Posted by njsurfer on February 1, 2005, at 12:53:12
I recently started to have uncontrollable anxiety problems and also some panic attacks. It all started on christmas eve and i thought it was just a horrible ear infection i had, but after the levaquin they prescribed healed it, i never felt like i got better. I had been using alcohol to self medicate my anxiety from other issues for about four or five months. I really would fiend for the alcohol and it was the only thing that would make me forget about my problems, for the nite atleast. I come from a very supportive family in regards to addiction and mental health. My mother is a recovering alcoholic for ten years and she has been in therapy and on anti depressants for a long time. My stepfather is also very supportive and has been seeking help for his issues. I realized that i had a problem and it was out of my control around the beginning of the new year. I had a panic attack a long time ago but didnt know what it was, and then i had a few more after the new year. I thought i was dying and was contributing all my problems to some sort of illness i could not pinpoint. I finally decided to reach out for help and be honest with my primary physician, and i also quit drinknig cold turkey. He prescribed klonopin .5 mg during the day and then 4mg gabitril at nite. I took this for about a week and it did help my anxiety a little bit but i had hesitation from the benzo's since my mother had become addicted to xanax. I ended up seeing a new doctor and making him my primary internist a week after. HE took me off of the meds and put me on Effexor 37.5 mg. After three days on the medicine i thought i was going to kill myself. It felt like my insides wouldnt quit shaking and i was so scared of everything for no reason. The doctor switched me to Lexapro and i have been on this for seven days now. I seem to be able to tolerate this, but i still have anxiety, it seems like it is always there in the back of my mind lurking. I had a scary thought over the weekend that what if i lost control of myself and did something to physically hurt my girlfriend. This thought has been haunting me since, its been about three days. I know i would never do anything but i am driving myself crazy obsessing about the fact that i had even thought a thought like. I have also started to see a therapist and i shared this with her, but i still have it in the back of my mind. I am hoping that this gets better at some point, it seems like it never will. I have also been supplementing the lexapro with .25 mg klonopin right now. It helps relieve the anxiety a lot, but i dont want to get addicted, but i feel like i need it to getby right now. I keep reading all these posts for people that are at the end of their rope. I used to be such an outgoing and happy person, now its hard for me to leave the house to go to work, and i force myself to do things that i used to yearn for. I have also lost about 10 pounds because i am never hungry, or i feel naseaus. I just need some encouragement from like minded people. thanks a lot for whatever you can give.
poster:njsurfer
thread:451045
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/newbs/20041227/msgs/451045.html