Hi. I am having anxiety every day and my PCP prescribed an antidepressant but I don't know the name because I didn't pick it up yet. I had a horrible experience with Prozac (prescribed for depression, not anxiety) years ago where I could barely think. It felt just like I was a zombie, which is the best I can explain it.

It doesn't help my confidence that I'm reading David Burns, M.D., latest book When Panic Attacks and he thinks they rarely help except as placebo and he used to be primarily a pharmaceutical psychiatrist. He said there is no evidence that brain seratonin levels affect depression or anxiety and most studies (many were never published but he was in some of the trials) showed they didn't work much better than placebo and only then because patients on the real drug got side effects so they knew they were taking the drug and had more faith it would work, whereas some people who didn't get side effects knew they had the placebo and figured it wouldn't work or the placebo effect would have been even better.

I know some of you believe you have really been helped, so maybe what he said only applies to some. I'd be happy with a placebo effect.

What is the best one for anxiety?

Thanks!

P.S. Can you still take a tranquilizer on occasion for sleep or a really bad time? Will they mix?

Hi there - Sorry you're having a tough time. I was on Paxil and Celexa for almost 5 yrs and after enduring the horrific side effects getting on them I STILL had anxiety and occasional panic attacks. I got FAT (60+lbs) too and drank like a fish. I went off of them 4 years ago (in the throes of my worst perimeno symptoms) and survived.

Yes, you can take ativan, xanax or valium to help you to sleep. I was taking 1mg xanax when I was on Paxil, which never made sense to me. I would highly recommend cognitive behavioral therapy to help "reframe" anxious thoughts. Although, anxiety stinks, there are negative and catastrophic thoughts that fuel the fire. CBT helps to disarm or challenge those thoughts.

Thanks for your reply.

I was in cognitive therapy off and on for 20 years and have just started seeing another therapist recently. I have read so many books and seen so many therapists that I feel like I can't get better. I've been doing positive affirmations for hours at a time for days and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I called the pharmacist and the antidepressant my doctor prescribed is Effexor. She said that was in a different class than Prozac. I don't know if I will try it or not.

I read the side effects (of course!) and it said if you take Advil or aspirin, etc. it could cause bleeding or bruising. I already have a lower than normal platelet count, but the doctor says it isn't that low. I worry about everything.

Thank you for your input. It sounds like you had problems with the antidepressants but I guess they helped somewhat since you stayed on them 5 years.

hello desrothchild,
I know few things about anti-depressants :
1. do not go on the internet to view the side effects : every medication now has this awful list of side effects (it is protection against lawsuit). Only google if they are any action suit against a medication. (I know it is still scary!)
2. I have tried celexa, fluoxetine, cipralex, effexor : did not like them : side effects were either headaches or digestives issues and insomnia.
3. You cannot take aspirin with most medication as it is a blood thinner. You should not take aspirin if you take Vitamin E for the same reason. Tylenol is fine (I checked with my doctor). Today I went to my doc as I had a rash and asked her if I could take benaldryl for it. She told me yes so I told her that in the internet when I google cymbalta and benaldryl it said mild interaction : she said : those advice are for people who would be using benaldryl for few days.
4. I am on cymbalta and it is the best for me. YOu can as well take klonopin at night to help you sleep but you should not be taking them at the same time so the AD is better in the morning and klonopin before going to bed but don't use it on a regular basis (I am just telling you what my doctor told me).
5. I tried like you the behavioral way and it did not work for me. The positive affirmation, I felt I was failing a course I got really stressed over it. I guess when you have real anxiety, well people like me, the drugs are the best. WEll it is my input. I wish I could do without the AD but since I have been on cymbalta, I am able to have better days. I still have bad days but I am not crying, I am not depressed and I can sleep better eventhough my sleep patterns are not the best. Thisbeing said, any medication that you need to take while on an AD, you should check with your doctor rather than the Internet and the pharmacist. That's what I do. I ask two sources.
take care
Mrs Buff

p.s I forgot to mention that I was rather sick last week andcould not go to a doctor but I did not go through anxiety (I suffer depression and GAD) as I usually do and did not go to the ER. Just waited today to go to my doc and check about it. The other thing is that when my doc prescribed Cymbalta, she did not tell me it worked for tingling (which was my first symptoms when my periods started) and general pains, well 3 weeks later, those symptoms stopped and have not come back yet. So I don't think it is a placebo effect.

