The Shar-Pei Forums-Health Behavior Diet & Rescue Info and Discussion Group

what drugs are you on ?? i'm planning to go see my doctor and ask for an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication, i just can not handle stress so i'd like to know if anyone here takes something and if it works well and what are the side effects. it seems like half of the world is taking something to deal with life........

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my next door neighbor had high anxiety,depression,fear..I took her to her DR. and told them she needed a happy pill.She was put on Paxil and what a difference it made...She started going places and she was like a new person..It did wonders for her.

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shar-peifsf

I have General Anxiety Disorder myself. I have issues too with SVT (prolonged increased heartrate when stressed) that ended me up in the cardiac unit back in 2002. I tried Paxil and other such meds without good results but have been doing fairly well on Celexa. Paxil made me MUCH worse....cried for 12 hours straight when I took it....same with my sister. Zoloft stressed me out even worse...lol. But these may work great....you have to see what one works for you.

Also have the Dr. check your hormone levels too...I started having major meltdowns after my hysterectomy because my remaining ovary shrivled and I went into immediate early onset menopause.

Between the Celexa and the estrogen patches I am much less stressed and less homicidal....lol

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Blessing's CSP
http://blessingssharpei.com

Not me, but my mom has gone through a bunch of depression and/or ADD meds. Her number one advice is that every medicine works differently for everyone else. So you have to bite the bullet and be VERY aware of yourself as you get on a new medication. Have your SO or your children aware that you are on a new med and have them tell you if something you are doing is out of character because you may not think so at the time.
I wish you the best of luck finding what works for you. After many different trials, my mom finally found a med that keeps her happy and focused and doesn't make her crazy. ^.^

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I can not take anti depressant meds. They tried years back and I had a severe reaction. I have some other health issues. I do take meds at night that are made for my illness and do calm me down. Also the arthritis meds I take relax me as well, but they are not made for anxiety.

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Peaches, Oscar, Pogo, and Luna
RIP Peaches 1-1998 - 3-2011

psychotropic meds act differently in everyone. Even though an SSRI (paxil, zoloft, prozac, etc) always inhibits the re uptake of serotonin, exactly how effective it is or what side effects you may or may not experience is going to be different for everyone because of unique brain chemistries. Psych meds are often given at low doses on a trial and error basis until the right one for you is found..... or at least they should be. If you're anxiety/depression is always present, your doc will probably recommend an SSRI or an SNRI or a combo. SSRI's are better for free floating anxiety- all are effective for depression. If you have panic attacks or periods of intense anxiety, they may recommend a fast acting benzodiazepine like xanax or valium. All of these meds are most efficacious when used in conjunction with talk therapy.

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Mandy, Tugg and Circe

Miles "Forever Loved" 9/24/07-01/31/11

i've never used prescription anti-depressants so i take 5-HTP and St. Johns Wort. *when* i take them...(i'm not terribly good about it ) i can tell the difference they make for me as far as my depression goes. i tend to only take them when i get REALLY bad.

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
--Ghandi

Zanax is the only drug in low dose I can take because the other drugs cause uncontrollable seizures and severe side effects
Depakote - Zombie
Prozac- Anxiety in a bottle
Paxil- Gran Mal Seizures
Lexapro/ Celexa - little seizures and a lot of shakes
Zoloft a whole lotta movement going on and I did ask for it
Cymbalta- unlimited movement and a whole lotta anxiety
Lyrica- The Trip to hell you don't want to Take
Topomaxx - Dope a Brain

Now there is more and not a lot that's any good , my advice is to go to therapy and or find alternative ways to deal with it - I decided right after I joined the forum , to get off all the drugs it took a long while and a lot of withdrawal - these drugs may make you happy for a while what they don't tell you is that they are addictive and they are dangerous - so be forwarned the side effects are real
I trained and use Dee she is my guide , better than any pill - I still have difficulties and I have worked hard to get through them with her help of course.
I told my Dr. that I will not go on any more antidepressants any more they do not work long term in me.Perhaps it is my genetic make-up . There is now a genetic test you can take to see WHAT ANTI DEPRESSANT YOU CAN TAKE. I would encourage anyone to get that test .
I have a brain injury - so cranking up my brain and the parts that don't work as well is a disaster- 12 years I have dealt with all of this with no help or acceptance , it has been difficult - but much better to deal with head on then masking the symptoms with these drugs .
Life is tough !

The genesightrx test test is still undergoing research.

The fact is that even though they are not everyone, millions of people use psych meds safely when under a competent doctor's care. While some people experience terrible side effects, some have only transient effects and some don't have any at all. Some of the meds can be habit forming if not used correctly, but you and your doctor can discuss any of those concerns and choose a med that is right for you. Making the decision to go on one of these meds is often not come to lightly. If you decide it is what you need, don't let others scare you with side effects they have experienced. All meds have the potential to cause side effects- this is why you and your doc will weigh out the benefits vs. the possible adversities. A responsible doctor will only prescribe a med where the potential for good outweighs the potential for harm. Blood pressure meds make you dizzy and sleepy, but heart disease is way worse. A responsible doc will also keep you on the lowest therapeutic dose possible. No need for 20mg's when 5 will do. That being said, using them in conjunction with therapy is best, especially if you want to make long term changes that will allow you to come off of the meds.

