I’ve been prescribed anxiety meds. Has anyone taken them? Did they help you?

[Depression = 72% of members]

Hello everyone. I hope that you’re all doing well with the current state of things.

I finally bit the bullet and sought medical help for my anxiety (dx C-PTSD). I’ve been prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) once daily and Hydroxyzine as needed (if I feel overwhelmed with anxiety in the moment). Have any of you taken these meds? How did they work out for you? Side effects?

[JNChell]

Hello everyone. I hope that you’re all doing well with the current state of things.

I finally bit the bullet and sought medical help for my anxiety (dx C-PTSD). I’ve been prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) once daily and Hydroxyzine as needed (if I feel overwhelmed with anxiety in the moment). Have any of you taken these meds? How did they work out for you? Side effects?

[shield-me]

I had Prozac once only and then I had bad side effects so I immediately stopped the medicine as advised. I don't know what my doctor can do for me regarding my anxiety and depression. How is it with Zoloft and Hydroxyzine?

[Naughty Nibbler]

JNChell:
Sorry you are having anxiety issues.  It can really wear you down.

I've gained benefit from Celexa - mostly for Seasonal/Winter depression.  It generally takes 2-4 weeks to gain benefit from antidepressants like Zoloft, so hang in there.  Also, it's common to have some side effects, when you first start the med., & there is a need to taper off when you go off the med (to also reduce or prevent side effects).

Hydroxyzine is an anithistimine that is sometimes prescribed for anxiety. If you have seasonal allergies, perhaps it will also help with that.

Every med has some side effects. Not everyone experiences side effects, temp side effects that disappear, or side effects that stay. There can be pros & cons with Googling the meds you take & learning about side effects (some people get paranoid just reading about the meds).  I've found that for me, knowledge about given meds can be helpful.

After having some issues with heat exhaustion during hot weather, I learned that Celexa (and some other antidepressants), especially when combined with some other meds, can make some people more susceptible to heat exhaustion and/or more prone to sunburn (important to use sunscreen).

Hang in there!  I hope you gain the desired benefit from both meds.  If insomnia is a problem for you, melatonin & or cbd products can be beneficial for some people.

[missing NC]

Hello JNChell and All,

I emphathize with the anxiety struggle.  I did not find Zoloft helpful, but I am in the group that just does not respond to antidepressants.  Antihistamines such as hydroxyzine do work for me, but as you noted are only for occasional use.  I have found some of the techniques on Therapy in a Nutshell on Youtube somewhat helpful.  Some of the topics include "Rewiring the Anxious Brain," "How to Turn off the Fight, Flight, Freeze Response," and "Anxiety Skills" among many others. 

I took a class in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction that emphasized the body scan as a core technique.  I find it somewhat helpful as a grounding approach. I found a good half hour body scan by Jon Kabat Zinn on Youtube that works well for me.  I have tried a few meditation apps but have been less consistent with them. 

A number of years ago, someone at my work said he found The Science of Well-Being, a class which is now free on Coursera very helpful. So now that we are all trapped at home, I've just started that as well. 

I am sorry to hear about your job and hope you are able to find something when the crisis subsides.  In the short-term I wish you the best of luck on all fronts. 

[JNChell]

Hi, shield-me. I’ve heard a lot of messy things about antidepressants/anxiety medications. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with Prozac. Often times it can take, for lack of better words, trial periods to see if certain meds work. I hope you got back with your doctor to relay the results of you trying Prozac. Did your doctor go to another alternative?

I just started the Zoloft three days ago. There’s a “breaking in” period, but it seems to be going ok. I get these butterflies in my gut a few times a day, but it’s not the crushing anxiety. It actually feels good. I feel a bit hazy, but I’m aware that this medicine is causing chemical changes in my brain. So far, I’m optimistic about it.

Hydroxyzine is prescribed on an as need basis. I’ve taken one just to know what it will do to me. It makes me tired for the most part.

How is your anxiety these days? It can be a lot to deal with.

