How to cure anxiety attacks and panic attacks with a simple method of self treatment called “Self Therapy for Anxiety”.
Duration : 0:9:59
