Posted by violette on July 29, 2010, at 20:38:06
In reply to Racing/Anxiety Thoughts, Need Opinion, posted by cycling on July 29, 2010, at 14:49:07
Hi Cycling,
Did you try an SSRI or NI already? Psychiatrists who only treat symptoms/rx medications will sometimes just stick you on mood stabilizers because it's next on the algorithm if a SSRI or NI did not work or quit working. They use different alogrithms I suppose, but mood stabilizers usually come next...
It seems like your PDoc doesn't know you well? Those medications could be causing more symptoms. I'd wean off all that stuff-slowly and cautiously with your doctor's care-and just take Xanax to see how you feel, to evaluate your symptoms for a while to see what you really have. If you realize your pattern is mostly OCD anxiety after a while, I'd next take the medications to treat that one issue and see how that goes.
If it's not OCD anxiety, it could be GAD that you get so bad you end up with racing thoughts, I'd consider using Klonopin if that happens often, to assess yourself longterm w/o all that other crap. If not, I'd stick with Xanax or another benzo if you only need it on occasion. If it turns out to be both OCD and GAD, I'd try the meds for OCD rather than mood stabilizers. Then see if you need an augment of some sort. I'd then do psychotherapy too.
You could start over with something like Zoloft for both OCD and GAD-after the withrdraw of all that, and see if it stablizes you.
From afar, it does not appear that your psychiatrist understands you. Is your PDoc inexperienced maybe? Racing thoughts are not only a symptom of bipolar-it can come from intense anxiety. Does the doc have benzo phobia? Or maybe you just have been on the med-merry-go round for so long, it's unclear what condition you have now?
Good luck :)
poster:violette
thread:956333
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100720/msgs/956380.html