[JNChell]

Hi, Naughty Nibbler. Thank you for your response and info. I was prescribed Celexa about 3 years ago, but it caused me to tremble uncontrollably, so a doc said to stop taking it. I was also prescribed Prazocin (sp) at this time for nightmares. Neither med worked out.

Tell ya what, I’ll take a sunburn over anxiety any day of the week. Thank you so much for the info. 

[I Am Redeemed]

Hi JNChell,

I have taken both zoloft and hydroxyzine. Zoloft made me sick when I first took it. The hydroxyzine made me sleepy and I didn't like that. May not be too bad if it is night time, but I felt hung over from it (I feel that way from Benadryl too).

I also tried Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, and I tried Neurontin paired with at least a couple of those. In the end, none of the SSRI's worked satisfactorily for me so I tried Effexor XR, which seemed to have the most benefit.

It's a real guessing game as to what works for you, and it can be frustrating because you have to give each one time to really get into your system to see the full benefits and if it is right for you.

[JNChell]

Hi, missing NC.  
I’ve been through some very helpful trauma therapy. I didn’t want meds for quite some time, but now I’m starting think that I might benefit from them. At least I hope so. After therapy, I felt pretty good. I learned about myself. The what and the why. The anxiety though, it’s been a big problem for me. Debilitating at times. Aquired survivor skills have always helped me to muscle through when I’ve had to, but that’s just tiring anymore. The trauma has done it’s thing. I’m trying to accept that now and move on with and hopefully build on what is still in tact.

[JNChell]

Hi, IAR.

It's a real guessing game as to what works for you, and it can be frustrating because you have to give each one time to really get into your system to see the full benefits and if it is right for you.

I’m realizing this. How are you doing now?

[I Am Redeemed]

I have not taken any meds for a couple of years now, mostly because I didn't have insurance for a long time. I have considered going back on them because the meds seemed to help me stay above water and use the tools my therapist taught me. Without meds, it takes a lot more effort to keep from being overwhelmed. The state of emergency we are in now has prompted me to consider going back on meds ASAP. My anxiety has kicked into overdrive, particularly after being laid off, and I am finding it hard to get motivated to use mindfulness and other tools to help manage it. I'm mostly feeling on edge and having a hard time getting motivated to do anything productive at the moment.

[JNChell]

Hello, IAR. The pandemic that we’re currently working through is a scary thing. I imagine that for some of us here that the alarm bells that are being sent out and fought over by the media and other sources have a lot of people on edge. It’s ok and you should be concerned, but don’t let it rule your day. Do what’s necessary and use caution.

You know, I wonder how many folks are out there that either need, or would benefit from, medication to simply level them out and allow them to see things for what they are. I don’t mean doping someone up, just a little help to calm things. To allow their thoughts to catch up with some very scattered brain activity. Unfortunately, insurance plays a big part in that.

You’re considering taking meds again because they helped you in the past. Now that you’re in a better situation, maybe they will benefit you even more.

You’ve been laid off. Is your job still there after this thing blows over? Have you filed for unemployment. Not sure if you’ve heard, but the unemployment package, to the best of my knowledge, includes unemployment benefits, plus an extra $600 a week for up to four months. Not sure if this has been passed yet. I’m not sure if this would allow folks to qualify for Medicaid given the additional money, but you should look into it.

I understand feeling on edge and having uncertainty about the near future. We are in a crazy time and I believe it’s best to embrace that and not minimize it. It is what it is. However, we will come out of it. I also understand the crippling affects of anxiety. It has affected every aspect of my life at one time or another. The thing is, I’m still here. If the anxiety is becoming overwhelming for you, and you have the means to obtain medication for that, you should definitely consider it. Feeling better in times like these is a big plus I think. What do you think?

[I Am Redeemed]

I agree, JNChell. I am in a much better place than the last time I was on meds. I haven't taken them since before I left my abusive relationship. I think that if I experienced benefits from them even in constant crisis, I would do so even more now.

