Can't stand it anymore...need advice QUICK!

[kw123]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and excited to hopefully hear from some people who understand what its like to live with anxiety.  I am a 27 year old female and have been on and off of antidepressants for 14 years!  When I was 22, I was not on anything at all and of course was depressed at times.  Then my anxiety started to really kick in and I went back on Zoloft.  After about a year, I was so numb to everything and didn't care about anything and my PCP switched me to Celexa and I had all of the same symptoms.  I gained 10-15# over the course of a year and although I'm 5'5" and usually 106#, it was pretty distressing to me that I suddenly was 120#.  ( sounds vain, I know, but I've lived my whole life "skinny").   SO...over just the past year, I have tried Celexa, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Viibryd, all of which didn't work out, and finally ended up back on Zoloft.  Again, I started to gain weight and recently my doc switched me back to Wellbutrin because of the weight gain, increased appetite and fatigue.  She also gave me Ativan 0.5mg to take twice a day if needed.  My major problem is anxiety, and I know it may sound stupid, but I actually have anxiety about taking the Ativan.  Weird?  I know.  SO-since I've been off of the Zoloft, it's only been 2 weeks since I was weaned off completely, I am having major brain zaps, dizziness, waves of nausea and fatigue.  I'm also really moody, getting really mad at my husband for no apparent reason and freaking out on him, and my anxiety seems to have gotten worse.  I am at the end of my line here, what do you guys think?  Should I give the Wellbutrin some time to work and get over the anxiety of taking Ativan and just take it?  HELP!  Thanks in advance for any input...this is my first time using a forum and I hope to get some answers.

[sohelpless]

It sounds like part of your problem could be some of your normal depression/anxiety and some of the withdrawal symptoms from Zoloft.  I get more irritable when off meds too.  I think you should take the Ativan in order to help with the anxiety.  What I am confused about is why the doctor put you back on Wellbutrin (which you said hadn't worked out in the past).  Wellbutrin can actually cause more anxiety and irritability which is what happened to me when I tried taking it.  It made me so mean and I felt so bad for my husband and kids.  I knew it was out of my character but I couldn't help it!  Anyway, I wouldn't give up on anything yet but if you are having a lot of anxiety and irritation, the Ativan will definitely help with that.  Have you taken benzo's in the past?  Why are you afraid of them?

[stevo1111]

If your financial situation allows, I find CBT to be way more effective than any medication I've ever taken. From my perspective, medication can get you to the point of functioning but it is up to mental hard work to get past that and thrive. If you can pull yourself together and get through your day without medication, odds are great you can get to a good place with therapy (and perhaps a light therapeutic dose of a low side effect medication).

In terms of medication, the ativan would assuredly help with coming off of Zoloft to smooth things out a bit. If you take it as directed and under the supervision of your Dr you have nothing to be concerned about. At the very least, what's the worst that can happen with these medications? Physically, you'll be uncomfortable and that's about it. Simply reminding yourself that you're uncomfortable and not in any real danger may help.

Did you stop the Zoloft cold turkey? If so, it is probably best to talk to your Dr. about reinstating the Zoloft and tapering off of it. I had essentially 0 physical side effects while coming off of Lexapro that way. When going on and off and a medication, a low mood in addition to anxiety can make things seem so much worse. Over the coming weeks your mood will hopefully rebound and the severity of your anxiety will lessen back to your baseline.

I personally found wellbutrin to be very good for my generalized anxieties throughout the day, probably because it has a great concentration boosting effect at first, but once the stimulating effects began to wear off in the afternoon I rebounded. Although you may never know your reaction, my personal opinion is that it is not a great medication for generalized anxiety. I find Buspar to be very good for generalized anxiety. I have had almost no side effects and completely weight neutral and have had no issues going onto it.

Hang in there!