Posted by Phoenix1 on January 4, 2008, at 15:32:07
In reply to Re: One more follow up... » Phoenix1, posted by johnj on January 4, 2008, at 11:07:21
> My dx is anxiety/ocd (pure O), and I have had panic attacks. My mind races a lot so some type of bipolar is a possibility. I worry so much. Right now I am on no meds and it has been up and down. Recently, things have gotten worse and I cannot break the pattern of worry and sleep has gone down hill.
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> I cannot take ssris as they cause a 10 fold anxiety increase but I have only tried luvox and paxil. I used to take tranzene but after 10 years it started causing depression. I tried klonopin and xanax and I felt terrible and the washout caused a huge jump in anxiety. Seroquel caused akathisia, pure hell that was. So, I am looking at other options and lyrica seems to be one people here have discussed. If my anxiety and rumination stop I can sleep.
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> After taking Lunesta I would wake up after 6 hours abruptly and it actually made me anxious. The taste wasn't that big of thing but I would rather take care of the anxiety and hope the sleep issues improve. I was thinking of possibly a low dose TCA and may even consider anafranil for the ocd. I am just med sensitive.Hi John,
Wow, sounds like you've tried all the usual things that I would suggest. If you are in the US, Rozerem is an option for sleep. I've never tried it, and haven't seen any rave reviews.
Sounds like trying Lyrica or Neurontin might be an OK option for you. It did alleviate most of my anxiety and insomnia at higher doses. I just worry that you might experience the awful rebound anxiety and insomnia when you stop it, like I did. I found it to be worse than the benzos in that respect.
I really don't want to vilify Lyrica, because it clearly has some potential in anxiety disorders. It's just that I personally, had a terrible experience with it, and for me, the period of benefit wasn't worth the side effects and then the discontinuation syndrome. But for others, it might be a great solution.
Let me know what your doc says, and what you decide to do. And before starting, make sure your doc agrees to a long slow taper if and when you decide to discontinue it.
I'm not sure if I'm being of any help here. On one hand I'm saying it works for anxiety, and on the other hand I'm saying I hated it and it wasn't worth it. I have mixed feelings...
Phoenix1
poster:Phoenix1
thread:804083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071225/msgs/804235.html