My therapist prescribed medication

[FoxLocke]

To make a long story short my therapist diagnosed me as a hypochondriac with generalized anxiety disorder.

I have always had fears, phobias, and bouts of insomnia(one day I stayed up three nights in a row out of anxiety)...

So, my therapist gave me a prescription(I forgot the name of it, starts with an 'L'), and I took some last night.

I slept better than I ever have in my life. I really love the way the medication makes me feel...

Now I am scared I might like it so much that I will get addicted.

 

I want to continue to take medication while I am in counseling, but I want to get off it when I no longer need it.

 

Is that possible, or will I have to take anti anxiety medication the rest of my life?

[amb1873]

This is something that your psychiatrist should have discussed with you when prescribing! Generally they will be very careful about prescribing medication if it is highly addictive. And if it is addictive, they will try to make sure you use it as safely as possible. Do not use it more often or more of it than prescribed to you. The next time you have an appointment with your psychiatrist talk to him/her about your concerns. I doubt he/she prescribed it to you with the intention of keeping you on it forever and have certainly worked through tapering patients off of the drug in the past.

[Dako]

Lexapro?

 

I think it's healthy to be concerned about meds.

Ask yourself if you're better off on meds. You may be able to learn coping methods that may allow you to someday discontinue meds. Meanwhile your symptoms are at bay so you can objectively seek those skills.

 

I was very hesitant to take meds for depression, and after about 10 years, I've lowered my dosage to the point that I've stopped taking it as of yesterday. I don't think this sort of drug is addictive in the sense that you have withdrawals, it's just a matter of the symptoms returning or not.

 

Maybe I'll go bananas and resume meds, but I hope not.

 

BTW I'm taking the liberty of lumping Lexapro with drugs like Wellbutrin and Prozac, although I realize they differ. Ask your doctor for medical advice.

[FoxLocke]

Oh he did discuss it with me. But after I took the drug I felt like, "Oh my god, maybe I no longer need counseling? I feel cured of anxiety!"

So now I'm wondering if I will still have to deal with my anxiety issues if I got off it?

 

And yes it is Lexapro(good guess)...As of now I feel so much better and able to concentrate on what I'm doing...My only issue is about going off of it, because I don't want to be on medication the rest of my life...

 

My big issue is whether or not my anxiety disorder can be cured?

[Dako]

Maybe not cured, but over time you can deal with it better, especially if you aren't dysfunctional. Here again, I'm guessing, but anxiety is sometimes a personality trait, a medical condition or a reaction to our surroundings and situation. As we age, our feelings also go through phases. You may have reasons to feel anxious that might be temporary.

[melee18]

It's been my personal experience that anxiety and depression can be cured by changing the way you think (read up on "the feeling good handbook" by David Burns). A therapist is an excellent tool to help you do this, even though it may take you a while in therapy. Our world today loves to perscribe drugs for anyone with anything and I don't really agree with this. However if the drug helps you for the moment then I would stay on it and keep working through therapy. Hopefully you'll eventually not need the drug or the therapist!

[renaissancewoman101]

Do medications really have that much of an affect on your anxieties, fears, and your quirks? I also thought emotional and psychological problems occurred because of your feelings or the way you process or handle things and in order to be able to "cure" those problems, you had to find better ways to handle issues, like do a psychological "rewiring" of your brain and your emotions.

 

I had no idea that meds can really help you that much. Sometimes I wonder why I am so slavishly hooked on routine and I cling to it so much because of my anxiety issues. If meds are a cure all, then I may look into it.

 

Hmmm!!!!!!

[Dako]

Yes, religion, positive thinking, cognitive therapy, exercise, diet and other things affect one's outlook. One side-effect of meds is finally being able to function, but being told you don't need meds at all by well-meaning people. When it's your own life in turmoil, you use what works, whether it's yoga or a pill.

[FoxLocke]

I'm doing cognitive therapy as well. I mean I am going to be starting on it...Alot of people I know with anxiety disorders say that it is very beneficial. I do the yoga thing too, and I goto the gym. However, I need a way to cope with my issues on a daily basis....I hate feeling scared when I have no reason too. So I hope cognitive therapy works.

[Dako]

You seem to have a good approach. It should pay off well and benefit you for years to come.

[KIDD]

Hey Foxlocke be careful with taking medication. I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid but I really don't think medication is seriously needed to cure us of anxiety, depression & other things.It just seems like everyone is so quick to prescribe people with things.I really think drugs don't actually help you but just helps you for the time being.I don't mean to sound negative or anything, just saying be careful. I think that you're making a good approach with cognitive therapy though. Keep us posted!

[annie24]

I took lexapro for a while for GAD and found that it helped me. that and the therapy together really worked. I'm off it now, I really didn't have many side effects at all coming off it, but I was in a perpetual fog of sleepiness while on it.

 

PM me if you ever have any question!

[nottoogreen]

Hi FoxLocke,

 

You are in therapy and meds like Psychopharma are a part of therapy.

 

The FDA assures that approved meds are quite safe. Psychopharma are quite safe when used under the supervision of a trained and qualified therapist.

 

Psychopharma tend to make you feel better, but do not negate the need for therapy and change! Too many people screw up here!

 

You can google for your brand/contents of med's and learn about them, I always do that also for my gf and kids and friends at times.

 

Please work with your therapist and also induce change within you in order to find balance within yourself and in your life.

[FoxLocke]

Thanks Annie! I will hold you to that!

Mgirl, you can drop me a message...Thanks for asking.

