I was a 3 year sufferer of General Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression Disorder.
I consider myself 90% to 95% recovered. I have been taking different meds, I have been attending weekly group therapy, I see a psychologist on a monthly basis. I even spent 9 days in a psych ward.
For 3 years nothing seemed to really work. I would try a new med and it might work for a week or so and then stop. The therapy helped, but it did not give me my life back. When I say "my life back", I mean the depression and anxiety were horrible from the time I woke up till the time I went to sleep EVERY DAY FOR THREE YEARS.
But then... I found a psychiatrist about 5 months back. She took me off one old med and put me on a new med. At first I did not feel anything, maybe worse if anything. So, the psych increased my dosage of the new med. I went back to see her after another month, still no improvement. She increased my dosage 3 times in total.
AND THEN... it was like the light was turned back on. I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!! I feel like my old self. I can laugh, when before I could not even remember what it felt like to laugh. I can wake up without racing thoughts. I can go to sleep without racing thoughts.I can drive again without being in fear of dying. I no longer obsess about everything. I no longer live in fear.
My son is a drug addict and I deal with that on a daily basis and now I can actually handle this awful situation without losing control. I am a strong woman again.
There is hope for all of you. There is help for all of us.
Keep holding on. Don't lose hope. Just keep working for a solution.
I still go to therapy and I probably always will. It helps balance me.
I still take medication. Three kinds as a matter of fact. I will probably always take meds, but that is okay because now life is beautiful again.
Great thanks for the inspiration. Im currently starting Paxil at 5mg. Scared s**tless. I have anxiety all day at work and I have to keep popping clonapin 1mg a day. Doesn't sound like. much but it is for me.
I have similar life as you, three years no respite with lots of different meds which havent worked. No joy in life and anxiety there.
younhave obviously got a very good psychiatrist, can i ask you what mixture of meds you have ended up with which has helped you? Imhave appt to see my psych who has not managed to get me better yet, it might help to discuss your regime. He has given me access tomcbt once a month but i am not finding it muc help.
Hi Star, I went through so many different meds, I could not tell you which were worst for me. Everyone's brain chemistry is so different that what works best for me could be awful for you. I will tell you what I am taking now though. The med that gave me my life back is Cymbalta. The other 2 meds that I take to help it are Gabapentin and Hydroxyzine (this one only as needed).
Hi Rob, Do not be scared of taking meds. I think of taking depression meds are just like taking high blood pressure meds or diabetes meds. If you need it, then you need it. Maybe you will take it for the rest of your life and maybe you won't. I have never taken Paxil. I have taken Klonapin though. It was very helpful at the time I needed it, which was after my son's brain surgery. I ended up taking it for about 3 years. This is a drug which is not supposed to be used long term. I wish you the best of luck. Keep working till you find what works perfectly for you. Don't ever give up.
Hi Ann, I am so sorry that you are suffering. It is so miserable, I know. My anxiety was so bad at times that I would just sit at the edge of the bed and rock back and forth for hours. It was the only life I knew. There was no life outside of the anxiety and depression. I forgot to mention that I also took DBT for about a year. I found it to be very informative. It helped some. I have gone through many depression drugs before before finding what worked for me. Everyone's brain chemistry is so different, so what has worked for me could be awful for you. I will tell you, though, what I am taking. The drug that has given me my life back is Cymbalta. The other 2 drugs that I am taking are Gabapentin and Hydroxyzine (this one is just as needed). Also keep in mind that I had to have 3 dosage increases before the Cymbalta worked. My psychiatrist was awesome. I wanted to give up on the Cymbalta after the first month of not helping. My psychiatrist held strong in her knowledge and helped me to hold strong till we got it right.
If you trust your psychiatrist, then keep working with them. Keep working till you get what works best for you and you feel like yourself again. I wish you the very best. Hold on. Keep working at the CBT coping skills. They can help. ((HUGS)).