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Hello! I would love to get some advice. When I was ages 8 - 16, I had horrible anxiety stomachaches and nausea (doctor prescribed Zantac). In my 20s, I would get migraines...only nausea when I traveled. I went to a therapist about 5 years ago who diagnosed anxiety/GAD. I consider myself a happy and upbeat person, but I struggle with feeling restless, feeling "sped up" all the time, easily overwhelmed. I've had a binge eating issue since elementary school so the 'sped up' feeling frequently manifests in binges. It's especially bad during PMS time, when I feel so 'sped up' and jittery that I can't sleep and am constantly eating. My weight has yo-yo'd by 100 pounds multiple times since elementary school and I'm over it. I feel like my sped-up brain is hamstringing my efforts toward a healthy weight. I finally went to my doctor, who prescribed Prozac. I had a terrible reaction to it (swelling joints for 6 weeks). Then she prescribed Phentermine, which is perfect - it makes me feel calm and in control. But it's only a 3 month Rx and she can't renew (says that it's bad for blood pressure). She has just prescribed Effexor, but I've read horror stories about it, and after my miserable Prozac reaction, I'm really anxious - ha! - about taking it. Any thoughts? Any coping mechanisms for that "sped up" feeling? Or do I really need to resign myself to meds? Thanks so much!

Hello, this is my first post here. I'm looking for some input from others that may have been or may be in the same situation that I'm finding myself in now. Sorry if I ramble, but I'm a mess right now. I've had Gen. Anxiety and dermatillomania my whole life, tried many meds in the past but was off all meds for years until this past summer when some postpartum depression crept in and made my anxiety spike. I have been back on Prozac since July and it makes me feel so great. I feel "normal".....until night time arrives. My main source of anxiety (even on the Prozac) comes at night when it's time for bed (even with my husband home and in ebd with me), or if I'm alone in the house at night for any reason. I have a crippling fear of someone breaking into my home and either hurting my baby, stealing her, or killing me. The Prozac has actually made that time of the day WORSE for me, to the point where I get little to no sleep. Also, since starting the Prozac, my dermatillomania has gotten worse, I have basically destroyed my fingers, toes and scalp. And, on top of that, I find myself BITING, clenching down on my tongue until it feels like its going to fall off, I don't even realize I'm doing it until its hurting A LOT. 2 weeks ago I started taking .5 mg of Xanax at night in hopes that it would help. Sure enough, it did. I was having NO anxiety, NO panic attacks at night, I was sleeping and my dermatillomania went away. But, I noticed a few days ago that it was starting to make me feel like a zombie during the day, it was also giving me extremely vivid, terrifying dreams with a few episodes of sleep paralysis. I realized I was less interested in daily activities and had almost no emotions at all. I didn't take a Xanax last night and I had an awful night, head aches and panic attacks all night, barely slept. BUT, today I felt amazing, "normal" again. I had all my energy back, wanted to clean and play with my baby and cook and all that jazz. But, the tongue biting and dermatillomania are already in full swing again and its night time once again and I'm basically constantly on the verge of another panic attack and am DREADING bed time. What am I to do? Without the Xanax, I'm in a fabulous mood all day, active and happy but my dermatillomania is awful and then I can't sleep and have panic attacks all night. But on the other hand, WITH the Xanax, I can sleep at night, no anxiety or panic attacks, no dermatillomania BUT I'm basically an emotionless zombie with no energy or motivation/ambition all day. Isn't there some sort of happy medium in all of this?!

I went to see a GP due to increased anxiety and stress (I have health anxiety, mom very ill, grandmother had heart attack,my baby ill for past 8 moths). Ive always been perfectly health except I tend to worry a lot and get easily stressed and lately a lot has been making it worse. I had a small red painful bump in my armpit and I had myself convinced it was c****r (ingrown hair) it went away in 2 weeks but I had myself all worked up horrible thinking my kids wouldn't have a mom (3 girls ages 1,4,9) I'm 32. After that I couldn't get my anxiety under control it has been one illness after the other I think I have. MY GP prescribed me Prozac in beginning of Dec. I took 3 doses after having horrible side effects, such as muscle twitching and jerks that would keep me awake. night sweats, insomnia when I could sleep, tingling hands and feet, increased anxiety, I couldn't sit down, couldn't eat it was horrible. I went to the ER on day 2 for help they just gave me atarax and kicked me out. I took it and it helped maybe a tiny bit to fall asleep for a few hours but I felt hung over the next day with all the symptoms still driving me crazy. I stopped the atarax my GP didn't want to listen to me. I am switching to a new one in March. I see a psychiatrist tomorrow to help me try to get my anxiety under control it has been terrible for the past 2 months. After stopping the Prozac after 3 days symptoms finally started going away except the muscle twitching/jerks,i still cant sleep, and anxiety is horrible. I am most concerned over the jerks and twitches since it has been about a month and a half. Has anyone else had this? I never had then until the darn Prozac! If so how long will it last can anything stop it?? I now have myself convinced I have ALS... I feel hopeless.. any advice help would be great

I went to see a GP due to increased anxiety and stress (I have health anxiety, mom very ill, grandmother had heart attack,my baby ill for past 8 moths). Ive always been perfectly health except I tend to worry a lot and get easily stressed and lately a lot has been making it worse. I had a small red painful bump in my armpit and I had myself convinced it was c****r (ingrown hair) it went away in 2 weeks but I had myself all worked up horrible thinking my kids wouldn't have a mom (3 girls ages 1,4,9) I'm 32. After that I couldn't get my anxiety under control it has been one illness after the other I think I have. MY GP prescribed me Prozac in beginning of Dec. I took 3 doses after having horrible side effects, such as muscle twitching and jerks that would keep me awake. night sweats, insomnia when I could sleep, tingling hands and feet, increased anxiety, I couldn't sit down, couldn't eat it was horrible. I went to the ER on day 2 for help they just gave me atarax and kicked me out. I took it and it helped maybe a tiny bit to fall asleep for a few hours but I felt hung over the next day with all the symptoms still driving me crazy. I stopped the atarax my GP didn't want to listen to me. I am switching to a new one in March. I see a psychiatrist tomorrow to help me try to get my anxiety under control it has been terrible for the past 2 months. After stopping the Prozac after 3 days symptoms finally started going away except the muscle twitching/jerks,i still cant sleep, and anxiety is horrible. I am most concerned over the jerks and twitches since it has been about a month and a half. Has anyone else had this? I never had then until the darn Prozac! If so how long will it last can anything stop it?? I now have myself convinced I have ALS... I feel hopeless.. any advice help would be great

Hi all, I could really use some advice. I have been on Paxil steadily for about 6 years now. It was all working pretty well until a few months ago and has gotten steadily worst to the point where I am panicking and crying all day long. I went to a new psychiatrist today who told me I have PTSD from a bad car accident I was in as a teenager, hypochondria, and very bad Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She agrees that the Paxil is no longer working but she wants to switch me to Prozac. I am very nervous about starting this medication because of all the bad things I have heard about it. I know everyone is different, but does anyone have any advice for me? And if not Prozac or Paxil, then what? I definitely need to make a medication change ASAP!