Many of you know that I suffer with generalized anxiety and panic for several years now. I'm taking buspar daily along with remeron at night for the depression. The remeron helped significantly by returning my appetite and even allowing me to be happy at times. I'm not so sure how effective the buspar has been for the anxiety. When triggers exist, it comes back in full force. I've been given the ativan to take as needed .5 mg which is a fairly low dose. When I do take it, it helps but makes me tired also.
So my question is whether any of you take ativan or the other 'benzodiazapenes' (klonopin, xanax or valium) on a more regular basis i.e. daily and find it effective to treat the anxiety. I was initially told these benzo...s are addicting so I've been very cautiaus about using it. But I see in many posts that people seem to be taking them fairly regularly. I'm going to be seeing my doctor soon and thought I would discuss this with her but would like some input from you guys.
I really need something to help me have better control of the racing thoughts, chest pain and nervous stomach.
thanks for any input.
I am not familiar with some of the medicine, the doctor should be the one to advice you, because each person reacts to certain medicine differently. Wishing you health and happiness. God bless you.
I suffer from anxiety too, and have been taking Klonopin. I find that it really does have a calming effect. It also makes me open up and talk more to people than I would without it. If you take too much though, it will make you very drowsy.
I also suffer from anxiety/deppression. I have been on several different antidepressants. Some worked to an extent, but the side effects such as insomnia, weight loss/weight gain, increased anxiety and feeling tired during the day, that I decided it was not worth it anymore. I take klonopin for sleep and wish I could get off of that. I'm sure my body is addicted to it. If I don't take it, I'm up all night. I need to have a sleep study done so maybe another doctor can suggest some better remedies. I find that Drs hear your symptoms briefly in the office and then hurry you out the door with a "fix it all pill." I believe that these pills may work wonders for some people, but others it's just a band-aid to the root of the real cause for anxiety/depression. I believe for some people, that being on these pills for years can really mess with your hormones and when trying to get off of them can cause rebound symptoms, not allowing your body to naturally do what it's supposed to do under anxiety, stressful and depressing moments. Life stressors are always going to be there. It's how we choose to deal with them effectively, not necessarily through meds, but through natural calming attitudes and whatever else helps us get us through that specific stressful moment is an empowering feeling that we can do this without a pill. Believe me I have been through a lot of stress the last few years and wanted that fix it all pill. If I really see I'm struggling, I may seek counseling or just talk with positive supportve friends and that helps to an extent. I have not walked a mile in any of your shoes, but I do believe we can get through life without pills. Sometimes, yes it is necessary when you can't function in life sometimes to get relief from a quick fix. Been there done that.Since childhood, life has not been easy for me. Now, I really try to resort to other means of support when life gets tough. I'm a great listener..please feel free to use me as an outlet. I like to help people. I hope things are going better for you! Take care.
It sounds like the buspar is either not working for your anxiety symptoms, or you aren't on a high enough dose. I take Lexapro for depression/anxiety and use Ativan every now and then for sleep or to relax. I like it better than xanax or klonapin because I get no withdrawal symptoms. I've taken Paxil and Wellbutrin but not buspar. I found that Lexapro works really well for keeping my anxiety managed with minimal side effects. Good luck!
I have been taking klonopin or xanax for 18 years, more or less everyday. At first I was taking four 2mg pills a day which was very fatiguing and I felt drugged. As the years went by I gradually tapered down to taking only .5mg and sometimes even half that. Of course the secret is to always have some in my system. I don't look at it as an addiction any more than I look at insulin as an addiction for diabetes. I tried to tough out my anxiety attacks without much success and frankly I don't see the point. I don't miss work, I don't avoid trigger situations and I live a normal life.
it’s a relief to know I’m not the only person who has that perspective. I went through inpatient detox, and I’ve been sick for nearly 2 months which isn’t even a fraction of time. now I need to find a new doctor to get my benzos back.
