Resisting Medication

[Gamereign555]

I also suffer from nighttime anxiety it is during the day as well, which I feel in my chest. I get it all really, the buzzing, the tightness, the breathing and the pain. I have difficulty while sitting sometimes and difficulty when lying down to go to sleep, the anxiety kicks in and makes it difficult to sleep.

I take Celexa for depression and anxiety and combined with therapy my anxiety level has gone down quite a bit and my depression is gone, my cup so to speak is not overflowing at all times like it was. I no longer suffer from constant symptoms, but when I do get anxious for whatever reason, I still experience those symptoms.
Hopefully you find the right anti depressant and that helps with the anxiety symptoms.

Now everyone reacts to meds differently but. Amitriptaline in small doses is pretty good for sleep, for me it allows me to calm myself while my eyes are closed and trying to sleep, everything becomes peaceful and I sleep, it feels very natural. It however does nothing for anxiety. Trazedone is also used in this manner.
Restoril is another medication you might end up taking to help with sleep. For me, unless I take 30mg, it doesn't seem to induce sleep. At the smaller dose of 15mg, it will only slightly induce sleep and might not be noticeable if I am anxious, however the drug is a benzo and does reduce anxiety, which is enough to let me sleep right there. It also has an effect on me that keeps me asleep for at least 6 hours at a time and if it treated most of my anxiety in my chest I can easily sleep for a whole 12 hours. I try to space out how often I use sleep aids though, I don't want to become dependent on anything for sleep, so I choose to just use them every few days. It is commonly prescribed for people with ptsd.

I think I probably will never get to feel 'normal' again but that's okay I feel like I have come a long way and this is definetly tolerable and I feel as if I can push myself to get better myself.

I wanted to add that I didn't even have insurance, I started out going to a walk in clinic to get my medications, I ended up establishing care with one doctor, got insurance and had to switch to another doctor, lost insurance but I stayed with the doctor anyway, I'm sick of moving doctors and its important to keep a doctor so they can learn about you.

 

[hazen]

Thanks gamereign I appreciate the tips. I don't know enough about the different meds out there so any knowledge you pass along will make me better prepared for whatever the person I end up seeing throws at me.

Still haven't gotten an appointment or a call back. I will report back once I finally get some kind of meds. I'm curious to see what they suggest.

 

[Gamereign555]

I'm also a little curious. If I had to guess they will probably prescribe either buspar, and trazedone or amitriptaline for sleep, maybe vistaril. If you have heaps of anxiety they might give ativan or valium. Major sleep issues they might give propranolol, xanax or restoril.

Of course they will probably prescribe more of your anti depressant.

Dont be discouraged if they give you the weaker drugs for sleep and anxiety, it might be all you need and its smart to try that out before giving something thats addictive or dangerous potential.

 

[Sazza]

Just to say hope you find the right meds for you Hazen.

I to until last week resisted medication then decided to give it go, nothing to lose by trying.

 

[hazen]

Thanks Sazza. I am getting more disenchanted with psychiatrists by the day though. I called two more offices today. One said I could come by in August, the other isn't accepting new patients. I am getting more irritated by the day.

I'm calling two more and then my regular doctor if I must tomorrow.

 

[Gamereign555]

You shouldn't need a psychiatrist, though one is useful, I have never had one. Cooperation between a Psychologist and your GP or Doctor is enough to get your medications. Uusally the doctors will give you your prescriptions and ask that you follow it up with your Psychologist, some doctors aren't going to want to give you certain medications without at least knowing that you have a therapist, but you should at least be able to get started on your medications right away just from visiting your doctor.

If you don't have a therapist yet, and want one, you should ask for a referral from your Doctor. If you have no insurance or they can't or wont provide the referral, you might have to pay a visit to Human Resources, Mental Health Dept. to get a list of therapists in your area and financial assistance if needed.

In some cases it is far easier to get a therapist than finding an available psychiatrist or a clinic that has a psychiatrist. In this case you should know that establishing a therapist is a good way to get results from your doctor.

 

[hazen]

OK I will call my doc tomorrow... I don't know why I am soo reluctant to do so.

 

[Gamereign555]

Well for me the notion that I might have to undergo therapy is kind of a hard thing to jump into. I tried to find a Psychiatrist at first but it was too hard to find one. The fourth time I was in urgent care for anxiety a human resources representative at the hospital came into my room and asked if I had a therapist yet, I told her no and she told me what I would have to do to get one. At first I though okay maybe I do need a therapist but didn't understand the implications of having one at that time. It became obvious that doctors were more comfortable giving me the medications I needed if they knew I had and was going to a therapist.

But really my therapist is amazing and she helped me just as much as my doctor did, it sounds unbelievable that a person can talk you into a better place over time, but it was true for me. I give her just as much credit as I would give my doctor, who is also very good.

 

[hazen]

I am seeing my regular doc on tuesday and I will make an appointment at this psychiatrist office that specializes in sleep medicine for August. I feel like your folks' input has helped me feel a little better armed knowledge-wise so I feel OK with it. I just need something at this point... especially for the sleep. The two Benadryl I took tonight aren't doing much.

 

[Gamereign555]

That's great that you are well on your way to some relief. Just hang in there a little longer and hopefully your doctor can get you something to help? Well, take it easy in the meantime.

 

[hazen]

Just got back from the appointment with my GP. That was incredibly difficult. I was getting so anxious during the car ride over I thought I was going to pass out. Then waiting in the room for the doctor to arrive was bad. The nurse taking my blood pressure said "Hmm all your other numbers are fine but your blood pressure is very above normal". I said I was more than a little anxious and that might have something to do with that.

Anyway, trying to explain my PTSD to my doctor in a nutshell was very hard. I found myself shaking and just saying whatever I could to get the point across.

My doctor doesn't seem to think that I need to go to a psychiatrist, and that if I am going to a psychologist and him that should be enough. I suppose he is right... a psychiatrist would just start prescribing me meds too right?

He believes that something to help with my general anxiety would actually help my sleep as well over time. This is different than what I thought... since sleeping is my main problem, I thought I would get a strong sleep/psych med, but instead he gave me Effexor at a small dose. I expressed my concerns with Lexapro from my past brief experience with it and he said that there are plenty of meds out there that can help and we will find the one that works best.

He then asked me if I still wanted something for sleep, and I told him that I do, so he also prescribed Ambien. I have never taken that before, and I know it is just a sleep med, so we will see how that goes I guess.

I have heard some not-so-great things about Effexor in the past so I am a little anxious/curious about how that will go. Of course I have heard about bad side effects from pretty much every single med out there, so I don't know.

I will be picking up the meds later today. I guess I will take the Effexor alone at first and see if that does anything for my sleep?

 

[Sazza]

Hi Hazen,

Glad you finally got to see your GP and get some help sorted and some medication. When your GP said something for anxiety may help in long term that what my gp initially said to me but at first i just got few sleepers but things with anxiety did not improve so decided to start antidepressants. The idea is that over time the meds will kick in reduce your anxiety thus promote sleep more long term than sleepers.

As for hearing alot bad stuff about effexor try and just see how it goes for you. I recently read all the horror stories about my medication and still am and we need to recognise that everyone reacts differently, like your GP said you will find the right one for you. What works for one may not for another, it all takes time to find what suits you.

Not sure what to advise re effexor at first maybe while it is getting in the system you could use the sleepers to help then one the effexor built up in your system see how you go without. I am no expert though so maybe you should seek further advice off your GP on this. Did your Gp tell you to take them every night? or just when needed? this may guide you on what to do.

Sazza