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No Medication Works

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Kassandra

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Hello all! I hope you are all doing as well as possible! :)

Over the past few years, I have run the gamut of medications to treat the severe general anxiety that developed as a genetic issue prior to my trauma, and has only increased since my trauma in 2012.

I have tried:

Multiple SSRIs (Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac, Luvox, etc.)
Multiple SNRIs
Multiple Benzos (Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin)
Nortriptyline
Abilify
Seroquel
Lamictal
Trazodone
Risperdal
Wellbutrin

I've even tried the less-common hydroxyzine and prazosin.

These things either have no positive effect (and I've been under the supervision of psychiatrists and tried each medication for about two-three months before giving up), or have had severe paradoxical effects.

My question is: what else is there? My psychologist is so stumped that he wants to send me out of state for an evaluation and potential brain scan, because it's clear to him that my anxiety is, in part, very much bio-chemical, but no medication seems to compensate.

I'm not averse to homeopathic medication, but this just seems absurd. I exercise regularly, try to engage in relaxing activities when I can, eat healthy, don't drink or smoke or do anything to aggravate my anxiety, but I still live with constant high-level anxiety and multiple daily panic attacks. It's very worrisome. Any thoughts or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
 
Could be a nutritional deficiency or multiple nutritional deficiencies.

I discovered this about myself------simply eating well wasn't enough because my body was so deficient that normal foods couldn't begin to fill the nutritional void. (It's why mega dose vitamins/supplements exist.)

Certain foods can also add to anxiety. I have to eliminate them from my diet completely. (Not just the typical stimulants like caffeine.)

There are lots of other mechanisms in the body which can cause high anxiety but the world of psychiatry wants to boil it down to just a few neurotransmitters. (This was a HUGE contributor to my anxiety, too------)

It sounds like you're going to have to start thinking outside the box. A naturopath might help-----might not. I did most of my research myself as these natural practitioners are a bit scarce around me and I didn't have tonnes of money to spend finding a good one.
 
My question is: what else is there?
You might be a rapid-metabolizer. In a nutshell, it means that the medication is processed too quickly by your system to ever have a chance to 'build up'. Rapid metabolizers tend to notice that something will seem to be having an effect for 1-6 months, and then seems to stop working.

What else, besides medication, are you using to help control your anxiety? Have you tried DBT and/or distress-tolerance skills? Adding those in will not completely eradicate the problem, but they will help.

You will probably need to think in terms of playing the 'long-game'. Meditation takes a number of weeks to really work on anxiety, but there's enough science backing it up that it's most definitely worth committing to. Try checking out Jon Kabat-Zinn. His book, Full Catastrophe Living, is the mindfulness/meditation mainstay, but it's a big book. Wherever You Go, There You Are is his other book, and it's more manageable. His published series of guided meditations are great - they aren't at all connected to a higher power, so if you want that sort of thing, try other people - but if you want something more neutral, he's your guy.

Breath control is another one that takes some time to develop, but it is the physiological control switch for all forms of anxiety. Personally, I recommend an app called Breathe2Relax (B2R) - it's no-frills but gets the job done.

I can vouch for the fact that, once you train yourself how to diminish the onset of anxiety through breath, you will begin to know how to anticipate the anxiety itself, which gives you the ability to stop it before it starts. But, like meditation, you'll have about six months of 'is this really, really working?' - just stick with it, it's working.

As far as nutrition goes - how is your resting heart rate, generally? And your blood pressure? You might specifically look into whether you are deficient currently in Magnesium - it's a biggie for regulating things that can go haywire when you are producing too much cortisol, which you are likely doing.

And, you could try intensifying/diversifying your exercise - try some high-interval sessions, or add weight-training, or look into something new to change things up.

I'm really sorry for the struggle you're in. It's a real bummer when medications just don't work - that's very much my situation as well.
 
I needed to see this. Thanks I just got back from the psychiatrist today and we are almost to the end of trying all of the medicine. I am at the end of my rope. I just feel hopeless. Medicine seems to work for a good couple months then I get immune to it. I am trying a new prescription called Viibryd, one can hope that maybe this one will finally help, but I doubt it. Might need to look into the holistic approach as well.
 
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