axiety , o.c.d , depression?

[TRES TEAL]

does any1 have any of those problems? i have anxiety and hate it, but for all the things i posted in the title, it helps alot to talk about it. my dr. gave me a px for effexor wich totally helped me, then i stopped taking it for 6 months and i was fine, then all of a sudden it recently came back so im back on the meds for a bit and am feeling great again . i just wanna know if any1 has any tips for dealing with severe stress other than medication. 1 thing that i know helps me, is get out of the house and take a walk , or i paint to keep my mind clear.

 

[jmdulock]

I have anxiety too! I've been taking Zoloft for 6 months now and it's been working wonderfully. My px is low so sometimes I still get a little anxious, but to me that's ok. I still want to feel things I just don't want it to be as extreme as it was. Some things that work for me other than px is cooking, exercise, and listening to music.

 

[AlliSwan]

Ever since I was 16 I've had severe anxiety and mild OCD (it's definitely a part of my life but it doesn't control me like having to turn the lights on and off three times, it's more that I hate a change in routine and I often count my steps, etc). I'm not a sad/depressed person, but I took Celexa for five years. I had been taking 20mg and didn't really want to up the dosage, so my doc tried Paxil at 20mg. I was wayyyy overexcited (I guess because it's more an "upper" for depression than anxiety) and when he dropped me down to 10mg the panic attacks were very frequent. So he put me on Lexapro at 10mg and I am SO much better. I also have a very, very mild prescription for Xanax and I can take up to two whole pills a day (I often go weeks without touching them, and when I do I only take halves of the pills). I have also been seeing a psych because I didn't just want to medicate and not work through these issues, and I have never felt better.

 

[NICOLE73]

I have been taking Effexor for about two years. I am on the lowest dosagge, 37.5mg /day, and I can't imagine not being on this. My life has changed so much for the better since I started taking it.

 

[TRES TEAL]

i knew this would be a good topic... anxiety attacts n stuff like that are soo horrible. meds to some ppl are bad , but they really help u out tons if you need them. i just got a low dosage of xanax too incase of an emergency attac and it just makes me feell better knowing i have them if i need them. im glad theres people on here to relate to!! i tried one of jm's ideas today when i was feeling a little anxious and baked some cookies with my son and it totally calmed me down

 

[AlliSwan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRES TEAL i just got a low dosage of xanax too incase of an emergency attac and it just makes me feell better knowing i have them if i need them.

DITTO! For a long time I felt meds were a "crutch" and tried to never take them. My mom and my doctors have made me realize sometimes it can be a chemical imbalance beyond your control, and living with that panic or the fear that you MIGHT GET a panic attack is just HORRIBLE. Now I always have little xanax halves with me, just in case, and I realize they're there for a reason and there's nothing "weak" about taking them.

 

[TRES TEAL]

exactly! its no different than a diabetic taking insulin or ppl taking pills for their heart . but now ive got a question, but if u guys arent sure ill just call my pharmacist ... im going to my friends wedding in a cpl weeks and i wanna know if i can have a couple drinks . i know alchohol is a big no no to mix with some meds.

 

[sarahbeth564]

I have OCD but I've never been on medication for it. I'm not as bad as some people (think the people on MTV's True Life) but I always have to make sure things "feel right". Whenever I walk past a door I feel the side of it. When I drink from a glass I feel the bottom, from one end to the other. But if it doesn't feel right I do it again.

Some days its like eh, whatever, no big deal. And other days I'm afraid its going to take over my life.

 

[kaliraksha]

I have OCD too... I've suffered from a little depression throughout my life... I was diagnosed passive aggressive... I was too proud for a while to use pills... but it definitely makes a difference when I do use them. I suffer more from held in anger... the combination of being passive aggressive, a perfectionist with OCD makes for a lot of internal stress. It really runs in my family, and that was hard for me to accept..but my mom takes celexa, a lot of my aunts have taken depression meds... so I'm starting to accept that it's just a chemical thing I have to let someone help me with because I can't do it by myself.

