ilovethekitties: i take lorazepam also. it works wonders. i take it daily so i think it keeps me from having attacks. but when it was first prescribed if i would feel an attack coming on i would put it under my tongue and try to find a quiet place to sit and in about 10 minutes i would feel better - more at ease.

bj: that is good advice about using the 10 years on the market drugs. i'm pretty sure my pulmo got some kind of deal with the dulera he switched me to. i was on advair. off course he has lots of samples of dulera and i didn't have insurance so it really was a good thing. he has been very helpful taking care of me without insurance. maybe with the affordable care act pharmaceutical companies will play nicer?

I feel like anti-depressants help me when i'm depressed about something I don't know. For me, having COPD is depressing. That's not some imaginary or intangible subject. It's real. Disease IS depressing. How can a drug take that away?

So of course I can't sleep, and of course i get anxious, etc.
But I listened to my dr. though, and she gave me trazedone. The first night, it knocked me out. Second night, I felt like there was a hummer parked on my chest. So, I didn't take any more.
I prefer lorazepam/ativan. It helps me not think so hard, and lets me drift off. And the only time we're in a true state of healing is when we sleep, so sleep is imperative.

Now my dr. wont' give me any more. She says lorazepam is not a long term solution. So i take melatonin, Valerian and this weird chinese herbal chill pill. They help.

I tried celexa/citalopram a few years ago when I was first diagnosed with COPD and losing the love of my life of 23 years.

It worked, it kept me calm, I didn't cry, but I was like a zombie. I didn't feel anything. I decided I would rather feel pain, happy, sad, emotions than not so I weened myself off the drug. I was on it for about 2 years.

Now I only take Serax/ oxazepam to sleep. It is similar to Ativan, but ativan knocked me out so I had to find something else. These benzos work differently on each person. I could not tolerate Wellbutrin, zoloft, or many of the new meds out there.

I'm really happy about this thread, I found out why my throat hurts, I was intubated and had a ventilator 6 weeks ago in the hospital, someone mentioned it here, so I looked it up. Thanks for that. I got the pneumonia shot last week when I went for my 2 week check up after my discharge.
Nice to meet all the new people here, I have been absent for a time.
Terry

I was on Zoloft for a short bit. It worked for what I needed it for....PTSD. It stops the dreams. i was able to sleep without disturbance. As for depression messing with lung health. I am not too sure. I know anxeity is very dangerous for us. But I suppose if a person is depressed it could cause problems too, with forgetting (or not want too's) taking our breathing meds...I am currently fighting a big huge cloud. I got really down last night around supper....I went to bed without eating and stayed there until this morning...ASLEEP..., missed my PM advair dose....Thinking its time to start asking about something again...When I was on Zoloft I mentioned the 'fog" and they gave me welbutrin to take with it for the "UP" effect.

Alot of people do super well on Wellbutrin, I just couldn't tolerate it, my doc said I have too much melatonin or something like that.

Try not to miss your Advair,JeniRose, when I don't take it I feel my chest becomes heavy and breathing is difficult.

LOL I screw up my med schedule ALL the time...and you are correct I feel it almost immediately if I do miss a dose...Think I would learn....HAHA nope...Its hard to stay on track when my sleep schedule gets all wonky...Cant tell you how many times I go back and forth between an AM/PM schedule...One week its AM, then next PM....Part of the reason I am seriously thinking about getting back into see a therapist...between the awful sleep, and the depression....its just time.

I have suffered from Panic & Anxiety Disorder as well as PTSD (childhood abuse) for much longer than I have had COPD. But when I first got my diagnosis I also had dyspnea (hyper awareness of my breathing) which seems to be abating a bit. I will be making a change to my anti-depressant in the next few weeks to Cymbalta (SNRI) because the anti-depressant I have been taking for years has the side effect of making you gain weight! I am morbidly obese & trying to lose some weight to help my COPD with no luck at all. Hopefully the change will help.

Thank you LUVLYWMAN for starting this thread. I believe many here have learned a lot about their antidepressants vs antianxieties and the differences btwn the 2. It is important to know which ones cause gaining weight and losing weight. I think many of us are under weight and overweight due to prednisone and other meds we take and their side effects on us personally. Know your body, that's the key.