Burt Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Hello all, quick story/question.Story: I have worked 60-70 hour weeks for about 2 years now, and the cumulative load became too much about 2 months ago. I get panic attacks and chest pains. Extremely high anxiety. Life is pretty tense. Told this to my doctor. He did EKG and some blood work (don't know results yet) and scheduled a follow-up in 2 weeks. However, he prescribed to me Xanax and some kind of antidepressent. He told me nothing whatsoever about what those pills are and/or what they do. I get home, do some research, and the incidence of side effects is pretty high (~10%). I haven't taken it yet, don't know if I will. I found some other methods to deal with this that don't involve medication. Chest pains have diminished by 90%+. Stress is still there, but it's kind of more manageable but still very, very present. I am very overworked, and I can't change that situation for at least 3 months.Question: Have any of you all taken these pills? Would you recommend them? Should I throw these away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolence Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 I've rarely met a pill that I wouldn't take. Hard to be more specific without knowing the anti-depressant. But speaking from a medical standpoint, the AD is likely prescribed as the longer term treatment for anxiety, as despite the name, most AD's also help manage generalized anxiety. Some antidepressants can cause rather nasty withdrawal if you stop taking them abruptly-- something to consider. These will help you manage, but really the gold standard for anxiety is therapy. Therapy helps you learn your triggers and process through them in ways that don't invoke the adrenaline response. Xanax, a pretty good drug that is overhyped in some respects. Yes, it's addictive. Yes, if you take a bunch of them and drink you can die, or at least end up zombified. But it is a really good drug for acute anxiety. View the Xanax as the crisis treatment that it should be. I might be hesitant taking them regularly all day, every day. You can and no harm will come to you. But you increase your chances of becoming dependent on the drug. They operate on the GABA system, the same as alcohol. I'd say they are about as equally addictive as alcohol, which is to say not very to the vast majority of the population. I've taken them plenty of times and think they have almost zero recreational potential, other than for coming down off of uppers. They just make you sedated and relaxed, but not in a particularly cool way. I never really saw why people liked them (other than for coming down off of uppers). Xanax is really handy if you find yourself ramping up or entering a panic attack. It kicks in really quick and will do the job. You might take them regularly for the first few weeks to get the AD's ramped up in your system and then use them on an as-needed basis to manage exceptional anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Everything I have heard is that Xanax is NOT habit forming. You can abuse it sure, but I don't know that it can be addicting. I actually like xanax as a not-drug user as it relly chillds me and helps me go to sleep-- which 90% of the time is the source of being stressed out. As for the other pill, I think you nee to say what it is, Burt, before we can say if it is good or bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacen123 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I was in a versy similar situation from January through the spring. Every day was pretty much about just getting through that day without panic attacks. It was bad enough for me that I lost my apptetite almost completely and when I did eat, it often didn't stay down. The doctor started me on Lexapro and it has done wonders for me. I still get anxiety attacks occasionally, but they're far less intense than they were before and have typically been triggered by circumstances that I (at least) consider reasonable situations to get extremely anxious in. It took some time for it to setle in with me, though. At first, I was incredibly drained (though, admittedly, that could have been due to the anxiety, itself, too) and felt downright terrible for a few days and had some minor side effects that have since worn off. Then, I sarted to feel incredibly good for a few days, which subsided to feeling more like normal, which is perfectly good with me. I've heard of other people saying that lexapro didn't agree with them at all, so it seems like these thigns affect various people differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 DON'T THROW THEM AWAY GAWD But seriously, they're a mild sedative. My side effects are dry mouth, increased appetite, constipation and a little bit of drowsiness. Try them-this is what they're made for and pretty effective for many. And like so many meds, the more regularly you take them, the easier the side effects become to deal with. If they slow you down too much, snap 'em in half and start with a half dose. Alcohol enhances the effect-don't drive right after you take them the first few times. They act just like valium for me, not as heavy as klonopin. Everything tastes SO much better and fabrics have a softer hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 Thanks for the feedback everyone. Had to look on the bottle, the antidepressent is Escitalopram. I just popped a single xanax (.25 mg), so...here we go. Edit: I guess that's Lexopro. I am not crazy about the sexual side effects, so I might wait and see how Xanax does. Double Edit: Why was I prescribed TWO anxiety medications?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacen123 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 My understanding is that Xanax is meant more for short-term use and acts more quickly, but escitalopram is meant for more long-term use. Also, like I mentioned above, the side effects I experienced from it went away gradually once my body adjusted to the medicine. I gather that is pretty common for it based on all of the reading I did when I started taking it. I hope that at least one of the pills works well for you and helps you out! Those panic attacks and chest pains are no fun at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 Ah okay, good to know. I don't have long-term anxiety issues, so I'll roll with Xanax for a few days and see how it goes. I'm not a trainwreck or anything, nobody really even knows I'm particularly stressed because I internalize everything. However....that's probably why I have chest pains. Maybe I need to buy a punching bag. Edit: Wow, that is fast-acting! I feel drunkish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonAtila Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I remember feeling