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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
Just want to see if anyone has anxiety as bad as mine and what they've tried.
My anxiety gets so bad sometimes, I'm on the verge of going in-patient into a hospital. Here is my daily routine. I get up at 8am, awakened by the anxiety. It's usually in my head in the morning. I get up about 8am, take Klonopin 1mg, Serzone 300mg, and Metoprolol for HR control at 12.5mg. Next I get my two kids 5 and 7 ready and off to the bus stop. I come back to the house and within the hour of taking the meds, my anxiety eases from like a 7/10 to a 4/10. With the cold weather, and the general feeling of anxiety, I don't leave the house much. I am able at times to go to the grocery store and to my MD appts. During the day, I try and stay busy doing odds and ends, but the anxiety starts getting worse by noon. I gets so bad that I just sit on my couch with my hands on my head just tapping my feet on the floor. I feel the anxiety in my stomach, chest, and sometimes in the head. I hate it when it's in the head, thats usually when I say to myself I can't take this anymore. I take 0.25-0.5mg of Xanax again at noon or so and I calm down again for a few hours but it's still there. My kids get home and are all hyper at around 4:30pm and this gets my anxiety going again. In general, my anxiety is usually on average a 7/10. I've read all the self help book, audios, etc, but they don't help worth a damn. Around 7pm or so, I repeat the morning meds and then I calm down real nice. Sometimes, I feel perfect. Not sure why this is, but I think I'm just exhausted from all the anxiety during the day. When I finally get into bed usually at around 11pm, I fall right asleep. I don't wake up during the night. I have bad dreams or should I say weird bizarre dreams. They arn't nightmares, but just not pleasant. So now I'm trying to add the low dose antipsychotics, but I only get more sedated. Thats my day, can anyone relate. I didn't talk much about depression, I am depressed, but not sure if it's because of all of this anxiety or if it's what triggered all this in the first place. Any responses would be appreciated.
Gary
Posted by Abby Cunningham on January 14, 2008, at 16:34:20
In reply to My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
Hi Gary,
I have GAD and major depression. I hate meds. so I try to stay low on them but it is very difficult. I take xanax 1.75mg-2mg. per day, and 100SR wellbutrin which helps the depression.Today I was snowed in and housebound; like you I don't go out much during the winter; just to the store once in a while and to my doctors appointments. I have no kids however, just the four-legged kind!
I was very bad today; called my psychiatrist, wanted to take a drink was so anxious but instead this afternoon (should have done before) I did 15 minutes hard exercise on the elliptical trainer and I feel at least 85% better! I never thought it would be that dramatic as I am usually not as horribly anxious as I was today.
Gary, have you tried doing exercise, I mean real areobic exercise to get your heart rate up for 20 minutes or so? It may not last for a long time but I can go back and do more later. I hope this helps.
Abby
> Just want to see if anyone has anxiety as bad as mine and what they've tried.
>
> My anxiety gets so bad sometimes, I'm on the verge of going in-patient into a hospital. Here is my daily routine. I get up at 8am, awakened by the anxiety. It's usually in my head in the morning. I get up about 8am, take Klonopin 1mg, Serzone 300mg, and Metoprolol for HR control at 12.5mg. Next I get my two kids 5 and 7 ready and off to the bus stop. I come back to the house and within the hour of taking the meds, my anxiety eases from like a 7/10 to a 4/10. With the cold weather, and the general feeling of anxiety, I don't leave the house much. I am able at times to go to the grocery store and to my MD appts. During the day, I try and stay busy doing odds and ends, but the anxiety starts getting worse by noon. I gets so bad that I just sit on my couch with my hands on my head just tapping my feet on the floor. I feel the anxiety in my stomach, chest, and sometimes in the head. I hate it when it's in the head, thats usually when I say to myself I can't take this anymore. I take 0.25-0.5mg of Xanax again at noon or so and I calm down again for a few hours but it's still there. My kids get home and are all hyper at around 4:30pm and this gets my anxiety going again. In general, my anxiety is usually on average a 7/10. I've read all the self help book, audios, etc, but they don't help worth a damn. Around 7pm or so, I repeat the morning meds and then I calm down real nice. Sometimes, I feel perfect. Not sure why this is, but I think I'm just exhausted from all the anxiety during the day. When I finally get into bed usually at around 11pm, I fall right asleep. I don't wake up during the night. I have bad dreams or should I say weird bizarre dreams. They arn't nightmares, but just not pleasant. So now I'm trying to add the low dose antipsychotics, but I only get more sedated. Thats my day, can anyone relate. I didn't talk much about depression, I am depressed, but not sure if it's because of all of this anxiety or if it's what triggered all this in the first place. Any responses would be appreciated.
>
> Gary
Posted by bleauberry on January 14, 2008, at 19:05:52
In reply to My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
Yeah, I can relate.
You should try zyprexa. You really should. I know your symptoms. I know zyprexa.
I also think it is important to have an ssri as a base. Even if it is just a low dose or ultralow dose of something like zoloft, celexa, or lexapro.
