Question:
I have been suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder for over 10
years and nothing seems to be working. I have been going to countless
pyshchologists but nothing seems to be working. I have been getting by
on Tranquilzers, which I know isnt the best scenario. I have tried
SSRIs in the past but never had the motivation to go throough a course
due to the side effects. My Generalized Anxiety Disorder mainly
occours when for some resason I imagine that Im not pleasing somebody.
This bad thought then sticks in my mind causing massive tension
headaches, irritability, loss of moitivation & anxiety for weeks on
end. I just cant seem to reverse a negative thought. Does anyone
know of a medication that can help, but at the same time not cause too
many side effects?
Answer:
Effexor XR is supposed to be also for GAD, as well as for Depression--I took
Effexor XR for nearly 2 years, and it worked great for calming me down,
although I was taking it for depression. However, it caused me to gain
weight--I'd say 20 lbs of my 40 lb weight gain during that time was due to
the Effexor. I was off meds for over 1 1/2 years, and then went on Cymbalta last August.
Cymbalta is good for depression, but I don't think it is indicated for
GAD--in any case, it is *not* calming for me--however, it *does* serve as an
appetite depressant, especially at the effective dose (60 mg). However,
Cymbalta makes my HBP worse, and I'm back to a lower dose (30 mg)--and I may
be supplementing the Cymbalta with another med-- Effexor XR also made my HBP worse, but not as bad as with the Effexor.
Supposedly the norepinepherine reuptake is what causes the BP to spike--and
since Effexor also acts on norepinepherine (but not as great as the
Cymbalta) , that's why my BP increased on the Effexor. There are other
folks here who know more about meds than I do, maybe they'll chime in and
give you some advice-- I have found that Trazadone helps with anxiety. I take 100mg a day.
I had some side-effects, especially at first, but nothing too bad. I prefer Ativan. I take the smallest dose possible PRN. I rarely take
it because I prefer to try and use my own version of CBT to calm myself
down. But when I do take it, I like it because it is fast acting and
has a short half life so I am not doped up for a long time! I've used Ativan for more-or-less the same symptoms the OP described.
They did work, but I don't think it's a good drug to use if you can
avoid it. I found them extremely addictive. And you develop a
tolerance for them. Worse still (for me) is that they make me
absent-minded. I found I couldn't just take one when needed and leave
it at that; I'd have to gradually reduce the dose over a few days -
otherwise insomnia was inevitable. I have also used the beta-blocker propanolol for anxiety. That was
better in many ways. Now the doc is trying me on the SRRI, citalopram a few days ago, but
it doesn't seem to be reducing my anxiety. In fact it makes it seem
less tolerable because they seem to boost my adrenaline. I go through maybe 5 or 10 ativan a year, again at the lowest dose. So
I am not concerned about the addictive potential.
