Stress Center Peer Support

Hello Holly J - I tried Celexa and Xanux for three days when my anxiety/panic first started. It was a horrible experience for me. It made my condition much worse. That's when I found the herbalist that I see. I've been taking his recommended supplements since April '08 and I am feeling terrific. He adjusts them each time I see him as my body recovers between visits. The herbs are taking care of my physical anxiety/panic (hormone imbalances, etc.) and Lucinda's program is taking care of my lifestyle that contributes to my anxiety/panic. My herbalist is expensive, but there may be others that are more affordable. The herbs I began taking in April took effect within 2 days with no side affects. I hope you find someone soon. You should not have to live with this pain and struggle - no one should. Good luck!

Hi Holly,
I know what you mean about the doctors not knowing as much as we do. I have been on numerous medicatons over the years for both depression and anxiety, and now ADD as well. My therapist believes that ADD has been the primary issue all these years -- it leads to stress and anxiety and feeling like a failure, which leads to depression and fatigue -- a viscious circle.

Anyway, I wanted to chime in here since I have been through the ringer on these meds. I have tried almost all of the SSRIs, the SNRIs (like Effexor and Cymbalta), the stimulants, some anti-psychotics as "boosters" to the SSRIs that never worked for me on their own, etc. I am still on a mixture of medications that serve only as a safety net. Sometimes when I start a medication it takes awhile to adjust, and then I feel great for a couple months, but then everything goes back to the way it was.

That's why this program is so valuable. I finished the program with a coach a couple months ago, and felt better going through the program than I ever felt on medication or even in therapy. I had a relapse when the program was over, and I am trying to get back into it again, hoping to find support and comaraderie on this forum.

After all of that background (sorry for rambling!) is your dr. wanting to put you on an ssri for panic disorder alone? Or do you have depression too? Usually the SSRIs are for anxiety with some component of depression.

Everyone is different in how they react to meds, but I am VERY med sensitive and have a hard time with almost every med I try. I have found that I need to start with 1/4 of the smallest dose available. I literally took 2.5 mg. of Prozac, when the therapeutic dose is 20 mg. I have gotten to the point where, if the dr. tells me to start with a certain dose, I automatically cut it into quarters and work my way up. It is worth a shot, if you are up for trying another ssri ... just try to take a micro-dose and start from there (telling your dr. about it first. If he says something like, "oh that amount won't do anything," then believe me, he is not educated about med-sensitive people).

For me, Lexapro and Prozac are the best tolerated, but at low doses. And the effects don't last long for me. For a couple months I will be depression-free, stres-free, etc., but that always ends. Increasing the dose never helps, because the side-effects are too bad. Still, I need to stay on them or I do hit a rock bottom.

I hope to wean off some things, slowly, as I go through the program again (and again and again!). Right now I know I need the medication. I have tried to go med-free a few times, and I always hit a bottom I didn't even know could get so low. However, with the skills and I am learning and the hope I am growing, there might be a chance I can get off of them someday.

That is awesome that you don't need Ativan during the day anymore! Congratulations . I take Klonapin at night for sleep ... I am the same way you are when it comes to needing sleep, and the Klonapin stops my brain from speeding around in circles.

Well, I wanted to share all of that in case you have any questions for me about any different meds and side effects ... i will be happy to answer any quesitons, and be a cheerleader for you, whether you decide to try another ssri or go without. It is a hard decision! hang in there, and keep us posted ...

Take care,
Maureen

In fairness to Doctors, thats why they are called (General practitioners)GP's because they know a little bit about everything, they are not specialists

Yeah thats true NIRELANDGUY. But It'd be nice to meet one that is knowledgeable with anxiety/depression and their symptoms.

momurph,
i think mostly for panic disorder but i have depression too but its prob due to my panic. . They wanted me on the newer form of effexor. . she even said to cut it in half for the first week and its the lowest dose too. . BUT i dont think im gonna do that. i hear you i have hit rock bottom or whats felt like rock bottom too. not wanting to do anything and feeling miserably depressed and panicy non stop. awful awful awful feeling. thankyou for sharing your background EILEEN i want o see an herbalist SOOOOOO bad. how do you find one? does insurance cover it??

