Anxiety and Depression?

Question

I have anxiety and depression, I have been prescriped Prozac. I orginally started with 20MG, but I am very phobic of Meds so I had them lower the dosage to 10mg. I have not taken them yet, my boyfriend keeps pressuring me to take them. But, I really want to overcome this with out being dependent of medicine. I know that the meds are a crutch to get over the hump. I am activily going to therapy once a week. I know the meds are good, but I cause my self to have aniexty attacks when I am on them.
Has anyone had this or overcome the two without medication? Input/experiance/thought are appreciated!

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hey there,
All I can say is you and I are in the same boat right now. I have depression and some OCD when reguarding/dealing with food. I am so against meds its not funny! It took them over an hour to convince me to take 20mg of Prozac (exactly like you) and I just suffered a little of sleepless nights for the first 2 days. Right now i'm up to 60mg of Prozac to deal with my OCD/Eating and I feel alot better. I honestly don't know if I could of got over this bump without prozac. I think maybe I could of, but it would of taken forever. Plus my doctor told me that once I get stable I can lower my dose to 40mg..then 20mg.. and see how I am. If I was you I would try the prozac at 20mg (but please don't take my word on it, just how I feel) and see how it works for you.
I wish you nothing but the best of luck and know that I'm going through the same thing as you right now!


Melissa

Answer 2

I think it's natural to be afraid of taking any medication that messes with your brain. However, I feel that if you learn more about how the medicine works and how it will benefit you, it becomes more acceptable and makes sense to take the meds, based on what you're going through.

Here's how Prozac works in your head;

Prozac is an SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). What is Serotonin do you ask? Serotonin is believed to play an important role in the regulation of body temperature, mood, sleep, emesis (vomiting), sexuality and appetite. Low levels of Serotonin have been associated with several disorders, notably depression, migraine, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

Your brain will naturally secrete Serotonin and then recycle it back to it's storage containers for later use. The problem is, your Dr. thinks that you need the Serotonin to stick around longer, so you can get back to normal and not be overwhelmed or disabled by the lack thereof, thus experiencing depression. This is essentially what prozac does, it keeps the serotonin from going away, thus eliviating the depression so you can feel normal again.

This is a very complex process and generally takes 4 -6 weeks at a certain dosage, before the reuptake process works to the specifications of the medication. During the triation (process in which your Dr. adjust dosage to get to the theraputic level), you will be monitored by your Dr. for side effects and he/she will make changes so that you don't get exposed to any crapy side effects.

There's not uniform explanation for how SSRI's effect everyone. Each person reacts differently, but it is generally accepted that the side effects are very manageable and dissapear in about 2 weeks.

Now you have to ask yourself a few questions;


What are the downsides of taking the drug vs. the benefit and is it worth taking after weighing the two?

Will I have to struggle less if I get over my phobia of medications?

Why do I have a phobia? Is it a stigma I've grown to know or just lack of knowledge?

SSRI's are great drugs and have done great things for a lot of people. If you put your faith in the medication and your Dr. I feel that anyone who is having a hard time in life with depression will benefit substantially vs. not taking medication at all.

Answer 3

I actually have suffered from very similar problems as you and was prescribed Paroxetine which works similar as Prozac, they are both
SSRI selective serotenine reuptake inhibitors. They don't do any harm if used properly. One of their big advantage compared to older anti-depressants is actually, that even if you were terribly depressed and would try to overdose your self if wouldn't cause any big damage... as they were designed in a way that makes it impossible to kill oneself with them.
Basically you have to understand, that a depression is a psycological illness, that is rooted in your organism. i.e. maybe some experiences you made in your life brought your body out of balance, so that some biological processes are temporarily not working properly anymore.
When you are in a depression some neuro transmitters (imagine them as a key for being happy and concentrated, but also virtually as looking like a key which transports information to the brain) are produced by your body in normal amounts but reduced too quickly.
This happens because there may be to many enzymes at the moment in that are reducing the number of neurotransmitters, that tell the brain to be happy. This happens because there are too many enzymes that stop the transmitters by having the perfect match for their key shape. They encode the transmitter so that it is impossible for the brain to read the information to be happy.
Now if you take those pills, you have to take them for a long period, at least three or four weeks to feel a positive effect, this will be avoided. The pills contain a substance that has a similar shape like you "happiness-neuro-transmitters" but don't contain any information.
What happens now is simple. These dummy-keys block the enzyme that would normally match with your neuro transmitters that tell the brain, that every thing is fine and that you feel happy. As a consequence these enzymes are kept busy, with the dummy-key blocker, all the good information can reach your brain and you'll feel more comfortable.
The tablets are not addictive, they just help you to get over a time that your body is out of balance. To reestablish balance you need to do some psychotherapy that resolves the reason for your imbalance.
Once you have found the reason and resolved the problems, your body will return slowy to work the way he did before you got depressive, This can take a couple of months but often a year or two. After that you'll be able to stop taking these pill without any difficulties.
So please don't be afraid of taking these pills. In the beginning it is possible, that you feel a bit restless or nervous. If you know already, that you are a bit anxious you should ask your psychiatrist to prescribe you for the first two or three weeks maximum somet weak tranquilizer.
Sleeping on a regular base is also very important. Maintaining a regular daily rytim already helps a lot, as well as physical activity.
I hope you're less afraid now of taking this medcine, by the way I had to take 30 mg and I had no problem at all to quit. Over 6 months it was slowly reduced and ....then finished.
Best of luck...

