fighting anxiety

[Creation]

does anyone take anxiety medication? I just cant handle my anxiety when i get in certain situations, but im weary it may affect other aspects of my life such as working out, relationships etc..

 

[notsobig32]

does anyone take anxiety medication? I just cant handle my anxiety when i get in certain situations, but im weary it may affect other aspects of my life such as working out, relationships etc..

Hey buddy,

I take anxiety medication. I was taking xanax as needed for a long time and it definitely worked wonders. The problem is that recently i started noticing that i was getting irritable on days when i didn't take it and i found i was taking it more and more often. I have a VERY addictive personality so i went to the doctor about a month and a halfago and he started me on lexapro. Now lexapro takes a while to kick in and my experience so far is that over the last two weeks i have not taken a single xanax and have not had a single anxiety attack.

I have also been more pleasant. I think that benzo's are necessary in some severe cases but i know that personally i start relying on the medication to solve my problems because they sorta just make you numb for a while. I don't want that=-)

if you want to chat about it or have any questions, i am by no means a medical doctor but i would be happy to discuss what my experiences have been over the last 5or 6 years.

 

[Sigmund Roid]

Have you thought about going to a BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGIST?

Professionals in this area [Behavioral Modification] are specialists in getting to the root causes of the thoughts that are triggering your anxiety and teaching you ways of dealing with them. I'd recommend that you try this method rather than simply going to someone who will prescribe you medication.

In my opinion that's similar to drinking a few beers in order to have courage to get on the dance floor. Not the same, but similar.

 

[ampenergy]

DON'T WORRY BRO, UR NOT THE ONLY NUT HERE. I'M ON ZANAX AND ZOLOFT. PEACE!

 

[Gators]

I've been taking Wellbutrin for years, and recently added Celexa for anxiety when i was in the teeth of divorce and sobriety, and a couple years ago started on Lamictal for Cyclothymia. I'm titrating down on the Celexa, i'm in a much better place right now, and it's a nightmare when you can't orgasm thanks to Celexa, this poor woman called me today and said she can hardly walk, but thanked me for that

What Siggy said is spot on, don't ignore the root cause of your anxiety, medication is a way to bridge you to better mental health thru counseling.

 

[marino69]

excellent info here! I also have a VERY addictive personality so be careful with whatever you are prescribed! I have the panic attacks especially lately due to being laid off, keeping up with bills etc... I know I need an antidepressant but the sides scare the shit out of me! I buy afew Xanax but my thinking is 1 is helpful 2 will help alot. well when you start slurring words and the wife is getting pissed I had to stop! just be careful because some Dr.'s will give you anything. my last Dr. had me on 3 10mg vicodan, 5 soma which is over the recommended limit and 8 Ultram all in one day. I did that for 5 years and just went through hell coming off this stuff. still going through hell!! the meds did help for a severe pinched nerve in my neck and the pain is creeping back almost debilitating after a workout so I don't know what to do? sorry for rambling but my point is just be careful what you take cause there might be a day you can't take the med anymore or don't want to and it can make you crawl out of you skin coming off this stuff! goodluck and keep the feedback coming! great thread!!

 

[marino69]

Professionals in this area [Behavioral Modification] are specialists in getting to the root causes of the thoughts that are triggering your anxiety and teaching you ways of dealing with them. I'd recommend that you try this method rather than simply going to someone who will prescribe you medication.

In my opinion that's similar to drinking a few beers in order to have courage to get on the dance floor. Not the same, but similar.

great thoughts right here! the drinking part is me to a T!!

 

[Amazon Doll]

I've been battling anxiety & mild depression ever since I lost everything in the hurricanes here in Florida in '04 & '05. So far I have refused to take meds for it but I keep getting tempted.

I'm an additive personality to begin with so I know it may make me feel better today, but it will become a demon in my closet tomorrow.

I did some work with behavior modification and it worked wonders, it's what I use to get through the rough spots daily. Anxiety sucks, but the drugs only mask the underlying problem, but damn! they sure made me feel great when I tried them!

 

[slimyy]

anxiety meds

I take paxil and clonipin It works fantastic, I also see a Doc who I feel is the best, She sees right through any of my bullshit. I went through countless amount of Doc's and was able to manipulate them into giving me whatever I wanted. I am mostly likely switch to lexapro if She thinks it is ok, Divorce is just about final and I wont be able to deal with paxil sexual sides any longer.

 

[mooshue]

I have to 2nd the behavioral modification docs, or even a real licensed therapist, not just some schmuck who calls themselves a family therapist. Be careful because you do not have to have a license to be called a therapist, look carefully before you choose.

Those drugs like xanex and lexapro scare the shit out of me, i have tried to get several friends including my girlfriend off them because of the massive addiction it causes. If the problem is mental, see someone who specializes in mental behavior and how to modify it, not a pill pusher.

 

[RLara85]

Yep I take xanax and klonopin on an as-needed basis, I have very bad panic disorder though and basically need them just to perform necessary tasks like going to the store at times.

I wouldn't say the medications themselves "interfere" with your life, it's the fact that they can't be used daily and can lead to tolerance that interferes with my life since I have to plan everything around my medication. I can't just spontaneously go out, I have to have notice in advance so I can take my medication a few hours before... that's really not the medication interfering with my life though, it's my condition that is interfering, hell if it wasn't for benzodiazapenes I would be in a mental hospital by now. Let me put it this way, if I had to take a pill everyday that would make me feel as great as xanax did the first time I took it but I would be completely addicted to it... I would do it in a second. I wouldn't mind being addicted if I could live a normal life, the problem is these things stop working for most people, especially if you take them daily.

As far as lifting, no I never noticed anything negative there, it did not affect my gains in any way... it makes me really drowsy IF i'm not active but as long as I'm doing something I'm fine. If you can function normally though I wouldn't recommend benzos, these meds are really a last resort. On average I probably take them about three days a week, when I first started Xanax I would take 3 milligrams and that would be enough for me to jump out of a plane, It really took away any and all anxiety, I could be myself. About two years later I now take around 5 milligrams and it doesn't have nearly the same effect, it works but I still feel a bit of anxiety. That's tolerance and I don't even take them daily, it just goes to show you that these things aren't to be messed with if you don't really need them.