Stress Center Peer Support

Hi there...

I can relate to the Lexapro ordeal! I was just taken off after only 7 days at 2.5mg/day! It made me so much more anxious, I just couldn't deal with it! Every waking moment, my jaws were clenched tightly, terrible headache, inner nervousness much worse than normal...on and on! I hate it, as I really need something besides the Xanax.

One thing about benzos for thought! Just as a hypertensive patient takes meds to control the high blood pressure, diabetic takes meds to control blood sugar, etc., WE as anxiety and panic sufferers also need meds to keep our issues at bay. Many need to adjust their perspective on this class of drugs. WE have a disorder that requires medication to keep us regulated as with any other disease/disorder. I expressed the thought of addiction to my doctors on numerous occasions, and this is the explanation I've gotten from each of them. So yes, I do take 1-2mg of Xanax a day to keep my anxiety and panic under control, because MY BODY needs it...

Regarding the Toprol. Yes, it is commonly also given to migraine sufferers, as a preventative measure primarily. Therefore, the sufferer would take it EVERYDAY to prevent the migraines. About the prn usage for your anxiety, I just have never heard/seen it prescribed in this manner. I am not saying it isn't done, or shouldn't be done, but knowing the effect of the drug on the body, I am of the opinion (bearing in mind, I am not a physician), that this is a drug that should not be started and stopped. I could very well be wrong in my thinking. You may not have high blood pressure or tachycardia, but that is what Toprol's primary use is for. Even if you do not have hypertension, it is going to lower your blood pressure... and the medicinal effects of the fluctuation in your blood pressure, to me, isn't a good thing. I have worked in the Primary Care environment for 20 years, and though Toprol XL isn't that old, in the time it has been around, I've never seen one of our docs prescribe it on an "as needed" basis. Again, that is not to say that others wouldn't?

Best of luck to you!

I just saw my family doctor about my PVC's last week. He told me that if they bother me a lot he could give me Toprol (or another beta blocker). However, I am taking a high blood pressure medication currently which is working wonderfully well. He is reluctant to add a beta blocker to the med I am currently taking as it could lower my BP too much. He said he would probably have to take me off my current med before he gave me a beta blocker. I'm not going on it as I can handle my PVC's quite well as of now and mine are stressed induced. I have never heard of Toprol being prescribed for anything other than a cardiac issue. Just my two pennies. Rob.

HELLO ALL...BACK IN 2005 I HAD HEART FLUTTERS ALL THE TIME ALOT LASTIN HALF AN HOUR OR SO DIDNT REALLY CONCERN ME TILL I WENT TO THE DOCS AND GOT A HEART MONITER AND THEY SAID MY PULSE WENT UP TO 250 BEATS PER MIN. SO I HAD TO HAVE AN OBLATION DONE JULY 21ST OF 2005 AND I THOUGHT ALL IS WELL UNTIL LAST YEAR IT STARTED BACK UP SO THEY PUT ME ON ATENOLOL 25MG AND IT HELPS SOME BUT HAVING ANXIETY AND A HEART PROBLEM ITS SO HARD TO CONTROL ANY OF IT ITS SO FRIGHTENING BUT I TRY MY BEST. MY CARDIOLOGIST SAYS I HAVE A HEALTHY HEART AND NOTHINGS WRONG ITS JUST REALLY BAD ANXIETY I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE I JUST WANNA BE BACK TO MY NORMAL SELF AGAIN

Someone told me that magnesium is supposed to help with heart palpatations. I'm going to try it because it's all natural and something we need anyway. I try not to take prescription meds if I can help it. Anxiety definitely makes my PAC's worse. I also try not to worry about it, because I know that will in turn make them worse. It's unfortunately a vicious cycle. My cardio doctor as well told me my heart was healthy and my PAC's were just a benign condition. Doesn't feel very benign though. Anyone else with PAC's, please let me know what you do for them. Thanks.

Flyer,
Quite oftentimes vasodilators are used to combat migraines; these fall into the cardiac drugs. The fact that they dilate the vessels, does help to prevent migraines. Inderal is probably the most common used to treat migraines that would fall into the cardiac drug category.