discussion Anyone been on and off anxiety meds?

[zasderfght]

I used to take Zoloft 50mg for 6 months, but therapy was helping, so my therapist and I agreed I could come off Zoloft. I weaned off and things were alright until now. I got into my first car accident last month where insurance was involved (car wasn't totaled and insurance covered the repairs, and no one was hurt, which is good), I was in-between two jobs before I landed my current job, entered a new relationship in August, and moved out with a high school friend for the first time in July. However, I still get days where my anxiety is so bad that sleep, my anti-nausea meds, or the occasional benzo are the only successful factors in managing my anxiety. 

 

My therapist wants me to give mindfulness another shot (to be honest, I haven't done this, and I really need to), but I feel like time is ticking. I'm getting more fatigued than usual, I'm having unexplainable pains, and I feel like mindfulness is just not sustainable when I have to work 40 hours like everyone else, cook/clean, make time for myself, my partner, etc. It's especially harder now that I have to take public transportation since my car is still in the shop. 

 

Honestly, Zoloft helped a lot with my anxiety, and the first week of side effects weren't even that bad. I'm just nervous because while side effects were tolerable, it is a commitment: you have to take this every day, it made my insomnia worse (which is why I took CBD or an OTC sleep aid to fall asleep). 

 

What's weird is that I love my boyfriend, I actually like my job, and if I described my life to someone on paper, they'd be like, "How are you anxious?" That's how I know my GAD is pretty bad: I can't even think of a justifiable reason as to why I'm anxious all the time. 

 

Anyone been on/off anxiety meds? I don't wanna take Xanax every day, because obviously there's a dependance factor that should be avoided, but my winning combo, previously, was really Zoloft every day and then Xanax for panic attacks. 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by zasderfght

[Lipgloss]

I was on generic zoloft (sertraline) and it didn't help me. Since it helped you in the past I don't see why you wouldn't go back on it if ur going through a particularly difficult time. Sounds like in the past once u got to a better place u were able to stop taking it. Taking medication on an as needed basis is probably the best way to do it. 

[zasderfght]

2 minutes ago, Lipgloss said:

I was on generic zoloft (sertraline) and it didn't help me. Since it helped you in the past I don't see why you wouldn't go back on it if ur going through a particularly difficult time. Sounds like in the past once u got to a better place u were able to stop taking it. Taking medication on an as needed basis is probably the best way to do it. 

I'm sorry it didn't help :( If it's any consolation, I tried Lexapro. By day 2 on 10mg, my nausea was so bad, if I didn't have my nausea meds, I absolutely would've projectile vomited lol 

 

Then I tried Lexapro at 5mg, and while I didn't feel nauseous per say, I felt crack-y, if that even makes sense. I'm lucky I was able to tolerate Zoloft at 25 and 50mg. 

[XO_Life]

I am on escitalopram 15mg for almost 4 years. I dint have anxiety anymore but I still take mine since I have no side effects at all. 

 

I am not going back to that place in my mind  

[RussianRoulette]

I never took any. I don't have anxiety.

Can someone explain to me how can anxiety require medication? Like, does it make you not wanting to leave the house, or? 

What are you anxious about? People, bad situations?

[saintspice]

i was on prozac for two years and would take xanax for panic attacks similar to you. i came off it almost a year ago at this point because i felt more confident and grounded and have been off since. i luckily have been pretty fine but i always told myself i had no issue going back on if i felt my anxiety coming back which at one point caused me to have panic attacks nearly every day. i’d recommend going back on if you start to feel things slipping away. If not remember to focus on staying grounded, breathing, remembering youre strong enough to tackle the things that make you anxious. i so sympathize with you and wish you nothing but the best!!

[zasderfght]

18 minutes ago, saintspice said:

i was on prozac for two years and would take xanax for panic attacks similar to you. i came off it almost a year ago at this point because i felt more confident and grounded and have been off since. i luckily have been pretty fine but i always told myself i had no issue going back on if i felt my anxiety coming back which at one point caused me to have panic attacks nearly every day. i’d recommend going back on if you start to feel things slipping away. If not remember to focus on staying grounded, breathing, remembering youre strong enough to tackle the things that make you anxious. i so sympathize with you and wish you nothing but the best!!

