My anxiety is getting out of control!?

Question

Its getting completely insane. I can't even go to walmart with out having an attack. I have been in 50mgs of Zoloft for almost 5 months now. Should I go back and talk to my doctor about something to help with my anxiety when it starts to get bad? Something that will relax, and rest my pacing mind.

He mentioned last time, that if my anxiety was still bad there are other medicines that will help relieve my anxiety. Relax and calm me?

I have been diagnosed with social anxiety/phobia.

Answer 1

Anxiety, panic attacks are so horrible to go through. I know. I was beaten and suffered panic attacks for a long time. Then, when I did have the nerve to leave my city and actually go to a meeting in FL, (I live in CA) by myself..........I got drugged with a simple cup of coffee and a rape drug and raped . Still, I have to fight with anxiety attacks, and it is really a battle. I had to try several meds before I found any that actually helped me. I had therapy, and I changed meds a lot. What works for me, is to take Paxil (I buy the generic) and Librium (the generic). That's what MY body needs, and yours will need something different, most likely. Go back to your dr....quit suffering more than you need to. Tell the dr. what you just wrote and ask if you may try other meds for your anxiety. Tell me, how are you sleeping at night? Do you have nightmares, and wake up scared? Talk to your dr. if your sleep is being upset, and tell your dr. if you are having trouble with your eating habits, as well. I became so skinny, that I can hardly eat food at all. So, don't do that. Get help. Anxiety can really ruin your life, if you do not take really appropriate action to deal with it, medically. They used a machine on me for anxiety, as well. The machine was attached to my finger tips., and when my anxiety rose, the machine would make a LOUD sound. If I remained calm, the sound was small. It was MY job to keep my anxiety level low enough to allow the machine to stay at a low sound. This really helped me to learn to control my anxiety......but, it wasn't an instant thing. It took all I had to keep the sound at a low level. It was loud for a long time.
Hep yourself..............tell your Dr. all you feel, and get the proper medication into you. Let me know how it goes.......

Answer 2

I can keep this short and sweet.

This is very common and there is treatment. Unlike what others may tell you, you may never be able to pin point the cause of the anxiety. This is because it is often related to an imbalance in chemicals, not life situations. Life can add to the problem, however.

Seek a professional you can comfortably talk to. You need to talk things out and make a plan! You need a change in meds. There are alot of new meds that can treat panic attacks and anxiety disorders both, as well as depression if necessary. Find a professional with experience in this type of healthcare and with these types of medications.

Learn some relaxation techniques as well, but remember without medications it is unlikely that other means of treatment may not help alone.

SUMMARY:
1) counseling 2)medications for anxiety/panic & possibly sleep (often done with one med) 3)relaxation techniques 4) ease into getting out and active!!
Good Luck!

Answer 3

So sorry you're experiencing all this!! May I recommend that you ask your dr. to increase your Zoloft dosage before adding any other medication? Currently you are on the lowest dose prescribed(if you are only taking 50 mg/day,) and most people with the symptoms you're having don't get that much relief from a starter dose. First off, I'd raise the dosage to 50mg. twice a day, then perhaps 50mg. in the morning and 75mg. at night if need be. That would help you greatly without your having to take any other medication, but, as your dr. stated there ARE other medications that could be added to the Zoloft. If you need to have an additional medication added, I would suggest perhaps Klonopin 0.5mg at night.....this would help you sleep and also might help with daytime anxiety as well. If A nighttime dose of Klonopin isn't quite enough, a daytime dose can be prescribed. But, I would still recommend an increase in your Zoloft FIRST, and if something else is added, STILL stay on the Zoloft AND the other as well. Your symptoms are easily treatable, but it just might take some time until you find the right combination...don't give up!!! Perhaps when your anxiety is better controlled, you may be better able to discuss your symptoms with a qualified therapist to examine issues you may have that could be triggering the anxiety to begin with. Good luck and remember, this is a VERY TREATABLE problem!!

Addendum: Using marijuana while trying to adjust your medications makes my recommendations virtually useless; this is NOT a judgment of you, but rather a known fact. Mixing marijuana or any non-prescribed drugs greatly diminishes the effect of any prescribed medication. If you're smoking to reduce stress/anxiety, why not try NOT smoking and let your dr. help with medications that may eliminate the stress and anxiety, thereby reducing the need to smoke in the first place? Please re-think your priorities......

