has anyone tried ashwagandha while on lexapro? it is suppose to support adrenal health which i hear helps keep cortisol in check.
Does your doctor prescribe anti-depressants for anxiety disorder. I know anxiety disorder is basically caused by an elevated level of cortisol in our bloodstream under stress or perceived stress that people without this disorder do not experience. I tried many anti-depressants and it just spaced me out. I take clonazepam or klonopin, because I need to reduce the effects of the elevated cortisol. Life sucks when you want to do social things and worry your anxiety is going to give you panic attacks. I had those for 20 yrs. I am just telling you what works for me. Also, it's not a high dose, I take 1 to 1.5 mg. 4x's a day. The other thing you might already know, is exercising which I try to do, releases endorphines, which balance out elevated cortisol. It works. The two other things I do, are listen to relaxation tapes and cut out, well 90% of my caffiene intake. Khundalini Yoga, is fantastic if you have it nearby. I also do juicing to clean my blood system as much as possible, so my body does not get immune to the medication I take. I hope something I have said helps, because I deal with it daily. It really is not one thing but a lifestyle that makes me, personally, feel better. God, I wish there was a magic pill! Good luck, and I hope you have a great day. Sincerely, Roger
Roger has a good point here...
Clonazepam and klonopin are worth trying purely because they do not take weeks to get in the system. You try them - and they either work or they don't. Limited side effects and neither carry much in the way of withdrawal.
But as I said before, go careful to begin with just in case there is a reaction.
Matt
yeah my dr gave me klonopin. he says it will help to bring my anticipatory anxiety down while i ride through this setback. i usually take .25 mg in the morning, mornings are my worst time. i have been sleeping okay without it so just taking lexapro and melatonin at night, but dr said i could take .5 mg for sleep if needed. today was my 4th day taking the klonopin and i felt less tired which is good, i hate feeling that tired sedated feeling. sometimes i feel like i almost want to revolt against taking klonopin, like i can get through it cold turkey. but i need to remind myself i need to use it during times i have a setback to get back to being me.
Agree - the medically-induced sedation isn't always pleasant.
Earlier in the week, I woke up and took 50mg of Dramamine instead of my Citalopram (by accident). And I can tell you, on a very empty stomach, Dramamine really does a number on you!! It does reduce anxiety too in most cases, but I couldn't appreciate any of that because I was flat out in bed for another 2 hours... LOL
I should have included a couple of factors or events that are atypical of most people that have a level of anxiety disorder. My dosage is based on having a monstrous couple of events that made my anxiety much worse than normal. When I was 21 I had a friend of my brother slip a dose of LSD in my beer. It was witnessed by my brother and he still let me drink the beer. About 2 months later, I was given micro dot, a form of LSD which my brother did frequently, but he did not tell me how it affects a person. I was just hanging out with him, because that is what brothers did. Anyway, I basically lost my mind for several years,as I had multiple major panic attacks every single day.Just through time did I find I could function more normally. I don't speak for anyone but myself, but I have been called a shy sensitive person my whole life, often over sensitive, but although that may be partially true, I also know that anxiety or you could say cortisol disorders are genetic, it is passed down through a family member. My nephew has it, and he is on lexapro, which if it works for him, that's great. His mother, my sister, also is anxious. She manages hers by cycling all the time. The main point, be the best you you can possibly be, by that I mean maximize your happiness, however you define it. What I do happens to work for me. I have a question that I am curious about. Have any of you tried marijuana? Why? Because I tried it due to peer pressure in my teens, and I thought I was going to die, everytime. Amazing what a teenager will do a few times for his friends approval. I just wonder because it seems every other person smokes it recreationally now that it is legal. Sorry if I am a bit off topic. There is a book from the Midwest Center for Anxiety Disorders in Ohio as well as 12 cd's that if you work through I have heard have amazing results.
he gave me valium which is better klonopin or xanax?
Xanax is very similar to valium - but longer onset and slightly longer effect than valium. Klonopin is also a bezno, but more specifically used for panic disorders.
Matts They're benzodiazapines. It can be a problem if your doctor is not available, Since it is a controlled substance, some doctors are leery to prescribe it. I try to tell them, if I have taken it regularly for 20* years, it just might be something I need to take. They wouldn't deny insulin to a diabetic. How am I different. I wish they could share a week of anxiety or even better, panic attacks and then get back to me. And for the life of me, I cannot see why anyone would want to buy this medication, unless they somehow think there is a correlation between getting high, and having a 6 hour nap. Sometimes I just want to yell ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID. Antidepressants are not considered controlled, so , though the side effects make me feel high, they will give it to me like it's candy. I think this world doesn't agree with me. I was originally prescribed Xanax, but it has a short half life, so I had to switch to something longer acting. For Anne or Amber, I would stay away from valium, it is not specific to anxiety or mild depression. Also, hard to get off of. I take Klonopin, but I should have said I don't take the same amount every day. It depends on my levels. I have been off it for 1-2 weeks from time to time, with little if any side effects. But I can only speak for myself. Have a great day, Roger
Roger,
I couldn't agree more - like I said in reply to your first message, these are better options than the main benzos you mention. I grant they can still have a withdrawal, but nothing like xanax and valium. Under the correct supervision, it can be child's play by comparison...