I did file for unemployment, and I also applied for emergency relief from the local human services as they received funding specifically for this purpose. I already have Medicaid as of last fall, so there's that.

I'm lucky to have received some financial aid since I am going to school, and the last credit refund date was this week, so I have a little cushion to carry me through at least this month's bills and next month's.

I think there are probably lots of people who would benefit from some type of medication. I know that my father was finally diagnosed with anxiety in his eighties, but he had it for years before that and never took anything or got any therapy. I wonder how different his life (and the rest of my family's lives) would have been if he had.

Then again, my mom was on meds and still had mental health issues. Maybe they weren't the right ones for her, though, and it was the seventies so there were not as many options then. She stayed on tricyclic antidepressants and an antipsychotic drug for the last forty-something years of her life. I wonder sometimes if she had found the right meds and/or the right therapist if she would have still attempted suicide or not. I guess I will never know that answer.

[JNChell]

I wonder about my parents a lot. They’re gone, but I think about the same things that you do. Something I’ve gathered from being here in this community and reading from other resources is that BPD, and severe personality issues in general are still a fairly new, and sometimes liquid thing when it comes to nailing them down. Medications are different, society is different than the 70’s. Sometimes the “what if’s” can hold us back if we stay there too long in the process. There are important questions to address along the way, but, in my own personal experience, I had to realize that I was waiting on answers from people that had passed away.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to know that your mom attempted suicide. I’m sorry that you have to sit with that. You know, I imagine therapy was much different back then as well. There wasn’t really a basis for trauma based therapy. It’s a new thing for the most part.

You’re on top of things. Stay at it, my friend.

[I Am Redeemed]

I had to realize that I was waiting on answers from people that had passed away.

Me, too. I am lucky that we do have trauma therapy today, because it has been helpful to me to reprocess the loss of the mother I had until I was two and the feelings of rejection and abandonment that caused (I didn't know what had really happened until I was twelve).

Through EMDR I have reprocessed these memories and trauma and I can now look back at the past and acknowledge the sadness of it without feeling damaged by it. I can bring the emotional knowledge of my worth and value in line with the intellectual knowledge of it, and I am no longer sucked into the quicksand of years that are long gone.

But, I have a ways to go, which is why I think that the meds would help me to stay motivated to use the tools (such as mindfulness, etc.) that my T provides for me to stay grounded. It frees up some mental energy so I am not battling just for the will to keep working at it.

I can't recall the name of it at the moment, but I also took an anti-seizure med once that was being used as a mood stabilizer. I can't really speak to its effectiveness because I was taking it at a time when I was being repeatedly retraumatized due to abuse from my ex, so it would be interesting to know if I really need it or not. I was once diagnosed with MDD, which is classified as a mood disorder. That was over ten years ago and the symptoms of depression have changed for me. I feel mostly a low grade depression that gets worse with external stressors, such as this whole corona virus thing (I mean, who isn't feeling sad and anxious over this right now) but my T seems to agree that what I thought was MDD was really CPTSD. I wonder what a difference some of these meds would make now that I am in a more stable and safe living environment.

I hope you find the right combo that works for you

[shield-me]

Hi, shield-me. I’ve heard a lot of messy things about antidepressants/anxiety medications. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with Prozac. Often times it can take, for lack of better words, trial periods to see if certain meds work. I hope you got back with your doctor to relay the results of you trying Prozac. Did your doctor go to another alternative?

I just started the Zoloft three days ago. There’s a “breaking in” period, but it seems to be going ok. I get these butterflies in my gut a few times a day, but it’s not the crushing anxiety. It actually feels good. I feel a bit hazy, but I’m aware that this medicine is causing chemical changes in my brain. So far, I’m optimistic about it.

Hydroxyzine is prescribed on an as need basis. I’ve taken one just to know what it will do to me. It makes me tired for the most part.

How is your anxiety these days? It can be a lot to deal with.

My anxiety is bad everyday. Having a uBPD sibling does not help.

