Posts by James Young87

frozengardener57 said:I could really use some encouragement right now.

I’ve used Lexapro before, so I know what those initial side effects feel like, but they always hit me hard—and this time, they are even more brutal. It honestly feels like I'm being punished because I have a habit of stopping the medication as soon as I start feeling better after a couple of months.

I am currently on my 8th dose of 7.5 mg, and I'm supposed to bump up to 10 mg tomorrow.
I am absolutely losing it. All that initial anxiety—which is why I'm taking this in the first place, since I don't have depression... yet—has just skyrocketed. If I didn't have Xanax, I think I would actually lose my mind.
And the insomnia! Lately, I’m only getting about one to four hours of sleep per night.
I wake up in a state of pure dread and panic, with tingling sensations and hot flashes all over my body, and my head is just throbbing.
I realize this is expected and that it’s way too early for the medicine to actually kick in, but this is truly terrifying.
What has your experience been like with this? Were you even able to function at work during this phase?

Everything is going to be okay.
The medication helped you once, and I suppose it will help again.
I’m actually on Paxil for the third time now, and every single time the side effects were absolutely awful—but in the end, it worked.
I’d say just keep taking the Xanax for now, because its whole purpose right now is to keep you calm and steady until the antidepressant finally kicks in.
My therapist actually suggested that I shouldn't increase my dosage until I felt a bit more stabilized and relatively okay on my current dose.
Just hang in there and try to hold on!

My primary care physician actually prescribed me some Xanax. She even had me take one right there in the office while we were talking, just waiting for it to kick in because the panic attacks were absolutely crushing me—I felt truly terrible. So, I suppose if you go to your doctor and just explain exactly what you're going through without making a huge scene, they might be willing to write you a prescription.
Of course, like driftinggull21 mentioned, you really have to be careful with them and try to view them as nothing more than a temporary fix.

Hi everyone!
Has anyone else here found themselves starting on Paxil for the third time, and if so, how long did it take before you actually started feeling a difference?
I know I’m probably being a bit of a nuisance by asking this, but I think it would really help my peace of mind to hear about someone else's experience. I'm currently on my third attempt with it—it's day 19 on a 10mg dose—and I guess it hasn't quite kicked in yet, so I'm still feeling pretty overwhelmed by this constant sense of dread. As for the physical side effects, the dilated pupils are probably the most bothersome, and I just can't shake this intense feeling of anxiety every single morning... ugh.

Thanks, Ray!
I know there’s quite a bit of controversy surrounding Paxil.
In my experience, it worked okay both times I used it, so I’m really hoping it does the trick this time around, too.
The side effects had actually started to taper off, so I decided to try increasing the dose—my psychiatrist suggested it was the right move.
To be honest, I’ve been battling anxiety since 2000, though I didn't start on antidepressants (Paxil) until about 2008. I suppose I’m just getting a little tired of the constant struggle and having to constantly tinker with my mental health.
If I end up needing to stay on Paxil for the rest of my life, I think I'm okay with that.
I’ve just had enough of the fear and the confusion. I really just want to live a full life without being held back by this paralyzing fear. :-)

Thanks for all the input!
Honestly, I’m at a point where I don't even know what to think anymore. This is actually the third time I've had to go back on Prozac. Both previous times, as soon as I stopped taking it, my panic attacks and fears came rushing back even harder than before. And it feels like every single time I start up again, my body reacts to the medication differently; the first time, I started with just a quarter tablet and peaked at three-quarters, which worked wonders for me. The second time, I started with half a pill and moved up to the full dose pretty quickly. But now, this f**king third time around, I managed to stay off antidepressants longer than ever before, and I guess my system just didn't recognize the drug anymore, because the side effects have been pretty rough. Just when I finally feel like I'm stabilizing after two weeks—when the anxiety starts to mellow out and I begin to feel okay—that dose increase just knocks me two steps back.
God, everything sounds so messy when I say it out loud, but I really am just completely lost...

Does anyone feel okay staying on a 10 mg dose of Paxil, assuming they aren't currently in the middle of adjusting their dosage or tapering off?
I've been taking it for about two weeks now to manage my GAD, and when I attempted to bump it up by 5 mg, the side effects were honestly pretty unbearable, so I ended up dropping back down to the 10 mg level.
I suppose I wonder if maybe this dose is actually just right for me?
Or is it possible that I simply tried to increase it a bit too soon?

Angela Wright said:I mentioned a while back that the situation we’re currently navigating acts as a sort of incredible filter. All the noise and the negativity that seemed to be swirling around you just sort of separates itself from you, which I suppose is almost a gift—allowing you to hold onto those few people who show genuine, pure kindness. Everything suddenly becomes crystal clear, and you find yourself knowing exactly who people are and what you can realistically expect from them, so you know how to handle things moving forward.
That’s just one of the many silver linings, in my opinion, that can come out of a crisis like this.

That is so beautifully put!👍 👍And it feels so incredibly true!!!!
Dealing with these kinds of illnesses and losing people we love... it really does remind you of what actually matters, and I guess it helps refocus your life.
My father passed away from cancer. I miss him terribly every single day. But at the same time, even amidst all that sadness, desperation, and feeling so helpless, I somehow feel remarkably strong. After going through something that heavy, it seems clear to me that there aren't many things in life that can truly break you. If I was able to make it through that—and honestly, even eighteen months later, I’m still finding my way through it—then I feel like there isn't much left that could ever knock me down.
Sending everyone a big, warm 🙂