I have severe anxiety and about a month ago my family doc switched my lexapro to prozac. Not a good outcome. I ended up in the ER this past weekend with a panic attack. So I have xanax and lexapro now. I read that xanax causes weight gain and I know lexapro caused a little in me. I am so stressed!

Chosen Answer:

Klonopin maybe, ask your doctor but the generic form is Clonazepam. Its a benzodiazepine just like alprazolam or xanax and my sister used to take it for anxiety related to OCD so im just suggesting you ask about it. I dont think it causes weight gain like xanax is known to.
by: neb
on: 17th November 08

I just started taking effexor on Thursday for depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and migraines. Before I started taking it I would always wake up early in the morning (6 to 7 am) and not be able to fall asleep but now I also am waking up about 4 times throughout the night and having a hard time falling back asleep. My question is will this go away after the 1st couple weeks of taking this drug or will I continue having insomnia the whole time?
I have always avoided taking pills but my depression/anxiety got so bad I just lay on the couch and watch tv day from the physical pain it causes me.

Chosen Answer:

I had that too when I first started taking Effexor. After about 10 days my sleeping patterns were back to normal, and after a month the benefits of taking it far outweighed the first couple of weeks of insomnia. If you’re still sleeping badly in a couple of weeks you should see your doctor, as with any other side effects that haven’t gone away by then. God luck!
by: Rain Dogs
on: 20th February 09

I am a financially stable 20 year old. A little over a month ago, I had an unexplained miscarriage when I was 7 weeks pregnant. My fiance and I want to try and conceive again, but I am scared I will not be able to deal with the constant panic and anxiety. I feel like everytime I go to the bathroom I will be expecting to see blood.

Chosen Answer:

Sorry about your loss. I am sure it is devastating.

If pregnant again, you will most certainly check for blood everytime you go to the washroom, at least for the first trimester. There is no doubt about that (after one miscarriage, my pregnant wife still does even though last pregnancy was a success). After that you can relax. There is nothing that you can do to get around this – still need to be mentally prepare to accept that miscarriage can happen and do everything in your power to reduce risks.

Good luck.
by: Face T
on: 23rd July 09

I have really bad anger issues and social anxiety, and depression problems. I used to be on meds but I’m not anymore, and the symptoms are back. Im 20 and I cant be depending on my mom for rides. How can I take a bus or train without having a panic attack? People think I’m lazy because I only want rides, it angers me because that is not the case at all. Please help.

Chosen Answer:

Don’t look at anyone, and imagine you’re in your own little world, even thought that sounds crazy. Just ignore it and count to ten everytime you panic.
by:
on: 12th August 11

I blamed anxiety before for not being outgoing. I am anxious, therefore I have a problem being outgoing. But, could the underlying reason to my reserved behavior be because of say “low confidence in myself?”

And that could apply to anything, from holding a conversation, to work, to school, etc. IF I am not confident in myself, I am anxious, or it could as well be that if I am anxious I am not confident.

Do you think, that both are important in life, that if you have confidence, you have low anxiety. Or that if you work to reduce anxiety, the lower it is, the higher ur confidence?

Chosen Answer:

I don’t think these two emotions are bound together, but they do impact us in ways that make us think they are two sides of a continuum. Low anxiety must mean high confidence, but that is probably not really true.

There is some relationship to our family behaviors when we were being reared that impacts us as to confidence and anxiety. If our parents demonstrated high anxiety, we will be more prone to exhibiting that same behavior. If our parents demonstrated high confidence, we will tend to be more confident.

If you have problems performing due to feelings of anxiety when you try to stand and speak, or find yourself struggling to do your job as you feel a lack of confidence in your ability, then you may need to spend some time with a counselor (maybe your pastor, or a licensed therapist depending on which you would trust more), and try to get to the root cause of the behavior. Do not blame yourself, or anyone else as this is something that can be overcome with help and assistance of a good counselor.

Another really super thing you could do, if you can get past the fear of letting go, is NLP (that is neuro-linguistic programming). NLP is akin to hypnotizing, but more clinically controlled and has a record of really getting results in changing behaviors.
by: Ken W
on: 15th July 09

I have high blood pressure and sometimes have trouble falling asleep and I have problems dealing with stress and anxiety. Can anyone give me any tips?

Thanks!

Chosen Answer:

Below are some proven methods you can use to reduce or eliminate anxiety:

a) Meditation is proven to help reduce anxiety and is also not difficult to learn. 10 minutes a day is all that is required to help calm your mind

b) Self Hypnosis: You should buy a good book on this and learn self hypnosis

c) Repeating Positive Affirmations: The best time to do this is at night before bed or in the morning when you wake up. About 7 to 8 minutes is all you need.

d) Try to learn the root cause of your anxiety. For example I use to be scared of the dark, and learned I was accidentally locked in a dark basement as a child. As soon as I learned this my fear of the dark immediately went away.
by:
on: 16th December 11

I am a 17 year old female who has been dealing with some anxiety issues for the past few years. I am going to my doctor’s next week for an analysis. Lately, my anxiety has really been affecting my self-esteem and frankly, I want to do something about it!

I am open to options about some mild medications which I won’t become dependant on. Are there any suggestions I should ask my doctor about?

Chosen Answer:

Your doctor will likely discuss all your options with you in detail. If you need medication, he/she will prescribe it for you, after talking to you about the various pros and cons associated with it. Make sure you ask plenty of questions if you’re not certain about something. Your doctor knows your situation and will help you make an informed decision. Until then, try not to jump the gun, and good luck.
by: Nox
on: 5th June 10

The applications themselves are okay because proactive, but the waiting period is brutal. I’m having insomnia, anxiety dreams, fits of listless apathy, existential crises, flights of panic. It’s lovely. Anyone have some tips on how to deal?

Chosen Answer:

I think just being able to talk to someone about it will help. I’m waiting to hear about my college of music auditions and it is BRUTAL. I used to have nightmares almost every night, when I could get to sleep, but I started talking about it with my councilor and friends and it has really helped.

Good luck on getting in!
by:
on: 27th March 10

Lately I have been waking up at 1:30am in the morning at least twice a week in sheer panic/anxiety. My heart beating fast,sweating terribly,impending doom feeling, bowels out of control and feels like my skin has a rash or burning sensation. They are lasting severly for approx 4 or 5 hrs and then tapper off throughout the day. Help please.

Chosen Answer:

ok first of all DO NOT go to that first site that was posted…it will only make you more anxious. I have an anxiety disorder I know…you’ll find one horrible disease that sounds similar and insist you have it.

At any rate, depending on the attack it can last that long. If you aren’t taking steps to calm yourself down once it has started, they can last longer. Are you on any medication or eating a lot of caffeine or sugar? This could trigger them. If you want more information from other people in the same boat as you please visit www.stresscenter.com.

I hope you feel better soon!
by: T L
on: 25th September 07

I have bad anxiety right now because im trying to ose weight and i also have OCD , how can I start breathing normally when my anxiety acts up?

Chosen Answer:

You have to do what is called diaphramic breathing. Your diaphram is just below your lungs. Thats where what should rise the most while you are breathing, not your chest. You should inhale slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Walking fast can normalize your breathing since you will concentrate less on it and since anxiety causes over breathing(co2 levels in the blood get too low) it will raise your co2 levels in your blood and make you feel more normal.

Just remember the anxiety is not going to hurt you.
by: hypnobunny
on: 8th August 09