Re: Anxiety
jodie34 wrote:I think maybe that I am having a problem with anxiety. It has been a very difficult Winter for me. So much has been going on in my life , my brother passed away in December, my best friend passed away with cancer a coworker also passed away with cancer, trying to be there for my friend that is having problems with her husband and I had bunion surgery which I am doing OK with. My husband had a stint put in and doesn't seem to want to follow the Cardiologist orders as for the diet. I went to the Podiatrist today and got a very good report on my foot. I am very tired all of the time and also having problems sleeping seems like my mind just can't shut down. I am taking Effexor XR for hot flashes they seemed to go away after being on the meds for awhile. Does anyone else have problems with anxiety? I am not sure of how to deal with this.
Hey there
Effexor is actually pretty good for treating generalized anxiety, but it tends to have alot of side effects and/or withdrawal effects such as sexual side effects, gastrointestinal effects, headaches, markedly "electric shock" type feelings upon withdrawal, etc etc. Most SSRI (selective seretonin reuptake inhibitors) will have side effects. These include medications like Zoloft. They work by, as the name indicates, preventing the reuptake of a neurotransmitter called serotonin that is thought to play a role in mood and etc. I won't go into the physiological babble of exactly how these meds work for fear of making those reading this post fall asleep, but if you are curious ask ;-)
Other meds for anxiety include the benzodiazapene family- eg- valium, Xanax, Klonopin. I would advise against these as they tend to be very habit forming and can cause siezures if stopped abruptly. They have worked for people when taken on an occasional basis, but if you feel you need to take them every day, I would advise against it. Again, to be decided between you and your MD, and hopefully a bit of research on your own part from valid medical resources.
By the way, with ANY psych medication, do not stop without "weaning" off of it properly or you will subject yourself , generally, to rather uncomfortable, at best, feelings, both physically and mentally.
Trouble sleeping is a very common thing. I have depression and anxiety myself and sleep has always been an issue for me. My mind races at a million thoughts just when i should be trying to sleep. Go figure that while Im in the office during the day I'm half asleep on my desk !
Some sleep aides can help. Sonata was pretty decent, without having side effects. Again, all sleep meds carry risk of dependancy. Unfortunately, depending on what insurance carrier you have, you may or may not have to pay out of pocket for certain meds for sleep.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!!!!****************** PLEASE, do NOT take any natural supplements, including St John's Wort, unless you first research and/or ask your doctor on interactions with you medications. There are many meds out there that can in fact have very dangerous effects when mixed together, and this includes naturals such as St John's Wort. Try one or the other, but do not mix things without researching first, please. And by researching I mean valid medical advice. Not that I don't love this website, but we shouldn't be advising anyone to take any medications, natural or otherwise, without first consulting a physician because we do not know all the other meds a person is taking and interactions can be sickening and even deadly in some cases. But assuming you do your homework, there are other natural remedies such as Melatonin, also readily found in health stores like GNC, etc, that can aid in sleep.
Finally, some people don't like this idea, but therapy, with the right person, can work wonders. When you have alot of stress on your mind, sometimes it's good to get it all of your chest, and have someone to bounce ideas off of, who is not personally important to you. Friends and family are good for venting, sure, but they can't always give the same objective advice that a proper therapist can. You might need to try a couple different therapists until you find one you are comfortable with, but it can make a huge difference to even just sit and bitch your heart out once a week to someone, even if they can't really do anything to change it. let's face it, you can't save your friends dying from cancer, or your husband from mishandling his health, but you can find better ways of mentally dealing with life's problems.
And really that makes all the difference. medications and therapists and natural supplements do not take problems away, but one or all of the above can help to give you a different view on things, and make it easier to assess the situation, which means anxiety that is at a normal level and not a level that is interfering with your ability to function.
I've had days where i lay in bed for 16 hours straight staring at the wall, thinking my life was horrid, how nothing would get better, how i wa lonely, and stupid, and hated my job and hated everything, and was jealous my friends made more money than me, and this and that and this and that. Depression and anxiety at their worst can make your body quite literally physically hurt, where you lost all motivation to do anything, care about anything. it's a struggle, but you find what works best for you and that's how you deal with it.
Good luck :-)
