Posted by ClaireLW on June 2, 2001, at 16:37:50
Hello to all. I don't think I've ever posted here before. You seem like a great bunch of helpful people.
I have recently been diagnosed with Anxiety/Depression since having some type of "nervous breakdown" starting in January. My main symptoms were insomnia (bad), intense fear, stomach problems, and severe hopelessness/crying jags. I was taking Xanax or Ambien to sleep, interspersed with times when I slept without any help and short trials of Trazodone (didn't work) and Amitriptyline (didn't work). We thought my troubles were caused by a Synthroid overdose, and they may have started there, but that's not the problem anymore.
Last month I finally broke down and tried the Xanax during the day. I got to the point where I was (and still am) taking .5 mid-morning, .5 mid-afternoon/early evening, and 1.25 at 9 p.m. for sleep.
About three weeks ago I finally saw a psychiatrist (hence the diagnosis--which I ran through a battery of tests and doctors trying to deny) and he tried me on Celexa, starting at 10(made me feel EXTREMELY NERVOUS and 1.5 mgs Xanax didn't touch it). Over the past six months I've also tried Paxil (5 to start-made me feel numb), Zoloft (extreme nausea-couldn't take it). We concluded that I couldn't handle the SSRI's, and because of the sleep problem, needed something sedating to help me get off the benzo's. So he put me on Serzone, I worked my way slowly up to 300 mgs, and started getting more and more depressed, suicidal, nauseous, anxious, periodically very fatigued, and achy all over. The Xanax at my 2.25 mgs/day dose didn't touch this anxiety, either.So, the new thing is going to be Remeron, starting at 30 mgs (I asked him if that was too high a starting dose and he said I would have fewer side effects at the higher dose). Possibly I will switch to Clonazepam so that the anti-anxiety effects will be more consisent throughout the day and I will be able to wean myself off it more smoothly than with Xanax.
Has anyone with anxiety started at a 30 mg dose of Remeron and/or used Clonazepam? He wants me to take .5 mgs twice a day and 1-1.5 at night. I only have some samples of Remeron (have not filled either prescription yet due to insurance snafus) and am not aware of side effects. Any I should worry about?
I guess I'm just asking for any experiences with these drugs here. I am just about at the end of my rope with all of this, not feeling good most of the time, and seriously considering suicide most days.
Thanks to all,
Claire
poster:ClaireLW
thread:65195
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010530/msgs/65195.html