GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER

This is for anyone who is experiencing major anxiety and the depression that can accompany it .I have suffered from generalized anxiety and panic attacks since I was a teenager .And for the first ten years of it I had no idea what it was .Because at that time no one talked about it .

I have tried everything and I do mean everything .A year ago the physical symptoms from dealing with it became overwhelming and this last year has been heck on earth .Everything from extreme migraine headaches all day every day to itching .Body aches and stomach problems .You name it ,its affected every part of my body at some point .

I want you all to know that you should never give up hope .There is something out there that will help you .First off tell yourself "this is anxiety ,I will not go crazy or die " . Realize that this too shall pass . I finally found something that helps me .Its a good b complex vitamin and taking inositol (1/2 tsp powder 2 x daily for first week ,then 1 tsp 2 x's daily for the next week until you get to 2 tsp ) add calm magnesium 1 tsp 2 x's daily and a good organic omega three fish oil tablet and 2-4 grams of vitamin c along with vit d-3 .And it should help .It has been a life saver for me .Especially the inositol and magnesium .

Ive seen others post that the b vitamins made their symptoms worsen .If this happens the inositol and mag should balance it out .The b vitamins are important because they actually repair the nervous system .I am also taking taurine which has been reported by some to make symptoms worse but it works in conjunction with the inositol as does choline .

Good luck to all of you and know you are not alone .Exercise will help for the long term and is mandatory for getting those feel good brain chemicals flowing .Even if its just a half hour a day

I think someone should post a long thread about this disorder. Seems like someone new is writing about it almost every week.

If there is one thing I've learned over my decades of wrestling with anxiety disorder, it's that no two people experience it in exactly the same way and no one course of treatment works for everyone. It's truly a trial and error process. I'm presently taking Effexor daily with low-level Xanax as needed. Sometimes I'll go weeks without needing a Xanax, other times I'll take it 4 times a day for a week. I never know. Dietary changes never seemed to do anything for me. Neither did self-hypnosis or yoga, both of which were suggested to me by physicians. Getting plenty of rest and a regular bedtime seems to help. Taking a long hot shower sometimes does, too.

Over the years I've tried just about all drugs mentioned above. Some have helped a little, some none at all. What I like about the Effexor, though, is that is seems to even me out. I don't have as many peaks and valleys and overall, my panic attacks are milder and shorter.

Best advice I can offer is keep prodding your doctor until the two of you get the right mix. If necessary, get a second or third opinion, even see a neurologist to get their perspective.

I've usually been afflicted more with the anxiety side than the depression side, but those few depressive bouts I've suffered have been dreadful. It would be terrible to live with that day in and day out. So don't give up. You'll get the health care your insist upon.

And as a cautionary note....don't suddenly stop taking an anti-depressant. Wean yourself off it with less frequent or smaller dosages for a while. I only went 'cold turkey' once when I was on vacation and forgot my prescription. I had terrible dizzy spells, vertigo, my heart raced and I saw light flashes. It frightened me so much I went to an ER.

I have had RX for low dose Xanax for last 20 years. I take it only when needed. But sometimes just knowing I have it in my possession is all I need to get me thru without even taking it. I never leave the house without it, a great security blanket for me.

On 4/22/2013 Rachelle said:

As the commercial says: Cymbalta is not for everyone. I would get a second opinion. These doctors today are too quick to pass out the pills without even knowing what they are all about. All they know is a pharmaceutical person comes in, passes out samples and tells the doctor "push these and you can get a fantastic trip the end of the year"

I am sorry you are having such a hard time, but I am finding the old saying of "physicians heal thyself", has now become the patients motto,,, We have to take out health into our own hands , we know our bodies, they don't,,,,,,,

I wish you well....

Last edited on 4/22/2013

There are NO trips. You have no idea that the rules have changed for the last 15 years. Don't speak to what you don't know. I know..there are no "trips".

Sorry to hear you're having these issues. I STRONGLY recommend you see a psych doctor or psych nurse--someone who has studied psych meds and knows the ins and outs of them. Please do NOT depend on your primary care doctor or a General Practitioner regarding these types of meds.

On 10/3/2014 NorskyGal said:

Sorry to hear you're having these issues. I STRONGLY recommend you see a psych doctor or psych nurse--someone who has studied psych meds and knows the ins and outs of them. Please do NOT depend on your primary care doctor or a General Practitioner regarding these types of meds.

Hi Again-

Just wanted to thank you all for resurrecting this thread. So important to talk about this stuff. I hope the OP has seen a real improvement and that many here are feeling better.

Part of the anxiety/depression thing, for me at least, is the feeling of being all alone with these issues. Intellectually I know this is not true. I have friends and family who struggle and take meds, too. However, when it's happening to you, and you have depression, it can be internalized and it's easy to feel ashamed of these issues. The more I talk about what is going on with me, the better I feel. I have GAD, too. But I've had a few times over the past few years that the anxiety has come on so strong, and not gone away, that I've been miserable. When I can treat this just like any other medical condition I have, and discuss it with the proper practitioner, I feel so much better. A big piece of some of this, at least for me, is the sense of shame that you aren't feeling or functioning like you think everyone else is. The more we talk about these issues, the better we feel. At least I do. So thank you to all who continue to open up, even in this online community, about depression and anxiety.