Stress Center Peer Support

I started suffering from panic attacks when I was 20. I was put on Paxil and it worked great. I went to talk to a psychiatrist simultaneously and was doing well up until recently. I started seeing a new psychiatrist after moving to NYC, and the goal was to get my off of Paxil. It had gained a lot of weight and figured I was doing well so it was time to start coming off of it. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin while I weaned myself off of Paxil and I was doing OK for a few weeks, but now my panic has reached a new high level again. I keep thinking I am going to have a heart attack - which I think is actually acid reflux which is something I have newly been diagnosed with and have been given meds for. I have also been diagnosed with high blood pressure, so I am on meds for that as well. I think the high blood pressure and acid reflux are side effects of my anxiety?

Basically I just want them all to go away - and I don't want to be on meds anymore. I am constantly thinking something is new and wrong with me because once my heart races and I get a numb feeling in my left arm - then I must be having a heart attack or a stroke. I become short of breath - and think I am having an asthma attack and am going to fall over and die. I have had stomach pains as well - so it makes me think I am cancer or a tumor and need to get that checked out. I am just sick of worrying about all of these things and I want to focus on living my life rather than worrying about what bad thing/ilness is going to happen next. When I write this all out - it makes me feel/sound psycho which just makes me more anxious! I want to be worry free and move away from these scary feelings and breathe and calm myself on my own. I am REALLY hoping this program will help me. I need a new outlook on life!

I can't recall if I answered you before, because your story sounds familiar and if I did answer I might have lost it. Sort of a Deja vu moment. Well, these sound like anxiety side effects and Wellbutrin is an energizing antidepressant. I couldn't go back on it after I weaned off of it with the help of Xanax. I had to take a Xanax after I took a lower dosage of Wellbutrin and decided I don't want to be on Anti-depressants anymore. I'm off of them and working with my anxiety without their help and using Lucinda's program to help me.

I don't know how old you are now, to know how long you were on Paxil when you were 20. I only tell you my story and that I've chosen at this time to be off of anti-depressants because I only went on them later in life when I had a lot of stressors going on.
and I was suffering from a deep depression. Now those type of stressors are gone and had been on anti-depressants for around 10 years and gained weight on Cymbalta. So that's what got me started on weaning off of anti-depressants, but it was more because I started feeling better after I was getting some CBT counseling with a Psychologist using Dr David Burns 10 Steps to Self Esteem workbook about a year ago. Hope you start feeling better. Paislee

Hi there - thanks for your reply. I am 26 - so I have been on it for 6 years - I am now at 5mg so ALMOST done with it but still on Wellbutrin 200mg. I want to be off meds all together - but I am afraid to do so because I have relied on them for so long, I can't imagine how I could cope without them! That is what I am hoping this program will teach me skills to be confident to be med free

I understand completely. Paislee