Posted by Op27Nr2 on February 18, 2006, at 12:20:09
Hello all,
I went in to see a doctor to see if there was anything he could do about my anxiety disorder. It has gotten so bad lately that it is preventing me from doing things I really need to be doing on a daily basis.
In any event, the first doctor prescribed Alprazolam (0.5mg) as a temporary fix, until I was able to get to a specialist whom he referred. This particular medication had absolutely no effect on me, aside from making me a little sleepy.
I went into the specialist yesterday who had me fill out a long questionnaire. He determined that, along with an anxiety disorder, he also believed that I am going through a depression. He did make it a point to mention to me that he sees the two (anxiety and depression) closely related and go hand-in-hand in many patients. When I mentioned that the Xanax did not help with my anxiety, and that SSRIs in the past did not help (actually the side effects outweighed the potential benefits), he told me he was going to take my situation in a different direction.
I was given a sample of something called Abilify (aripiprazole) 5mg. While he DID mention it was an anti-psychotic, I knew from doing some reading in the past, that anti-psychotics are meds used to treat schizophrenia. I don't have this disorder, nor do I have any family history of schizophrenia.
I'm sure there is a very good explanation for his decision to start me on an anti-psychotic, but I'm very nervous about taking them. I am going to a different doctor to get a second opinion, but that won't be until next month.
In the meantime, can anyone offer any testimonials (i.e., taking an anti-psychotic to successfully treat GAD). What side effects can one, whom is not diagnosed with schizophrenia, expect on Aripiprazole?
As an aside, several years when I was diagnosed with GAD, I tried several different SSRIs with limited success. Not only did I not get better, but I did gain quite a bit of weight, felt nauseous all the time and experienced sexual side effects - all side effects I was not willing to deal with. I asked about Wellbutrin, and several doctors agreed that it may help with the depression, but it will actually make my anxiety worse.
Thank you so much for anyone who can provide any information for me.
poster:Op27Nr2
thread:610876
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060212/msgs/610876.html