In my opinion, AD's should be given out as a last measure - again, I am right with you on that. They can cause so many problems as I know only too well.
Valium works for some in cases of panic disorder, and for some reason, my GP is happy to give it to the wife and myself, but it will be a limited supply to ensure we didn't get hooked on it. The wife uses it a lot more, but I probably have 1 x 5mg a week, maybe 2. But this is more for stress than anxiety in my case. Dramamine is also another option.
But in sum, yes, xanax and valium are addictive and can be a sod to come off, so unless used periodically, it is better to stay away. The are only meant to be short-term for extreme cases. As a general rule, three doses a day for 1-2 months should be fine with minimal addiction and withdrawal issues. Any more and you are playing with fire... This is directed more towards the OP and others who are reading Roger - I am aware that you clearly understand this stuff...
Matt
That is quite horrific Roger - you have my sympathy having seen what that same drug did to a close friend on mine "back in the day".
I will be completely honest, if I was not allergic to tobacco smoke, I would try "the substance" you mentioned. I personally use motark (reverse that word). This helps me a lot...
I do believe that anxiety and depression and so forth can be passed through families, if not by genes, but behaviour. My father suffers as I do, but recalling from childhood, I could see it in him from a very early age - and being the boy, I looked to him; my sister on the other hand turned out like my mum who is the chalk to the cheese of my father.
i grew up without anxiety and went through ups and downs fine. even had a beautiful baby girl born with a birth defect that required surgery at 3 months, still No anxiety. then after a year of chronic sinus infections, a dr told me i needed sinus surgery. went into the surgery fine, came out as well as to be expected, then boom, 2 days post op i was in the ER with a panic attack. the ER dr said i was given too many steriods during surgery which probably threw me out of wack. seeing no improvement i was put on lexapro and klonopin. it took me 5 weeks to recover and for the lex to kick in, when it did i was me again! aside from going through several setbacks, one i am riding out now, i have been mostly good. recently i had a doctor ask me which kind of anastesia they used during my surgery as there has been some reports of non anxious ppl suddenly having anxiety after having this particular anastesia. have either of you heard of that?
I've not personally had this, but I know of plenty of people that have taken a number of different meds only then to suffer anxiety and/or depression when it wasn't present before. I have been a member of an antidepression withdrawal site for a looong time and have seen it all.
It is such a shame what can persist after these meds. This is currently what I am dealing with having been pushed and pulled through 5 different meds in less than a year.
I will be suffering for a while yet.
Never again.
have you found something that works yet?
Nothing medicinal...
when i get back from this trip i am on i am going to start working out every morning. i am hopeful it will help.
I for prescribed with AD 5 years ago to deal with a NON-depression/anxiety problem. The problem was gone after a year but I kept taking them for 4 more year since the withdrawal symptoms were to harsh (mainly brain zaps). 6 months ago I decided to tapper off and then quit. I tapered for 1 month and then quit. I was fine and happy, never knew what depression and anxiety my whole life (I'm 31), then all of a sudden, bam! an hour long full blown panic attack ( a series of attacks that each one fed the other). went to the ER cause I thought I was going to die. Long story short, I'm suffering from anxiety and depression for 3 months now and it's awful! I was told to go back and take the AD again which made me feel even worse! so they switched it to lexapro and I'm 6 weeks in on it. I'm missing to be my old self again and it's all because of that damn AD I started taking 5 years ago!
Exercise will always help as it releases endorphins and reduces corsitol...
If I had more enthusiasm I'd do the same :)
Mech,
You have PAWS - post acute withdrawal syndrome. You should never have come off an AD you were on for 5 years in the space of a month. No wonder you feel this way. Sounds like your PD/GP is an idiot...
When you are stable on the Lexapro (assuming it works for you), take it slooooowww. As a rule, withdrawal should be a week for every month taking it. So a year would be 12 weeks/3 months, 2 years 6 months... maximum of another 12 months, but I have seen people take 5 years to ween off some AD's.
Look after yourself - and feel free to ask any q's.
Matt
Thanks Matt. I don't know if lexa is working for me, I'm 6 weeks on it and I'm having a weird feelings and intrusive thoughts about existence and life which ramps up my anxiety. I'm seeing a therapist at the end of the month to see if I need to switch it again or to come off this meds for good.