1. < Depression & Anxiety

Need help! Depression and anxiety

Posted by pirateking @pirateking, Jul 22, 2016

I don't know where else to go without going to a hospital. I've always had issues with depression and anxiety. It is tough to deal with, but I have a grasp of what it is at least. I've been taking 10MG of Lexapro and 1-1.5 MG of Klonopin to treat it. My psych doctor died in January and I started with a new doctor that upped my Lexapro to 20MG and put me on Buspar for anxiety.

She then decided to take me off the Klonpin. She had me go from 1-1.5 to only .5 a day a month ago and then cut me off. My anxity was already starting to increase that month, and a few days after I stopped the klonopin I faced massive panic attacks among a ton of other issues. It took some begging for help until she eventually put me on .5MG of Atavan but I don't think it is working.

My current symptoms are this horrible brain fog that is impairing my basic functions. I forget things easily, I can't concentrate. It feels like I've literally got dumber. I am clumsier. I keep almost walking into poles and today I almost got run over by a bus. I'm beyond irritable. I almost attacked a man on an elevator because of his breathing, and I've never had such violent thoughts before. I've had brief sucidical thoughts that I had to talk myself out of because I rationally know I don't want to do that.

When I stretch my neck it hurts. It feels like my neck or back is violently ripping in two. I'm having out of body experinces. I am sitting at work and suddenly I am not sure if I am dreaming or not

I also have headaches, I'm pacing constantly. I am having muscle spasims, twitching, my hands tremble.

This is terrifying. I've never felt like this in my entire life and I don't know what is going on. Is it the Buspar? The Atavan? The lack of Klonopin and should I go to the hosptial? My doctor isn't around on the weekends. Any help will be appericated.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

susanlorrie | @susanlorrie | Oct 6, 2016
In reply to @susanlorrie "I took Klonapin (aka clonazapam) .5 mg at bedtime for at least 20 years. It helped..." + (show)
@susanlorrie

I took Klonapin (aka clonazapam) .5 mg at bedtime for at least 20 years. It helped with anxiety and insomnia. I can no longer take it because I also take pain medication for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and a Chronic nerve disorder. The government in it's infinite wisdom thinks it knows more about medication than my doctors and the doctors are too scared to go against their advisory even though it is not a law. I stopped taking Ambien at the same time. To top it all off my pain med was also cut down in the same month. I have not been the same since. I had surgery to remove a rib so the nerves were no longer cut off and started to receive an increased blood flow. Unfortunately the nerves have not regenerated and I am left with some bad pain at times. Stopping the pain meds are not an option so I can't work and rely on my husband to drive and cook. For that I am very grateful.
I am sorry to ramble, thank you so much for listening if you still are.

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Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, aka (Paget-Schroetteter's), is a disorder where the veins and arteries that should supply blood to and from your arms and hands (on one or both sides of the body) are cut off. In my case all three, veins, arteries and nerves were stuck between the 1st rib and the clavicle. When my arm was lifted in a certain position pain would occur. It took over 20 years for this to be diagnosed. I eventually saw a pain doctor who recognized the syndrome because he was part of a study at University of Arizona. They Did a special MRI and were able to objectively identify It. I felt vindicated. The syndrome is extremely painful as well as the surgery. When the doctor did the surgery he was also able to visually determine that the nerves where also involved. This is a laymens recollection. Thanx for asking.

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susanlorrie | @susanlorrie | Oct 6, 2016
In reply to @overwhelmed "P.S. Forgot to mention, that I received a call from my drugstore the other day and..." + (show)
@overwhelmed

P.S. Forgot to mention, that I received a call from my drugstore the other day and they advised me that as of October 1, I needed to save my used Fentanyl patches, as the government has implemented a new program that I will get all the details on shortly!!!!