I HAVE BEEN ON LBUSPAR BEFORE AND NEVER HELPED ME WITH MY ANIETY SO SWITCHED ME TO LEXAPRO AND KLONIPIN. I ALSO TOO ATIVAN WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WHICH IS SAFER FOR BABY. I TAKE 4 MGS OF KLONIPIN DAILY TO KEEP MY ANIETY AT BAY. THESE MEDICATIONS ARE GREAT BUT, ALOT OF PEOPLE ABUSE THEM. IF YOU START TAKING THEM DONT STOP YOU HAVE TO KEEP THEM IN YOUR SYSTEM TO HELP KEEP ANIETY DOWN THAT IS THE TRICK LIKE RADIOX SAID... THEY HELP ALOT THESE MEDS. DO.. I GOT MY LIFE BACK BEST WISHES
After I gave birth to my fourth Child I went into that post pardon depression, I became a different person. Chest pains became so bad I had chest x-rays because I thought there was something wrong with my lungs due to smoking, it was all stress and anxiety I was put on prozac and xanax for quick release. The Dr. Said I will be on it for life. My mother in Bipolar and I guess it runs in the family blood line. I became tired of being tired and stuck in self pitty so I try to keep myself busy, I started this web sight two years ago when I sunk into self pitty and being able to talk to people and not pay them $50 an hour that I don't have saved my life. I read, I started a diet 5 weeks ago with HCG I had to make myslef stick to it I lost 18 lbs and now I am working out I see results so it has made sticking to it easier and I feel better about my self. Phase two now is the daily work out, its just as hard as the eating habbit change was but I am trying. we are all in this together
I take 1mg Klonopin 3 times day for anxiety & self injury. Also take Lexapro, Cymbalta & Seraquel for depression, mood swings. I have good days & bad days. Right now bad days.
Teril I am sorry that today is a bad day... Lord knows we definately have bad days. I see your new so I just wanted to say hi and welcome to Support Groups!! I hope maybe tonight after hanging out on the boards, reading posts or posting yourself, will help you to feel better. I am certain you will find others you can relate too!!
Sendign welcoming hugs, Suzee
HI there, I'm checking back in after months of being away from SG. Of course, I'm having a hard time or I wouldn't be here right? So once again, I decided (with MD consent) to try a new medication in the hope that it would 1) be effective for my anxiety, and 2) if effective, then I could taper off of the remeron which has been so helpful, but have had weight gain. So I started on prozac at a very low dose. I've been on it for a month and the anxiety is only worse. This is the third SSRI I've tried and had simialr results. Of course there are my life triggers as well that contribute. Bottom line, I feel so alone when I am anxious. No one know what its like to think this way and not be able to control it.
I'm now stopping the prozac as of today and hope I get back to some semblance of normal. Thanks for listening.
If you're going thru GAD and panic attacks, your MD will prescribe appropriate meds. From personal experience, benzos are not used for long-term purpose. It works well on a short-term basis only because it is so addicting. Talk things thru w/ your MD to find out what is best for you. Good luck
I've taken Buspar for years & it seemed to help me with my panic attacks & anxieties. But, since I have have other illnesses, COPD & Heart disease, they give me Xanax. They said Xanax is faster acting while Buspar takes awhile to get in your system. I take it because when I have a breathing attack, it makes me panic & makes it worse. It really seems to help. I also take Klonopin for restless leg syndrome. This really does the job. As far as feeling tired, that is what it is made to do. I started taking Buspar back in 1992. I had a violent temper set off by anxieties, thought it better to seek medical advice before getting into legal problems. All these medications works great in my opinion. And yes, I guess you can get addicted to them. Try seeing pain management if you think you're getting addicted. In my case I don't care if I get addicted, COPD & Heart Disease is going my worse illness & will take me out anyway.
Take care of yourself
Honestly, the only thing that has helped with my anxiety is high-grade Medical Marijuana capsules. Ativan doesn't do much for me and Buspar is just a mask. I am tired of the pills this doc has me on and she doesn't seem to care that the Anafranil makes my heart palpitate like crazy, the Seroquil makes me feel dead and the Depakote makes my hair fall out and makes me gain weight. Marijuana can help with all of these. I will be showing my Medical Marijuana recommendations to her on the 14.
The clinic is finally getting more open-minded about this nifty, beneficial plant! Who0t!
You should be suspicious of any doctor who diagnoses you with Generalized Anxiety Disorder AND Panic Disorder. According to the standards of their profession, outlined in the DSM-IV, the two are mutually exclusive. People with panic disorder cannot have GAD by definition. Anyways, Klonopin is the reason I'm able to work up the nerve to leave my bedroom without too much cognitive impairment.
@montiepython
I think it is more likely a case of crappy communication on the docs part.
we dp all have to remember though what doctors do when they step out of the room, they go and look up your diagnosis. So don’t put so much stock in what they have to say, make sure you educate yourself and know what you need.