Honestly, I’m right there with you—that sounds like the smartest move. If I were you, I’d definitely head straight to a private specialist... I actually started out seeing this doctor who wasn't in private practice, and man, let me tell you, he prescribed me a mountain of creams that were mostly for fungal infections!!! 👎 So then I finally went to a private dermatologist instead, and she gave me these two specific things, and everything cleared up in just a few days. Before that, I was walking around feeling like I had a massive case of the flu or something. Those creams the first guy would have given me probably would've just scorched my skin off—I didn't even have fungus, he totally misdiagnosed me, and he didn't even bother considering that I've dealt with eczema since I was a kid.
Honestly, I deal with the exact same thing every single time I get out of the shower—it itches like crazy at first, but then it eventually settles down. It’s not just my face either, since I have patches on my torso regardless of what kind of water I use (allergies are a nightmare), and my legs act up too. It doesn't happen everywhere, just in certain spots... you know, these little oval-shaped patches that turn bright red, feel super dry, and start peeling. The real kicker is that you absolutely cannot scratch them; if you do, it just makes everything worse—the skin swells up a bit and that dry patch starts spreading out in a circle. For the spots on my legs and elbows, I usually just go with some Cortizone-10 (though I could probably get something stronger if I had a prescription), and for my face, I actually have this special custom cream a pharmacist whipped up for me since I'm allergic to basically everything. I only dab it onto the specific red areas. As far as I know, I've been diagnosed with dermatitis/eczema.
I honestly don't think you need to go around telling everyone about this. Your meds aren't even in the same league as stuff like Voltaren or Normabel... I mean, they're a bit stronger—like Helex, for instance—but still. And hey, regarding what Alex Foster6 said about tapering off, don't let it get to you too much, it’s really not that deep. Back when I was coming off Xanax, and I was on 2mg, I just dropped by 1mg every single day 👍 truth be told, I was a little out of my mind back then because I was totally hooked, but eventually, you just have to find some kind of work to do—anything, really—just so you aren't sitting around, because that's when the depression really starts pulling you under. 😢 For me, the worst of it lasted about a week, and then you're back to being totally normal, just the way society expects you to be 🙄 Not that you'll feel weird while you're actually taking it, though. You should probably just let yourself go for at least a month before trying again. It was rough, but you get through it. (The instructions on those little papers usually say to wait three days between doses, but it doesn't have to be strictly like that—honestly, right now I'm tapering by just 0.5mg increments because I'm lazy and I've convinced myself I can't handle more without feeling crappy). restlessmarlin6, please don't start thinking about how you could just take them all at once. I know it feels like a massive shift, but it messes with your head, and later on, when you're trying to quit, you'll keep reliving all those crazy sensations and thoughts, and you'll find yourself desperately waiting to take another dose—and that's the real trap, trust me. One time when I was tapering, I was in the bathtub trying to relax, and all I could think about was getting out so I could take my next pill immediately. Like, seriously, I was struggling so hard that I basically took it and was out of the tub five minutes later. But you're still at the beginning, so brace yourself for the struggle 👍 That amazing high eventually fades once your body adjusts, and after that, there's no increasing the dosage!
My sister used to take Helex, and honestly, those meds were pretty alright for her—they did the job. And hey, look on the bright side, you "only" got prescribed that one thing... usually they’ll throw some kind of heavy-duty booster in there too, so I reckon what you've got is actually plenty. They’ll probably try to knock you out at first, you know? That sort of groggy, out-of-it feeling, but that usually wears off once your body gets used to the routine. I'm currently on Xanax myself—which is probably what your friend is taking—and man, it’s a total nightmare trying to get off it because of how addictive it is, so I’m still dealing with that mess. Not totally sure about the deal with Helex, though.
The hardest part of everything you mentioned is definitely that line—"I'm struggling all by myself within my own four walls."
Please, don't go down that road!!! — I’m saying this from my own life here — I dealt with some seriously intense phobias of my own and it was brutal. Especially because I felt like if people found out, they'd just write me off as a "total psycho" (that's literally the word I used back then)
...until I finally found the strength to reach out and get some help.
Seriously, talk to a therapist.
My whole situation ended up being caused by a chemical imbalance in my brain (basically, serotonin wasn't distributing itself evenly among my nerve endings), and no matter how hard I tried to fight it solo or face my phobias head-on—(sometimes I’d intentionally force myself to do the thing I was terrified of, thinking—wrongly, mind you—that I was "conquering" the fear. In reality, all I was doing was spiking my stress levels and making the whole mess even worse)—I eventually had to bite the bullet and see a professional.
