[MakeTodayAwesome]

Nearly 4 months ago, in response to panic attacks during the most stressful time of my life, I chose to take my (new) doctor's advice and pursue treatment with antidepressants. The past 4 months have been absolute hell. I have tried Wellbutrin/Xanax, Lexapro/Ativan and Paxil/Ativan, and have suffered a long, long list of intolerable side effects that have made the initial problem a million times worse. I don't feel like myself at all.

In retrospect, the stress I was experiencing was all completely valid, rather "normal" causes for anxiety (big cross country move with small kids, new home, new town, no support network, major career shift, all putting stress on my marriage etc.), and I wonder if I should have simply pursued therapy instead of jumping straight to prescription drugs. I can't help but think I would be further down the path to wellness had I avoided pharmaceuticals all together.

Presently, I'm on a low dose of 10mg Paxil with 0.5mg of Ativan as needed. I take the Paxil daily at bedtime, and avoid the Ativan as A) I don't want to become dependent and B) I don't believe in masking symptoms. I'm still in the ramping-up period with Paxil and internally, I'm struggling to justify the rewiring of my brain chemistry. I want to heal. I don't know that I'm able to healthfully settle into my new life like this. Honestly I'm considering marijuana to calm my nerves and I haven't used it in 20 years.

Any similar experiences to share?

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by MakeTodayAwesome

Nearly 4 months ago, in response to panic attacks during the most stressful time of my life, I chose to take my (new) doctor's advice and pursue treatment with antidepressants. The past 4 months have been absolute hell. I have tried Wellbutrin/Xanax, Lexapro/Ativan and Paxil/Ativan, and have suffered a long, long list of intolerable side effects that have made the initial problem a million times worse. I don't feel like myself at all.

In retrospect, the stress I was experiencing was all completely valid, rather "normal" causes for anxiety (big cross country move with small kids, new home, new town, no support network, major career shift, all putting stress on my marriage etc.), and I wonder if I should have simply pursued therapy instead of jumping straight to prescription drugs. I can't help but think I would be further down the path to wellness had I avoided pharmaceuticals all together.

Presently, I'm on a low dose of 10mg Paxil with 0.5mg of Ativan as needed. I take the Paxil daily at bedtime, and avoid the Ativan as A) I don't want to become dependent and B) I don't believe in masking symptoms. I'm still in the ramping-up period with Paxil and internally, I'm struggling to justify the rewiring of my brain chemistry. I want to heal. I don't know that I'm able to healthfully settle into my new life like this. Honestly I'm considering marijuana to calm my nerves and I haven't used it in 20 years.

Any similar experiences to share?

no offense but all those meds over the course of 4 months its no wonder you are feeling the way you are. usually it takes anywhere between 4-6 weeks before any kind of stabilizing happens. usually the initial 4-6 weeks on the meds a person does have all these side effects due to the body adjusting.

my suggestion is maybe slow down. stick with one medication or one medication cocktail for about 2 months so that your body has a chance to adjust and the medication have a chance to do its job.

[pachyderm]

I think the only valid use of pharmaceuticals is to temporarily damp down symptoms that would otherwise be overwhelming and intolerable -- not as "cures" as is presented by media, pharmaceutical companies, and many psychiatrists.

[MakeTodayAwesome]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I think the only valid use of pharmaceuticals is to temporarily damp down symptoms that would otherwise be overwhelming and intolerable -- not as "cures" as is presented by media, pharmaceutical companies, and many psychiatrists.

Thank you, I really appreciate this response.

[MakeTodayAwesome]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

no offense but all those meds over the course of 4 months its no wonder you are feeling the way you are. usually it takes anywhere between 4-6 weeks before any kind of stabilizing happens. usually the initial 4-6 weeks on the meds a person does have all these side effects due to the body adjusting.

my suggestion is maybe slow down. stick with one medication or one medication cocktail for about 2 months so that your body has a chance to adjust and the medication have a chance to do its job.

I agree, and believe me I've exhausted Google. I had an extreme reaction to the first, so that was discontinued after one week. The second (Lexapro/Ativan) I took for 8 weeks but was completely dependent on the Ativan since the side effects were so intolerable. I was left with the option to either keep going to see if I would eventually stabilize, or try a different drug. Since I have a close family member successfully using Paxil, that's what I'm on now and I intend to give it a fighting chance. The side effects are far more tolerable.

My goal as of now is to wait it out, implement some healthy lifestyle changes and keep in mind that this is temporary. That down the road, I can taper off once I've developed some healthy coping mechanisms. Thank you for your reply