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Mandy, Tugg and Circe

Miles "Forever Loved" 9/24/07-01/31/11

I really appreciate everyone's response, I was on Prozac for 7 years many years ago and it kept me in a state of " nuetral-ness" never happy or never really sad...........at times i felt like a zombie, i'm usually a very emotional person and prozac left me feeling emotionally empty i was on triavil before that but i gained 20 pounds and could not deal with that. the last one i was on was wellbutrin which made me feel great in the beginning, but then i became hyper sensitive to everything and it drove me nuts, i thought i was losing my mind and ended up in the ER . my hysterectomy was last march and since then i've been having migrane like headaches, and my stress threshold is non existent, when i start to get stressed i feel like my head is going to explode, plus i cant sleep like i use to, i feel exhausted and depressed. anxiety runs in my family, and i do get panic attacks, i also have OCD.

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Jan, my bestfriends daughter had the same heart issue when she was 17 and had to have surgery a few years ago for it, that's scary!

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Definitely have them also check the hormone levels then as well. You could be having an issue as I did and you may need estrogen as well as meds for anxiety.

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Blessing's CSP
http://blessingssharpei.com

Yup, once I get wound up to a certain level it can take days for my heartrate to drop all the way back to normal. I dont have any of the short term anxiety meds....Drs here dont like to prescribe them to anyone. Had a couple episodes of it in the last few weeks that had me concerned but I managed to stablize within 36 hours so didnt have to go in to the Dr or urgent care.

My Ins. coverage is sucky so I try not to go to the Dr. unless it is dire. The last time I went in during an episode they stuck me in the cardiac unit for 2 days, handed me a bill for over $5k and sent me home and told me I need to avoid stress. Sheesh! Like several thousand $$ more in bills is so conducive to avoiding stress!

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Blessing's CSP
http://blessingssharpei.com

Jan, I will get my hormone levels checked, there's been so many changes since my hysterectomy, and i feel old all of a sudden! i still have 1 ovary and my uterus left, my appetite is insatiable lately, my skin is changing, my energy is zapped, and i'm not even 50 yet! i do need to go on something soon especially because of Sabrina's health, i know her time is running out and it will be too much for me to handle losing her without some kind of medication.
ps. yes those hospital bills are enough to give someone enough stress that could lead to a heart attack! i hope you dont have another episode like that, my friends daughter is doing very well after her surgery.

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i have high anxiety, now that im in school it gets bad with tests. i didnt want to get on something that made me droopy, cuz i have to drive n take care of the kids. so my dr. told me to try an all natural route, i use kava oil supreme. i get it from a health store in the next town. it has done me wonders. i take more then the recommended dose(oops):). but it has done right by me.


the only thing i have tried that was prescribed was prozac, i had real bad baby blues after my last child,:( so bad that my husband was the one who called the dr. he told her "something is wrong w/ my wife, im afraid to leave her home alone, she wont stop crying." i was litterly sobbing for no reason at all.( i had this huge cloud of overwhelm, and emptyness, come over me out of no where.) she was the best o.b.g.y.n i have ever had. she told him to bring me right in. he had to carry me i was that bad. i couldnt talk, all i could do was cry dramatically. she prescribed me prozac and by the next day i was starting to feel better. w/ in 3 days i was back to myself. thank god. i have never felt so terrible on the inside, in my life. im glad my husband noticed quickly and got me to the dr. who knows what could of happend. i could of hurt myself, they say or my baby. but i wasnt having bad feelings towards her. they were bad feelings towards myself.


i can not ever say i can understand how someone can hurt a baby, cuz i dont no how anyone could. but if p.p.d.( post pardum depression) did that to me, then i do believe it has played a big roll in the story's i hear about. i was litterly someone else. it was like looking at myself from a window outside. i can not explain how terrible i felt, just terrible, terrible, terrible. is the only word i can give you. then there was prozac.... good luck i hope you find something to ease your struggle on the inside.

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Lola and Jenuine

Jen, I've heard post-partum depression can be very intense, i'm glad you found relief. i read that kava and sam-e can help with depression, does the kava oil work immediately ? i was on prozac and it did help but the side effects were a challenge....

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I was on Prozac for a few years. The reason I came off of it, was it made me gain weight!!! Hated that. I have always been a very emotional person, the kind that can cry over a Hallmark commercial, that sort. When I was on the Prozac, it made me "hard" is all I can say. I could see things that would normally make me cry and it didn't affect me. I kind of liked that part but I suppose we are who we are. In the end the weight gain made me give it up. I came off of it on my own and did good for awhile but the depression and anxiety slowly creeped back into my life. I am now on Wellbutrin and don't really seem to notice any side effects from it. I don't have the anxiety issues that I did have, but I can still cry at the drop of a hat.
Hope you find something that works for you lulu, as depression is just awful. It runs in my family and I've always thought that if my mom had taken something my childhood would have been so much better. You didn't hear about people taking stuff back then, or at least I didn't hear about it. I honestly think if it helps you to be a better person, take something.

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Libby and the gang.

http://peiallthewei.blogspot.com/

Libby, i had put on a few pounds while on Prozac too. wellbutrin only worked in the beginning for me and then it gave me more anxiety.i'm glad you found something that helps you, i'm a very emotional person too....i have a habit of taking on so much in my life that i get completely overwhelmed, i hardly ever turn my clients down even when i'm overbooked already, and then trying to find the time to take care of my terminally ill dog and all my other pets leaves me constantly under pressure, i know some people are able to thrive under pressure but i just fall apart under pressure

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