In my case, things were made way worse by severe PTSD, and since it dragged on for years, medication (which I handle really well, thank God) became absolutely necessary.
If you catch this early while it's still in the beginning stages, you might not even end up needing meds at all.
Just stay brave. 👍
I'm dealing with that same serotonin issue too, and I always follow that same logic of trying to force myself through the things that scare me... I had no clue that doing that actually does the exact opposite of what you want. My therapist didn't give me any breathing exercises or anything, but they did put me on Prozac and Xanax. I've tried getting off them, but I always end up circling back. It's obvious I need them... even though I'm constantly, stubbornly trying to kick the habit—though, honestly, I haven't been super successful at it.😢 Which meds are you currently on?
Jamie Clark74 said:I’ve been on major antidepressants for about 13 years now—started out on Prozac, cycled through maybe 5 or 7 different ones, and I finally landed on Paxil/ paroxetine 20mg, twice a day. There are plenty of side effects, honestly, but I just can't function without them.
As for Valium/Xanax/Diazepam, I’ve actually been taking those for 34 years just to help with muscle tension.
And I take a higher dose of Rivotril/clonazepam—around 2.5 to 3 mg daily—to deal with my anxiety. Everything mentioned above was prescribed by my Psychologist, and I’ll likely be on them for the rest of my life because, well, my situation is pretty complex.
For most people, you can get better within two years through things like group therapy, but then again, we’re all wired differently and it really depends on what caused our condition in the first place.
The newer meds coming out these days are way better than the old stuff—fewer nasty side effects. Ideally, you wouldn't need medication at all and could manage through positive thinking and building up your self-confidence while letting go of that anxiety, but let's be real—that doesn't work for everyone.
And please, never feel like this is somehow your own fault. In the US, it feels like every 4th or 5th person is dealing with depression, anxiety, or panic attacks.
🙂 😉 😎
I try to stay super positive, 👍 though it’s weird because I don't know why it hit me quite this hard. I keep trying, I really do, but man, it’s tough when it takes hold of you. Thanks for sharing this.🙂
Kenneth Hernandez67 said:Unfortunately, most of these meds really take a massive toll on your libido.
Man, I totally feel you... and honestly, that’s just one of the many headaches we deal with. It’s a nasty side effect, for sure—and while it might not seem like the biggest deal compared to some of the other stuff you have to juggle, when you actually step back and look at the whole picture, it's pretty wild. Like, it is genuinely insane how much these things can absolutely wreck your drive and how quickly those shifts happen once you start taking them.
Ryan Smith4 said:I’ve been on Paxil for about 5 years now... I actually tried to get off it once, but honestly? It didn't go well at all. Now, I don't even stress about it—I just take one pill every morning (or every other day) and life goes on without any drama.
My sister used to be on Paxil too, but combining it with Paxil was a total mess for her, so she kept switching up her meds with her doctor. She eventually managed to quit, but she’s dealing with a type of depression, whereas my whole thing is more about those intense panic attacks and constant anxiety. I try to taper myself off by cutting the milligrams in half, but man, that process drags on for like 4 or 5 months—and even then, I always seem to slide right back into it. Anyway, thanks for sharing your post; maybe if I play my cards right, I can finally reach a point where I'm not constantly obsessing over taking this stuff.
I mean, I’m honestly not sure if those two are actually a thing together... but listen, I went to see that amazing dermatologist over at the clinic—she was seriously great—so if that helps you out at all. f.kurelca 7 042/211144
So, I was just sitting here wondering—does anyone else out there roll with Prozac or Xanax for long stretches? Like, how long are we talking? Because honestly, I’ve been popping them like candy for a good two years now, and I feel like I’ve pretty much mapped out every single side effect and downside they come with. ---------Not to mention that absolute hellscape of a withdrawal period I went through trying to get off the Xanax—it was brutal. I eventually ended up back on it after a year, and now I'm down to just 0.25mg of Prozac. It feels like, according to those highly qualified doctors we have over here, you could basically take this stuff until the day you die, which... yeah, that is definitely not the plan. To be real, it doesn't even feel like it's doing much anymore; I'm pretty sure about that. It just kind of keeps me level (well, mostly, minus the occasional emotional rollercoaster), so I don't see the point in keeping this cycle going. But then again, I can't just quit cold turkey—I have to taper off slowly—but it feels like I always end up circling right back to them anyway. Has anyone actually managed to break free for good without dealing with all those nasty side effects?