daysiewaysie
10-15-2003, 02:18 AM
I have OCD (obsessions only), trich and social anxiety. I have been debating whether to take medications for this for a while now, and I am still unsure. I did go to my doctor, but he only listened to me for about a minute and a half, and then prescribed Xanax for me. I have not filled the prescription yet. I am worried about becoming addicted, and I have heard some awful horror stories. I have decided to take an educated risk, but as of yet I dont feel I know enough. I have a few questions if anyone could answer them.
I have heard that any of these medications that treat OCD, depression, SAD, etc cannot be taken for more than a few months. If that is the case, why bother? Does it actually help after you stop taking them? Or do they only work while you are on the meds?
My other question was, my doctor said to take Xanax every day, but I've seen posts on here that people are taking them only when they feel they will need it. That would be great for me, because my social anxiety is by far the worst for me. Is this possible?
Also ... I have been looking up most common medications and have found that Paxil seems to be the closest fit to me, but this is the drug that I have heard the worst things about. Anyone feel one way or the other on this drug?
Any comments or suggestions would be wonderful. Thanks!
I have heard that any of these medications that treat OCD, depression, SAD, etc cannot be taken for more than a few months. If that is the case, why bother? Does it actually help after you stop taking them? Or do they only work while you are on the meds?
My other question was, my doctor said to take Xanax every day, but I've seen posts on here that people are taking them only when they feel they will need it. That would be great for me, because my social anxiety is by far the worst for me. Is this possible?
Also ... I have been looking up most common medications and have found that Paxil seems to be the closest fit to me, but this is the drug that I have heard the worst things about. Anyone feel one way or the other on this drug?
Any comments or suggestions would be wonderful. Thanks!
Sponsor
GettingWellAgain
10-15-2003, 01:26 PM
I know exactly what you're going through. I have been through soooooo many medications, but they were mostly for panic attacks, which I don't have anymore. I just now have anxiety and OCD. For me at least, the OCD and anxiety is better than being on medications. In MY case, it is true that the medications stopped working after a while and I had to slowly (and usually painfully) withdrawal from a medication and start on a new one, and when that stopped working or if I had bad side effects, I'd have to stop that one and start all over with a new one and it was a vicious, hellish cycle that lasted for about 4-5 years. When I first went for psychiatric help, I was prescribed Klonopin, which you may know is very similar to Xanax, and was told to take it everyday, too. It IS very addictive. Somewhere on this board, I have posted my lengthy withdrawal story from Klonopin. You don't even want to read it, it's terrible. I took it every day AS PRESCRIBED and as directed, still had a severe addiction, tapered down slowly to get off of it, and STILL had withdrawal that you can compare to being as bad as heroin withdrawal. Paxil was the best drug for me too, but it stopped working for me after a while, unfortunately. Also, after being on it for a few months, I had some pretty nasty side effects. SSRI's always seemed to numb me, although that's just my personal experience as some people have had WONDERFUL results with them. My advice is NOT to take the Xanax. Do EVERYTHING else before you take that. Take ANYTHING else before the Xanax. Trust me on that one. New studies have been showing that cognitive behavioral therapy is looking to be a great method for reducing/"curing" OCD. I myself and going to start seeking cognitive behavioral therapy. I suffer without medication, yes, but I would rather be clear-headed and free of the horrific side effects and withdrawals of all these drugs. I am not in any way trying to scare you at all, because as I said, some people respond wonderfully to medications and have very few side effects. You can try it out taking medication, but I suggest therapy first unless you absolutely cannot stand yourself to the point of wanting to committ suicide. Others may not agree with me, but that just my opinion based on my experience. Below are a list of the medications that I have taken and the side effects:
Previous Medications:
Klonopin: Sedation, increased libido, thoughtlessness, memory loss (short and long term), loss of inhibitions, MAJOR weight gain, cravings after a few months of being on the same dosage (tolerance witdrawal), heavy periods, anxiety when the dosage wore off, excessive sleeping, apathy, lethargy, abdominal bloating, carelessness, loss of some emotion, and lastly, of course, the HELLISH withdrawal I went through even with ultra-slow tapering.
Celexa: Don't recall, so it must not have been too bad.
Prozac: SEVERE trembling, possible allergic reaction, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, diarrhea.
