Stress Center Peer Support

I am 63 years young & suffer from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, post tramatic stress, bi polar II, and am currently taking cymbalta 20mg, seriqual XR 400mg & tamazapam 15mg for sleeping. I would love to get off all my medications they seem to keep me in a spacey feeling & I have no desire to do anything. I use to be bubbley & the life of the party or gathering. I have been suffering with these ailments for years now & just would love to be my old self again. My family says it breaks their hearts to see me wasting away in my room & no desire to do anything. I pray that this program can help me deal with all of my mental problems. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude.
pams

I can certainly understand what you are going through. I suffer from anxiety, depression and mood disorder.

I am 51 years old and I have been heavily medicated for the past 5 years. I am taking Bupropion, Abilify,

Lamictal, Seroquel, Clonazepam and Lunesta. If you would have asked me a year or two ago what I thought

about medications I would have said that I was all for them. But now I am seeing those psychiatric

medications in a new light. I also don't like the way I feel when I am taking all of the drugs. Sure, if I

was just taking one pill a day I think that I would be fine on how I feel about the whole medication thing.

Taking six medications a day for five years has really taken a toll on me. Like you, I am sick of taking all

of the medications and how they make me feel. I am currently working on gradually lowering the doses of my

medications to eventually eliminate them completely from my life. Do not try to go off of your medications

on your own, talk to your doctor first and be careful. I know that the program will help you, it has helped me.

I am going through the program for the second time now and I am on going to be starting Session Five soon.

Lynda

"The anxiety of staying stagnant and feeling out of control is much worse than the anxiety of

changing and challenging yourself". Lucinda's book FROM PANIC TO POWER

Lynda,
I appreciated your reply. I have just started the program and am on lesson 2. I have already started to cut back on coffee & smoking. I have to quit smoking this is my first Priority!! I have cut back on my medication & have not experienced any discomfort or reaction of having my panic attacks come back full force. I will stay with this amount for a while to make sure I don't go backwards. I'm so glad that you are hanging in there & starting the program again, sometimes we have to go through things a couple of times & I think maybe your medication has contributed to this. It seems like everyone you talk to today has some type of panic & depression disorder & all that medication, no wonder that the drug companies are soooo rich. I just want to get off the marry-go-round of emotions panic & that depressed feeling. It seems that the medications seem to add to the feeling of low self esteem. I want to stop it, cause I use to be such a happy person, I sang & smiled & laughed a lot, I miss me so much!! Keep me posted on your progress or if you just want to talk, I am here. It's nice to have a friend who understands what I'm going through.
pams

I am like you in a way, I miss laughing and enjoying the things I used to enjoy. I used to enjoy
reading books, going to movies at the movie theatre and watching my basketball games on television.
I still read books, but I am reading a self-help book. I still watch movies, but I watch them on
television. I still watch my basketball games, but not with the same vigor that I once did. I was
quite compassionate about the games and would yell at the TV screen ! Ha Ha
.
I miss reading my silly romance novels and the like. A good romance novel and a couple cups
of coffee was good. Oh, but I gave up coffee now, so I don't even have that.

Lynda

"Set your sights on exciting goals that are possible to achieve with what you have
and who you are. You'll be amazed at how far you can go and how much joy you
can experience in your life".

Lucinda's book FROM PANIC TO POWER