Hi Holly,

I use the vitamin supplement that was offered by this program (“good days”). I have been taking them for 2 weeks now, and I find that I am calmer, not as tired, and have more energy.

I showed them to my doctor and she thought the ingredients were good for helping with depression, but was not sure the dosage was sufficient enough for panic or anxiety disorder. She said that it would take 4 weeks to see any results so she wanted me to stay on them until our next visit.

I am also on Session #4 of the program and I think the combination of these vitamins and the program are working for me. (I felt that I had hit rock bottom; no restaurants, concerts, travelling, malls, etc.)

It has been at least 3 weeks since I have had a panic attack. I still have moderate to high levels of anxiety, but I find I can talk myself “down” before the panicky feelings get out of control. I am slowly leaving the house more and more, and travelling farther and farther away.

Another natural supplement I heard about was Seredyn. It has most the same contents of the “Good Day” supplements but they say they calm you down quicker, and are more for panic attacks. I am going to talk to my pharmacist to see which one is better for me (more anxiety and panic disorder than depression).

Hope this helps......

Hi Holly,
I (and my friend) highly recommend my herbalist. You can call him for info. His web site is <A HREF="http://www.doctorsresearch.com" TARGET=_blank>www.doctorsresearch.com</A>. His phone number will be on his web site. You might check your local yellow pages or google "herbalist" on line. My herbalist works with people nationwide. My friend referred me to him, that's how I found him. My friend and I have had great success with him. He mailed his "Anxie-Tone" supplement to me before I was able to get in to see him. Within two days, I was feeling better. After I saw him, he gave me what I needed to address my hormone imbalance, pain, hypothyroid, and internal infections and inflammation. These have all been trouble for me for many years. No doctor has ever been able to help me with any of them. After they erupted into anxiety/panic last April, I contacted my herbalist that my friend referred me to. He is the only one that has finally been able to treat all of this at the root of the problem. Any good herbalist should be able to address your particular issues.

My particular insurance does not cover my herbalist, but yours might cover an herbalist that you decide on. All the insurance in the world is not going to be helpful when all they cover is meds that do nothing. Then you're paying for nothing. My herbalist is expensive, but well worth the cost. When my issues are corrected, the expense will go away. The meds may never go away.

When my anxiety/panic showed up, I was overwhelmed with options of what to do about it and found it very difficult to make a decision on where to begin or who to begin with. That was my anxiety working. If you are experiencing this difficulty as well, may I suggest that you trust that any option you make will be a healthy one. Each option you visit will give you helpful info or insight as to whether that is what you need or not. Then eliminate the ones that aren't working for you and put your trust and efforts into the one or ones that are working for you. I hope you find an herbalist that you feel comfortable with. You won't know until you go. So just go for it and you will be happy that you did.

Sorry for the long answer. I hope this is helpful for you.
Eileen

Thank you Eileen!!! I will def see an herbalist and check out that site now

Dear Eileen,
I know you were writing to Holly, but I read your post and wanted to thank you for providing the name of your herbalist. I too have internal infections and inflammation (I have chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, plus had Mono a few years ago which still flares up now and then.) I have been on a variety of medications which I am not happy about, but right now they keep me functioning (I have two little girls who I need to be awake for!)

I will definitely check into your herbalist. I have seen a couple naturapaths in the past who I didn't have a great feeling about. Is an herbalist the same as a naturopath? And I do know that not all doctors are the same. Your guy sounds wonderful. I wish I lived in California!

Thanks again,
Maureen

Hi Holly,
I think you are wise to hold off taking Effexor. That was one of the worst for me. I had horrible side effects, but the doctor kept pushing me to stay on it, saying they would get better. I was on it for about 8 monhts, and when I finally began to taper off of it I had a horrible time with withdrawal. Anyway ... I know all people are different. But I have heard other people having a hard time with Effexor. Just wanted to support you in your gut feeling not to go that route.

How are you feeling these days? Are you doing okay?

Take care,
Maureen