Depression/anxiety ?
Q.I've been seeing a therapist for the anxiety and depression I seem to have aquired since my heart attack and diabetes diagnosis in April. I'm only 45 years old. On Wednesday I saw a psychiatrist for an evaluation. This is standard procedure when beginning therapy. Apparently I don't have full blown clinical depression, but am borderline with general anxiety. The doc started me on Lexapro 10mg. I'm starting to feel it and frankly, I don't like what I'm feeling...a sort of sluggish nervousness if that makes any sense. I'm really thinking about just bagging it and trying to tough it out on my own. It's not like I'm suicidal....just miserable, an empty sense of hopelessness with bouts of crying sometimes (heh...imagine that, this tough guy hasn't cried since I was a kid). The doc wants me to take the Lexapro for 6-9 months. Personally, I always worry about withdrawal with meds like that and tend to avoid drugs like that. Does anyone have any experience with depression/anxiety and antidepression meds?
A.Lexapro did wonders for me, and I know a lot of cardiologists use SSRI drugs in their treatment of patients. These types of medications can make you very nervous at first, and if you haven't been taking it long what you are feeling sounds normal. It took me two weeks to feel the effects of the med and I'm glad I stayed with it. Not every med works for everyone, and it's often best to either wean onto an SSRI slowly, or take a benzo like Xanax or Ativan to knock out the nervousness. Feeling tired is normal and will go away after some time. If it helps, I was also worried about side-effects and withdrawal, especially after trying two similar drugs with no positive effects, but when you find one that works it's worth it. Your anxiety and depression will wane, and the meds will keep you from bottoming out and your brain from doing that awful circular thinking like a dog chasing it's tail. Depression and anxiety have their own schedules. You can't force them. You just have to ride them out with medication and therapy if necessary until they have run their course and then under a doctor's supervision wean off the medications if that is what is recommended. These disorders are somewhat like trying to grab a wet bar of soap. The harder you try, the more difficult it becomes. There is no reason to believe that your depression/anxiety might not get to the point that you no longer need the anti-depressants. As for getting off them, you simply taper off the med over a few weeks time and you will have no problem. Many of us here have had anxiety for years.... some of us all our lives. It seems that you are struggling with this as a result of some serious health issues. As those issues improve, and as you begin to feel more *back to normal*, there is every reason to believe you might, one day, wean off the meds and no longer need them. In the meantime, don't suffere needlessly when you have meds that can make your day-to-day existence easier. Keep in mind that many docs will prescribe these things for a lot of people who go through the death of a spouse, divorce, and stuff like that. Time does heal all wounds, and as soon as the anxiety of your condition wanes you should be fine. That said, I have seen a cardiologist for a minor problem and I know they use meds like this a lot. He was even happy to find I was on Lexapro for completely different reasons, as anxiety was causing the heart problems and making the anxiety worse. Also brought my blood pressure down. Only you can decide whether you want to try and bring down your anxiety with meds, and it does sound like a temporary thing. For me, If I had a heart attack I'd be worried every day I was going to have another one, so I'd be begging for meds to lead a normal life.
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