Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 19 of 19

Thread: saw DR and recommended anxiety meds

  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    6,248
    I will go with the recommendation, I have only recently tried a very mild anxiety med as needed and it is fine. As far as treating mental illness I have a medication for the bipolar disorder and I love it, I do really well with it, and I have such a better life that I would not consider going off of it. One of the (inevitable) down sides is that it mellows out my hypomanic states, you know the ones that make me feel good and confident and really fun to be around. So in some ways I have been sadder and less confident over the last couple of years, really taking a nose dive this year. Bipolar depression is actually very difficult to fully treat, I have made some peace with it through my meditation practice. However the anxiety is just too much right now.

    I do know the trial and error from years of treating depression before figuring out the bipolar diagnoses. I think no matter what a LOT of therapy is in order. As wonderful as my Buddhist teachers are, this needs something else.

  2. #12
    Senior Member Simplemind's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    1,502
    Quote Originally Posted by Gardenarian View Post
    And the great majority of people don't become addicted to anxiety meds. They are safer than hormone therapy.
    There is a big difference between addiction and dependence. Many become dependent on benzos in a very short time and have an uncomfortable time coming off. The information is in the tiny print that comes with the prescription. NOT against meds at all, just believe a more thorough discussion of the bigger picture is needed with that type of medication.

  3. #13
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    15,489
    Quote Originally Posted by Simplemind View Post
    There is a big difference between addiction and dependence. Many become dependent on benzos in a very short time and have an uncomfortable time coming off. The information is in the tiny print that comes with the prescription. NOT against meds at all, just believe a more thorough discussion of the bigger picture is needed with that type of medication.
    It seems so; I've read quite a lot of ominous tales of benzodiazepines--especially for older patients.

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    6,248
    I started the medication this morning, too early to see a difference but that is why I have 2 more weeks of leave. I already have one medication I am really grateful for because it helps me function so much.

    I am reading more and many times the hot flash/ anxiety is during the process of menopause but may calm down after I am through it all. So that is a bonus,

    So here is what I noticed today, I had a few times when I had this anxious feeling take over me. It is really overwhelming. And then I feel shame or guilt or fear that is also overwhelming. There is something I can relate it to, like a mistake I made at work (like this entire work year), so then I get obsessive about the thing that I latch on to, meanwhile it is likely more the brain chemistry of anxiety than the incident.

  5. #15
    Senior Member lhamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,625
    ZG, I would not underestimate how much the stress of the overall working situation -- and especially the horrible boss you have had this year -- has affected you. My last two years at work I was under incredible stress, and at the worst times I had some pretty awful panic attacks. One in particular I remember my blood pressure spiked and I was actually on the phone to my husband to ask him about whether or not I should go to the ER when my new boss walked in. I resigned a couple of weeks after that and have not had a panic attack that bad since. I was in a much more secure financial position than you and had another reason for resigning when I did (DS had been admitted to a program back here and I was coming back with him).

    I had some hard indicators of the difference in my stress levels, too -- I needed my gallbladder out around that time. During my first consultation (before resigning), my BP was sky high -- like they wanted to put me on meds for it. I have always had low BP. I told them I was under a lot of immediate stress, but that I expected it to abate. By the time I went in for surgery (about a week or two after resigning), it was back down to my normal 100/70 ish range.

    Try to use this time off work to restore yourself a bit body and soul.

    I hope you can find another place to work. This situation just sounds so toxic -- it would break anybody.
    "Seek out habits that help you overcome fear or inertia. Destroy those that do the opposite." Seth Godin

  6. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    6,248
    Thank you lhamo, I remember that time you were going through work hell very well. I know we talked about some of the grant programming we had that was similar. There is so much pressure in a lot of this work. For this summer I told the supervisor I would need to buy some office type supplies and he reminded me that it needed to be only what was necessary since I was working under a grant this summer. Those little things like not really getting enough supplies or having access to a printer added up.

    So that was just one more stress, no supplies, no printer or copier, not my home building or enough time to prepare, etc. Then I think I could have done more to pull it off but I lost heart this year in trying. I did some really great stuff that was totally dismissed.

    I had a bad night of waking every couple hours with thoughts flooding my brain that I did not want, and hot anxiety sensations in my body. Most of it was about how I could have done more, a better job, and then when it was not the middle of the night I remembered how I have wanted to have a real life all year.

  7. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Phoenix
    Posts
    2,777
    Zoe - if I were you, my main focus during this time off work would be looking for a different job. I would stop thinking about how to improve when I return. I would stop thinking about scheduling social activities. I would job hunt every day - 8 hours a day. I would set my mind to not return to that horrible place.

  8. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    6,248
    I have the FMLA process, updating students loqns and qm working at about 75% capacity. Plus all those things like getting some hail damage fixed from the damage last May, most of northwest Denver was trashed and it hard to even get replacement parts for cars. So I will start looking and applying this week and can see my new counselor for support. The similarities with my ex tell me to not fix, just leave.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    478
    Have you considered HRT? My depression and anxiety spiked so high in perimenopause I thought I was going insane. Low-dosage bio-identical HRT gave me tremendous relief.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •