Anxiety Forum

[serenity113001]

I have always had anxiety but nothing that would make me unable to perform normal tasks until last week that is when I had a horrible panic attack that has left me enduring severe anxiety/panic attacks ever since. I went to urgent care and they injected me with xanax and then gave me a prescription for that and lexapro. Xanax helps ease the anxiety but it doesn't cure it of course, and since it is highly addictive I don't want to continue to rely on it to help me make it through the day. The lexapro had horrible side effects and my doctor took me off of it. I have an appointment tomorrow to see my doctor (my reg doctor the doctor who prescribed the original meds was not) and I am fearful of taking medication for anxiety again due to all of the horrible side effects that I have read about and because I don't think it is curing my problem just pacifiying it. I am interested in therapy and see that my HMO covers psychiatric care but how much does that cost typically with you insurance? I just want to feel better and make it through the day but I am growing more hopeless and just want to feel normal again like I did a damn week ago...Any advice for me please? I have been under a great deal of stress lately and pretty much homebound for the past two weeks. I feel better when I am out of the house but right now money is limited until my job gets back to me (long stressful story). Any advice or support would be greatly appreciated before I see my Doctor tomorrow. Thanks

[isis2383]

Im the same way you are... Our stories are similar. I had a wicked panic attack about 2 months ago and have had them multiple times a day since. I tried lexapro once and the side effects where so wicked I had to come off it (only after one day). Well things didnt get better with time so I am on lexapro again (day 16) and since I am so sensitive to meds my starting dose is 2.5mg and I also take xanax with that (was on klonopin but switched). I too dread taking meds but I realized that I need some help and maybe the side effects will be worth sticking out (least that is what I tell myself everyday while I curse at the pills before I take them). I am terrified of taking medication too so I know where you are coming from. Maybe you and a psychiatrist can explore a different medication or start you out at a smaller dose? If you are completely uncomfortable taking meds all together then seeing a psychotherapist may be key to what you need. I would call your insurance company to find out who is in your network, how many sessions are covered, and what your co-pay will be. In my case I get 22 sessions a year and my co-pays are $30 a visit... However everyones insurance plans and coverage are different (that was just an example). Just know that you are not alone. I think you should tell your doc exactly what you have stated here in your post. Honesty and concern is the best policy. Im wishing you the best of luck and hang in there. It is a struggle, and people who dont have anxiety/panic disorders really dont have a clue... heck i didnt tell I got the disorder myself!

[squirt]

Sometimes you need medicine. I would try and stay away from the benzo class of meds if possible (yes xanax is a benzo) and stick with the anti-depressants if you have to take meds. The main problem with drug therapy is that too many people are doing it alone and expect it to cure the problem. It helps but only a to a limited degree. But if used properly with cbt, therapy it can be awesome and you can get off meds if you learn the cbt skills.

[Robbed]

Then again, maybe you really don't need medication. I think that, all too often, medication is something that is shoved down people's throats. GPs, psychiatrists, and even psychologists typically tell people that the NEED long-term medication ASAP when they very well might not. And this only worsens anxiety since it plays into your fears that anxiety means never living a normal life again (ie NEEDING to take meds for life). Remember that it is actually the fear of anxiety more than anything else that keeps it going. And, unfortunately, when it comes to the people who should be helping you (ie psychiatrists, psychologists, etc), they are all to often VERY willing to oblige when it comes to helping to make anxiety conditions something to fear. My advice? Don't go on medication as a first resort. As a first resort, I would recommend some good self-help material. If you really don't need it, you are just better off not taking any medication. Only if your anxiety does not seem to improve with time despite your best efforts to deal with it by non-drug means should you consider medication.