Thanks, sis ❤️

[zasderfght]

42 minutes ago, RussianRoulette said:

I never took any. I don't have anxiety.

Can someone explain to me how can anxiety require medication? Like, does it make you not wanting to leave the house, or? 

What are you anxious about? People, bad situations?

There’s different types of anxiety disorders, and I’m not a licensed medical professional, so I can’t tell you all the differences and nuances of all the different types of anxiety disorders.

 

Generalized anxiety disorder, what I have,  is typically a constant feeling of doom. The anxiety doesn’t always have to be circumstantial— your heart could be racing or you can get the sweats just doing mundane tasks, such as washing dishes, taking out the trash, etc. 

 

I also don’t know how antidepressants exactly help GAD; I just know they’re usually the first category of drugs that doctors will prescribe to folks suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression. 
 

Benzos, such as anxiety, are prescribed (typically) for panic attacks and are not meant to be long-term or to be taken every day. This is because you build tolerance quickly and there’s abuse potential. You can have general anxiety— not to the point of a panic attack— and you could just take Xanax every time you feel even a little unsettled/jittery. That is not responsible drug use. 
 

Benzos work by calming your central nervous system, similar to alcohol. They take about 30 minutes to an hour to kick in, and it’s almost as if the anxiety is nonexistent. If it wasn’t dangerous, and I had an extremely low tolerance to these kind of drugs, I would take Xanax every day. If you have horrible anxiety, being on Xanax feels like how life would be like without anxiety. You actually feel normal. I feel like it’s similar with folks that have ADHD and take Adderall for the first time. They probably feel like, “Wow. I can actually focus and get work done?” 
 

I hope this kind of answered your question. I’m responding to this while on the bus. 

 

 

[zasderfght]

Just now, zasderfght said:

There’s different types of anxiety disorders, and I’m not a licensed medical professional, so I can’t tell you all the differences and nuances of all the different types of anxiety disorders.

 

Generalized anxiety disorder, what I have,  is typically a constant feeling of doom. The anxiety doesn’t always have to be circumstantial— your heart could be racing or you can get the sweats just doing mundane tasks, such as washing dishes, taking out the trash, etc. 

 

I also don’t know how antidepressants exactly help GAD; I just know they’re usually the first category of drugs that doctors will prescribe to folks suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression. 
 

Benzos, such as anxiety, are prescribed (typically) for panic attacks and are not meant to be long-term or to be taken every day. This is because you build tolerance quickly and there’s abuse potential. You can have general anxiety— not to the point of a panic attack— and you could just take Xanax every time you feel even a little unsettled/jittery. That is not responsible drug use. 
 

Benzos work by calming your central nervous system, similar to alcohol. They take about 30 minutes to an hour to kick in, and it’s almost as if the anxiety is nonexistent. If it wasn’t dangerous, and I had an extremely low tolerance to these kind of drugs, I would take Xanax every day. If you have horrible anxiety, being on Xanax feels like how life would be like without anxiety. You actually feel normal. I feel like it’s similar with folks that have ADHD and take Adderall for the first time. They probably feel like, “Wow. I can actually focus and get work done?” 
 

I hope this kind of answered your question. I’m responding to this while on the bus. 

 

 

Also, sorry to add on to an already long answer, but GAD can be treated without medication. Usually cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat anxiety. To my understanding, CBT trains you to avoid rumination (or at least manage it so you ruminate less), you un-learn toxic brain patterns and learn (or re-learn) brain patterns that avoid your brain from overthinking or entering flight-or-flight mode. 
 

Usually meds are recommended if CBT or talk therapy is not enough. 

[BGKC]

I have loads of Zoloft in my medical cabinet that i stopped taking. They never worked for me. I would just get this odd feeling that can only be described as butterflies in my tummy (only not quite) and clammy hands. It almost made me feel more anxious. I haven’t explored other options when I really should because there’s a lot of times get this tremor and sweat which interferes with my job. Full blown panic attacks are rare but It’s just so embarrassing to not be able to hold anything still, like a cup of coffee or anything. I know my anxiety comes from life altering traumas and a decades worth of substance abuse. On paper I am doing ok (Decent job, nice apartment, well fed etc) but I obviously have some kind a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s also worth noting that I was prescribed ADHD medication as a kid and as an adult it became an addiction and longing for something more which led to my cocaine era. I had to cut that out completely. 