Regarding the hydroxyzine, does it make you drowsy? I've had antihistamines and I had a valerian natural medicine once, all made me drowsy. I only take antihistamines if my hayfever is bad but I stopped with valerian because it affected me in operating machinery.

[JNChell]

Hi again, shield-me. I’m sorry that you’re dealing with intense anxiety everyday. I understand how you feel. In the last few days, since I’ve been taking the meds as prescribed, I definitely feel some relief.

You have an uBPD sibling that is causing you distress. I’ve not read your back story, but this is obviously causing upset in your life. What’s going on?

Hydroxyzine does make me drowsy. I think that might be a benefit that my doctor saw in my case. He prescribed it “as needed” and told me that I should only take it if I felt a panic attack coming on, or if one happened out of the blue, which is how they hit anyway.

We have something in common. I’m a machinist by trade. It’s good that you’re cautious when it comes to doing your job while having your wits about you. I pushed back against meds for quite a while. I’m glad that I’m finally giving them a real try. I’ve just started, but I gotta say that it’s night and day in a short amount of time. I feel level and calm. It’s very new, but it feels very good to have a break from feeling anxiety every damn day.

[todayistheday]

How these effect people varies widely by the individual.  Here is my experience.  Your experiences may be different.

Although I have anxiety, it's episodic.

I was prescribed Cymbalta many years ago. I regret that.  I gained 70 pounds and I felt numb to the world.  I was having vivid dreams.  Got off of it.  The withdrawal was awful, despite tapering off.

15 years later, I was prescribed Zoloft - about a year ago.   It had really bad side effects.  In fact, it made me even more anxious.  I got off of that as wel


My Dr. lets me keep about 10 Xanax for stressful times.  These are highly addictive, but I barely use them.  I have noticed some physical anxiety symptoms the past few days, but I'll wait and see if they go away (or not) or if they intefere in my life before having any of them.

[formflier]

  I was also prescribed Prazocin (sp) at this time for nightmares. 

I took prazosin for a couple of years at night.

https://www.jwatch.org/na41162/2016/05/10/what-does-prazosin-do-ptsd

Then I dropped back to as needed and it's now been a couple of years since I've taken any.

I believe it helped me get sleep and wake up less. 

Turns out I've got several sleep disorders, yet as long as I manage those well with CPAP and keep my sleep average up about 7-8 hours per night...I'm a totally different guy.

Best of luck on the meds.  I found one med that I was allergic to (flowmax) and with my 3rd grader we are having a heck of a time getting her meds right for ADHD.  (sometimes it can take a while)

Best,

FF

[JNChell]

Hi, todayistheday. You’re right. We’re all affected differently by different things. Along with prazozin, I was prescribed celexa at the same time. This was about 3 years ago. For whatever reason, the dosage of celexa was doubled without any real explanation by a psychiatrist. It caused me to tremble uncontrollably. A walk in clinic doctor told me to stop the meds immediately.

Our anxiety differs. Yours is episodic, mine can be there daily at times. I finally had to bite the bullet to curb it. Basically, I’m over feeling like that and I’m doing what I hope is necessary at this point in the process.

Xanax has been around for a while. Like you said, it’s highly addictive and should be taken with care. I’ve heard of people taking a quarter of a pill when they’re starting to feel bad, and they feel alright after a few. We just gotta be careful with drugs like that.

[JNChell]

Hello, FF. Yes, it can take a while to get the meds right. I’m hoping that I’ve found a fit to get through the rest of this processing, and that meds aren’t a permanent thing for me. I’m also prepared if they are. No biggie.

I wasn’t able to open the link that you shared. It asked for information and a membership, but thank you.

I slept well with prazosin as well. When I went to the doc for the trembling, he told me that that drug was outdated and to stop taking it as well. Albeit, I slept and had no nightmares.

How long have you and the doctor been trying to get your daughter the proper help? This sounds frustrating.

[formflier]

Probably 6 months or so of medication drama with my 3rd grader. 

Things were stable for a year and then she started complaining of tummy aches.  So, we decided to change meds to one that was supposed to be better on her tummy.

