Posted by chemist on April 15, 2004, at 0:25:58
In reply to Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) » Karalyn, posted by rainyday on April 14, 2004, at 6:53:33
hello there, from chemist....i am an old-hand with GAD, BPI, you name it...if i was not in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry (``i'm not just the president, i'm also a client...'') i would be at a loss to offer my experience. for me, benzos and the benzo derivative xanax saved me. paxil, remeron, parnate, luvox, tegretol, gabapentin, an so on did nothing except make me an intolerable person to be around. i have found that therapy with a social worker - in addition to a once-per-month meds check with my shrink - works fine for now. valium, dalmane, halcion, restoril, librium, ativan - you name it - all performed as expected. xanax remains my - and my shrink's - choice, prn up to 2 mg qd. also, dexedrine 30 mg qd. topamax was useless, trileptal was good. stay away from the activating SSRIs/MAOIs and go for the long cool ride on the benzo express. and *do* subject yourself to the things that trigger panic (for me, air travel and agoraphobia in general). i can report that xanax and dexedrine work fine for me after dumpinf topamax as monotherapy....all the best, chemist
> I had been getting treated for depression off and on by a GP for over 5 years. I kept tapering off when I would feel better, then crash, every time worse than before. The GAD manifested itself 10 years ago on an intermittent basis. When I saw a GP at that time, he told me I was stressed out by my job and advised that I change fields. I did, but eventually the panic attacks and anxiety followed me to every job I have had since then. I last tapered off celexa last September under the care of my GP. Within a week of no medication, I hit bottom and depression and GAD struck harder than ever before. I felt like such a loser - hardly any life stresses on me, and I couldn't even get through a work day without bawling and gasping.
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> My husband looked up a p-doc for me on the internet (I was too frazzled to even look in a phone book), and at my first appointment she dx'd me as bipolar2 and having GAD and panic attacks. That was last October. I have since been on the familiar roller coaster of medications until arriving at my present mix (effexor, wellbutrin, xanax, and ambien). For now, this is working for me. I am seeing a therapist too.
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> I am probably repeating myself here - sorry. My memory is shot lately and sometimes I do the broken record thing.
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> Let me know how you are getting on.
poster:chemist
thread:335825
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/336521.html