Quote:
Originally Posted by Vickie in Phoenix
Hi clj2,
So sorry you are having a frustrating time. I have been treated for depression for over 30 years. There was severe anxiety mixed in with it plus a panic disorder which came from some PTSD and actually we discovered five years ago that my true diagnosis is bipolar. After all of this plus having researched mental illnesses myself for years and years, I will share with you some things that I have learned that I think will help you along.
(1) You said that you will be starting college. Does this mean that you are just turning 18? The reason I ask is because prescribing antidepressants for people under 18 is a very tricky thing. All antidepressants except for one, Welbutrin (which doesn't work real well) carries a warning about prescribing to persons under 18. I do not think that there is a problem prescribing to you. Please understand this, because you are just on that border of 18. But did want you to know that this may have been in your doctor's mind.
(2) You really, really need to go to a psychiatrist for your medications. Over the years, I have learned that regular general practitioners do not know enough about psychiatric medications to prescribe them well. They are very specialized meds. It really takes a psychiatrist to prescribe them accurately and to get the best results. Also, some antidepressants work better on anxiety than others. Lexapro, Zoloft, not too sure about Paxil....some of the SSRI's do not work as well on anxiety as others. The AD I take, Effexor XR, works very well on anxiety. But, it is not an SSRI, it is an SSRNI. It not only works on seratonin, but it also works on norepinephrine, hence the "N" in the abbreviation.
(3) If your anxiety is too much for an antidepressant to help with it, the psychiatrist might prescribe an additional medication like theotterone talked about, like Klonopin. There are also meds like Valium, Ativan, and Xanax. Those are pretty heavy duty. But, I cannot recommend strong enough that you see a psychiatrist because that is the best bet you have of getting the right medication for you in the first visit. There really is no stigma attached to seeing a psychiatrist. It is just like seeing any other specialist, like a chiropractor or a gynecologist.
I wish you the best of luck. Take care of yourself. 
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Thanks. I'm still not 18 until the end of this year. I've though of waiting until then to go to someone so then I will have access to more stuff because a lot of it is probably "off limits"
. I have never felt suicidal but that is apparently the reason there wasn't a lot that I could take. The doctor I saw didn't like even giving me what she gave me.
My anxiety can be really bad some days, maybe this will be a good example. I really have some horrible days; for example, eating out in public, getting my hair cut or any thing like that kills me. The best word that can describe my anxiety is "crippling" I think. I do good to finish classes some days. When I eat out I always feel nauseous. Some days even just at home I can only eat crackers, bread, water, something like that without feeling sick. But some days I don't feel nervous for some reason and I feel fine. This is the area I saw that the Lexapro made no improvement (which it was supposed to), even after I had been taking it long enough. The side effects (unbearable nausea, restlessness and more attacks) of the Zoloft were too bad - doc said to discontinue it. One thing with my problem is the fact that I don't have excellent insurance, so I can't take stuff that is very expensive. I am glad to know there are 'extras' you can take if one drug doesn't work enough.
jerrymichele, thanks. When I go to the doctor I may ask about Paxil. It seems to be the one I've heard the most good things about. The thing I dread is probably having to take drugs all over again that I have already tried from another doctor. It would be pointless so I guess I could just decline them and ask for something else.
Thanks again for all of your responses!!