Anxiety/panic and antidepressants

Hi all,

I'd appreciate anybody's perspective on the use of antidepressants in treating anxiety and panic. As I'm sure many if not most of us are aware, modern antidepressant drugs are also anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing). Can anybody offer any personal experience on their effectiveness?

I was prescribed Venlafaxine (Effexor) but I could only take it for a week because the initial side effects were so bad, and made me feel so, so ill, that I stopped taking them. I know, I know - I shouldn't have. The side effects do wear off once the therapeutic effects start to kick in, apparently, and I know that sometimes a short-term benzodiazepine is prescribed simultaneously to get people through the side effects, but I stopped taking them altogether and am now not taking anything apart from the very occasional Valium.

I really, really don't like taking medication at all - I don't like to think that my mental health and well-being is at the mercy of some multinational drug company's chemicals that I'm putting in my body - but things are so bad for me at the moment (agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, etc) that I'm considering giving the antideps a second chance if the effects are worth it.

hi spud im a fellow panic sufferer.It all started almost 3 years ago during sleep.I honestly thought i was dying as a result of the horrible symptons i experienced ,rapid heartbeat,head spinning etc etc.Gp put me on zanax{tranquilizer),noctamid(sleeper)and probably most importantly the antidepressant CIPRAMIL.The dose was started at 10mg for the first week,then was increased to 20mg.After about a month i was without doubt ,feeling much better and was able to come off the other 2 meds.In my experience this drug has helped me tremendously!my panic attacks have been few and far between and when one occurs,i deal with it calmly and i know im not about to die.Im currently on the maintenance dose of 10mg.Hope this info helps

Hi Spud

I take Escitalopram which is the newer version of citalopram. It is basically the same drug but, as I understand it, it is delivered in a more easily absorbed oxalate format so the prescribed doses are smaller (10mg compared to 20mg of Citalopram) hence fewer side-effects.

This medication has worked wonders for me and made a massive difference to both my anxiety and agoraphobia in the last five months. It hasn't cured me and I don't think it ever will but it has enabled me to start going out and building up my confidence again.

It took about five weeks to start working and for the first week I was feeling quite nauseas but this is the only side-effect I've suffered. Also, it doesn't leave me feeling like a zombie all the time like some anti-depressants have in the past.

Hope this helps

Chris

Hi Spud!

I'm a panic attack sufferer and a pharmacy technician.

I was on Paxil for what seemed like forever. It worked great til I came off of it and the withdrawl side effects caused these horrible facial ticks, increased anxiety, and I actually think going through the withdrawl was worse than all the symptoms that caused me to go on the med in the first place :confused:

Now I'm on Zoloft. Alot milder. I notice that I am more irritable on this med and I do have breakthrough panic attacks just not as intense. I would love to come off meds altogether. Unfortunately I have panic disorder and right now at least it's not possible. Some day, God willing, I will be drug and anxiety free. I take Xanax if I do get a panic attack and the combination of Zoloft and the once-in-a-while Xanax seem to work for me.

I hope you find the right med for you. I have friends that swear Lexapro is a miracle drug for their panic attacks. I do want to say that my sister is on Effexor and the side effects are horrible. Also, like Paxil, it has hideous withdrawl effects if taken for a good amount of time. There are options though if you need a stronger medication such as Effexor or Paxil. When you think you are ready to come off of the medication speak with your doctor about tapering the dosage down then when it's down as far as it goes switch to Prozac. It is known to help with withdrawls of those medications and does not have the severe withdrawl effects on it's own, so coming off of it is alot easier.

I hope this helps.

Hi Spud

Just to add to what wave has said...

Paxil (Paroxetine) is marketed in the UK as Seroxat and has been the subject of much controversy over the last couple of years over claims that it increases the incidence of suicidal thoughts in minors and allegations that the drug company Glaxo Smithkline concealed this fact and distorted the results of trials. This was recently the subject of a Panorama program on BBC. As I understand it, doctors have now been banned from prescribing it to under 18s.

Lexapro is marketed in the UK as Cipralex, these are both trade names for Escitalopram, the drug that I take - and swear by myself.

Chris

Thank you all very much indeed!