[Lola5]

I've spent many years struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD and trying ~40 medications. In the last few years I've taken a downturn and now I spend 24/7 in a panicked state. Hot/cold flashes, mind racing shaking, nausea, can't eat without vomiting, etc.

Despite trying various meds, things have gotten this bad. For almost 9 months, I have been on Prozac and am up to 60mg. A month and a half ago, when I talked to my pdoc about coming off since it hasn't stopped things from getting worse, he reiterated that I am probably not on a high enough dose yet and need to increase for it to start working. BUT, he agreed to let me stay at 60mg for some time and suggested I try Zyprexa.

Within 2 days of taking 2.5mg, I felt better. I was able to eat, sleep at night, the chronic panic was gone. I still struggled with bad anxiety, but it was situation-based and not constant. Things were going great and I felt I might actually be able to work with my T to tackle my issues, but after a month on Zyprexa, my blood sugar was found to be dangerously high from it and I had gained 40lbs. I also had weird muscle spasms/twitching.

Now, I'm off the Zyprexa and the chronic panic is back. I can't get out of bed anymore or do anything. Since coming off, I have vomited up every meal I have eaten.

I don't know what to do because I felt better on the Zyprexa and now I'm back to my old state. It's so difficult to be like this. My pdoc keeps recommending an increase of Prozac to 70mg, but that feels hopeless. Most drugs have not worked for me at all and Zyprexa was the only one that worked, and now it turns out I can't take it. What should I do?

[*Laurie*]

I am so sorry the Zyrexa turned out not good for you. I have also been on about 40 meds over the years. I also struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

I have found that the combination of Latuda and Trileptal is quite helpful for me.

I hope you find a med(s) that work for you.

[sunnydisposition]

i share your pain and understand what you are going through. I live in fear 24/7. havent had much success with the meds so far. Although i havent been on them for too long.

have you tried Seroquel? it's similar to zyprexa in effectiveness but with less severe side effects. You could also ask your pdoc to put you on metamorfin ( the anti diabetic med) that keeps sugar spikes in check and also helps in controlling weight. I know many people who have had great success with this med. Dont give up, theres always a way.

The voice inside your head that tells you there isn't any other way out of it, it's anxiety. I hear it all the time. Do not let it fool you into believing something that just isn't true. There's always hope. NO MATTER WHAT.

[emma01]

Inside 2 days of taking 2.5 mg, I could rest easy. I could eat, rest during the evening, the constant frenzy was no more. Despite everything I battled with awful uneasiness, yet it was circumstance based and not steady.

[still_crazy]

hi. some doctors will give metformin, a drug approved for type II diabetes, with zyprexa. there's some research that shows that this combination reduces weight gain and metabolic problems from the zyprexa.

There are other tranquilizers, old and new. for schizophrenia, a long term study found that perphenazine is almost as effective as zyprexa. it doesn't cause the same level of weight gain and metabolic problems, but there's a higher risk of muscle twitches, tremors, etc. (eps) in the short term and the risk of tardive dyskinesia is believed to be higher in the long term. careful dosing would be key, more so than with the newer tranquilizers. Other older tranquilizers that might help include loxapine, low dose stelazine, and navane.

BuSpar, added to an antidepressant, can help anxiety and improve response to the drug(s) for depression, or so says my current psychiatrist. Its not all that great by itself, but with an antidepressant, it might help. I think you can go up to 60mgs/daily. Its generic and should be much less expensive than some other options.

some people do well with remeron added to an antidepressant. remeron is effective by itself. it has a somewhat unique mechanism of action, so it can "boost" other drugs. weight gain and sedation are both issues, but what I've read and heard from others is that the sedation is more of an issue at the lower doses. as the dose is increased, sedation becomes less of an issue. I don't know if that's true for the weight gain and appetite issues, though.

I take a hefty dose of a newer tranquilizer daily. I'm prone to the tics, tremor, etc., even with Abilify. I've been taking high dose b-vitamins, vitamin c, e, niacinamide, etc. with the tranquilizer, and it seems to help. I'm calmer, I don't get the EPS or akathisia, and I can concentrate better than when I took the Rx treatments w/o the supplements. There's (very limited) research that suggests that this sort of supplementation, taken with a tranquilizer, can reduce the risk of tardive dyskinesia. Some people with established cases of tardive dyskinesia have reported improvements in their problems by taking high dose supplements.

I do hope things get better for you. Not to sound like I'm criticizing your doctor or anything, but could you perhaps get a 2nd opinion on your treatment? Sometimes, a shrink who is great for 10 people may be the 11th person's worst nightmare.