Newbie..about me

Anxiety
#1

hi guys,my name is paul,37 from manchester england..

i`m a newbie,my first post..

just thought i`de say a bit about myself,i`ve been living with anxiety,depression and panic desorder for over 20 years,started when i was around 12 years old..suffered ever since,i never really told anyone for years,until i was around 27,that was 10 years ago...since then i`ve been on various medication eg citalopram,paroxatine,diazapam..i`m currently on a 6 month course of 20mg citalopram,its an antidepressent,my doctor calls it,seritonen,re-uptake inhibutors,basically,the brain releases seritonen (happy chemical) when you get depressed,the seritonen level in the brain drops,the citalopram boosts the seritonen in the brain..up to now the it seems to be doing some good,it has`nt took the depression away,but it has calmed the panic attacks down and slowed my heart down a tad,i know its not alot,but when you`ve had exreme panic attacks like i have,anything to help even 1% is well woth it,

if anyone has had any other medication which is good for any of these conditions,i`de be sure interested in hearing about it..

thanks..paul..

#2

Welcome to the site, Paul.
Buspar is good for anxiety. It is non addictive. I take klonopin. It works but is addictive. GABA works for anxiety too. It is a nutrient. No prescription needed. Good luck!

#3

Welcome Paul
Great first post. It’s easier to get to know you that way! I can’t imagine living with all the stuff you have for so long. I whine about 14 years or so. You’re a trooper! Pat on the back for ya’. How do you do it? Spread some insight and strategies, please.

For panic attacks I was put on Prozac for awhile, but it just put me to sleep. Everyone else I talk to though says it’s good stuff. I am currently taking Ativan for anxiety. It works fairly well, but it’s a benzodiazipine, so it’s addictive. Have to take more and more to get desired results. It’s a CNS depressant and just a depressant in general. I am also taking Lamictal to balance mood. Hasn’t helped though. It’s a slow titration up to a theraputic dose. Can you tell I spend a lot of time with my psych doc? I’ve been through a string of anti-depressants and not had success yet.

I hope this community helps you. It’s been great for me. It’s good to know we’re not alone in our struggles. Sometimes when we’re closed up at home (me!) for a long time, it’s hard to find support.

Do you have a therapist? Are you seeing a psychiatrist? I made the mistake of starting out with my primary physician to prescribe drugs for me. He was not nearly as knowledgeable as my “drug doc”.
Daisy

#4

Hello, paul~queen~daisy…

 reading your post's, how you guys are just name dropping all these kinds of medication gets me all tense, I have to keep repeating it to remember it, lexapro, lexapro..................lexapro,  a couple of days ago i was perscibed lexapro, (there i remembered).....

 I dont think i ever gave a history of me, but i do have a bit in my journal of my earlier days, Im kinda in the same boat as paul haveing this anxiety/social/performance disorder for 20 plus years now, does this rank me as "General Disorder Chris Durand of the Care Place Community".....hehe

 I have only been on the drug for 3 days and i know it could take weeks for any result but i have had this tightness in my neck almost like a vomit kinda feel.....but i guess that it to be exspected.... I believe lexapro is suppose to raise the levels of seritonan in the brain kinda what like what paul was describeing for one of his meds, i guess will see....

Welcome, Paul
Take Care, Chris

#5

Hi Paul!
I too have suffered from panic attacks since I was about 11 years old. It took a long time for them to tell me exactly what I had for some reason. Probably because it is not typical for children to suffer from the classic panic attacks. Let me tell you I feel your pain! I have had them so bad that I couldnt even leave the house to get groceries, by myself or with someone didnt matter. I would have an attack and curl up on the bathroom floor for hours sweating and shaking and waiting for it to pass. Sometimes they would be so bad I would go to the er to have them knock me out and sometimes they would be even worse and I couldnt even go to the hospital…the floor in the bathroom was my safest place.
The med that I haev found to be the most helpful to me is zoloft 100mg and klonopin .5mg as needed. I know they say klonopin is addictive but at that small of a dose (which I have been on for YEARS) I have never had to increase and have not abused it. Klonopin works as a safety net for me, I take it when going into a situation that I know could cause anxiety or when I feel anxiety coming on. It helps get me out there. And the more times I go out without anxiety or panic the easier it gets.
Also a very powerful drug is knowledge! I have read MANY books on the subject and wasted a lot of money on self help treatments like the Chaange program($500.00!). The one book that I read and found REAL help in was called Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic Third edition by David Barlow and Michelle Craske. If you have not read it I urge you to pick up a copy.
I am not sure on your depression…sometimes depression is caused or the result of suffering from panic disorder. That is what I have had. Typically the better my anxiety the better the depression. I hope to talk with you more here on careplace! Feel free to email, If you have any questions or just need some support!
Hugs to you and hope you are doing well today:)
Kim

