Antidepressants make me anxious (manic) - should I keep trying others?

Question

Here's my situation. 3 months ago my wife got pregnant (planned), I quit drinking (excessive drinking) and I started getting insomnia and feeling stress. Doctor prescribed me Ambien to sleep which I must use now or else will not sleep at all. I have also been prescribed 3 different antidepressants supposedly to help my anxiety, yet I had to quit them all within 10 days of use because they INCREASED my anxiety to the point of mania. I think I have a phobia of taking these kinds of mind-affecting pills. Should they be prescribing me antidepressants for anxiety in the first place? Pyschiatrist says I have depression. I've tried Zoloft (severe anxiety - quit after 3 days), Remeron (zombie - anxious - quit after 1 day), and Welbutrin XL (lasted 10 days then became anxious when it was increased from 150mg to 300mg.) I switched to 150 SR version of generic Welbutrin but quit after one day because of anxiety left over from previous attempt. Should I give up on them or try more?

Answer 1

First of all, sleeping pills usually make insomnia worse in the long run, not better. You become physically dependent on them, and then when you don't take them, you can't sleep at all. If you keep taking them, you get resistant to them and you're back to square one and need something stronger. The best treatment for insomnia is behavioral. I'm sure you can find some advice about that if you search the web.

Secondly, yes, depression can cause anxiety, but if all the antidepressants you have tried have had the opposite of the intended effect, then obviously they're not working for you and you need to try something else.

If you want to try an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drugy, you need to be careful about which one you take. The conventional ones cause physical dependence and tolerance - it works kind of the same way sleeping pills do. Personally, I would recommend Buspar (buspirone). It is a non-conventional anxiolytic, meaning it works on a different neurotransmitter system than the conventional ones. I won't get into the pharmacological details, but basically it works on the same system (serotonin) as SSRI antidepressants, but works differently than they do, decreasing anxiety and sometimes boosting the performance of antidepressants.

Your stress and anxiety might be due to one of two things (or both): your wife getting pregnant, or your quitting drinking. I would recommend seeing a psychologist/counselor in addition to the psychiatrist. Drug treatment combined with counseling treatment has a better effect than either alone. The source of your problem might be purely psychological, therefore you may not need the drugs if you can work through this issue. But if the problem is due to withdrawel from alcohol, the drugs might be the most useful thing.

Troyboy, you are making a lot of assumptions about the source of the problem. You can't definitively say that the problem is a control issue when you know barely anything about the situation. "Why don't you just let your doctor do his job." The doctor needs feedback from the patient to know if the treatment is working properly. These are complicated things, and a lot of factors go into them. And while a person might not be as knowledgeable as their doctor, they do have a responsibility to learn about the treatment they are receiving and to ask their doctor questions and even suggest things that they feel might work better for them personally, because a doctor does not really know you very well as an individual. This is not "control[ing] your medication"; it is being an aware, intelligent, thinking human being. And while exercising and eating well will certainly help a person in many areas, it will by no means even come close to solving a problem like this.

Answer 2

Yes, same here. I don't know if they ONLY help people with "minor problems", as someone else has said. I knew a girl that had Major Depression, and had tried to kill herself. She was prescribed something, and felt much better after that (though I'm sure not all the credit is given to the pills). Unfortunately, it's not like this for everyone. Not everyone gets better with their "miracle pill". Maybe ask your psychiatrist about mood stabilizers. I had taken Zoloft and Lexapro, and thought they made the moods worse. My psychiatrist prescribed me then the mood stabilizer Depakote, and though it seemed to do alright, I had bad side effects. I changed and started Lamictal, and that really did some good, especially in the beginning. I felt that the "good feelings" were enhanced when I was on combo of Lamictal and Abilify (keep in mind, Abilify is an antipsychotic - I don't know exactly what you are going through, but the mood stabilizer + antipsychotic is what helped my moods the most....may or may not help you). Personally, I don't think medications do all the work. Sometimes the effects seem to wear off, perhaps due to your body getting used to it. There does have to be some sort of motivation to keep yourself going and alive during this time of your life. There has to be a desire to get better, and this goes for anyone, with almost any condition. I've found that excersize (ugh, yes, I know) has helped my mood some. It isn't the cure, unless perhaps your symptoms aren't so severe. It depends on how you feel. When it comes to psychiatric medication, it often feels like the process is "Guess and Check". My psychiatrist is still trying to find a medication that will help me. At this point, I honestly wonder if she's guessing. Just make sure you let your doctor know that they are making you worse. Call him or her up, and explain that you want to get off of them. If you've been on the antidepressant for a while, and it isn't helping any, it's not worth staying on the medication. It's not worth the crappy feeling it brings. It's just a pill.