I understand. There are days when I feel like I need to go back on them! I hear effexor works well for a loladies. I hope you get some relief with whatever you chose very soon,

sorry for the typos! yikes.

Zoloft has helped me quite alot. I actually was on xanax too.Because zoloft works so well don't need Xanax anymore for now.

Hi,
I want to laugh at the doctor who wrote that book you are reading. I have OCD and if it were not for my meds I could barely function. I take Prozac (the generic fluoxetine) and it has been a lifesaver for me. I know meds affect people in different ways, so that might not be the med for you, but I am a firm believer, from experience, that meds are very effective for some people and it is NOT a placebo effect. I hate taking medicines and I was very against taking my meds and it did take a while for them to work (about a month) properly, but I am sooooooooooooooo glad I held out and continued taking them, because they have really changed the level of anxiety I experience. Yes, I feel anxiety sometimes, but I'm able to come back to normal within minutes instead of weeks or months when I didn't have meds. I used to feel like my life was one continuous panic attack--not anymore.
I think its really sad that people with all kinds of flowery credentials write that kind of junk in books and prevent some people from trying something that will really help them.
I do believe that anti depressants are overprescribed and given to people for simple things, but having debilitating anxiety can be a real biological problem that can be helped with a medicine.

I also have a prescription for clonazepam (sp?) which is a tranquilizer that I can take when anxiety becomes too severe, but when I am on my prozac, I never even need them.

I hope the medicine your doctor prescribed will work for you. I had to go through several meds till I found the one that worked with my body chemistry, but it has REALLY been worth the effort.
Good luck to you:)

i totally agree. i have been having a hard time this year (already last year) with anxiety and depression. my dosage of lexaqpro was increased 3 days ago. i cant wait for it to kick in. and if it doesn't i will try another until i find the one that makes me feel like myself again. i thing these medications are wonderful. yes, big pharma can be pushy about these drugs but people dont complain if they have to take something for diabetes or a heart condition. why do people complain so much when it comes to antidepressants. i am happy they exist. i will go to the ends of the earth to keep depression and anxiety out of my life. thank you for letting me vent.

<----5 year veteran of Lexapro 10 mg. Never had to go up on it. Just came off of it 6 months ago. Wish I'd never done that. When Lex kicks in, the stuff really works. And I've tried 'em all.

karen
how long did it take for you to feel the FULL effect? thank you

Thanks everyone for your replies. It is interesting to read about everyone's experiences.

Dear All,

First a word about David Burns... He is the protege of Dr Aaron Beck, the psychiatrist at the forefront of the cognitive therapy movement. Cognitive therapists believe that emotional symptoms can be cured with a change in thinking patterns and mental exercises. They are very skeptical of neuro-science. Although certain cognitive methods are undoubtedly useful, the all-or-nothing approach does not fit into the mainstream of psychiatric thinking. Burns is an attention-seeker and general loudmouth who, I believe, has hurt his cause more than helped it.

The psychiatric literature shows that the SNRI Effexor is the most effective medication for the symptoms of menopause. That said, many women have tremendous success with other medications. The antidepressants and the minor tranquilizers like Klonopin and Xanax are not mutually exclusive. Many people take one of each for relief.

Those who know me know that I am an active supporter of responsible medication. I urge anyone who is suffering to try medicine with the help of a good psychiatrist. Please don't be afraid or get discouraged. It may take a while to get the right one, and the right dosage, but medicine can be a lifesaver.

Hugs all around,
Marcy

dear Marcy,
thank you for your input. It sure clarifies an important detail.
There is so much info out there and we the state of mind that we are in, it is difficult to make a decision. Chosing medication is usually not a choice that we make lightly and when I made it I had mixed feeling. Taking ADs felt for me like I was given up about fighting on my own and somehow added to my depression state as I have always been a fighter (among other things, I learned how to swim despite my fear of the water at 43 so I could do an half-ironman!). However, it is the only thing right now that works for me as it is helping me to stay focused on the present and take one day at a time.
thanks again
mrs Buff

Lexapro definitely worked for me!!

Switched to Celexa generic for cost reasons and it works just as good.

I won't ever go off of them if I don't have to!