Posted by Vincent_QC on January 11, 2010, at 8:31:47
In reply to Re: SSRI with the less initial increase anxiety..., posted by Meltingpot on January 11, 2010, at 4:31:15
> Hi Vincent,
>
> You sound like you are going through absolute hell. You said that you have tried Zyprexa and it didn't help. What dose did you take? I find that 10mg now and again really helps calm me down for the following days.
>I was put on it for almost 3 months, years ago at 5mg...and increase to 20mg...if I can recal well... not very helping... I find that meds who are suppose to be good for the anxiety by working on the H1 receptor and create a sedated state, are not really helpful in reallity... I took also a lot of Seroquel to help me to sleep... go up to 100mg every night and at the end it was not helping me at all to sleep...and for the anxiety forget it... The morning after you feel very dizzy and tired... and tolerance build up very fast for the H1 effect...
> Also, just to give you my experience. When I was in my 20s I had a great response to 20mg of Paxil, no anxiety or anything.
>
> Then when in my 30s and my depression came back, every SSRI seemed to increase the anxiety at the start up dose. After two years the Doctor put me straight on 40mg of Paxil and voila the anxiety and depression lifted. My point here is that the lower doses actually had more side effects for me than the high dose. Maybe when you are taking a low dosse SSRI it is just not working at all and the anxiety you are experiencing is your own anxiety which sounds pretty bad.
>Well, I always have to start at low dose, i'm sensitive to meds in general. The side-effects I experiences on the Paxil 1 month ago and on the Lexapro last week was REAL!!! I know the difference between anticipatory anxiety, who happen generaly 20-30 minutes after you take a med, and REAL side-effects who last more than 1 day!!!
> Also, from some of your other posts I know you are very worried about affects on your heart. I don't really understand why because when I'm feeling that bad I sort of hope I will have a heart attack and just fall down dead, that might sound silly but that's how I feel.
>
> Why are you so concerned about your heart, do you have a history of heart problems? Do you think you are working yourself up into a state by worrying unnecessarily about having a heart attack? I know that when I'm feeling anxious it's absolutely awful and feels horrible but I never actually worry that I'm going to die from it. It is such a shame because an MAOI like Nardil might help you. It didn't really help my depression but it did seem to help the anxiety a bit.I was on the Nardil for almost 4 month... go up to 90mg/day... had terrible orthostatic hypotension, was not able to climb stairs without having a blackout, dizness, vertigo and tinnitus... at some point I had visual hallucination on it! I find it really not good for the anxiety... and it was so sedating... but no hypertensives crisis on the Nardil...like the big ones I had on the Parnate.
Why i'm a lot concern about my heart... the answer is simple... When I was on the Parnate, I realise that it was possible for me to die from an heart attack, i'm not 20yo now, i'm 33 yo, and i'm not in a great shape physically, I smooke, I don't eat very well, I had a surgery to loose weight in 2001, so I had morbid obesity for years and years who probably didin't help to have a good heart...
We are all different... I have a fear of dying... you know that's simple, i'm affraid to die because I don't know what happen after. Peoples with high state of anxiety normally like to have the control over their life and dying or having a heart attack will mean that I loose the control over myself and that I will face the unknow... that's why I have a heart obsession...
But mostly, the Parnate is responsible of that phobia... because before the Parnate, I never think about my heart pressure or pulse rate.
Also, I know you said you don't want to go on tricyclics but something like Clomipramine might eventually help you, I did get a lot of anxiety on it initially but after about five weeks that subsided.
>I was put on the Clomipramine in march 2009, start at 20mg day... increase at 50mg day the week after... it was one of the worse experience I had, with the Parnate... The side-effects are very scary... I was not into a high anxiety state like I am now... I can't imagine returning on that med now!!! If I can't tolerate a simple SSRI, I doubt that I will be able to tolerate a TCA!!! Even at low dose...
In June 2009, I was put on the Imipramine (Tofranil) at 25mg... I was in the begining of my high anxiety state with a lot of panic attacks a day... Had a terrible reaction from my heart... increase blood pressure and high pulse rate, who was not anticipatory anxiety effect or panic... Was not able to stay on it for more than 5 days...
I also try the Nortriptilyne (Pamelor), start also at a very low dose of 20mg... Had a worse heart reaction than the one I had on the Imipramine. Pulse rate of 160 beat minute... had to call my PDoc in emergency and ask if it was normal... and no it was not normal... So I stop it after 2 doses only...
Same thing happen with the Cymbalta and the Pristiq... high blood pressure and fast pulse rate...
I try all of this in 2009... maybe if I tried them before the Parnate, I will never experienced these heart effects??? Who know...
> I really hope you can find something for this anxiety. Please keep us updated.
>
>
> DeniseWell I hope also. Next step will probably be only some Lamictal... no AD for now... will just see what it's doing on me... never be on a mood stabiliser before... maybe it will help with my anxiety... if not, I will have to ask to be hospitalised to start a treatment on an AD... since I can't do it alone at home...
Thanks a lot for your answer ;-)
Have a nice day !
Vincent ;-)
poster:Vincent_QC
thread:933130
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100103/msgs/933232.html