Meds for Anxiety

[5cats]

One of my coworkers takes medication for her panic attacks (not related
to emetophobia)- Zoloft. She seems to think it helps her not have
them as frequently.



Does anyone have any thoughts or insights as to prescription medication
such as Zoloft or Paxil for treating the anxiety portion of emetophobia?



My cyncial side says "I bet these medications have n* as a side effect!"

[1scareddj]

HI! I just started taking ZOloft a month ago. They also gave me Xanax (an anti anxiety med) to take alongside my Zoloft until my body got used to it cause I was afraid the Zoloft would make me n*. It DID NOT make me n* but it did make me feel "disconnected", dizzy, very sleepy and I had dry mouth. The Xanax is like a wonder drug! It really calms me down....I'm tapering off of it right now as my Zoloft has finally started to kick in but I take xanax when I absolutely need it. Xanax can be habit forming so I would be careful.....


As far as it helping with the emet, I think it has helped me a little bit....I don't freak as bad as I did say a month ago! I at least EAT now..I was so scared of being sick when I started my Zoloft, I didn't eat and lost 10 pounds!


But IMO it's a med you need to take with food cause I had really bad d* the ONE TIME i took it on an empty stomach!!


I hope this helps!

[laneyb]

I have diazepam tablets for when I suffer bad bouts of anxiety, I dont take them all the time but they are there when I need them.They are a godsend when Iam panicking orfeeling anxious. I dont know whether you get this in the U.S.


Laney xx

[sage]

SSRIs are very helpful if your emetophobia is chronic (like, you're scared all the time) and particularly if you can't function properly with family, or work or whatever. EVERY emet is afraid of the side-effects, but if you can persevere through the first couple of weeks, you'll be fine. I've never ever heard of an emet vomiting from taking an SSRI. Tranquilizers are a good helper for the nervousness about this, but that's an individual thing to discuss with your doctor.

[daffodil]

I am on Zoloft, and it has helped me. I have fewer panic attacks, and am eating much more regularly now.

[turtleiam]

I tried Lexapro first. It didn't help much with my anxiety. I guess it did help with my depression, which is mild anyway. The bad thing with Lexapro is that I had vivid dreams, jaw clenching & absolutely no s_x drive.


My dr. switched me to Zoloft. I eased into it taking half doses at first. I don't remeber any bad side effects. I think it helped some. Not a lot. Getting off of Zoloft wasn't fun. I felt dizzy and nausous. Never V*. But, I had to ease off of it SLOWLY.


I'm on Wellbutrin now, which I think helps. I also have adult ADD & it helps there. Added bonus, I've lost 15 pounds, which I could definitely stand to do. The only side effect is a boost of energy that can be misinterpreted as anxiety.


My dr. added Celexa. Don't like it for the same reasons Lexapro didn't work. I have once used Lorzapam when I had a particularly bad night. I LOVE IT! It relaxed me enough to feel normal.


Hope this helps!


Susan

[shiva]

My cynical side says 'Paxil made me a fat ass'. LOL!

I would be one of those who are for many, many reasons opposed to medication for anxiety. Like anything else, you will hear success stories and really bad stories. Taking meds for stuff like this is totally a personal decision, just keep that in mind. It's like politics and religion.

What might work for someone else, might not at all work for you.

[ginger_saves]

I was on Paxil forcloseto a yearand it does make you feel 100x more anxious the first 2 weeks you are on it-every anxiety symptom that you have will be there very intensely. I was very upset at this and confronted thedoctor,but the doctor I saw at the time assured me that it will pass and that his other patientswereupset also that it had intensified their symptoms.It is basically trying to burn the anxiety out of your body. Just picture this war going on in your body and then when the war is over, the smoke clears and victorsare rebuilding themselves, and celebrating victory. I didn't feel the Paxil helped me with my anxiety. Well, it did at first but I was always, always tired. I did lose weight from it at first. Like 15 lbs. I still had my libido, also.I still had panic attacks with it( I was on a jury duty pool and THANK GOD they didn't pick me. I was going to warn them I was gonna v* if I served asa juror). I have Lorazpam as a back up drug. It is my break in case of emergency drug. if I see or hear someone v*, I will use it. Lorazpema is a VERY wonderful drug and if it weren't addictive, I would take it everyday. It really calms you down and is actually a bit anti-emetic.

[1scareddj]

I am now on my 6th full week of Zoloft and I feel GREAT! I have had a GREAT week....eating A LOT (pizza hut 3 times!) and sleeping good and NO PANIC attacks!! I am not taking my Xanax everyday anymore but I DO have it just in case!!!!!! Good luck!

[xxsophiaxx]

I've used to v* every time I took Zoloft, so it just made my problems worse. I'm on Celexa now, it works OK I guess. I'm gonna get off it though, sinceI don't really need it anymore. I take Xanax occasionaly for panic attacks, but it never helps. For me it almost makes things worse... panic attacks need to be ceased w/ the mind, not medication