 

[moonrevel]

All three, and despite all the meds I was on, I found that the best thing was therapy...good humanistic style therapy. I used to be on a lot of things, but after I made a conscious effort to work things out in therapy, now all I have is Xanax for emergencies. I know some people aren't excited about therapy, but I highly recommend it, even if you don't have a major problem. It's so nice to have someone to talk to and bounce things off of who doesn't have a personal investment in your life!

 

[TRES TEAL]

i bet therapy helps alot. i have absolutely no time for it tho, iim very young (21 in sept) and i have a 3yr old son. he is having trouble talkng, so ive got four different teachers coming to my house every day of the week and it is soo time consuming. then after all of his classes, ive gotta make his dinner, bathe him, do an activity, and then put him down for bed. by the time all of thats over, im ready to relax and watch tv till i fall asleep. atleast he starts preschool in a month so i can have the day to myself to do things i need to do.

 

[jmdulock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRES TEAL exactly! its no different than a diabetic taking insulin or ppl taking pills for their heart . but now ive got a question, but if u guys arent sure ill just call my pharmacist ... im going to my friends wedding in a cpl weeks and i wanna know if i can have a couple drinks . i know alchohol is a big no no to mix with some meds.

I'm also not supposed to drink on Zoloft, but sometimes I do have a couple when I go out with the girls. I noticed that I can't drink as much as I did before and my buzz feels a little different. I don't usually have more than a drink or two.

 

[AspiringArtist]

First of all, I wanted to say that I totally relate. I have been diagnosed with a variety of mental illnesses (mostly because I've seen quite a few doctors) and am on valium for my anxiety. For me, I'm quite agoraphobic, and get anxiety just being in the house. It helps me though to force myself out to quiet places, like a park or something to walk and clear my head. I also keep myself as busy as possible with my work at home job and distance education classes. It's hard to construct your life to deal with an illness, but you can do it. I also do pilates and stuff to try and be more "centered" I guess. It helps with anxiety, but not the rest, sadly. But I figure if I can get a handle on the anxiety, I can get a handle on the rest eventually.

 

[Amymo]

I felt I had to reply to this thread because I have just started to get a handle on my anxiety/depression problems. After several therapy sessions I have felt strong enough to go it alone but it is hard. I sometimes feel awful for the pressure I have put on my family and friends and other days I worry that those who are less dependable may one day use this problem against me, I guess I worry I have told people too much of my problems.

I have learned that these are examples of my mind getting carried away with itself and the after-effect tends to really affect my day. I find getting up with a smile makes everything more bearable and because facing the day is hard I really look forward to painting on a funky face to present to the world! I try to exercise or read a good book every lunchbreak to ward off bad thoughts and find being around people helps so I try not to separate myself off from people like I used to.

Home can be boring and lonely so if it gets to that stage I get onto the net and search around, email friends and look out a nice recipe to make for dinner. Baking is very theraputic as is card and jewellery making - I really recommend putting together a jewellery kit and hunting out curios to add to necklaces/bracelets etc. For me its keeping busy and sociable that really helps - good luck to others in this situation and stay confident in yourself

 

[TRES TEAL]

i love the idea of a jewelry kit, that would definately be fun and keep me busy...thanks , thats some good info!

 

[MissMarley]

i was on effexor, and ended up with really bad side effects after i'd been on it for year or two. i've been on elavil, effexor xr, cymbalta (which caused hallucinations for me), zoloft, paxil, and wellbutrin (which caused my blood pressure to plummit and i ended up in the hospital being monitored for seizures). i'm back on zoloft and it's not really doing crap for me. i'm diagnosed with clinical depression, general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, bulimia, and post traumatic stress disorder. i paint and draw with pastels to calm down, but it's still a struggle every day. i also started a makeup blog to put up my FOTD, and that's something to keep me busy. I go back and forth- I've been dealing with this for four years, and it's hard. But you just have to think about what you have to live for, what makes life good, and stay focused on that.