Paxil: Emotional numbing/blunting, MAJOR weight gain of 40+ pounds, hand trembling, hormonal imbalance that caused a temporary (and scary) darkening of my genitals and armpits, acne, HEAVY menstrual periods at first and then absence of menstrual periods, twitching, light sensitvity, loss of MIND basically (did things I would NEVER normally do such as stealing, lying, thinking about suicide)and
HORRIFIC withdrawal consisting of brain zaps, shaking, nausea, insomnia, diarrhea, spaciness, anxiety, panic attacks, depression.
Wellbutrin: Weight gain believe it or not, shaking, trembling, heart palpitations, hyperactivity, increased anxiety, nausea during smoking cigarettes (which I expected since it's also marketed as Zyban).
Neurontin: The only fairly side-effect free drug I was on, that I remember.
Effexor: Brain zaps, nausea, ANOREXIA, loss of appetite, slight mania.
Seroquel: I LIKE seroquel as long as it isn't mixed with any other depressanst. I don't like the STUPIDITY it causes and DUH feeling you have all day on large doses.
Risperdal: Hallucinations, shaking, fatigue. Took for ONE day. It scared me to death.
Current Medications:
Trazodone: Makes me slightly manic feeling, sometimes have heart palpitations when I get up, if I don't go to bed right away and it starts to kick in I get extremely dizzy, it doesn't make me sleep as well as it used to (but i've been taking the same dose for about 8 months), sometimes it makes me irritated and angry if I take too much ( i can take anywhere from 50-200mg at bedtime, suppresses my appetite a little bit.
I'm sure I missed a couple of them, but maybe if more people post, it will help you make a more informed decision. Good luck and take care :)
Previous Medications:
Klonopin: Sedation, increased libido, thoughtlessness, memory loss (short and long term), loss of inhibitions, MAJOR weight gain, cravings after a few months of being on the same dosage (tolerance witdrawal), heavy periods, anxiety when the dosage wore off, excessive sleeping, apathy, lethargy, abdominal bloating, carelessness, loss of some emotion, and lastly, of course, the HELLISH withdrawal I went through even with ultra-slow tapering.
Celexa: Don't recall, so it must not have been too bad.
Prozac: SEVERE trembling, possible allergic reaction, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, diarrhea.
Paxil: Emotional numbing/blunting, MAJOR weight gain of 40+ pounds, hand trembling, hormonal imbalance that caused a temporary (and scary) darkening of my genitals and armpits, acne, HEAVY menstrual periods at first and then absence of menstrual periods, twitching, light sensitvity, loss of MIND basically (did things I would NEVER normally do such as stealing, lying, thinking about suicide)and
HORRIFIC withdrawal consisting of brain zaps, shaking, nausea, insomnia, diarrhea, spaciness, anxiety, panic attacks, depression.
Wellbutrin: Weight gain believe it or not, shaking, trembling, heart palpitations, hyperactivity, increased anxiety, nausea during smoking cigarettes (which I expected since it's also marketed as Zyban).
Neurontin: The only fairly side-effect free drug I was on, that I remember.
Effexor: Brain zaps, nausea, ANOREXIA, loss of appetite, slight mania.
Seroquel: I LIKE seroquel as long as it isn't mixed with any other depressanst. I don't like the STUPIDITY it causes and DUH feeling you have all day on large doses.
Risperdal: Hallucinations, shaking, fatigue. Took for ONE day. It scared me to death.
Current Medications:
Trazodone: Makes me slightly manic feeling, sometimes have heart palpitations when I get up, if I don't go to bed right away and it starts to kick in I get extremely dizzy, it doesn't make me sleep as well as it used to (but i've been taking the same dose for about 8 months), sometimes it makes me irritated and angry if I take too much ( i can take anywhere from 50-200mg at bedtime, suppresses my appetite a little bit.
I'm sure I missed a couple of them, but maybe if more people post, it will help you make a more informed decision. Good luck and take care :)
scaredbuthopeful
10-15-2003, 09:33 PM
OMG...the above poster has terrified me enough that I may never take meds again. I notice there was no mention of Zoloft.
daysiewaysie
10-15-2003, 11:42 PM
You basically told me what I think I needed to hear. My OCD and social anxiety are bad, but they arent to the point where I dont know how to make it from one day to the next. I just wish there was some easy way to make it go away with medication, but I dont think its worth everything that I might have to go through. I will try cognitive therapy that you were talking about and if that doesnt work, I will just have to manage this in my life the best I can. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm glad I'll never know what your post might have saved me from. Thanks :)
mank
10-17-2003, 09:33 PM
Well, I do not totally agree with what Solstice said. I think she is one of the exceptions to taking medicine and it not agreeing with her.
