Posted by jay on June 8, 2002, at 15:05:18
This is so weird. I have been through meds for almost eight years. The anxiety that a.d's cause, to me, is enought to drive anyone to everything from hospitalization to suicide. Then docs tried throwing on antipsychotics and anticonvulsants to somehow magically relieve the anxiety and agitation a.d.'s cause. Uggh. Expensive and *useless*.But, I am back on maintenance benzo use, and I use a small amount of kava kava (which, btw, is ONLY toxic in large doses). Man, I feel like the *real* me! Very relaxed, able to look at things more positive, good memory and better sleep.
For some VERY dumb reason, the newer a.d.'s have been allowed to be marketed as anti-anxiety meds, which is just *wrong*. They turn me into a completely anxiety-ridden basketcase, and on top of that, numb a good range of emotions. Never mind they kill the most basic and important of human drives, sex drive.
I *may* look into some of the older a.d.'s, some of the tricyclics, but after getting off of a few years worth of Effexor, and briging in a benzo (I also take small amounts of kava), I almost am in shock the 300 percent difference. I also found two other meds helpful for coming off effexor: one was Dramamine (or Gravol in Canada..for the nausea); the other was Immodium (for the bowel problems associated with Effexor..gas..diarreha)
I still take those meds PRN, and with the bromazepam and small amount of kava, am actually *living*. The only other couple of older meds I may look at trying are imipramine and trimipramine. Possibly, nortriptyline, but bad experiences in the past with that too. They act much different then the newer *activating* a.d.'s, so it may be worth a shot. We shall see.
Anyhow...I hope others can find some helpful advise in this. Do NOT just 'accept' you have to live with all of the horrid side effects of meds, esp ones which in end ruin your quality of life. If anxiety is your main issue, the ONLY proven meds to knock this illness (GAD, PAD, etc) down is a good dose of a benzo. Do NOT accept anything less then a massive improvement in symptoms and getting back to enjoying life. Good luck!
Jay
poster:jay
thread:109177
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020602/msgs/109177.html