Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1119964

Shown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 13:46:55

I've been on various SSRIs and SNRIs (and other things) over the years to treat depression and inattentiveness.

I've always been somewhat anxious, but an attempt to use psychedelics 3 years ago to treat my depression has triggered full blown Generalized Anxiety Disorder in me. It comes to me in waves and is particularly bad in the morning. Sometimes I feel placid but a lot of the time the anxiety is so bad it is almost crippling. Basically other than for work, I never leave my apartment or do anything other than lay on my couch or pace around suffering this anxiety (and rumination)

It is unbearable at times and my current regimen of desvenlafaxine 50mg and 1.25mg asenapine (for insomnia) only lessens it a tiny degree. It might be that the desvenlafaxine is making it worse, I don't know. I've tried lexapro in the past too and don't recall it doing much for my GAD but I do remember it impacting me cognitively

So far the only thing that has helped was mirtazapine, but I had a liver reaction to that (not to mention I gained 20lbs). CBT has not really helped, but maybe I have a bad therapist.

Just wondering what others have found helpful for GAD.

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by rjlockhart37 on June 24, 2022, at 14:19:16

In reply to What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 13:46:55

mainly i've noticed nuerontin is good for GAD but its weak, also benzo wise, librium - its a weak benzo but it helps general anxiety, but nohting like valium or ativan

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » rjlockhart37

Posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 14:45:37

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by rjlockhart37 on June 24, 2022, at 14:19:16

> mainly i've noticed nuerontin is good for GAD but its weak, also benzo wise, librium - its a weak benzo but it helps general anxiety, but nohting like valium or ativan

Thank you. I've tried lyrica which I guess is similar and while it does help with anxiety, it worsens my depression and gives me s. ideation

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by porkpiehat on June 24, 2022, at 16:15:40

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » rjlockhart37, posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 14:45:37

pregabalin worked great for me but created a ton of confusion. Actually it was maybe better for interpersonal anxiety.

Buspar was good but created a ton of rage.

Higher doses of SSRIs do this but then there are all those side effects.

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by Christ_empowered on June 25, 2022, at 9:33:43

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by porkpiehat on June 24, 2022, at 16:15:40

high dose niacinamide plus high dose vitamin c plus high potency b-complex, with each meal. i had mood improvement and mellowing of agitation, anxiety within 3 weeks.

only problem: for whatever reason, I did not get these results using time release and trying to get the dosing down to 1 or 2x daily. true story. so, now..

for me, its 1 gram niacinamide, 2-3 grams C, and a b-100 capsule with food 3+ times daily. basically, if I'm near my vitamins and I have even a substantial snack, I try to dose up.

still on the "miracle meds" and all that, but...yeah. -very helpful for me-

hope this helps. :-)

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by Lamdage22 on June 25, 2022, at 13:38:58

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by rjlockhart37 on June 24, 2022, at 14:19:16

Lemon balm and/or liposomal GABA. It is good.

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?

Posted by Hugh on June 26, 2022, at 8:25:43

In reply to What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 13:46:55

Neurofeedback has helped my anxiety more than any other treatment. It's been over ten years since my last neurofeedback session, and I'm still significantly less anxious than I was before I tried it.

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » Hugh

Posted by SLS on June 26, 2022, at 18:11:10

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by Hugh on June 26, 2022, at 8:25:43

Hi, Hugh.

> Neurofeedback has helped my anxiety more than any other treatment. It's been over ten years since my last neurofeedback session, and I'm still significantly less anxious than I was before I tried it.

Can neurofeedback be used for any other mental illnesses?


- Scott

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » SLS

Posted by Hugh on June 27, 2022, at 14:38:35

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » Hugh, posted by SLS on June 26, 2022, at 18:11:10

Hi Scott,

Neurofeedback is used to treat depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, social anxiety, addictions, insomnia, schizophrenia, autism, eating disorders, epilepsy.

When I started doing neurofeedback, I'd been ruminating about a former girlfriend many times a day for over a year. After about ten neurofeedback sessions, I was surprised to realize that I was rarely thinking about my former girlfriend anymore.

Neurofeedback helped to lessen my anxiety. For years, whenever I went to a restaurant or bar, I would tear up my paper napkin into little bits. I hated this habit, and tried many times to stop it, but I couldn't. (After Heath Ledger's death, I read that he had this same habit.) I haven't done this since trying neurofeedback.

I used to feel extremely self-conscious whenever I was in a public place -- the mall, the grocery store, Walmart, walking down a busy street, sitting in a movie theater -- until the lights went down. Neurofeedback wiped this out.

A wonderful book about neurofeedback is A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins.

