Hi everyone :-) I'm Sah (short for Sarah, sounds like air with an 's' )
I'm 30, from the land down under. I'm dealing with intense social anxiety and to a lesser degree also suffer from general and anticipatory anxiety & bouts of depression. It took me a good 3-4 years before I would seriously consider taking any of the meds my doctors would prescribe. I found it very hard to come to terms with that initially. Have now been on Effexor for about 5 years, and it literally gave me with my SA a whole new lease on life. It's not a miracle pill, I don't believe in that, but it has helped me tremendously. I did come off it for a year a couple of years ago but ended up in such a bad way with my anxiety and a double whammy of depression that I ended up back on it again. Starting in the next couple of weeks I have to start coming off the Effexor completely and I'm getting a bit anxious about what lies ahead. I'm really happy to be a part of this nice group :-) hugs xxx

Hi I'm Wendy 51 yrs old. I suffer from Borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression and alcoholicm. I take 12 prescribed medicines a day.
I thank God that I have a great Pdr. who whas finally found the right combination of medicines for me. I also strongly believe in ECT treatments, when the depression and anxiety get to severe.

Glad you started this new site!

God bless
Wendy

Hi my name is Meredith from Aus and I suffer depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia and ptsd. I have many of the problems most of my life, but didn't start meds till after my husband died 15 years ago. In the 18 months my husband was waiting for a heart transplant, my uncle died interstate, off to the funeral, then my mother died interstate, off again to dispose of possessions and put house up for sale, then my other uncle died interstate, off I went again, my beautiful Newfoundland dog died, then my husband died. I had no time to grieve for any of them, and while all this was going on I was trying to keep a business going and run a house. My children were wonderful and were always there. I have been on welfare for 10 years and two years ago they made me go for an interview to see if I was a true disability case or if I could go back to the workforce. I was terrified. It i s due to happen again this year and I dread going. I cannot get past the letterbox on my own so had a support worker. Then the funding dried up and I was left in the lurch. I have just found out that funding is now available for another worker for me, so I can actually get to medical appts etc. The Mental Health mob (ACIS) have abandoned me because I take Serepax for anxiety and they tell me there is nothing they can do for me because they don't approve of this med. I take 60mg cymbalta, serepax 5mg twice daily, seroquel 100mg at night and have recently been put on 15mg avanza, which has worked very well for my anxiety. I now have a pysch nurse coming to see me to work through a myriad issues, and try to resolve and accept what has happened to me over the years. A lot of sexual abuse and violence in childhood and marriage. I don't care if I am on meds for my illnesses for the rest of my life, it they help me have a life. Just as I take meds for thyroid problem for the rest of my life. Sorry this was so long. What a great group this is.

My name is wendy, I'm 51 yrs old. I am an alcoholic/pothead, with borderline personality disorder, depression, and anxiety. I have been in recovery for the alcohol and pot for 17 months now, and am doing great. I also belong to DRA (dual recovery annon), which deals with both the chemical dependency and the mental illness I have. I go to meetings 7 days a week, and I chair 5-6 meetings on-line each week. I absolutely love doing service work, and working with the newcomers.

I am on Effexor xr, Ambien, Wellbutrin, and Abilify.

Hello,

I just joined this support group. I'm always looking for new information on how to deal with my complex PTSD, major depression, major anxiety, major insomnia. I'm on Effexor XR, Xanax & recently Rx Hydroxyzine Pam 25 mg up to 3 per day, and Seroquel 100 mg for sleep.

I have type 2 diabetes and am supposed to take 15 mg Actos along with 5 mg Crestor per day but I can't afford these and so just take Metformin because its only $5 a month. I fear I'll not be able to afford Effexor

I'm starting to freak out because Medicare Part D will be capped out next month. I can't afford to be alive but by the grace of God go I.

I'm thinking I'll have to be on xanax and hydroxyzone Pam only because it costs together about $25 a month. I am beside myself.

I know there are some people who manage to overcome their mental health issues without drugs and I sure wish I were one of them but I'm not. I've tried to do without and just about lost my mind. I can't exercise much due to a recent total hip replacement.

I do pray a lot.

Thanks for starting this group. I need all the support available.

Hi Lisa,

I am curious about the meds you take. I asked my shrink to prescribe generic valium AND xanax and he refused. Instead he wanted to hike up my Effexor from 225 mg to 400 mg. I said, "dude, no way. Effexor can cause high blood pressure and I don't need another ailment."

So, what I'm trying to ask is, did a psychiatrist prescribe both to you or is this your primary care physician? I really need this combo in order to keep my tolerance for both at bay. Thanks in advance.

PS. I am 57. Been on anti-depressants for 20 years but anxiety meds for almost 5 years.

Me:
Gosh I thought I was ALONE!! I've been battling Anxiety since I was a little kid but I never told my parents and quite frankly, I didn't understand it myself. I was always nervous around other school kids and would get extremely sick upon arising for school EVERY morning.....and I'm still that way with work and every other aspect in my life.

Diagnosis:

Finally got diagnosed with GAD about 4years ago..can you beleieve that! I'm in my early 30's and have been battling something I couldn't put a name to. It really helps to put a name on it.

Meds:
Honey I've had them all.....Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Nitrazepam and I've taken Lunesta for sleep. I've gotten to the point where I take stuff only on an as needed basis now.....but here is the funny part....trying to get Psychs to prescribe benzos is like pulling tooth and nail. No I'm not depressed, I don't want Paxil or Zoloft, I need a benzo and no I'm not an addict, I have a real serious problem!!

More Me:

I managed to complete a bachelors degree and I'm getting ready to get a Masters. I'm kinda toying with the idea of getting a doctorate in Clinical Psychological but that's just a thought right now.

Things I would like to accomplish:

Being able to go out on dates without getting super duper nervous and being able to feel comfortable with guys. Dating has been an area where my GAD gets me the most but how can you tell your date "listen I got GAD so please be very patient and lets just take things slow and please don't ask me for a kiss or anything sexual cause it makes me more nervous"...Let's see that go over well.

I would like to better handle the increased anxiety I get on Sunday nights about going to work.

I would like to be able to drive wherever I wanna go without the anxiety.

These are just a few things but there are many more. I would never ever wish this God awful thing on anyone cause I feel it's kept me from really enjoying my life!