Answer 4

Living with generalized anxiety disorder can be difficult. In addition to dealing with excessive worry, you may find that other conditions, such as depression, often accompany GAD and can make you feel even more anxious. Ultimately, anxiety may affect your interaction with friends and family, your productivity at work, and the overall quality of your life.

You may find that talking to a counselor or therapist can help you cope with the effects of generalized anxiety disorder. Or you may find encouragement and understanding in an anxiety support group. Although support groups aren't for everyone, they can be good sources of information. Group members often know about the latest treatments and tend to share their own experiences. If you're interested, your doctor may be able to recommend a group in your area.These tips may help reduce your anxiety:

Take action. Determine what's making you anxious and address it. For example, if finances are your concern, draw up a budget.
Let it go. Don't dwell on past concerns. Change what you can and let the rest take its course.
Break the cycle. When you feel anxious, take a brisk walk or delve into a hobby to refocus.
Take care of yourself. Get enough rest, eat a balanced diet, exercise and take time to relax. Avoid caffeine and nicotine, which can worsen anxiety. Don't turn to alcohol or unprescribed drugs for relief.

Talk to someone. Share your problems with a friend or professional counselor who can help you gain perspective

Answer 5

I do not have depression or schizophrenia, but i do suffer from anxiety. Marijuana for me does alleviate my anxiety. You are too young to be smoking, however. Your brain is still developing and marijuana has over 400 chemicals in it; some could possible hinder brain development. It seems like you have many mental problems and the last that that you want to do is use a drug like weed to cope with them. You need much more than weed it sound like. There has to be better alternatives out there that will help you better than weed ever could.

Answer 6

Take the meds. Be prepared for side effects for 2-4 weeks (I took celexa (a prozac cousin)) at its lowest dose around 9 pm and was still in a fog at 2 pm the next day). But if you're not feeling right, let your doctor know. If she/he presses you to continue, ask why. If you don't like the answer, get a second opinion.

DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDS ABRUPTLY.

WATCH FOR SUICIDAL IDEATIONS WHILE ON YOUR MEDS

DO NOT DRINK OR USE OTHER DRUGS WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOC.

Oh, and get out and exercise. It made me feel better than celexa ever did. (I had a doc that was insisting i take it despite the fact that after 5 weeks i was still having that fog in the head thing. So i quit on my own, and stopped seeing the doc. Not smart, but i've always been a bit impatient)

Answer 7

If you had cancer, would you just wish it away? You have a medical ailment which requires treatment. I had an episode of depression about7 years ago, took an anti depressant for about 6 months, and have been fine since. I may or may not need them in the future, but if I do, I will surely take them. My life is too important to me to spend time suffering needlessly.

Answer 8

I used to be on alot of meds for dep./anxiety...STOP AS SOON as possible...they are a crutch...you might be easier to deal with on the meds (this is why your b-friend wants you to take them), but you arent getting better. modern meds are produced so that you will "depend" on them the rest of your life ($ in the bank for the drug corp.) the only real therapy that works is a good behavioral therapist ( if they are not behavioral, they will waste your time and money) even then it takes time to train your brain to function normally....if you have no therapy options.....good luck, it can be hard out there when no one understands your problem or cares. keep fighting and dont give any of yourself away...BREATH SLOWLY and DEEPLY :)

Answer 9

40000 Cured Social Anxiety - http://SocialAnxiety.uzaev.com/?UIxf

Answer 10

This is a very good blog, a beginner’s guide to abnormal psychology.
Short, clear and simple; and you can even post your question and contact the author regarding particular subject you are interested in, for FREE

http://sensitive-psychoworld.blogspot.com/