[zasderfght]

1 minute ago, BGKC said:

I have loads of Zoloft in my medical cabinet that i stopped taking. They never worked for me. I would just get this odd feeling that can only be described as butterflies in my tummy (only not quite) and clammy hands. It almost made me feel more anxious. I haven’t explored other options when I really should because there’s a lot of times get this tremor and sweat which interferes with my job. Full blown panic attacks are rare but It’s just so embarrassing to not be able to hold anything still, like a cup of coffee or anything. I know my anxiety comes from life altering traumas and a decades worth of substance abuse. On paper I am doing ok (Decent job, nice apartment, well fed etc) but I obviously have some kind a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s also worth noting that I was prescribed ADHD medication as a kid and as an adult it became an addiction and longing for something more which led to my cocaine era. I had to cut that out completely. 

Oof. I’m so sorry :( 

 

I can’t say drugs ever affected my life to the point where it caused me to lose a job, get into a car accident under the influence, etc. But I’ve definitely had to watch my cannabis consumption. Edibles with more THC than CBD now just make me too anxious. Because I have another year of my medical card and CBD helps, I get these capsules from my dispensary that are 5:1 CBD:THC. And I basically limit capsules for sleep. 
 

My sister most likely has undiagnosed ADHD, and her story is similar to yours. She’s done hardcore drugs, probably including heroin, meth, crack. She’s at least only using cannabis and cutting back on her use, but it hasn’t been an easy journey for her. 

[MotoPapi]

I’ve been on Zoloft for over 6 months. The 50mg barely did anything so my psychiatrists put me on 100mg and it’s been wonderful. I haven’t missed a dosage ever so I love how calm and at peace it makes me feel. My anxiety also disappeared completely I’m much more confident in large groups of people. 
 

honestly, Zoloft changed my life for the better.

[zasderfght]

Just now, MotoPapi said:

I’ve been on Zoloft for over 6 months. The 50mg barely did anything so my psychiatrists put me on 100mg and it’s been wonderful. I haven’t missed a dosage ever so I love how calm and at peace it makes me feel. My anxiety also disappeared completely I’m much more confident in large groups of people. 
 

honestly, Zoloft changed my life for the better.

I love this for you ❤️ I see my doctor in 2 weeks, so I will most likely ask to be put back on Zoloft and Xanax as-needed. 

[MotoPapi]

7 minutes ago, zasderfght said:

I love this for you ❤️ I see my doctor in 2 weeks, so I will most likely ask to be put back on Zoloft and Xanax as-needed. 

That’s awesome! Also, for those who say Zoloft didn’t work, I hope you were told it takes over 3 weeks of taking the medication daily before it starts working, during those days you will feel like crap because you will feel the side effects (I felt nauseous and could not drink my morning coffee without getting horrible nausea and diarrhea) but right after the 3 weeks I started to feel the effects and improvement in my mood.

 

so please don’t give it on it if you feel like it’s not working right away, again it takes around 3 weeks for Zoloft to start working

[Mariya Takeuchi]

37 minutes ago, BGKC said:

I have loads of Zoloft in my medical cabinet that i stopped taking. They never worked for me. I would just get this odd feeling that can only be described as butterflies in my tummy (only not quite) and clammy hands. It almost made me feel more anxious. I haven’t explored other options when I really should because there’s a lot of times get this tremor and sweat which interferes with my job. Full blown panic attacks are rare but It’s just so embarrassing to not be able to hold anything still, like a cup of coffee or anything. I know my anxiety comes from life altering traumas and a decades worth of substance abuse. On paper I am doing ok (Decent job, nice apartment, well fed etc) but I obviously have some kind a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s also worth noting that I was prescribed ADHD medication as a kid and as an adult it became an addiction and longing for something more which led to my cocaine era. I had to cut that out completely. 

