Mike asks…
Sigh….Anxiety/Depression medication question…celexa…paxil?
So, im going to keep the story short, im having major anxiety issues, last 3 years, tough to leave the house, fear of nausea and panic attacks.
took Celexa for 4 mo’s , it literally did nothing for me….i felt the exact same…..the only thing that i noticed was i started to get minor insomnia…..
i quit taking that crap. it was 10 mg for 1.5 mo’s , then 20mg for 3 ish.
i was off meds for about last 3 months and im starting to get depressed and i’m lashing out at my dad constantly (he’s disabled and has a diseaes, multiple sclerosis), and yes of course, i definately see the error of my ways, it makes me cry at times because i yelled at him and he doesn’t deserve it.
anyways i hav more stress at the moment than any point in my life, i went from 3 years of not leaving the house and bad anxiety and nausea constantly, to moving to CA all of a sudden cuz my grama Ruby died, and now i have to clear this house out, sell it, road trip with my disabled father in 2 vehicles, buy a house in idaho, then finally get back to my own life and dreams (working for a year or 2 saving every single penny eanred (living with parent of course) and buying a vehicle, moving to mexico where i lived for 3 years.
so my life was horrible but i still had my dream, now even the dream is being put on hold for longer, because of all this extra responsibility, the worst part is….everything above mentioned, must be done by me and only me, no one else is here but my dad and he is in a wheelchair.
point is, i went to the DR today, and he perscribed me Paxil, i think 10mg for the first week and bumping it to 20mg so i can “be where i need to be at very quickly” says the DR. i guess he understands to some extent how much im going through (even though he didnt let me tell him everything, he was rushing it seemed)
so….i hear Paxil is the most sedating SSRI, which is awesome, because i didnt get a chance to tell him “i need something that sedates me enough to not have constant panic / nausea(thoughts?) but still enough to function…..work/school? i was thinking of a delivery job llike for pizza hut for a job. i could be alone most of my day and not have too much interactiopn except at doorways, which i could handle. is this stuff going to make me a zombie driver? 
anyone know differences between celexa and paxil?? celexa didnt make me feel any different or anything at all….nothing. like it was a sugar pill or something. (minus the insomnia part)
admin answers:
Antidepressants function no better than a placebo in most patients, research shows. For each new drug, the drug companies would run a dozen studies to get two showing their drugs were a little better than placebo and submit those studies to the FDA. The other 10 studies wouldn’t get published, and they showed the drugs didn’t help depression or even made it worse. Furthermore, antidepressants are well known to cause manic episodes in people who have undiagnosed bipolar, possibly forever worsening the course of the illness. There is no way to know if you have bipolar or unipolar depression until you get mania the first time. Antidepressants may be worsening the course of depression also, in the LONG TERM (see “Anatomy of an Epidemic” by Robert Whitaker). Even the Abilify ad points out that antidepressants don’t work – that drug company wants you to take a much more toxic antipsychotic that will shave years off your life, because supposedly only 1/3 get better on antidepressants. Their own studies show that many more people must discontinue abilify due to akasthisia than get any benefit from the drug. Besides that, if you are an adult, you should know that most antidepressants will destroy your sex life, and in rare cases, it can be permanent. Most people won’t stay on the drugs long term because of this side effect, but then many people discontinuing the drugs get severe withdrawal symptoms that are much worse than the original depression and/or anxiety.
People will jump up and down and swear that they do help – Lots of “research” papers show that the meds work, but almost all are written by psychiatrists who are paid by drug companies to say that, and they must sign an agreement to not publicize any bad study results before they get their research grants, just in case they should get an attack of conscience (this is true of all corporate medication research). Patients often respond to placebo effect, or naturally cycle out of their illness, and there is no way an individual or their doctor could know if the drug helped them or not– that is why studies are required.
I;ll give you my anxiety tips – try these, and if they don’t work, consider seeing a therapist. Also, are you SURE that there is no one you can ask for help with all this stuff you have to do? Are you SURE??? Is there any spare cash at all to hire some short term help?
Generic anxiety tips (print them out):
Try turning the heat up in the house or dressing more warmly. It is hard to feel anxiety when you are too warm Hot baths work, and at work/school, you can try running hot water over your hands.
Avoid caffeine; it increases anxiety. Also, some cold remedies & other drugs can cause anxiety. Look for the “agitation in children” warning on the box. Adults can get problems too. For me, antidepressants caused agitation and panic attacks, and that is listed as a common side effect. Birth control, blood pressure, acne and sleeping pills & others often cause depression.
Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. Try The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook; check the library. There are guided imageries in there, you could make a recording or get a friend to do it. I read mine into the computer using a program called Audacity (free) and digitally altered my voice so it doesn’t bug me. Free 15 minute guided imagery download at healthjourneys.com.
Go out with friends, and if you don’t have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. A little laughing helps reduce anxiety.
Exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, and anytime you feel really hyper or depressed. Exercise is a great mood stabilizer and cuts down on anxiety, research shows. Don’t do it a couple hours before bed, though, or you will be too hyped up.
Here are “sleep hygiene” tips. Go to bed and get up about the same time each day, even weekends. Don’t use your bedroom to watch TV and read and use the computer -just use the room as a bedroom Don’t do stuff that pumps you up right before bed, like exercising and using the computer. Wind down, instead – take a bath ? The light from the computer screen or TV wakes you up if you use them right before bed. Make the bedroom really dark, cover up the clock, even. Use a noise generator (makes wave sounds etc.) to cover up disturbing sounds. Try soundsleeping.com for free relaxing sounds downloads. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
Put colorful happy things around the house, and let the sun in. Make a list of things that make you happy. Part of my list: A basket full of fluffy kittens, bread fresh from the oven, Fireworks popping on a warm summer evening, The first fireflies of the season, the scent of Jergen’s cherry almond lotion, The crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, flicking a topwater plug out onto the still surface of a summer lake, etc. Use all your senses and read that list when you are breaking down. I also use familiar scents, like Jergens lotion, or vanilla or cloves. Scent can be comforting.
Work on time management if overwhelmed. Cut back on other responsibilities temporarily so you can spend more restorative time with friends and family. Ask for help. If there are people or situations that stress you , identify them and reduce them as much as possible.
Learn to breathe. Put your hand on your belly. Now breathe deep, and feel your belly move up in down. That is the right way to breathe. You are probably breathing up in your chest area, and that makes you more anxious. Now breathe slowly. Do a mantra in your head innnnnnnnnnn ouuuuuuuuuuut innnnnnnnnnnn ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut slowly breathing. Focus on whatever 2 words you want as you breathe slowly.
Look at an object, and observe everything about it for 5 minutes, then stretch that to 10, then 15 min as your gain experience. That’s a form of meditation.
Finally, are you catastrophising, always thinking of the WORST thing that could happen? Try to catch yourself doing this, then change your thinking to, what is the MOST LIKELY thing to happen – hardly ever is the worst going to happen. You can’t die of a panic attack, either.
Cognitive Behavioral therapy is the most effective kind of counseling. Try free computerized CBT at moodgym.anu.edu.au. Computerized therapy appears to be almost as effective as counseling, research shows.
All the best!!