The serzone obviously sucks. I don't know why you are still with it. Still depressed. Massive anxiety. Geez, enough already. It would be way to long if I went into detail, but when you figure in how serzone messes with the liver and how it influences cortisol and the adrenal glands, the drug itself could be more than half of your problems.
Zyprexa. SSRI. Ditch the serzone. Use higher doses of benzos during the weaning process.
As a sidenote, the way serzone affects liver metabolism you could be chewing up your benzo a lot faster than normal. Higher doses and more frequent doses would be needed just to achieve blood levels of what would be considered normal target doses. Simply said, due to the presence of serzone, your benzo is a lot less than what it says on the bottle. I wonder if your doctor has told you about the CYP3A4 enzyme and how serzone affects other drugs through that enzyme?
Posted by Phoenix1 on January 14, 2008, at 19:19:04
In reply to My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
> Just want to see if anyone has anxiety as bad as mine and what they've tried.
>
> My anxiety gets so bad sometimes, I'm on the verge of going in-patient into a hospital. Here is my daily routine. I get up at 8am, awakened by the anxiety. It's usually in my head in the morning. I get up about 8am, take Klonopin 1mg, Serzone 300mg, and Metoprolol for HR control at 12.5mg. Next I get my two kids 5 and 7 ready and off to the bus stop. I come back to the house and within the hour of taking the meds, my anxiety eases from like a 7/10 to a 4/10. With the cold weather, and the general feeling of anxiety, I don't leave the house much. I am able at times to go to the grocery store and to my MD appts. During the day, I try and stay busy doing odds and ends, but the anxiety starts getting worse by noon. I gets so bad that I just sit on my couch with my hands on my head just tapping my feet on the floor. I feel the anxiety in my stomach, chest, and sometimes in the head. I hate it when it's in the head, thats usually when I say to myself I can't take this anymore. I take 0.25-0.5mg of Xanax again at noon or so and I calm down again for a few hours but it's still there. My kids get home and are all hyper at around 4:30pm and this gets my anxiety going again. In general, my anxiety is usually on average a 7/10. I've read all the self help book, audios, etc, but they don't help worth a damn. Around 7pm or so, I repeat the morning meds and then I calm down real nice. Sometimes, I feel perfect. Not sure why this is, but I think I'm just exhausted from all the anxiety during the day. When I finally get into bed usually at around 11pm, I fall right asleep. I don't wake up during the night. I have bad dreams or should I say weird bizarre dreams. They arn't nightmares, but just not pleasant. So now I'm trying to add the low dose antipsychotics, but I only get more sedated. Thats my day, can anyone relate. I didn't talk much about depression, I am depressed, but not sure if it's because of all of this anxiety or if it's what triggered all this in the first place. Any responses would be appreciated.
>
> GaryFirst of all, I can relate. I was in your poistion a month or so ago. It's a horrible feeling to have your anxiety totally out of control despite the meds you are prescribed. I struggled against increasing anxiety by increasing my own benzo dosages. A bad situation that was spiralling out of control. That was coupled with worsening depression. I did go inpatient for a week to get stabilized, which probably saved my life. Now, I'm on an MAOI, and have reduced my own benzo (klonopin) dosages, and finally feel in control and happy. I'm not saying my solution is what will work for you. The previous poster suggested Zyprexa. That also may or may not work for you. Everyone is so different. What is clear to me is that you need a psychiatrist to totally review your meds and look at some alternatives. The benzos are great at reducing anxiety, and when used appropriately can work wonders. But they don't appear to be working all that well for you at the moment. I feel for you because I know what that paralyzing irrational anxiety is like, and I know how badly you want relief from it. Please have a psychiatrist review your meds and come up with a new plan. I'm happy to help with any questions or suggestions if you would like.
Phoenix1
Posted by oldschool305 on January 14, 2008, at 23:58:38
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to thi » garyengelm, posted by Phoenix1 on January 14, 2008, at 19:19:04
Yah, I would say my anxiety gets as bad as yours sometimes heh. It's horrible, it controls our lives =( I'm having problems holding a job because of it. Quit a pretty decent job today, I only had for a week. I was working for American Express as a Travel Consultant with excellent benefits. I am starting to think that Customer Service is not a good job for someone with anxiety/panic disorder hehe. My anxiety is horrible, I can't sleep at night. I don't have insurance so it's hard to get on the proper meds so I am on a small dose of Lexapro still. Long story short, I NEVER FEEL GOOD. I constantly feel nervous, shaky, feel like screaming, dying, constantly laying in bed. Live at home with mom and need to start helping out around here but I can't. I can't hold onto a damn job. I hate working, I really do. But only because I never feel good. It's hard to be around 100-150 ppl when you're having anxiety from hell. It's hard to smile, and act professional when you feel like crap. It's hard to talk on the phone and function. It's just impossible for me anymore. I love my bed, I love to be alone. I love to avoid the world unless I absolutely MUST go outdoors. Complete 180 from who I was 6 years ago. I was so outgoing and energetic. That is me no longer. I'm now a lazy fat 27 year old with no goals, no ambition, no motivation, no drive, nothing. All thanks to anxiety and depression.