Answer 4

Yes, you need to call your doctor and let him know that this medicine isn't working for you. There are many medications used to treat anxiety. There are some that you can take an extra smaller dose for those unexpected attacks or when you know you will be in a high anxiety situation.

I was diagnosed about 10 years ago. I have been on several different ones. I am in the middle of switching meds right now.

Therapy in combination with medication really helps. At least it really helped me.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 5

Definitely call your doctor! After 5 months and no relief, the med isn't working for you. I tried Zoloft for my anxiety disorder and it made it worse. I've actually tried so many SSRI's I can't even remember the names of them but it's pretty close to all of them over the years. I've also tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Biofeedback and just plain old fashioned counseling but nothing helped me when it got really bad. There are other meds for anxiety you could try. For a while I had to take xanax(and Buspar for a few weeks) daily to control my anxiety but am now on only the xanax on 'as needed' basis and only have to use it maybe once a week for my panic attacks. It really got me through a rough patch back in the latter part of 2006 but I realize it is an addictive med so I lowered my dose and keep it on an as needed only basis. It was much better than going through all of the side effects of the SSRI's for me and with these meds(like zoloft) you must take them daily, they don't help if you just take it when you have an attack like a benzo does. Call your doctor and good luck!

Hope you feel better soon!
Tori

Answer 6

Social anxiety can cause these feelings.
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried meds, individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxiety.us/findinghelp.... and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Answer 7

I have anxiety & panic attacks & also depression which arose from a traumatic experience i had, (which im getting trauma counselling for), it took a long time but ive finely got the combination of meds that are helping me, i take 300mg Effexor in the mornings & 150 mg of Prothiaden at nite, this combo is working for me, the Prothiaden helps me sleep better so im getting a full nites sleep, Yes!! i would go back to your Dr for a review as it seems like the Zoloft isnt working for u..... u may need to get your dose increased, or try something new, after 5 months the Zoloft should have kicked in by now. I also found Valium to be helpful but its addictive.

Answer 8

You should defiantly go and talk to your Doctor if the Zoloft is not working. He might need to adjust your dosage or switch your prescription. Zoloft does take time to build up in your system though, so it might help your panic attacks in the long run, but you might need something to help in the short term when you know you are about to/or are in the midst of a panic attack. I suffered from them for years, so I feel your pain. I started out on Paxil and then was also given a small dosage of Kolonopin, which is really strong and can be addictive so you have to be careful with it. But that really helped me control panic attacks when I was in the middle of one.

The most important thing you can do, from someone who has been there, is look for what things trigger your attacks. Getting into therapy and trying to modify your behaviors to control your anxiety is the best thing you could ever do for yourself, it gives you a normal life back.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 9

You appear to be suffering with panic attacks--which are usually treated with Klonapin (clonazepam). Yes, talk to your doctor--soon!

Clonazepam does not work really fast--I need to take one a whole hour before I leave the house. The thing that is better about it than meds such as Valium and Xanax, is that they last a lot longer in your system (Valium and Xanax only work for a couple of hours--Klonapin can last 1/2 day).

You can also learn to help yourself (with or without the medication) by:

Learning and practicing meditation
Using lavender aromatherapy (candles, incense, air freshener)
Drinking Chamomile Tea
Run/jog/walk in the fresh air daily--and, eat a healthier diet
Check out Yoga

Right now, I would talk to the doctor, and get out the books on meditation and Yoga from the library. I would buy the lavender products and Chamomile Tea, and start the walking...in the fresh air.

I wish you well--I have suffered with these attacks for many years--fortunately I can get them under control with the med, and the other things I've listed.

Answer 10

I am so happy, it was only a 35 minute drive ( 70 minutes total) but absolutely no sign of anxiety or panic i shopped till I dropped - brilliant! I will now go for the next stage DUAL CARRIAGE way, probably at the weekend, with my husband accompanying me first then the solo drive, if successful the final stage of driving on motorway

Beat Anxiety And Panic Attacks Naturally?