Medication

[SarahLizzie 2]

Do you take any medication for your anxiety? I was on Effexor XR for years, until I lost my health insurance. Once that happened I was forced to stop taking the medication cold turkey. (just and FYI, it is worse than drug withdrawal)

Life was a great deal easier while i was on the medication. The only downfall ws it numbed my emotions entirely. There are times now where I really miss being on the Effexor, because like I said, life would be easier. Life would be less stressful, and I would feel less agitated. My boyfriend insists that it is better for me to not be on the medication. Mainly because of the emotional numbing that it caused.

Prior to taking Effexor XR my doctor tried Zoloft, Welbutrin, Lexapro, and one other one. None of which worked for me. Zoloft made me a walking zombie, while the others had no effect on me what so ever.

Are you taking any medications? Did you need to try multiple medications prior to finding one that would work well in your system ?

[Gilly 1086]

I am med free, never taken anything. Was prescribed Citalopram but was too scared to take it. Glad I didn't though.

[shaun 6]

I was on medication 10 years ago, it helped stabilise me and stopped me from feeling s*****al, it helped reduce my anxiety as well. I'm generally not in favour of using medication now, I think medication just masks the problem and can stop you from dealing with the cause of your problems. The other downside of drugs is that you will develop a tolerance over time and you can easily become addicted.

[deecee 2]

I took Prozac for about three years during a particularly down phase. However, like the above poster, it really numbed me out and stole my creativity. Even my adult children now tell me that while I was easier to deal with during my medicated years, they noticed that I was rather like a zombie.

[kinser 3]

I take 10 mg. of Lexapro daily, and have found that it helps a great deal. I have not been bothered by side effects (haven't even really noticed any). I also took Prozac for about three years, and found that it was also helpful. I gained weight while taking it, though, so I quit taking it. My doctor told me that Lexapro is less likely to cause weight gain, but I haven't been on it long enough to know (weight usually creeps on slowly with these drugs when they are taken for an extended time).

[farrah 2]

I habve tried Lexapro, and Prozac. After a few weeks of each of these I didn't feel as though my symptoms were improving. I didn notice my sex drive diminisheing, ahich caused me more stress, as you can imagine. I just use St John's Wart now. Its natural, without the side effects. Don't get me wrong. I still have some bad days. But its better than the alternatives.