Anxiety Sufferer, Med Questions

[BobIndy]

I have serious anxiety, generalized and social, to varying degrees, sometimes worse, and to the point of where I can't be around others, but sometimes good enough for me to do basic everyday things. I do not have depression, just anxiety. I also struggle with issues falling asleep at times, although once I fall asleep, I'm usually fine. Here's my questions. About a year ago, my former general practicioner prescribed me low dose Paxil for 20 mg, but at that time I didn't take it due to my anxiety being more under control. Fast forward to the present, a few weeks ago, my anxiety and sleep issues had gotten way worse, so my new general doc prescribed me 50 mg of zoloft for about a month, and I am supposed to see her later this month for a follow up. However, I tried the zoloft and it made me jittery, MUCH more anxious, paranoid, and feeling hyped up all the time, to the point where my insomnia got worse! I felt like I couldn't shut my brain off. Even worse, I felt like I was losing my appetite and didn't want to eat any. I am already, and have always been a slim guy, so that's the last thing I need! After researching it, I found that many complained of these side effects of zoloft, and that insomnia seems to be a big problem with it. So I stopped taking that. I feel a bit better now, but I am back to square one because my anxiety is still here. I just feel so frustrated. I have heard the Paxil is actually more for anxiety than Zoloft, is this true? And isn't it more appetite-friendly? I called my old former doctor the other day and left a message and I am wanting to ask if she will renew the prescription for Paxil she wrote me a year ago. So to sum up I don't consider myself depressed, I just need help managing my anxiety for job interviews, social situations, shopping, etc..PLus I want to make sure if I start on a medication it is not going to make my sleep problems worse. Can anyone help me out? Should I ask for low dose Paxil, perhaps with .5 Ativan to take only as needed for sleep? I just don't think I can do the zoloft again. Thanks.

[Marilynj28]

hey bobindy,
Everyone is different, and have differnt tolerances to different meds. Zoloft sounds like it isnt the right one for you, it took me a couple tries to find the one that didnt cause me too many side effects. lots of ppl are on paxil, but for me, i couldnt tolerate it...it made my anxiety almost turn manic, i started having audio hallucinations.  The second one i tried was EffexorRX which was reeeally not good for me, but my third one Celexa didnt cause me any problems.

But for others Celexa might cause them to have bad side effects. Thats why doctors want to see you so often when they put you on an SSRI. so they can monitor you to see if its working for you or making you worse.

I also have quick desolve ativan for if im panicking really bad....but i rarely take it, it makes me feel better knowing its there if i need it though.
Im sure your doctor will be able to recommend a differnt on to try and i wish you well :)

[insights]

so my new general doc prescribed me 50 mg of zoloft for about a month, and I am supposed to see her later this month for a follow up. However, I tried the zoloft and it made me jittery, MUCH more anxious, paranoid, and feeling hyped up all the time, to the point where my insomnia got worse! I felt like I couldn't shut my brain off.

Unfortunately, all antidepressants may make anxiety worse initially and produce a number of other unpleasant symptoms. There is no guarantee that Paxil will be any easier to start, and it could well be even worse.

The only way of making these initial side-effects tolerable is to start on a low dose and ramp it up by the same small amount every 7-10 days. Zoloft comes in 25mg tablets and starting on just half would have made things much easier for you. I suggest you see the prescribing doctor again, explain the problems you're having, ask him/her for a prescription for 25mg tablets, and get the okay to cut these in half for the first week or so.

No antidepressant is intrinsically better than the others, either generally, or for a specific disorder. However, one or two may be for an individual. Unfortunately, there is no way of determining which one/s are the best for you beyond trial and error. As a very broad generalization, the SSRIs are a little more effective in controlling anxiety than depression.

Ian