[arwen]

That's probably lepraxo. I have had cognitive therapy and it really helps if you suffer from anxiety disorders. I was on efexor, and lately I got a prescription again. It's not a bad idea to combine meds with therapy, I think you will really benefit from it. A lot of people here are on medication, if you have any discomfort or questions, you can always come here and ask if others have it. Antidepressants can have some weird side effects, but that will disappear after a week or two. You should feel the benefit after 4-6 weeks.

 

Ilse

[FoxLocke]

Actually, I am feeling(and noticing)the benefit of it now. I am sleeping better and some of my friends and family members are noticing a positive change in my personality...

I am not having the same stressful anxieties that I was having before. I do, like Annie said, sometimes feel a little groggy...But I get back to normal within hours after taking the meds...

I do notice how I am when I am off the medication and when I'm on. I do like my personality better when I take the pills.

 

Hopefully therapy will enable me to cope without them. Wish me luck.

[nottoogreen]

... I do like my personality better when I take the pills.

Just listening, does that mean that you also like _yourself_ better?

Hopefully therapy will enable me to cope without them. Wish me luck.

FoxLocke, Don't worry about meds too much. The meds won't harm you and dosage can be reduced as you progress.

 

As you may remember, I was a virgin until 23 and was accused by family being gay. I am straight as an arrow but could be happy being a lesbian. I was very angry at the ignorance of these people, them misjudged. This among other adversity increased my desire to succeed. What I want to say is that people judge easily what's none of their business/they do not understand and worst of all they misjudge. Please learn to not care.

 

Some ideas

• Confucius: Do not be concerned about others not appreciating you. Be concerned with your not appreciating others.
  
• Be reasonably selfish. Do not let others use and abuse you. Drop bad friends.
  
• Work on your career.
  
• Develop more interests and hobbies away from friends.
  
• Only for crosscheck and self confidence - Be sure you want to be gay. Don't laugh, confidence is important.
  
• Work on improving what you do not like about yourself.
  
• Love yourself more.
  
• Be whom you want to be! Period.
  

Be your luck!

... It's not a bad idea to combine meds with therapy ...

Ilse, I'd like to word it differently as meds without therapy is a bad idea. Meds can enhance therapy. Medication Increasing Suicidal Thoughts, Prolonged depression and AD, unmeetable expectations. My own experience is there too.

[nottoogreen]

Patricia A. Resick, Ph.D., National Center for PTSD, Department of Veterans Affairs

... PTSD symptoms ...

I view the symptoms as developing from an inability to resolve conflicts between the traumatic event and prior beliefs about the self or others as well as the consequent avoidance of a range of strong affects such as anger, shame, or guilt, not just fear.

From: link removed

Broken expectations - expressed by a Ph.D

[FoxLocke]

Well, I already like myself, medication or not, however, I do like that I am getting more rest at night time. I needed that. I just got tired of always being on edge.

 

As you may remember, I was a virgin until 23 and was accused by family being gay. I am straight as an arrow but could be happy being a lesbian. I was very angry at the ignorance of these people, them misjudged. This among other adversity increased my desire to succeed. What I want to say is that people judge easily what's none of their business/they do not understand and worst of all they misjudge. Please learn to not care.

 

That was my problem too. But, unlike you, I actually am gay...lol. I used to think, "maybe it is just something I will grow out of..." Then when I got into my late teens and early 20's I thought, "hmmm, maybe it can be "cured" or "fixed." Then I started to see that it was what it was...

I've come to a place of acceptance about my sexuality, but now I am trying to love that part of myself...

When I was younger I grew up with homophobia all around me. I even internalized my own homophobia, which led to a nearly life long bout with low self esteem(I am finally starting to feel good about myself after 20 some odd years)...I think most of my anxiety comes from the mental transition that I am having to make. The hardest part for me is not to care...

My life, from the outside, has always been seemingly "perfect." I made the perfect grades, I behaved the right way, dressed the right way, and presented myself the right way. I cared more about what others thought my entire life. In the process I LOST myself. My whole thing was pleasing my mom, various family members, and potential friends...So I molded myself to fit their perceptions. Now, I am learning how to be myself. Sometimes it is freeing, liberating, and makes me happy...Othertimes I am downright petrified. I've always dealt with fears and phobias, their root cause being my sexual orientation...I thought I had it altogether at first, but now I'm realizing that there is so much other stuff.

 

At this point I definitely consider myself a work in progress...But hey, you have to start somewhere!

 

That is why I never believed the plot of The 40-Year-Old virigin. 9 times out of 10 a 40-year-old virgin is probably gay...lol.

[nottoogreen]

Great FoxLocke,

 

Please follow your path and be happy.

[Anna.]

ok, for you to feel the effects on the first night, it probably was not lexapro. Seeing as you have generalized anxiety disorder, I'm guessing the doctor gave you lorazapam. this is a totally different situation. If this is the case, then it is very very addictive. And it's one of those drugs that you get immune to your dosage and have to take more to get the same feeling. It also makes you VERY forgetful. So be very careful...

[annie24]

lexapro is also prescribed for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the US. I did start feeling the effects of lexapro (the side effects) within the first few days.

 

lorazapam, that's not good for long term use ....

[FoxLocke]

No, it is Lexapro, I have the bottle right here. My mom is on Lorazopam, and has been taking it practically all of her life.

Lexapro worked for me within the first two days. Either that or I was just really tired from staying up several nights in a row.

[nottoogreen]

Either that or I was just really tired from staying up several nights in a row.

This and the placebo effect. No problem.

[renaissancewoman101]

Foxlocke, what kind of side effects did you get from the Lexapro, off the bat?