There are several thousand neurofeedback clinicians in the US, practicing a number of different protocols. Some of the newer protocols, which I haven't tried, are Infra-low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback and Infra-slow Fluctuation (ISF) training.

https://www.neuroregulation.org/article/view/14296

http://www.brainm.com/software/pubs/brainavatar/NCFall13-smith.pdf

The neurofeedback clinician I admire most of all is Peter Van Deusen. Through serendipity, he developed what he calls Whole-Brain Training.

https://brain-trainer.com/about/whole-brain-training-plan/

Van Deusen has taught his training techniques to over 400 neurofeedback clinicians.

https://provider.brain-trainer.com/brain-trainers

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » TriedEveryMedication

Posted by Jay2112 on June 27, 2022, at 19:29:52

In reply to What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 13:46:55

> I've been on various SSRIs and SNRIs (and other things) over the years to treat depression and inattentiveness.
>
> I've always been somewhat anxious, but an attempt to use psychedelics 3 years ago to treat my depression has triggered full blown Generalized Anxiety Disorder in me. It comes to me in waves and is particularly bad in the morning. Sometimes I feel placid but a lot of the time the anxiety is so bad it is almost crippling. Basically other than for work, I never leave my apartment or do anything other than lay on my couch or pace around suffering this anxiety (and rumination)
>
> It is unbearable at times and my current regimen of desvenlafaxine 50mg and 1.25mg asenapine (for insomnia) only lessens it a tiny degree. It might be that the desvenlafaxine is making it worse, I don't know. I've tried lexapro in the past too and don't recall it doing much for my GAD but I do remember it impacting me cognitively
>
> So far the only thing that has helped was mirtazapine, but I had a liver reaction to that (not to mention I gained 20lbs). CBT has not really helped, but maybe I have a bad therapist.
>
> Just wondering what others have found helpful for GAD.

Wow....we sound so similar. My problem has been getting an antidepressant at a good working dose, but I also have to cap my rageful mania. People think mania is just going "Yayy" and spending money. But, like the book titled "Night Falls Fast", it can be very intense anger or depression.
Viibryd helped a bit...on both anxiety and depression. But sleep on that stuff seems impossible. It is a fairly smooth and clean SRI, though.

Jay

 

Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » TriedEveryMedication

Posted by beckett2 on July 4, 2022, at 17:51:54

In reply to What have you found helpful for GAD?, posted by TriedEveryMedication on June 24, 2022, at 13:46:55

> I've been on various SSRIs and SNRIs (and other things) over the years to treat depression and inattentiveness.
>
> I've always been somewhat anxious, but an attempt to use psychedelics 3 years ago to treat my depression has triggered full blown Generalized Anxiety Disorder in me. It comes to me in waves and is particularly bad in the morning. Sometimes I feel placid but a lot of the time the anxiety is so bad it is almost crippling. Basically other than for work, I never leave my apartment or do anything other than lay on my couch or pace around suffering this anxiety (and rumination)
>
> It is unbearable at times and my current regimen of desvenlafaxine 50mg and 1.25mg asenapine (for insomnia) only lessens it a tiny degree. It might be that the desvenlafaxine is making it worse, I don't know. I've tried lexapro in the past too and don't recall it doing much for my GAD but I do remember it impacting me cognitively
>
> So far the only thing that has helped was mirtazapine, but I had a liver reaction to that (not to mention I gained 20lbs). CBT has not really helped, but maybe I have a bad therapist.
>
> Just wondering what others have found helpful for GAD.

Higher dose pregabalin starting at 400 mg daily, in my own case, gradually reducing when symptoms are controlled. It's the only thing that helped me. Better than benzo, which, in the long run, could exacerbate symptoms (just IMO alone)

I had severe GAD at one point. Crying and hand wringing.

Good luck!

 

Neurofeedback

Posted by Lamdage22 on September 6, 2022, at 12:30:43

In reply to Re: What have you found helpful for GAD? » TriedEveryMedication, posted by beckett2 on July 4, 2022, at 17:51:54

What protocols worked for you? Do you know what kind of neurofeedback therapist to look for?

 

Re: Neurofeedback » Lamdage22

Posted by Hugh on October 30, 2022, at 11:37:46

In reply to Neurofeedback, posted by Lamdage22 on September 6, 2022, at 12:30:43

I'd suggest that you do neurofeedback training with a clinician who has been trained by Peter Van Deusen. There are six of them in Germany.

https://provider.brain-trainer.com/brain-trainers

The protocol Van Deusen uses is called Whole-Brain Training Circuit.

https://brain-trainer.com/about/whole-brain-training-plan/

If none of these neurofeedback clinicians are near you, I'd suggest going to one trained by Siegfried and Susan Othmer.

http://eeginfo.com/member/directory.do#result

You could contact Dr. Niels Birbaumer in Stuttgart to see if he can recommend a neurofeedback clinician in your area.

49 707 1297 4219

niels.birbaumer@uni-tuebingen.de


> What protocols worked for you? Do you know what kind of neurofeedback therapist to look for?

 

Re: Neurofeedback

Posted by Lamdage22 on November 3, 2022, at 12:59:15

In reply to Re: Neurofeedback » Lamdage22, posted by Hugh on October 30, 2022, at 11:37:46

I cant find any of them reasonably near me. I am with a therapist near me and will ask what sort he is doing.


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