Oh this is me. I was diagnosed with adhd and put on meds in my teens but i was taken off them and became addicted to speed and ket. Eventually got help and diagnosed with disassociated personality disorder. Sertaline had the same effect on me so i was changed over to mirtazapine. The negative effects of the switch wore off after about a week and I've not had any problems since 

[Pop Life]

I took Prozac as a teenager but hated how it blunted my emotional response to everything. The world felt flat, so I stopped taking it.

 

Later I tried sertraline, but all it did was make sex unfulfilling with no positive changes in my mental health, so I stopped taking that as well. I stopped my dosage cold turkey and was an emotional wreck for the next few weeks so I wouldn't advise it.

 

Most recently I took escitalopram and while I did notice a reduction in anxiety symptoms, (but not my depression) I dealt with the worst nausea and could barely eat. What was worse is that after a few weeks of nausea I became perpetually ravenous. I had to stop taking it because I was gaining alot of weight.

Weirdly, despite tapering off the dosage as directed I still went through withdrawal and had the oddest electrical sensation inside my skull. It would happen whenever I moved my eyes to the side and the jolts would leave me dizzy and disoriented. 

 

At this point I've been trying to treat my mental illness for so long and am so tired of putting my body through hell with no relief that I'm just resigned to having a ****** up brain.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Pop Life

[Haus]

I’ve been on Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Remeron, Pristiq, Fetzima, and now Lexapro, but none have helped substantially with my anxiety or depression. Therapy hasn’t really helped either, because I naturally developed my own style of dialectical thinking through life, and just think things out. I’m 25 btw, just efficient. 
 

I do think you should make time for mindfulness, if it’s only for ten minutes a day. Reflexivity is an extremely important tool for mastering anxiety. Even though I experience physical anxiety symptoms, I am confident in what I say because I’m confident in what I think, know, and do. 
 

I take propranolol to ease the physical stuff; my primary care tapered me off Xanax earlier this year, which I was not happy about, but accepted. It is truly the most effective drug I have ever been prescribed, aside from possibly Oxy. Xanax makes me feel normal, which genuinely sucks, because it’s obviously bad, apparently. I’m glad I still have a few left for emergencies, but it was the first prescription drug I tried, and it is still the only one that helps my… everything. I’ve also been prescribed nearly every stimulant trying to find one that works with minimal side effects. Idk why my body is so stubborn  good luck sis 

[RussianRoulette]

1 hour ago, zasderfght said:

There’s different types of anxiety disorders, and I’m not a licensed medical professional, so I can’t tell you all the differences and nuances of all the different types of anxiety disorders.

 

Generalized anxiety disorder, what I have,  is typically a constant feeling of doom. The anxiety doesn’t always have to be circumstantial— your heart could be racing or you can get the sweats just doing mundane tasks, such as washing dishes, taking out the trash, etc. 

 

I also don’t know how antidepressants exactly help GAD; I just know they’re usually the first category of drugs that doctors will prescribe to folks suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression. 
 

Benzos, such as anxiety, are prescribed (typically) for panic attacks and are not meant to be long-term or to be taken every day. This is because you build tolerance quickly and there’s abuse potential. You can have general anxiety— not to the point of a panic attack— and you could just take Xanax every time you feel even a little unsettled/jittery. That is not responsible drug use. 
 

Benzos work by calming your central nervous system, similar to alcohol. They take about 30 minutes to an hour to kick in, and it’s almost as if the anxiety is nonexistent. If it wasn’t dangerous, and I had an extremely low tolerance to these kind of drugs, I would take Xanax every day. If you have horrible anxiety, being on Xanax feels like how life would be like without anxiety. You actually feel normal. I feel like it’s similar with folks that have ADHD and take Adderall for the first time. They probably feel like, “Wow. I can actually focus and get work done?” 
 

I hope this kind of answered your question. I’m responding to this while on the bus. 

 

 

that sounds like a lot to deal with.

I wish you and everybody that is dealing with this all the best. 

but what I can gather is that only medicine works? is it not like in the movies where someone tells you to imagine happier times? I guess that would be too simple, right? 