 

[mspixieears]

I've been chronically depressed for 6 years now, though I had my first severe depressive episode 7 years before that.

For the first 3 yrs of being chronically depressed I had a lot of panic and anxiety problems and though I was put on meds for it, I actually learnt to talk myself out of them.

This is what I do when I feel a panic attack coming on. I just try as much as possible to keep physically relaxed, and deliberately think of something that makes me happy or smile NO MATTER WHAT. We're talking foolproof can't-help-but-smile. I have 3 very precious memories that I 'summon' and as soon as I start to think about them, the panic starts to subside.

Medication does help a lot, but I've found despite the cost and how goddamn hard it is, therapy has helped me with some major issues I've had. While it is painful, it's a better long-term solution to meds. And as many of you know, meds have some awful, debilitating side effects. I can't actually work because the side effects are so...harsh. It doesn't help that I'm so small either!

One just has to keep trying to beat the demon, I guess...

 

[Chelly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlliSwan Ever since I was 16 I've had severe anxiety and mild OCD (it's definitely a part of my life but it doesn't control me like having to turn the lights on and off three times, it's more that I hate a change in routine and I often count my steps, etc). I'm not a sad/depressed person, but I took Celexa for five years. I had been taking 20mg and didn't really want to up the dosage, so my doc tried Paxil at 20mg. I was wayyyy overexcited (I guess because it's more an "upper" for depression than anxiety) and when he dropped me down to 10mg the panic attacks were very frequent. So he put me on Lexapro at 10mg and I am SO much better. I also have a very, very mild prescription for Xanax and I can take up to two whole pills a day (I often go weeks without touching them, and when I do I only take halves of the pills). I have also been seeing a psych because I didn't just want to medicate and not work through these issues, and I have never felt better.

i used to take lexapro - but i gained 20 pounds!! so i took myself off of it and the anxiety is back and worse than ever but im just trying to cope with it day by day. the biggest thing i try to do is tell myself that things are NOT THAT SERIOUS!! and it helps to an extent but i still freak out sometimes lol

hope lexapro works for you<33

EDIT:

i also wanted to say that another way im trying to get past anxiety is to take up a hobby.... hence why im into makeup.. that honestly is the best thing to keep my mind on one thing and not freak me out - and i hardly wear makeup (how bad is that) thank god for specktra <33

 

[mspixieears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelly EDIT: i also wanted to say that another way im trying to get past anxiety is to take up a hobby.... hence why im into makeup.. that honestly is the best thing to keep my mind on one thing and not freak me out - and i hardly wear makeup (how bad is that) thank god for specktra <33

Please don't even think I'm disrespecting by suggesting this, it's just a thought. I just don't want to offend anyone.

Hobbies do help, but if a person is using activity as a way of avoiding what the underlying reasons are for anxiety and panic, then it can be just as bad in the long run. Of course, that isn't going to be like that for everyone.

I know for myself, playing a musical instrument is gold. It helps heaps, and my panic was at its worst when I wasn't able to play as much as I wanted. Or yoga. Heh, the pain is bad of course it'd make you forget lots of other problems!

But writing, another so-called hobby of mine, that does the opposite. I get so caught up in wanting every damn word to be perfect that anxiety gets in and suddenly has me by the throat *gulp*. It's not so bad now, but when I think it could get bad, I have to stop writing, and even stop reading so I don't go...bananas. Pain in the butt!

Just offering another angle. Might help someone, hopefully.

 

[kaliraksha]

Recent studies have shown that people that suffer from ocd, panic, anxiety may find relief in low carb lifestyle. Because it helps to keep blood sugar levels stable. When your body's sugar level is stable the body does not produce high levels of adrenaline to compensate. It's something I recently read... and I'm interested in finding a book to read further into this... if anyone has any suggestions... please do tell!