I have had anxeity for about 20 years now and about 15 years ago i was taking 6mgs. of Xanax a day for anxiety and was doing fine until i had to change Dr's... Since that change, i have been up and and down... Now i know they say Xanax is addictive, but i have been on it for 20 years now and have never had trouble with abuse... But my main question is, Why do they prescibe an "upper" for people who need a "downer"
I do admit, Prozac seems to help me for a few years, but i went through what my Dr calls a leveling period where Prozac quit working and then he tried me on several other SSRI's with no effect.
Why do they worry so much about addiction, when the addiction is not the problem?
To me it's like giving a blind person a hearing aid!
Sure i can say that the SSRI's have helped a little bit, but not enough to justify them worrying about me getting addicted... Better addicted to A Dr prescibed med than wallowing in alcohol...
Makes me think we are junkies, NOT. My mom has been on it of almost 15 Plus years. I don't like anybody thinking I am abusing anything, heck, I hate taking pills in general, if it wern't for the Anxiety.
I think the addiction thing is overblown, too. Studies show that people who abuse benzos abuse other drugs as well and use the drugs not because they NEED them (like we do) but because they enjoy the high or low the drug gives them, in other words, they use them purely recreationally. There are cases of people who became very addicted to benzos without other addictions, but I'd argue that those are people who are PRONE to addiction anyway. I think it's a lawsuit type thing they are worried about, plus the media plays up stories about people getting prescriptions for benzos and painkillers and selling them, and even doctors aren't immune to sensationalism.
That said, I think SSRIs, overall, are much less effective than was first believed. I think they still may help, but there is no denying the fact that they "poop out" after a while (psychs even call it "serotonin poop-out syndrome") and the patient has to switch or stop the meds. I question whether or not I am even any better on SSRIs than off, to be honest. I usually have a hard first month on an SSRI, then a few months of feeling better, then I feel pretty neutral. Benzos are the only medications that have ever truly been VERY helpful for my anxiety, and I've tried almost every SSRI on the market, plus BuSpar, plus other offbeat meds like Neurontin. The thought is that if they can get us anxious folk to hold more serotonin in our receptors, we'll be happier and in better spirits. But there are studies that show that some SSRIs aren't any better than placebo, and there are the infamous studies that compare Zoloft and exercise (exercise won, but it was a study for depression). Like many drugs, pharmaceutical companies want to use a drug for as many conditions as possible so they can maximize profit. I think that is why BuSpar never got really big; they couldn't find any other big use for it besides anxiety. I think the benzos have done what most meds haven't: they have withstood the test of time. Valium has been around for decades. They are here and they are still prescribed because they work so well. I predict SSRIs are going to fade into the sunset as the novelty wears off (and the novelty is waning).
Amen to all of you! I am not depressed and SSRI's have not helped me, some made it worse. The benzos like xanax are specifically for panic and anxiety so I don't understand why so many docs don't like them. I also agree that the whole addicition thing depends on the person, not everyone is going to become a xanax/ativan/klonopin, etc. junkie! Funny that a lot of docs have no problem prescribing sleeping pills or pain pills which are addicitve but shy away from a med that REALLY helps people with severe anxiety/panic. I cannot tell you how much better I am doing now that I found a doc to prescribe xanax. With all the SSRI's I was worse and the side effects made me so ill. My mom and my grandma both had anxiety disorders and both took valium for many years and weren't crazed addicts. I just don't get it really.
I so totally agree with you all about the Benzos. I could probably get away from SSRI's, and just a benzo. I don't want to have to find another doctor for this reason. If the doctor would look at my chart, he would see that anxiety runs in the family.......my mother.
For the love of god, I am not going to bed for a med. I hate SSRI, but supposly they are best for Anxiety (Prozac) 1 Week today...........No changes, and now they want to double from 20 mgs, to 40? My goodness.
i agree.
i have been on Prozac for 2-3 weeks now. no change in anxiety except for it BEING WORSE!
Has not helped my anxiety at all!
I'm going to see a new doc next week to see what his opinion is about the prozac and if I really need it. The only thing that is helping me is the Xanax.
The Prozac has killed my appetite, to the point of I have to force food down or just drink Ensure drinks to get nutrients. It's made my mouth dry and I feel sick to my stomach.
i agree.
i have been on Prozac for 2-3 weeks now. no change in anxiety except for it BEING WORSE!
Has not helped my anxiety at all!
I'm going to see a new doc next week to see what his opinion is about the prozac and if I really need it. The only thing that is helping me is the Xanax.
The Prozac has killed my appetite, to the point of I have to force food down or just drink Ensure drinks to get nutrients. It's made my mouth dry and I feel sick to my stomach.
