grab your bag Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 I'm taking 40mg Citalopram and 30mg Mirtazapine at night. Last week I got sick and was in bed all day, and since then I'm having anxiety attacks with suicidal thoughts, I feel like I'm going insane and I feel like I can't bear this pain and life . . tomorrow morning I have an appointment with my psychiatrist, what is the best SSRI for anxiety? and I will ask something for focus . . I can't feel like this anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Paxil (paroxetine) is considered good for anxiety. Zoloft (sertraline) is effective too, but some people find it too activating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grab your bag Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 thanks! She gave me Lorazepam, and after reading the package insert I don't want to take it . . I will see her again in 2 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Lorazepam is a benzo and not an antidepressant. Benzos are extremely effective in treating anxiety. If your doctor prescribed you Lorazepam then it's ok to try it. It should help you immensely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, grab your bag said: She gave me Lorazepam, and after reading the package insert I don't want to take it . . Why did the package insert scare you so much? If your doc prescribed it for you, she thinks it's safe for you to take, and will help you......I suggest trusting your doc, and at least trying the Lorazepam for 2 weeks, until you see her again......As jt said above, Lorazepam works very well for anxiety. Edited October 13, 2017 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grab your bag Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 (edited) I should have explained myself: I have anxiety attacks because there is something in my life that I'm not addressing, and the anxiety attacks are a reminder that I need to change . . the anxiety attacks are terrible, and maybe the fear from having them would help me change.... I don't know, I just don't want to be apathetic about the things I need to do I talked to her about replacing the citalopram, but she wanted to wait . . and what scared me was the addiction part..... Edited October 13, 2017 by grab your bag 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Lorazepam is highly effective against panic, and it will not make you anywhere near as apathetic as citalopram has a reputation for doing. As far as addiction goes ... if you take it for only a few weeks, you will not become addicted. In fact, most people who take lorazepam for years do not become addicted. Please understand the difference between addiction and dependence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grab your bag Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 I understand you jt, and I will consider taking it if really needed, I'm just havig a bad week, or bad 10 years if you think about it . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 ive heard of people taking Ativan around the clock every 4-6hr. Addiction, while a serious concern, shouldn't be a problem if your are working closely with your pdoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browri Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 The likelihood for addiction is much higher when you are taking it regularly every day with no breaks. That's when you develop a tolerance and then it's difficult to stop taking it. But if you only take it when you have attacks, you should be okay to take it indefinitely, unless of course you're actually having multiple attacks every day, in which case it's a moot point. I agree with you 100%. It took a lot to get me to ask my pdoc for just 14 0.5mg tablets of Xanax, and I only take half of one when I can't tolerate it anymore. So ultimately I may take it 0-2 times a week. That's not going to get you addicted. And I totally understand the way that you feel hoping that your anxiety will drive you to change the things that make you anxious because I have a similar issue right now that I'm trying to cope with. I don't want to completely mute the way that I feel, that emotional range is important. So I'm usually pretty conservative with meds in the hopes that those things will motivate me to be better. Honestly though, it never really works out that way. My anxiety has always paralyzed me to do anything. I would feel completely helpless, and that feeling of helplessness wasn't helping me at all. Fast forward and I'm now on a semi-therapeutic dose of Depakote, max dose of Trintellix and just a pinch of loxapine. I've learned to be conservative specifically with antipsychotics like loxapine and benzos like Xanax because they diminish my ability to naturally cope with external stimuli whether they be positive or negative. Depakote is much more subtle and makes for a solid backbone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grab your bag Posted October 25, 2017 Author Share Posted October 25, 2017 23 hours ago, browri said: The likelihood for addiction is much higher when you are taking it regularly every day with no breaks. That's when you develop a tolerance and then it's difficult to stop taking it. But if you only take it when you have attacks, you should be okay to take it indefinitely, unless of course you're actually having multiple attacks every day, in which case it's a moot point. I agree with you 100%. It took a lot to get me to ask my pdoc for just 14 0.5mg tablets of Xanax, and I only take half of one when I can't tolerate it anymore. So ultimately I may take it 0-2 times a week. That's not going to get you addicted. And I totally understand the way that you feel hoping that your anxiety will drive you to change the things that make you anxious because I have a similar issue right now that I'm trying to cope with. I don't want to completely mute the way that I feel, that emotional range is important. So I'm usually pretty conservative with meds in the hopes that those things will motivate me to be better. Honestly though, it never really works out that way. My anxiety has always paralyzed me to do anything. I would feel completely helpless, and that feeling of helplessness wasn't helping me at all. Fast forward and I'm now on a semi-therapeutic dose of Depakote, max dose of Trintellix and just a pinch of loxapine. I've learned to be conservative specifically with antipsychotics like loxapine and benzos like Xanax because they diminish my ability to naturally cope with external stimuli whether they be positive or negative. Depakote is much more subtle and makes for a solid backbone. thank you for your post browri . . there is nothing wrong with taking benzos, maybe I will take Lorazepam if I need to..... I just feel right now that panic is essential for me to change things, I have been depressed for so long and now that the depression is mild I can see what a complete mess I had made of my life and I actually care..... I also have a bad habit of thinking that things are going to be easy, and then they are not and I freak out, like addressing the things that make me anxious . . I don't know I'm rambling, it's weird how anxiety can be motivating and paralyzing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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