Okay made an appointment to talk to my doc next Tuesday. She has no idea that I want to talk with her about anxiety meds and not sure how she's going to react. I do believe that I've had anxiety for years but it came in spells. Every couple of years I'd go to the Dr with chest pains or something usually heart related and after having tests and them coming back okay I'd be okay for a while. For the last 12-18 months my anxiety seems to be much more constant Even writing this is helpful because I've been rehearsing over and over in my head what I want to say to the Dr next tuesday and will probably continue to do this unless something better comes to mind to think about.

I currently have some left over xanax that I've been taking for the last couple of days and it takes the edge off, relaxes me a bit so I'm not so tense and brings my mood up a bit but doesn't seem to last too long, maybe 3 or 4 hours, been taking one .5mg tab once in the morning for the last couple of mornings.

My symptoms that I have are:
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Constant shoulder,chest and neck tightness.

Pressure in forehead and behind the eyes.

Obessesive thoughts, topics vary day to day but always something

Constant worrying, if not about health then falls back to anything bad in the past or possibly future events. Recently went on vacation, had a panic attack on day 2 and spent the rest of the cruise checking my pulse, bp and couldn't wait to get home. Totally stupid when I couldn't wait to go in the first place, my anxiety totally ruined this trip.

Various eye, mouth, neck twitches and ticks when I talk to someone, doesn't happen much when I'm alone

Panic attacks when visting the Doctor and other various times

Fast heart rate, leading to constant blood pressure and pulse checking leading to faster heart rate and hbp

Palpitations (varies under what type of anxiety I have for that day)

Irritability with most anything but especially my children(really bothers me, which brings on massive guilt)

No motivation, Lack of concentration (have big projects that I keep putting off)

Lack of sleep, usually only get 4 to 5 hours a night of restless sleep

Overeating, helps with anxiety

Hands trembling at random times

Numb top of head and hands at various times

Dizzy or lightheaded a decent amount of the time.

Feeling like I'm not in my own body but some how just attached to it or it's not really me.

Poor self image, picture that people view me as nervous and meek but I'm not. When meeting someone new, feel like I'm 10 times shorter than them and that right away they are better than me.

No joy in life, move day to day without being happy or sad, just mediocre. Go to work, sit in my office and don't interact with anyone too much. Go home do my tasks then sit in front of the tv until 1:00 am., Wake up between 5 and 7 am and do it all again.

Use sex as a means of proving acceptance from my wife. I believe it puts too much pressure on my wife which brings about more anxiety.

Totally hold in and internalize all anxiety which leads to greater physical symptoms.

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A person here recommended lexapro said paxil made her feel dopey. Xanax seems okay for short term but doesn't appear to last too long, maybe 3 to 4 hours.

I'm looking for something to take longer term, 4 to 6 months to see if I can't get back to my old self who was more happy,creative and enjoying life.

I have no idea about what is best as all the manufacturers claim thier is so I'm looking to those who have been in my shoes for advice.

What do you folks recommend would be a good medication to shoot for with my doc ?

Thanks,

Mark

Don't ask us which medication to use, ask your doctor. Everyone reacts differently to every medication, and no one here could possibly predict which med will work best for you.

The most commonly used anti-anxiety medications are SSRIs and benzodiazepines. Benzos include Xanax, Valium and Klonopin, are short-acting, and are essentially tranquilizers. You take benzos on an as-needed basis - for example, to calm down during a panic attack or a particularly stressful situation.

SSRIs are a type of anti-depressant also used for anxiety and panic disorders. SSRIs are used on a long term basis, usually for months or years at a time, because they take 4-6 weeks to start working fully. SSRIs include Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft.

There are also a few other anti-anxiety medications like Wellbutrin and BuSpar.

You may - in fact you probably will - have to try a few drugs before you find one that works for you. There's no way that anyone here can tell you which one will be best. Even your doctor won't know until you try.

I have had a good success with buspar. I take 15 mg twice a day. Makes you kind of sleepy for about an hour then it wears off! I have been on and off of it for years.
Personally I had a terrible reaction to Zoloft as well as Elavil. We are all different. Best to learn what you can and arm yourself with knowledge then ask your Dr.

Hi Timber thanks for the advice. I guess I'm not looking for a prescrition from here, just a general consensus of what people who have similar symptoms (seems like a sufficient number) have had success with. I do realize that everyone is different and I've been reading each manufacturers page but they all seem pretty much the same to me.

Being a GP my Dr probably has a standard prescription she uses when she gets a request like this and I'm not sure that I'm willing to 'settle' for what she thinks is best for my symptoms that she's been ignoring for 10 years. If I can go in with a plan I feel that I'll have much better success.