[isis2383]

Medication was my last resort. I have major clinical depression, severe anxiety/panic/stress disorder and agoraphobia. I tried just therapy and it wasnt cutting it so I had to give it a try. The goal is for me to get off of xanax once I reach a higher dose of lexapro. Im only on 2.5 mg of it right now because I am very sensitive to meds and the side effects are wicked. Im upping it to 5 mg in the next two weeks and then we will evaluate in a month to see if I need to up it to 10. My pdoc told me with time I wont need the xanax anymore. I know it is addictive but since I fear taking meds I dont abuse it. I take less than half of a .25mg at night and then another half in the morning so I can chill out and get to work. My pdoc was very supportive when I told her I didnt want to go on meds, but after major struggle for a month I decided it was time to give it a try. My moods where outta of control, I cried all the time, I was having attacks at least three times a day. Im willing to try anything. I do intend to do CBT with the meds, maybe some acupuncture, and self help books. Im not relying on the meds to fix my problems. I know it doesnt work that way.

[Robbed]

Just remember one thing about therapy: most therapists are either completely worthless OR are going to make things worse. And finding a good therapist is goig to be challenging, to say the least. For this reason, I recommend GOOD self-help. And by GOOD, I don't just mean something that is written by some PhD from some fancy-schmancy school. I mean something that was written by someone wo actually overcame anxiety themselves OR by a well-known name when it comes to anxiety (ie Claire Weekes). Patience is also paramount. You are not going to overcome anxiety in a few days or even months. Count on several months to a few years before you are yourself again. This may sound horrible. BUT, things get better during that time (although yu WILL have setbacks). Also, if you think you will be fully better in a short time, this will cause additional stress (and, therefore, anxiety) if you are not. And, most likely, reovery WILL take time.

[squirt]

Isis I'm glad you are gonna give CBT a try. I think a lot of the advice you received about hit and miss nature of finding a good therapist is really accurate. I was lucky but really with CBT it is all self help anyway so if you are motivated and don't need someone to push you every step of the way that is the way to go and you'll save a bunch of money that way too. I also agree about being wary of PhD's and lean towards people who have been through it themselves like Sam Obitz and Lucinda Bassett. Be patient with yourself and you will get better if you work on yourself.

[Beachgirl]

Cbt is really cool and if you work on the tea forms in that book bt sam obitz you will learn to handle your anxiety no matter the situation.

[trackstar]

Consider joining a cbt group. I just finished one and it will teach you skills to help you manage your anxiety and it only takes 16-weeks.
Meds suck!

[Free2fly]

Meds work well for some people. I had a terrible experience. I expected they would work well for me, but on the FIRST pill (Citalopram) I took, I burned all over, panicked, laid in bed crying to take the feelings away... just, not nice. I've never felt so terrible in my life, it was as if someone put the crazy-switch on.
Doc said it's rare but can happen to people. She tried to give me a weaker SSRI and it was better but still bad. I now only use beta-blockers to calm the physiological side of anxiety, but nothing for my mood. I'm scared of taking any meds now apart from the BBs.
Many people have great success on them - the only way to know is to try.

[Robbed]

[Beachgirl]

The more non-med things you try the better imo. Robbed is right that TEA forms are especially effective for worriers and I have a hard time seeing a downside with them because they work great for most people, but I'm just me so I can't say how they affect others, but everyone I know who has used the TEA form method of CBT has received measurable relief. If they don't work for you, you can simply stop them and try something else. They say this type of CBT is over 85% effective in treating anxiety disorders so the risk reward ratio does not get much better than that and certainly beats meds risk reward ratio. Food for thought

[Robbed]

[Beachgirl]

I agree that overanalyzing things is a huge trap and needs to be avoided! I would say if you do not make any of the common thinking errors that cause most anxiety there is no need for the TEA form exercise. However, if you do I think you need to deal with them and fix those thoughts just like you would deal with any fixable problem you have and they work great for getting rid of inaccurate thoughts that cause anxiety.
In essence what the TEA form does is help you retrain your brain to learn to live in the present and since most anxiety is about what happens next or in the future if you can get out of your head and back into living your life the anxiety disappears.

[squirt]

I think you need to give up the fight and counter your thoughts in a TEA form for a good two pronged approach. Fighting the anxiety is always a bad idea!