But if you can do with out maedications more power to you and you go girl. I on the other hand can't and I feel safer with my meds and yes, I am in counseling as well.
Daysie...Different things happen with different people and how they re-act. What works for one may not work for another.
I have taken alot of different meds. I don't think everyones stories are horror stories!
I have anxiety, depression, and trich.
One of the things that I think you should take into consideration is how tolerent you are to medication. If you don't take other meds so good then chances are you may not take these well.
I think the medicaiton is out there for those in need and that it is not neccessarily all bad. Alot of people benifit from the,
I take xanax .25 twice a day and effexor300 mg a day, at this time. I have never had and effects from changing from one medicine to another and the only side effect that I found messed with me alot was when I was on Celexa...and it made me aggitated. I changed medicines becasue of it.
Previously, I have been on Anafranil, Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa and a few others.
What ever you decide...Best of Luck to you!!!
MANK
But if you can do with out maedications more power to you and you go girl. I on the other hand can't and I feel safer with my meds and yes, I am in counseling as well.
Daysie...Different things happen with different people and how they re-act. What works for one may not work for another.
I have taken alot of different meds. I don't think everyones stories are horror stories!
I have anxiety, depression, and trich.
One of the things that I think you should take into consideration is how tolerent you are to medication. If you don't take other meds so good then chances are you may not take these well.
I think the medicaiton is out there for those in need and that it is not neccessarily all bad. Alot of people benifit from the,
I take xanax .25 twice a day and effexor300 mg a day, at this time. I have never had and effects from changing from one medicine to another and the only side effect that I found messed with me alot was when I was on Celexa...and it made me aggitated. I changed medicines becasue of it.
Previously, I have been on Anafranil, Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa and a few others.
What ever you decide...Best of Luck to you!!!
MANK
StitchCarver
10-18-2003, 03:45 AM
I know how you feel about goign into a PSychiatrist for like ten minutes and next thing you know you're taking some medicine. Same thing happened to me, first I was on ZOloft, had terrible panic attack, then celexa, for which I'm still on, love it, but was edgy first week or so, and had to start really small doses. EVERYBODY is different. ANd I think NOBODY should do meds without therapy. The combo of the two rules! Talk to your psy about your fears, and he\she's not giving you answers, see someone else.
Best of luck
Best of luck
PauloSRS
10-21-2003, 05:59 AM
If you want to fly up to the sky do this like i did:
Paxil ( 10 tablets );
Effexor XR 150 mgs ( 8 caps );
Xanax XR 5 mgs ( 10 tablets )...
I slept for 36 hours, and woked up very happy...
Has for the " terrifying " things said about some drugs... The " i've only taken it for one day " says it all...most of this kind of drugs take at least 3 to 4 weeks to make any effect...
I'm on Paxil and i love it, and my body hasn't changed anything ( and i've taking it of 4 months ), maybe it's because i'm a Vegan and don't eat like a monster...
And Effexor XR, i've been taking it for 4 years and it's the base that makes me going under another day...
First thing to know, every drug starts with side effects until it makes the desired effect... Oh and if you want to recover from several OCD without drugs...you better wish to die right now...regardless of whatever you do to control the Serotonin production, it's a great mistake...
Why don't you search internet for info about drugs instead of asking here ? Most of the people are affraid of drugs, and then blame those drugs for everything that happens while they are on them...
www.drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com) is a good place to start, and there are lots of others sites dedicated only to drugs...
many of OCD sufferers only seek medical help when they are near crazy and then want miracles to happen from one day to other...
------------------
Trust me it's paradise...
[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 10-23-2003).]
Paxil ( 10 tablets );
Effexor XR 150 mgs ( 8 caps );
Xanax XR 5 mgs ( 10 tablets )...
I slept for 36 hours, and woked up very happy...
Has for the " terrifying " things said about some drugs... The " i've only taken it for one day " says it all...most of this kind of drugs take at least 3 to 4 weeks to make any effect...
I'm on Paxil and i love it, and my body hasn't changed anything ( and i've taking it of 4 months ), maybe it's because i'm a Vegan and don't eat like a monster...
And Effexor XR, i've been taking it for 4 years and it's the base that makes me going under another day...
First thing to know, every drug starts with side effects until it makes the desired effect... Oh and if you want to recover from several OCD without drugs...you better wish to die right now...regardless of whatever you do to control the Serotonin production, it's a great mistake...
