I Can Fall Asleep Despite Having Anxiety Disorder!
For years I have had problems going to sleep. I currently take 50 mg of Trazadone to help me in this area. My psychiatrist wants to avoid having me use something like Ambien daily because it is addictive, and Trazadone is not. He explained that this is an old school antidepressant that is not addictive and is very useful for sleep issues.
Well, even with the Trazadone (or Ambien at times) I used to read or watch TV in bed until I became drowsy. I had to feel drowsy or I would/could not lay down. My husband would beg me to shut the …
My Psychiatrist Just Tweaked My Anti-Anxiety/Depresson Meds
So my doc just called me back. Only a few hours after I’d left a message saying that I was not feeling so great. (See the last post Advocating-for-your-anxious-self-with-your-doctor.) He agreed that it is a good idea to make some small changes today and then discuss the results when I see him next week for my regular visit. He said to increase the Neurontin from 2100 mg to 2400 mg, and the Celexa from 80 mg to 100 mg. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!
Advocating for Your Anxious Self with your doctor
It is so hard to realize when I need a change in my medication. Now that my depression and anxiety disorders have been stabilized, problems do not jump out at me. Bad feelings creep up slowly, and I find myself being sucked down without realizing I need a rope. And/or I question my own judgement, accusing myself of being dramatic or overreacting. If I discuss this with my now part time therapist, she will focus on my reactions to daily life. While this is relevant, I know that it is more than just life’s bumps. It is my inability to deal with them. And not because I need …
Don’t stop taking your anti anxiety medication if you feel good!
My daughter, who I have written extensively about here (see the post My Daughter Got Help with her Anxiety) had been doing soooo well. Anti anxiety medication alone was not enough for her. With the addition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, she began to have many anxiety free days and was sleeping well. In addition, she started acupuncture for her migraine headaches which had not been responding to medication (and are connected to her anxiety). The acupuncture was working well for her too! And then her therapist and her psychiatrist decided that maybe Beth should try to wean off of some …
Done with Paxil, finally
Well, I did it. My psychiatrist said it takes a few months for the paxil to be completely out of your system after you have taken the last dose. During that time there is a mix of emotions but for me it was not too bad. I have only had to take a xanax about 2 times to calm myself down. I had some nights with very vivid dreams during the transition period and that was very disturbing because when you wake up it is so hard to shake such a dream.
So now I am taking 80 mg of celexa …
Paxil Withdrawal
I added a 4th Celexa, bringing my dose to 80 mg. In the US, that is considered too much but in Europe, according to my doctor, they use as much as 100 mg. Since I was on a high dose of Paxil, I probably will need the 100 mg eventually. My psychiatrist said that although the Paxil is now out of my system, my body is craving the Paxil and the Celexa does not satisfy the craving. Therefore, it will be about 6 more weeks until the craving is gone. In the meantime, I will continue to have days where …
Off Paxil CR and On Celexa
So it took about a month but I did it. So far so good. I have some morning drowsiness which one cup of coffee is taking care of. I am feeling pretty good, despite some unusual stress happening right now. This is just a quick entry to let you know the switch went well.
Third Week Switching from Paxil CR to Celexa
I am now taking 60 mg of Celexa and only 25 mg of Paxil CR. I am doing fine except I was drowsy the first few mornings of taking the 3rd Celexa for the first time. The psychiatrist told me to cut the morning pill in half and add it to the night dose. He always tells me to spread out the anti-anxiety medication into 3 doses a day. I think some doctors tell people to take it all at once. What does your doctor tell you to do?
Celexa vs Paxil CR for anxiety and depression
So this is my second week of switching from the Paxil CR to Celexa. So far so good. I actually think I am feeling better than usual. The kind of better where I find myself thinking on a Sunday night, “I like my life.” Even though I am going back to work on Monday after a totally rained out weekend. That is the kind of feeling good that FEELS GOOD.
Switching to Celexa
GlaxoSmithKline never answered my email about the availability of Paxil CR (Read post “Paxil CR will be unavailable“). I saw my psychiatrist this week and told him I don’t want to go back to regular Paxil because that was making me drowsy in the end of my using it which is why we switched to the CR. So he is weaning me off the Paxil CR and onto Celexa. He said the Paxil CR can be hard to get off of.
I asked him what can I expect and he was reluctant to give me signs and symptoms of the …
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