Now I do have some Zypreza sitting in my closet but never tried it because I am already fat. But if it helps get my life back on track.... It might be worth getting a bit fatter. Not like i've had a boyfriend in years anyways. pssh.
Posted by Phillipa on January 15, 2008, at 10:31:57
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to thi, posted by oldschool305 on January 14, 2008, at 23:58:38
Just up due to anxiety at 2am last night like a jerk I took lmg split from a time release xanax with my usual 20mg of valium now I feel horrible. When will I learn to not do this? Didn't know that about the serzone as that doc here put me on it after high doses of benzos didn't work made me worse no sleep for two weeks. I still feel anxiety leads to depression. Don't do a thing other than stores in the winter too and need my husband with me to drive as fears. Love Phillipa
Posted by jms600 on January 15, 2008, at 17:21:32
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to thi » garyengelm, posted by Phoenix1 on January 14, 2008, at 19:19:04
It's just a thought, but have you tried a drug called Memantine? It's a newish drug (approved in 2003) licensed for Alzheimer's disease.
I was fortunate enough to have been given the chance to try Memantine about 3 years ago, while I was on an unrelated drug trial.
I didn't see any improvement in the condition which I was given the Memantine for; however, I did notice that it helped my anxiety drastically I just felt so much calmer and my anxiety just disappeared (I was taking Prozac with it at the time)!
Trouble is, it seems to be very difficult to get hold of here in Britain - neither my GP nor my psychiatrist will even consider prescribing it to me.
It is available on the net but it's not cheap + I'm rather wary of buying medication over the internet.
I'm not sure if this post is any good to you, but it may be worth considering Memantine if you haven't already tried it.
Posted by 4WD on January 15, 2008, at 18:06:42
In reply to My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
Yes, Gary, other people get anxiety as bad as yours. At least you know you are not alone in your suffering. Your description sounds exactly like my anxiety. It is bad in the morning then I take my meds and it gets a little better then around midday it gets bad again and I take more meds. If I take a nap (even if I am calm when I go to sleep) I wake up with the anxiety all over again.
When you described it as feeling it in your chest and stomach, I thought "Finally, someone else feels what I do." It feels like there is 100 times too much adrenaline surging around in my body. It has been so bad that I have crawled around on the living room rug, screaming at the ceiling, begging God to make it stop.
The Klonopin helps, but does not completely get rid of the anxiety. Usually it is not bad at night. I often feel calm by bedtime (my last dose of Klonopin is usually in early afternoon).
I started out on .5 mg Klonopin 3and a half years ago and now I am up to 4-8 mg per day in divided doses.
Does your doctor know the level of anxiety you are experiencing? In my opinion it is very dangerous to continue to try to live with this. It makes me suicidal when I get to the point of feeling like I just cannot stand it another minute. I would let my doctor know right away what is going on.
Please continue to post and let us know how you are doing. My prayers will be with you. You are definitely not alone and this board can offer valuable advice and support.
Marsha
Marsha
Posted by garyengelm on January 15, 2008, at 18:13:40
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by bleauberry on January 14, 2008, at 19:05:52
I tried low dose Respirdal last night and it seems to have settled me much of today.
Posted by Phillipa on January 15, 2008, at 19:26:03
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to thi, posted by garyengelm on January 15, 2008, at 18:13:40
Oh that's great!!!!! Phillipa
Posted by 4WD on January 20, 2008, at 19:31:06
In reply to My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to this ??, posted by garyengelm on January 14, 2008, at 16:04:41
Gary,
I was just wondering how you were doing. You haven't posted on this thread for a while. I feel so much empathy (and sympathy) for you because our symptoms are so much alike.
It's rare to find someone who describes it the same way I do. That feeling of having it centered in your chest and stomach doesn't seem to be the garden variety anxiety. I have had the regular kind of anxiety also many years ago and then it was typical anxiety, worrying about stuff, not being able to stop thinking about problems etc. mostly mental anxiety.
What I am (and you are) experiencing doesn't seem like it ought to be called anxiety. There needs to be a different name for this. It's so physical.
Anyway, hope you are doing okay. I was just kind of thinking about you and wanted to check on you.
Marsha
Posted by Phillipa on January 20, 2008, at 22:50:51
In reply to Gary, how are you doing? » garyengelm, posted by 4WD on January 20, 2008, at 19:31:06
Marsha it's not akathesia is it? Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on January 22, 2008, at 0:12:22
In reply to Re: My Anxiety is so Bad..Can anyone Relate to thi, posted by garyengelm on January 15, 2008, at 18:13:40
> I tried low dose Respirdal last night and it seems to have settled me much of today.
There are uses for low dosage antipsychotics when nothing else helps for anxiety. I wouldn't advocate them as a first line but I've been taking Seroquel for 6 years. I hope eventually to get off of it or to take Clozaril, but that's a different story. My anxiety disorder is so complex it would take pages to write but basically its a mixture of OCD, mostly pure O and a Somatoform Disorder NOS.
This is the end of the thread.
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