chest pain and head-rushes from the pills when I was in the hospital, and it would piss me off whenever I'd ask the doctor to check my blood pressure and they'd tell me it was completely normal. Is there some other type of test that exists for chest pains? I guess blood pressure tests don't detect them, but there's gotta be something else. Surely you can't just have hospitals keep telling their patients they're completely fine when the patient is clearly feeling like they're gonna have a heart attack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 My sister takes both of those meds. Mostly to help her with some anxiety. But also she's bi-polar. For my issues with stress and not sleeping my doctor went in the other direction. I too was having funny pains in the chest I thought were acid reflux and a tightening sensation and had blood pressure issues. He wanted to give me a sleep aid and a blood pressure medication, but I'm chosing to try and cope without. Some meds have absolutely no effect on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I've been having panic attacks since the beginning of September, with some chest and stomach pain. The chest pain is weird, though, it's not mid chest where my heart is, it's beneath and slightly to the left of my left breast, right at the edge of my rib cage. sometimes it just feels like gas, other times it's real pain. I had an EKG, did blood work, and had a chest x-ray and everything came back normal. My doctor prescribed Ativan for use when I have an actual panic attack, and has given me the option of taking a preventative anxiety med (which are in the same family as an anti-depressant I took a few years ago that I had truly horrific withdrawals from when I was weaned off of it) so I am hesitant to take that one, but he also said I could take Buspar which he described as sort of a second gen anxiety med with fewer side effects. He also gave me the option of taking a sleeping pill, since I'm having an incredibly hard time sleeping (waking up from nightmares approx 4-6 times a night). He says that if I started to get better sleep the anxiety could very well go away. So far I've been doing yoga and meditation to help with the anxiety, though it is definitely worse at night as I prepare for bed. The Ativan's are great, but they are highly addictive so I try not to take them very often. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I should take the buspar or the sleeping pills, I'm really not excited about big pharma ever since the Effexor withdrawals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolence Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Copper, I hate playing armchair pharmacist, but I will anyway. You might consider Vistaril (hydroxyzine HCl). It's not habit-forming like benzodiazepines, but is fairly sedating. It can help with anxiety but also with sleep when taken at night. It doesn't leave much in the way of hangover grogginess either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 Copper, that is where my chest pain is as well. I had some unpleasant withdrawals from oxycontin after a surgery and I tend to err on the side of moderation now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Evolence, I can't take that visatril you suggested becauseof a thyroid condition. Sounds nice though. Burt - I'm surprised you have the pain where I do, my doctor told me it was atypical. He also said that since my tests all came back fine I shouldn't worry too much about it. Let me know how the xanax works- it's an option for me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 These all sound like classic panic attacks to me. Burt, do you know about SSRIs? For me, they have really awful side effects-much worse than that of Xanax. My doctor dosed me in a ramp, staring low and moving up. I was told never to just quit them, cold turkey, without talking to the doctor first. Some days, if I don't take them within an hour of my routine time, I feel like my eyeballs are having quakes. I don't know if everyone does or even can react to them the same way, but maybe you can ask your doctor about that, so you know what to expect? I'm not a medical professional and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolence Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Some SSRI and SNRI's are more notorious for withdrawal than others. Paxil and Effexor are pretty well known for producing bad withdrawal. Prozac, not a common side effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I can vouch for Effexor and Prozac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Yeah, Effexor is what I had my terrible withdrawals from. I would get the "brain zaps", diarrhea, night sweats, incredibly vivid dreamscapes, fatigue, dizziness and nausea. It would be really bad for two weeks, level off, and then when I was reduced in dosage again it would start all over. The worst was when I stopped taking it completely. I thought I was going to die. That's why my doctor is prescribing Buspar instead of an SSRI or SNRI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Maker Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Sertraline, here. It really seems to take the edge off of my depression, but sometimes I think it makes me care less about important stuff, too. For instance, I could have a big deadline at work and I won't worry about it as much as I used to, but I might not necessarily get the ball rolling on it right away, either. Nice side effect, though--it seems to do wonders for my blood pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I'm going to my GP today for a new anti-anxiety med or schedule-I'll let you know what I end up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerina Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Saw this on Pinterest, thought of you guys. http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/c7/03/4a/c7034a0ad324e51003c50edad3710268.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 *sigh* I miss being able to smoke weed. Better than alcohol or any pill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good God a Bear Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I take Luvox CR. My anxiety is based more in the OCD realm. I can say I had horrible side effects on Zoloft and Lexapro. However, Luvox CR has been a miracle for me. No panic attacks and anxiety in years and no side effects. Well...one side effect but I can deal with it. I fart a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Sure it's a side effect. You were born farty, don't lie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 born farty I want this on a T shirt only I could never wear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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