Posted by Paul on Long Island on May 17, 2006, at 6:39:45
In reply to Re: Starting Prozac tomorrow » Paul on Long Island, posted by Bonnie_CA on May 17, 2006, at 0:25:47
> Wow, Klonopin AND Xanax?! I'd be sleeping 24/7! But then again, I'm being treated for GAD, and as far as I can tell, not really that severe of GAD (comparatively). What are you being treated for, Paul?
>
> I was doing a little reading this afternoon, and I could not find anything that said that Prozac was good for treating GAD. Hmmmm. I know off label uses are common, but I figured I'd find SOMETHING saying that it is used for that.
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> So, today, I avoided taking Xanax, since I don't want to be hooked on that, and I ended up taking a long nap. So now, I'm going to be all messed up sleep-wise, because I still have stuff to do. I don't know what it was this afternoon, I just felt generally anxious and a little dizzy. I ate, thinking that would help me feel better, but it didn't, so I ended up taking that nap. Now it's 10:15 and I've got to practice (trumpet, got a big gig this Saturday), work on conducting this one piece I'm conducting on Thursday (so I don't look like such a fool!), and finish writing a study guide for my piano class final. BLAH! I wish my brain would quit being such a pain in the BUTT! The school year is almost over, and then I can "concentrate" on getting my anxiety under control.
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> On a somewhat bright note, I haven't been smoking weed, but that is just because I've been in a somewhat constant state of anxiety, and I'm afraid of what being high would do to me right now. I guess it's good though, since smoking is bad for the lungs, and all that smoking has GOT to be slowing my brain down. (I've smoked as much as an eighth of an ounce in 4 days.) Perhaps the Prozac is slowing my brain down enough without it? I don't know. I start taking 20 mg in the morning. I am still taking one 37.5 mg tablet of Effexor XR. I think maybe I'll start tapering that down bead by bead this weekend. Well, that's all I have for now. Good luck with your med change Paul, I hope that it works out for you!
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> -BonnieHey Bonnie, I don't know that I have GAD specificlly. I certainly have anxiety, and the xanax and klonopin help a lot with those. My basic diagnosis is depression and OCD. OCD is a weird kind of thing. If you get anxious, the obsessive thoughts and the compulsive acts (ritualistic behavior, etc.) become stronger and harder to fight. Ironically, it's my mind's way of trying to alleviate anxiety, and yet it actually causes just the opposite effect. Prozac is supposed to be very good for OCD. While it's never totally gone away, I have to say, it does usually go down to a very low level, so it's good in that sense. The prozac (when it kicks in) will help with the depression part too. This morning I took my third prozac (20 mg). The last couple of days have been really weird. Monday during the day was very hard, crying and anxious. Then Monday night I was darned near exuberant, feeling very good moodwise, although still anxious. Yesterday, during the day I was still anxious, and a little depressed, but never worse than feeling like I wanted to cry a couple of times. Then again last night, I felt a lot better moodwise, but still some anxiety. I think a portion of the evening anxiety is knowing that when I get up in the morning is the worst time of day for me. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress. And listen, you probably should talk to your doctor about when you lower meds and stuff like that. I've never taken Effexor. What are the effects of it? And why is it you wanted to get off of it in the first place? Bad side effects? Not effective? I do know that I wish I had never ever gone off Prozac in the first place, since it worked for me, and I now realize there are other ways to deal with the two main side effects of prozac. So, basically, I was an idiot. God willing, I'll be back to feel ok soon. It's hard to believe that only a couple of months ago, I felt basically good. I wish I'd never tried the Emsam patch. I read here on the boards about some of the amazing responses people have gotten from it, but for me, it was a nightmare! Anyway, that's all for now. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing, and please keep me posted on how you're doing. I care. Paul
poster:Paul on Long Island
thread:642452
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060515/msgs/645057.html