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 …
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.
Paxil CR will be unavailable
I just received a letter from my mail order pharmacy informing me that Paxil CR will be unavailable from the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. They don’t know how long this situation will last. They tell me to speak with my doctor for a suitable replacement. And that there is a generic for Paxil but not for Paxil CR.
Are they kidding me? I have been taking Paxil CR for my anxiety and social anxiety and depression (successfully) for years. Now they are forcing me to switch and upset my delicate emotional balance? I am so upset with them. This happened before. I think …
Anticipatory anxiety plus social anxiety
I have a wedding to attend tonight. As I keep repeating, my anxiety is quite successfully under control with my Paxil CR and Neurontin. However, the roots of social anxiety run deep. I have had a bit of nervous anticipation about this affair for the last month. As the day got closer, I began to think in terms of “once the wedding is over”, regarding things like making a doctor’s appointment or completing some chore. There will be a sense of relief on Monday morning. Now i can deal with my life without this hanging over my head causing me …
Sleeping at the wrong time due to anxiety disorder and excessive worrying.
My anxiety is now under control most of the time thanks to my anti-anxiety medications - Paxil CR and Neurontin. (Read the post The Results of my visit to the psychiatrist and Your anxiety might be caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain. ) When the anxiety was free to enjoy itself in my brain, I often had trouble sleeping. When I would try to fall asleep my over active mind refused to stop its thinking. The anxiety disorder which caused me to think too much and worry about every little thing would render me sleepless.
During the day, I …
When anti-anxiety medication is not enough to control anxiety.
My daughter suffers from a very very severe case of anxiety disorder. (Read post My daughter needed help for her anxiety disorder.) She has lived a life controlled by worry and depression. At age 34, Beth is finally seeing the light. She is successfully using a cocktail of anti-anxiety medications (prozac, neurontin, klonopin) which have definitely decreased her anxiety. But the medication has not completed the task of controlling Beth’s anxiety sufficiently. She continues to be functioning in a limited capacity both in her personal and business life.
For 2 years her psychiatrist has been begging Beth to see a Cognitive …
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