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Sigh. We never just get away from taking these meds, do we? There's always a side effect...or two...or three. Always a payout of grief for our troubles. Of course I'm not a psych, but in my experience at three weeks you're pretty much seeing what you're gonna get with a new med, for good or for bad. I'll tell you a story of how a psychotropic med gave me anxiety too.
I was always a cock-sure confident type...scared of nothing, and loved to wade into a crowd of people to see if I could get some laughs stirred up. After hospital and some experimentation, I settled on Lamictal 150mg and Lithium 6oomg.
I've been meeting my pals at this little mountain bar/grill for dinner since I moved back here in '09. I've known several of these guys for over 55yrs. Well, after I titrated up on the Lamictal...for the first time in my days...I had anxiety. I would drive up to the bar...get that knot in my guts...cruise through the parking lot...and head back home. It made no sense.
A couple times during the next few years I had this anxiety. Missed a couple funerals I should have been at for family, trying to get sick in the parking lot. Wanted to fly out to see my sister so I got the ticket and wifey took me to the airport. Got within 15ft of the cabin door and freaked out. Wifey had just pulled back into the driveway, so she turned around and made the hour trip back to DIA to get me.
I was stunned about what happened, really. It just made no sense. Right up to the point I crashed, went to hospital and started on this med I was flying 8-10 times per year. I had -0- problems with flying. I didn't feel good about never being able to get on an airplane again, so I went to CBT to learn a coping mechanism. I worked with my psych to lower my Lamictal dose a little. Got some anti-anxiety drugs and Xanex too. Thought I was good to go.
Two months ago, Wifey's son was getting married in Reno. I was ready (I thought). When I parked the truck, I took half a Xanax. Got to the terminal and had a nice lunch with Wifey...then took the other half and waited to board. Same *****, different day: a few feet from the door and I'm stumbling around down there by the strollers and car seats about ready to pass out. So I gave Wifey a kiss...she got on the plane...and I went home, shaking my head. IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE!
Perhaps I should lower the Lithium to see what happens. Psych gave me a couple other meds to try too: hydroxyzine and another I can't remember, but I don't want to take any more meds every day for the off chance I may need them. I wanted an 'as needed' med. My therapist suggested Buspar too...don't know why my psych has steered me away from it.
Yes, these meds can foster anxiety. Beings our physiologies are different, they will react differently in each of us...and psychs don't have a snowball's chance in hades of knowing how. What do you think perhaps of just taking half of a gabapentin to see if that lessens the water retention?
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