Well, she had a bad...bad reaction to it so we had to take her off everything and let her body settle for a while.

Then we restarted (back to the old meds) but added something to help settle her tummy. 

Initial  results are encouraging.

In the midst of all this we decided to move forward with testing for learning disabilities, then the virus showed up...so all of that is pretty much on hold.

If you remember I have 8 kids.  I've had a lot of diversity in "academic results" (from kids that aced the SAT and ACT to ones we had to "encourage" to study).

But we've never had one that you could tell just didn't get it.

Trying to teach how to tell time on an analog clock was eye opening and is what led to us moving forward with testing for learning disabilities. 

Anyway...thanks for asking and best of luck on your meds.  It's good to get the stabilized.  I've been stable on meds for about a year.   (no pysch stuff but blood pressure and night time peeing meds...basically meds that help me stay asleep rather than getting up to pee all the time).

I also found I was low on B12.  Getting that up has made a massive difference in my thinking and mood.

Best,

FF

[JNChell]

I imagine that meditation has to change as the kiddos mature. Hormones, peer pressure and stuff like that. My sis is a psychologist, and I’ve been trying to get S5 into therapy for the past two years. His mom finally agreed. I asked my sis for important questions to ask a potential therapist. She basically told me to ask if the child therapist understood that it would be a transitional thing while seeing my son. Not just now, but understanding the dynamic of him living in two different places as one person during his development.

[Cromwell]

Hi JNChell

I have a supply of low dose Diazepam, I take one using the same principal of if I would take acetaminophen for a headache. It works incredibly well when I take them on the as-needed basis. A complete lifting of anxiety as well as disapparance of OCD.  Only issue I have is with studying, there is an effect on short term memory formation so I tend to shy away from them unless I really do need to take one. (I will persevere with the pain of the headache until it becomes unbearable) scenario. For long term use, not so good, has a long half life and the sedation and short term memory impact along with rebound anxiety etc, ive experienced and know not to.

If I am going through a period of anxiety that needs daily use, I found success with herb based alternatives - Melissa officianalis. It has been as effective in quashing lingering anxiety and never found any side effects, a bit of sedation but that is expected, milder than diazepam and had no problem getting daily stuff and work done.

I find it takes a bit of trial and error experimentation to find eventually what works best, wish you well in this JNChell.

[JNChell]

Hey there, Crom.  Thanks for dropping by. I’ve tried some herbal/holistic remedies quite often, but the anxiety just got to the point where it was really having an affect on my day to day life. It’s odd to me how and when it decides to show up, squat on my couch and refuse to leave. The Zoloft is definitely helping. The dosage may need to be reduced, but I have to get through the initial loading stage and let it do it’s thing. Honestly, I wish that I didn’t push back so hard against medication in the past. I didn’t trust much for quite some time, including doctors and what they wanted to give me. I suppose that I see things differently now and I’m open to a little more help. Nice to hear from you.

[Cromwell]

Wish you well with it JNChell good to hear that it is helping.

[JNChell]

I’ve cut the dosage in half. The side affects from the full dosage weren’t terrible, but uncomfortable. The half pill is working nice. Thanks, Cromwell.

[Bunny]

I had horrific anxiety for about 4 years.  Saw 2 therapists for CBD, got multiple second opinions about meds, tried every SSRI, SNRI and about 7 different anti-psychotics.  Finally saw a psychiatrist who thinks out of the box and she recommended clomipramine.  It’s approved in the US for obsessive-compulsive disorder (saw an expert on OCD who said I don’t have it).  But it has been a miracle drug for me.  I was on the verge of stopping work due to the severity of my symptoms and with clomipramine I got my life back.

[JNChell]

That’s good to hear. From what I’ve gathered, it can take some trial and error to eventually find what works for us as individuals. Before I started Zoloft, I was contemplating dropping out of the workforce for a while as well. The anxiety just became so much that it was disrupting my days. It became very loud.

I’m very glad to hear about  what is working for you.