Answer 3

I have been dealing with extreme anxiety for about 5 years now. It took a long time to find something that didn't make me more anxious or that didn't cause me to be a walking zombie. I definately would give another medication a try. I also have a problem with taking drugs to solve my problems. But I have learned over time that they aid in becoming more able to find solutions and querks in behavior that bog you down. A lot of antidepressants I took, Lexapro, Zoloft, Remeron, Welbutrin, all caused me to be more anxious. Some antipsychotics are prescribed for anxiety, and are less stimulating. But be aware of some of the side effects. Always read up. The first medication that really helped me was Zyprexa. It seemed to level me out and also helped with my depression. I think thats what you need, is something that will help your anxiety as well as your depression. Right now I am taking Celexa for my anxiety and it has seemed to be the least troublesome. It is a bit sedating but not so much that I feel like a zombie. and the effect of sleepiness has diminished the longer I have been taking it. There is a lot of research that you can find online about antidepressants and antipsychotics that may aid you in finding something that you will be comfortable with. Don't lose hope, there will be something out there to able you in being healthy. Use your knowledge of your body to guide you, and don't let your doc lead you in directions you might think that you won't have success. Tell your doctor what you want out of your medication and don't be afraid to ask about the side effects and his own experience in prescribing the medication. Medication is an important tool in recovery, but not a remedy in it self. Talk therapy and a good support structure is something that I would recommend as welll as medication. I hope you find your way in a bright path of healthiness. Don't give up.

Answer 4

Wow! Congratulations on quitting your drinking and on your impending fatherhood.

I hope the doctor that is prescribing you this medication is a psychiatrist! Medical doctors do not know the finer points of illnesses like major depression, or bipolar disorder. It sound like that is what you might possibly have. If that is the case, it is very common knowledge that antidepressants cause people that struggle with Bipolar disorder to become manic. If the wellbutrin was working for you at 150 mg, Why did your doctor increase it?

What you sound like you need is an anti anxiety medication but they are highly addictive. If you are having some insomnia Ambien will work but you should be on the lowest possible dosage that it takes to get you to sleep. You also sound as if you need to develop some new ways to cope with the anxiety that seems to be a part of your life.

It might help if you seek out therapy regarding some of your life issues. Becoming a father, dealing with a pregnant wife, quitting drinking and not being able to sleep ..and I am going to assume that you are working...all of that is a lot of stress. Talking with someone about things that are causing you stress will only help. A therapist will help you learn new ways of coping with stress and help you put new things in place.

Again, if you are getting all of those medications from a medical doctor instead of a psychiatrist, you might consider seeking out a psychiatrist. If you are getting those medications from a psychiatrist and he is not listening to you about your symptoms, I would suggest that you seek a new psychiatrist.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Alright here is the first thing that you are doing wrong. Firstly you have to give anti-depressants 3 to 4 weeks to get into your system and work. You can't just take it for a day or two and then stop. It doesn't work that way. You said that you stopped taking it after 3 days. The Remeron you only took for 1 day and quit and the wellbutrin lasted 10 days. You aren't even giving these medications a slight chance at working.

I think that you need to ask your for something for anxiety from your doctor. Something like klonapin, Xanax, or even Valium to keep you from shaking all of the time.Remember once you start taking them no matter how weird you feel don not discontinue them without the doctors permission.

Your sleeping medication is a little bit differant. You can take that at night whenever you feel you need them but only at night. I hoped that I have helped you out some.

Answer 6

Absolutely you should try other antidepressants, until you find the one that works for you. Depression and anxiety go hand in hand, that's why they treat them both with antidepressants. You do sound phobic, but these aren't mind altering drugs that you should fear. I've tried them all but one, and I'm back on the first SSRI I ever tried, Prozac, cause I have no side effects with it. Maybe you should try it. Stay away from Paxil, though. My Psychiatrist says it is a 'dirty' drug, and it's the only one I've never tried. And I tried Ambien, and it did nothing. Now I take Xanax to sleep.

Answer 7

You need to exercise and eat well. Also, you are a big baby. "Welbutrin XL lasted 10 days then became anxious when it was increased from 150mg to 300mg"
Became anxious? Why don't you just let your doctor do his job. The problem is that you are a control freak. Your life feels like you can't FULLY control it any more, and now you are trying to control your medication (you are not a doctor obviously)
Are you argumentative with your wife?
you should get therapy with a good psychologist about why you have to be so controlling.

Answer 8

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 9

u know if nothing is working screw it. go alternative. go to ayurvediccure.com and holisticonline.com. actually i used to take these things. they actually make you worse. try st. john' wart. also vitamin c and e help with depression. cleaning out your liver can help. try milk thistle a natural stuff from the natural drug store. try using herbal laxatives which cleans thoroughly. the choice is yours.

Answer 10

Hmmm.... sounds quite familiar. You may never get your sleep back completely. Read my story and check the links below it for more info:
http://www.geocities.com/seabulls69/AntidepressantThatWorks.html

email me if you have questions or want more info.