This is my first post, so here is the story. I have panic dissorder, which I guess qualifies as slightly worse than anxiety, but I have been taking Xanax for a month now and it seems to be working very well even at low doses.
How well is Xanax working for all of you and how much are you taking? I am taking .5 mg 3x/day.
Anyway, I also have experienced the side effects of SSRI's. They actually made my anxiety many times worse. I have tried them all. You name it, Paxil, Prozac, Buspar, Welbutrin, Zoloft, Remeron etc. You name it and I have tried it. Anyway, so far Xanax is the only thing that has given me any relief. I am just curious if anyone else has shared my experiences.
Oh yea, Xanax even clearaed up stomach problems linked to anxiety that I have been suffering from for months. I don't care if I have to take it for the rest of my life.
I cant really answer for your particuliar doctor, but anxiety is a form of depression, and to understand how ssri work, they work by controling the seratonin and other chemicals that control how we feel. The concept of giving people an upper to calm you down is equivalant to giving someone with add/adhd speed to make them consentrate. Your body doesnt process its chemicals correctly so these meds help to keep you from having incorrect levels. Xanax is a guick fix and was never intended for long term use. It is actually written for people with agorephobia and clausterphobia ect. to deal with short term over stimulation, not balance the over all levels of the brain. Unfortunately, some folks have ruiened it for everybody by becoming afraid of experiencing a panic attack and taking xanax and adderall to ward off their feelings and become psychologically addicited, not just physically. It is a very fine line and with malpractice lawyers making it really tough to practice medicine these days I dont see doctors writing many controlled substances over long periods anymore. If you really need the med xanax, a psychiatrist can and usually does prescribe, or send a recommendation to the pcp to write the med and follow you up periodically for maintainence.
Hope this answers some of your questions, its kinda hard to explain.
Sorry to disagree with your otherwise good post, angeleyes, but anxiety is NOT depression. The two may coexist, but anxiety and depression are two separate entities as defined by the DSM-IV, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders. A person can have one or both, or a whole lot of things, but anxiety is not a form of depression.
thanks for the correction, I should have stated can be a component to depression, ie the label use of paxil and or prozac. Unfortunately Im not familiar with your manual, but will check it out.
Sorry to disagree with your otherwise good post, angeleyes, but anxiety is NOT depression. The two may coexist, but anxiety and depression are two separate entities as defined by the DSM-IV, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders. A person can have one or both, or a whole lot of things, but anxiety is not a form of depression.
You're right! Ive had depression and would trsde my anxiety and panic for it anyday because I know I can draw myself out of it. With this disorder called Anxiety I am not able to do that...
Hi - I HATE SSRI's - I was just hospitalized for 3 days because Zoloft made me have SEVERE anxiety attacks - I had taken Zoloft in the past with no problems so you just never know! I am now on Remeron (it is NOT an SSRI) and have only been on it for 3 days and feel great except for the dizziness and drowsiness in the morning. It is getting better each day. I am also on Xanax XR once a day but will not be taking that anymore in a few weeks. I highly recommend that you see a Psychiatrist for your meds instead of a general practitioner if you are not already. Their specialty is these meds. My Psych said SSRI's are terrible drugs for treating panic and anxiety. Good luck to everyone suffering from panic/anxiety - it sucks!!
Last edited by LemonSupreme; 10-03-2006 at 07:40 PM.
In reading alot of you posts, I know feel that... I am not alone!
I do see a Psych and he is the one pretty much trying to get me off of Xanax, Now i do agree with some of what Angeleyes had to say about ssri's... They do help me in some ways! They do give me a calming effect, but not enough to justify going back on it for good!
I had a Dr a long time ago, Who swore by Benzo drugs! Well he retired, Now i am left to fend for myself...
Anyhow, If i can't talk my Psych into keeping me on Xanax... I will move in with him and make his life hell! lol
I second all of your posts regarding those awful SSRIs. Not that I have tried many, but the side effects were so bad the one time I tried one I was out of work for two days because I couldn't even stand up straight. I will never try an SSRI again...NEVER! What really makes me mad is that a doctor will tell you "oh, you have anxiety, here's some xanax". And you take the xanax and it helps you. So you go back to your doctor to get some more and they won't give it to you. Well why did they give it to you in the first place??? Because they know it works!!! It is actually pretty cruel, if you ask me. They give us something that helps us, and we can start being somewhat normal again, and then they won't give us anymore. So we just get a little taste of being able to feel good, and then it is taken away. This bugs the living crap out of me. Sorry - I just get so mad over this.
I am with you Steve. My new doctor says he does not like the Benzo family. I have been on them for almost two years.........Ikes.
Makes me think we are junkies, NOT. My mom has been on it of almost 15 Plus years. I don't like anybody thinking I am abusing anything, heck, I hate taking pills in general, if it wern't for the Anxiety.