[Haus]

I also take a low dose of Abilify, but I don’t really think it does much. I experienced akathisia earlier this year when we raised my dose and… oh my god, literally no. That entire month was what Sir Peele was getting at. Wellbutrin, Abilify, and Vyvanse were easily the worst pharmaceutical experiences I’ve had.

 

If Zoloft works for you, get back on it! There’s no reason to suffer, no one wants you to suffer, and if someone judges you for it, **** them anyway. x

[Haus]

5 minutes ago, RussianRoulette said:

that sounds like a lot to deal with.

I wish you and everybody that is dealing with this all the best. 

but what I can gather is that only medicine works? is it not like in the movies where someone tells you to imagine happier times? I guess that would be too simple, right? 

Therapy can actually be very helpful, but not everyone sees improvement from the same kinds of therapy. For example, talk therapy/CBT is the most common, and it helps a lot of people change their thought patterns, but DBT/dialectical behavior therapy is cutting-edge, and is more geared towards metaphorical thinking and empathy. I tried it but I already knew everything they were teaching us 

 

There is also EMDR therapy, which is also cutting-edge and helps with trauma. You should just look it up, it’s very cool. 

[RussianRoulette]

7 minutes ago, Haus said:

Therapy can actually be very helpful, but not everyone sees improvement from the same kinds of therapy. For example, talk therapy/CBT is the most common, and it helps a lot of people change their thought patterns, but DBT/dialectical behavior therapy is cutting-edge, and is more geared towards metaphorical thinking and empathy. I tried it but I already knew everything they were teaching us 

 

There is also EMDR therapy, which is also cutting-edge and helps with trauma. You should just look it up, it’s very cool. 

I will look into it. I had a friend who said he had anxiety and I thought he was just looking for cheap excuses in order to avoid going out.

I never understood his anxiety and he never could understand how can I wasn't getting anxious about things.

I'll try to educate myself 

[Haus]

33 minutes ago, RussianRoulette said:

I will look into it. I had a friend who said he had anxiety and I thought he was just looking for cheap excuses in order to avoid going out.

I never understood his anxiety and he never could understand how can I wasn't getting anxious about things.

I'll try to educate myself 

Please do. Anxiety manifests in many ways beyond one’s control. Heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, neurotransmitters, nightmares, nausea/vomiting, etc. It’s basically being in fight-or-flight mode, either in certain settings or all the time. 

[Alldeezy]

I was on 100g this year and also on night ones to help me sleep that had 10g. But because the 100g one made me put on so much weight he put me off then. Big drop from 100 to 15g ****** me.

 

But I only take my meds(mirtazapine) since it has drowsiness to it so it's basically works more of a sleeping tablet then aniexty meds. But if I dont take them I won't sleep at all.

[Jagger]

I took Zoloft in high school. Made me nauseous asf and couldn't get hard. Never again 

 

I took seroquel for a while which stabilized my mood but wreaked havoc on my health (blood pressure, weight) 

 

then I took adderrall which helped at first but eventually made anxiety worse 

 

now I just have klons for panic attacks. In my experience the side effects far outweigh the benefits. I know it's cliche, but daily exercise works so well for me 

 

anxiety sucks so bad. wishing you happiness and healing 

[zasderfght]

9 hours ago, Jagger said:

I took Zoloft in high school. Made me nauseous asf and couldn't get hard. Never again 

 

I took seroquel for a while which stabilized my mood but wreaked havoc on my health (blood pressure, weight) 

 

then I took adderrall which helped at first but eventually made anxiety worse 

 

now I just have klons for panic attacks. In my experience the side effects far outweigh the benefits. I know it's cliche, but daily exercise works so well for me 

 

anxiety sucks so bad. wishing you happiness and healing 

Weirdly enough, Klonopins don't do much for me, and I've very rarely taken them. I definitely know when I've taken a Valium or Xanax, though. 

 

I've been curious about Adderall, but because it's an upper, and already like 2-3 cups of coffee can make my anxiety symptoms worse, I rather not lol 

 

Thanks for the good wishes Today is already a better day than yesterday.