Here is my problem. EVERY antidepressant I take increases my heart rate. Which in turn RAISES my anxiety. Counterproductive if you ask me. The only 2 times I have felt ok in the last 15 years is when I did NOT take an AD along with my Benzo. As soon as they started me on ADs my nightmare started. About 4 months ago I was ordered to stop taking effexor due to tachycardia. My standing heart rate was just silly. So they gave me zoloft again. I didn't take it. Told them it didn't work a month later they gave me celexa. Didn't take that for a month and I never felt better. My heart rate dropped into the low 70s I had no palpatations and I actually took a trip with no anxiety for the first time in 10 years. Granted it was only 2 1/2 hours away for the weekend but that was the furthest I have traveled in 10 years. I was on xanax for 10 years 3x a day and my body became tolerant to it. only took .5 3x a day. Now I didn't have anxiety attacks alot I had massive withdrawals. They changed me to klonopin .5 3x a day. I love it so far. So I started taking my celexa as ordered. 20mg a day. Fine for awhile then it started working. Heart rate went up, felt like I ate a bag of sugar and couldn't sit still. Started getting palpatations. Cut my dose to 10mg a day. Palpatations stopped, heart rate is still to high for my liking and I still feel wired.

I have 2 choices I see it. Take a beta blocker to slow my heart rate which I DON'T want to do just to counter a side effect or just take a benzo. I prefer the later. Every AD I have taken has made me feel jumpy and high strung, raised my heart rate and caused me MORE anxiety then I had before.

I see my doc in 4 hours maybe he will listen to me and actually let me only take a benzo and maybe try to ween off it slowly and see just how my condition is after 15 years of being over medicated. Doctors have always given me high doses of ADs. 225mg or more of effexor, 250mg of zoloft the list goes on.