Bell99-- Thanks for the response, what type of reaction did you have to Zoloft?

Thanks,

Mark

Hi Mark!
The way the you are describing yourself was me to a T. I think that I have told you the before. I have the constant tightness in my shoulders, chest and upper back as well. I have been taking Celexa which has helped a lot. In the past I was on Paxil but I did gain weight. Then I tried Zoloft, and Prozac before the Celexa. I am so sensitive to any body symptom that I think Celexa was the best for the least side effects. I also have xanax as needed. It also helps to take xanax while you are waiting for the anti-depressant to kick in. I did not feel the best for about the first 2 weeks but I stuck it out. I do not have panic attacks anymore but I still think about my heart a lot. But that is something that I am going to have to work through. Good Luck and keep me posted.
Kaley
ps. Does the tension in your back feel like you are carrying around a backpack full of bricks??? Can you make it hurt by tensing your arms?? Let me know.

Buspar hasn't worked one tiny bit for me. I took it for roughly 15 weeks. A lot of people say buspar isn't effective...but everyone's different

No problem, Mark. I imagine your doctor will probably start by prescribing an SSRI for long-term use and possibly a benzo to tide you over til the first kicks in.

I had symptoms a lot like yours, and I've been on Celexa for a number of years. It helped a lot and I had only mild side effects for the first few weeks. Since then, none at all.

Hey - just a quick response,

I have tried Celexa, but after taking it for a week or so, I get a light constant headache, which in turn makes me think I have a brain tumor. Well, not really, but it doesn't help my anxiety. I have tried Celexa twice and it happened the same way both times. Just know, that side effects may happen. Be prepared for them in your brain, so that when (and if) they do happen you won't freak.

Kaley- Mine is more like I'm trying hold and keep a bottle from falling from between my man breasts.

I'm leaning towards celexa or lexapro, with a xanax backup but I'm not sure how far she is going to go with any meds at all. I often have to make her pay attention to what I'm saying and not talk over me and make assumptions about what I am going to say. I'm sure in this instance that I'll have to try and prove my case. Wish me luck...

Mark

I first started off on Paxil, and it was a miracle for me.. I didn't gain any weight.. in fact lost weight, and felt 100 times better. Then I recently went off the Paxil because I was clenching my jaw at night, so my doctor switched me to Lexapro. The lexapro made me more anxious than I had been even before being on anything. I had a panic attack every day. I went back to my dr and she put me back on Paxil only a higher dose and I am feeling sooooooo much better.

As it has been said, everyone has a different reaction to different drugs. I know some people who swear by Lexapro and hated Paxil, so the main thing is just to be patient and find one that works for you. Good luck!

I would 100% recommend Effexor XR. I had many of the same symtoms you describe, espeically muscle tension, chest pains, wierd eye things, very moody to my kids. My doc gave me this pack that started you off at 35mg for a week and then the 2nd week to 75mg. I had NO bad side effects at all which I was so afraid of. It even started to work within 2 weeks for me. The only BAD thing that has happened to me is that I have not been able to reach orgasm since I started taking it. Luckily I can get excited and enjoy sex, but I just can't release it!!! It is a bit frustrating, but my husband understands and I feel so much better, so to me it is worth it. Since you are a man, it may affect your sex drive differently. And I know everyone reacts different, but I have heard many positives on this board to Effexor.

Good luck to you. ANd take my advice, please get on a med no matter what it is... IT will change your life for the better!!!!

Raq :)

Just a quick update. Went to the Dr this am and fessed up about my obsession with checking my pulse and bp, anxiety and depression symptoms, everything I've never had the opportunity to tell her.

She was actually quite relieved about all of my anxiety symptoms becuase she could never figure out what was wrong with me and was leaning toward it being some weird heart ailment. She totally agreed with my treatment plan which was lexapro and klonapin for interim use. She actually shook my hand and said thank you for being up front and honest about the anxiety and other symptoms that I've been experiencing. I was shocked as I thought she would be totally against my treatment plan and would minimize my symptoms but she was all over it and said how it explained everything that she has been seeing in me for symptoms.

It struck me as kind of odd though that she never asked me about any of this stuff in all my previous appointments and I had to make a special appointment to be able to spill my guts. She had me cancel my cardio appointment and actually gave me her email to email her in 3 weeks to let her know how things were going. All of this going my way has been such a relief in itself. I started on lexapro immediately 5mg a couple of hours ago and have not noticed any weird feelings yet and really don't expect to see anything so soon. Only advice I have is that if your holding back and internalizing all these feelings go talk to your dr, did me a world of good.

Mark