Why don't you search internet for info about drugs instead of asking here ? Most of the people are affraid of drugs, and then blame those drugs for everything that happens while they are on them...
www.drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com) is a good place to start, and there are lots of others sites dedicated only to drugs...
many of OCD sufferers only seek medical help when they are near crazy and then want miracles to happen from one day to other...
------------------
Trust me it's paradise...
[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 10-23-2003).]
mank
10-25-2003, 12:42 PM
Daysie,
I hope you have not have any confusion about the answers to your post.
Like I said most are not horror stories.
Yesterday I went to The doctor at the medical Health Facility and she voided all my prescriptions prescibed by my Family doctor that has to do with my illness.
SHe wants me to wean off xanax and then take them only when I feel the need. SHe also keep me on 300 mg. of Effexor and combined it with 100 mg. of Zoloft.
Yes, you have to remember that these medicines have side effects like neausea and dizziness maybe fatigue until your body gets adjusted to them. Usually 4 to 6 weeks if you still get those symptons then you probably need to talk to your doctor about changing medications.
Also remember to not be afraid of these meds they are there to help us. What works for one may not work for another.
Take care...
MANK
I hope you have not have any confusion about the answers to your post.
Like I said most are not horror stories.
Yesterday I went to The doctor at the medical Health Facility and she voided all my prescriptions prescibed by my Family doctor that has to do with my illness.
SHe wants me to wean off xanax and then take them only when I feel the need. SHe also keep me on 300 mg. of Effexor and combined it with 100 mg. of Zoloft.
Yes, you have to remember that these medicines have side effects like neausea and dizziness maybe fatigue until your body gets adjusted to them. Usually 4 to 6 weeks if you still get those symptons then you probably need to talk to your doctor about changing medications.
Also remember to not be afraid of these meds they are there to help us. What works for one may not work for another.
Take care...
MANK
daysiewaysie
10-30-2003, 02:20 AM
Thanks everyone for the replies.
Mank ... is it okay to take Xanax only when you feel you will need it? For example, going to a job interview, or some situation that you know you couldnt handle very well? Thats what I'd like to do, but everywhere I search, I cant find whether I could do this.
Mank ... is it okay to take Xanax only when you feel you will need it? For example, going to a job interview, or some situation that you know you couldnt handle very well? Thats what I'd like to do, but everywhere I search, I cant find whether I could do this.
mel7777
11-07-2003, 11:20 PM
Hey Daysie,
My PCP prescribed Xanax....it is ok to take Xanax as needed. Xanax is an "anti-anxiety" medicine, not like Paxil CR. Paxil is an "anti-depressant" medicine. Paxil is meant to be taking daily to achieve the desired results. Xanax, works immediately to relieve anxiety, but to be taken like the prescription says, only when you need them. Trust me, don't abuse Xanax by taking it more than needed, you will be ok.
I am one of those who was ALWAYS scared to take medicines like these...still am in a way. But I am on Paxil CR, and my level of anxiety has truly gone down. The side affects the first two weeks I have not liked (I am only in my 2nd week)....you feel a little dazed. Yes, it scares me to read these posts about the meds....but I trust in God, and felt this was the right decision for me. At first I didn't, but my therapist, who deals with many OCD patients has told me about how it has improved the life of many of her OCD patients to be on meds. It does not mean you have to take them forever, she said maybe a year. I may not take them that long...probably won't.
Good Luck!
Melanie
Oh, and check out www.webmd.com and look under hebs and drugs...you can look up any medicine!
My PCP prescribed Xanax....it is ok to take Xanax as needed. Xanax is an "anti-anxiety" medicine, not like Paxil CR. Paxil is an "anti-depressant" medicine. Paxil is meant to be taking daily to achieve the desired results. Xanax, works immediately to relieve anxiety, but to be taken like the prescription says, only when you need them. Trust me, don't abuse Xanax by taking it more than needed, you will be ok.
I am one of those who was ALWAYS scared to take medicines like these...still am in a way. But I am on Paxil CR, and my level of anxiety has truly gone down. The side affects the first two weeks I have not liked (I am only in my 2nd week)....you feel a little dazed. Yes, it scares me to read these posts about the meds....but I trust in God, and felt this was the right decision for me. At first I didn't, but my therapist, who deals with many OCD patients has told me about how it has improved the life of many of her OCD patients to be on meds. It does not mean you have to take them forever, she said maybe a year. I may not take them that long...probably won't.
Good Luck!
Melanie
Oh, and check out www.webmd.com and look under hebs and drugs...you can look up any medicine!