#6

hi guys,thank you for all your feedback,also,thanks for the nice welcome and positive comments,its all highly appreciated…im soo glad to meet people like yourselves that have grown up with the simular conditions as me,it can be very difficult to cope at times,but i do have the odd good time..ive always been very warey about taking these what i call “mind altering tablets” but ive been suffering for soo long,i felt that i had to do sumthing before i ended up dead..so i allowed my doctor to prescribe me some medication,ive had diazapam but that just relaxed me,and it was only a temperary let off,i had paroxatine but that made me confused and made me feel strange…but the citalopram,ive been on these for aprrox 2 months now,and since starting the course,my panic attacks seemed to have calmed down a bit..i used to get real bad,heart racing and thumping,no energy what so ever,trouble sleeping,trouble with going out,like i said in my last post,most of the symptoms i still have,but its such a huge relief just to have my heart beat at a slower rate,first time in years.. i havent been on holiday/vacation since the age of 13,never been able to hold down a real job (although,i feel like ive had a huge job trying to live a normal life) thats a huge job in itself,never learned to drive a car,ive just never had any self asteam,never had no interests,thats what this condition has done to me,ruined my life for 25 years…im not sure ill ever fully recover,but im hoping,with help and medication,i can learn to at least cope with it,and maybe control it..try and crack a bit of a smile for what time ive got left,im 37 comming on 38 in august,and ive never done anything with my life…but if this medication keeps it up,ill hope to stay on it for the rest of my life,i know i cant,the doctor said its only a 4-6 month course..i dont think ill do anything to dramatic to start with,i`ll just relax for the first few years

hope you guys are having a good day today,mine is just average right now…i`ll be glad to chat with you guys,its a real uplifter for me…

#7

Hi Paul,
I am so happy that you are starting to try and live a normal life. All the meds out there are not mind altering. Some you dont even feel except that you feel “better”. Dont ever settle for something that helps a little though, as good as a little feels. There is something out there that will help A LOT, and is worth looking for! You sound like a wonderful, intelligent man who longs to live a happy life…Go for it! Dont hold back! Someone who has suffered in silence as long as you deserves to feel some peace from this demon. Hang in there you have a lot of living left to do. I’ll say a prayer for you! Hope your average day turns a little better:)
Hugs, Kim

#8

Hi Paul, sorry to hear things are not going good for you right now<( Hopefully they will adjust your meds or have you on something diff. I have found that it does not pay to settle for a drug that does not make things more then 50% better! Don't settle there is so much out there something WILL work for you. Have hope and try to stay positive. I know how hard that is when your feeling so awful, but better days WILL come I promise<)

Hugs, Kim

#9

Paul,

Where have you been???  How's things going for you?  You're way too silent for a newbie!  "Reach out and touch someone" as the phrase repeats.

Daisy

#10

hi daisy..

i`m right here,nice to speak to you again..i dont get on the net enough,i only pop on every couple of days to see what going on and read peoples problems and symptoms..

not going so well at the moment at my end,the medication is not working as good as it was,i can feel my anxiety creeping its ugly head back in..my hearts starting to race every day or so,having bad dreams,waking up in the night at about 3am,thinking bad thoughts,dont want to leave the house..i`m basically going back to the way i was..

i was supposed to go back to my doctors for a new batch of pills but i`m just losing interest in doing anything,it just feels like i`m going back round the roundabout again..agghhh :>) (smile)

i`ll have to go see my doctor this week and get things moving again,i`m sure she`ll either up the dose of my citalopram to 30mg or even 40mg,or maybe try me on some other antidepressents,i know she`s going to give me a roasting for not going back,she`s very strict..i`ve also got an appointment with my mental health officer next week,if i can get myself to go,i`ll tell him whats happening,see if he can do anything to help calm things down..

gotta stay positve..

Anyway,how are you lot getting along ? hope your coping ok..

i`m still surprised to know that there`s alot of people worldwide with the same condition as me,i thought it was quite rare..

#11

hi paul,

welcome.

cyndi