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At my new pain Doctor I now have to bring in the bottles every month. Is this the same thing? Maybe it's just coincidental that happened at the same time I changed clinics. Lorrie

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susanlorrie | @susanlorrie | Oct 6, 2016
In reply to @overwhelmed "Hey folks, I agree with most of what has been said. The drug companies push new..." + (show)
@overwhelmed

Hey folks, I agree with most of what has been said. The drug companies push new "improved", drugs, which subsequently were under patent for 10 years, (which for those that may not know, means that the drug cannot be copied and/or sold generically). The doctors then prescribe them to their patients (often with little discussion as to the side effects, including potential addiction! Then with all of the deaths going on throughout North America, including cities & towns that often had never been heard of before! This prompted MEDIA attention to the issue..which included the addition of doctors either now denying drugs that they had previously prescribed to their patients (with most offering no support in terms of transition etc.) which left many of them seeking anything (more often than not it is heroin, as it is widely available and cheap) they could get their hands onto stave off of the withdrawl effects. Other more seedy doctors opened up pill pushing offices, which as you can guess, prescribed large amounts of the pills which had them making money not only from the pills themselves but also in billing the insurance companies for the "appointments".
So to deduce the the above, you were either pulled off your pain medicine because your doctors were afraid to leave you on any of the types of pain medication, which they clearly did not know enough about! You do the illegal thing & may choose heroin as your substitute to rid yourself of pain. Or as a yet another alternative to this ( some may misinterpret the often deadly result of the illegal drugs or the misuse of legal drugs) What I am talking about is suicide. In Canada this prompted a group of experts in relation to pain (scientists, pain doctors, etc.) to get together & discuss this topic. It was ultimately decided that the regular every day GP (General Physician or in some cases Practitioner) needed to be better educated in the area of "PAIN". That with some proper guidance they would feel more comfortable in prescribing it to their patients rather than just denying it all together!
The group & is known as the National OPIOD use Guideline Group or "NOUGG" (for the safe & effective use of OPIODS for Chronic Non-Cancer Patients (CNCP).
The problem as someone previously mentioned, was the Government's MISuse of the Guidelines that NOUGG had written in order to provide a practical resource to doctors; with the best available information, research & consensus of opinion on this topic. The Guideline was/is NOT intended to be used as a Policy or Standard of Practice, but as a practical resource to provide physicians with the best available information, research & consensus of opinion on this topic.
My experience recently has shown that the insurance companies are also using the Guideline as their Policy as they reviewed my list of medications using the Guideline and DENIED me my meds based on this!!! It was only after escalating my case and telling them that I have no other options other than these medications to help control my pain. Denial of them would lead me to my final option ,,,,,,Suicide. They asked me for my records from the onset of my CRPS 8 years ago to ensure that I indeed had exhausted all other options for treatment of my CRPS.
In waiting for my records I offered up another option... the use of a pain pump which would not only be more effective, it would also use less medication due to this. However, they,( as too ) had my GP and previous pain doctor denied me as they ALL gave me the same response...."That is used for cancer patients only". None of them could give me a response as to WHY??? Do I really have to be dying in order for you to care about how much pain I am in??
It's kind of ironic in a way, since denial of or perhaps in the near future the ineffectiveness of my pain meds will most likely lead me to suicide as a result. But then it will be too late for the pain pump!!!
I thought we were in the age of progress and technology, however it seems that when it comes to the area of chronic pain & its meds both the Guidelines as well as, the use of pain pumps for use in cancer patients only is CARVED in STONE!!!!

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Pain doctors consider "Guidelines" the same as "Rules and Regulations". They are not. However I understand their predicament. If a person overdoses and they are following the "guidelines" there is a much smaller chance of sanctions and even the possibility of losing their license. Still, it leaves those of us with Pain issues left to fend in large degree for themselves.

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susanlorrie | @susanlorrie | Oct 6, 2016

Hang in there. I don't know what your pain level has been but I take a similar amount of a morphine equivalent. I think your comment about weaning off 90mg but then going back on because of the pain is an enlightenment for me. I do have to wean down per doctors instructions to adhere to guidelines, but I don't have to wean all of it. I really want to, but I don't want to get myself it trouble. My husband continues to tell me to take it slow. Let us know how it works out.

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5 replies
ThinkTherapy.org | @thinktherapy | Oct 6, 2016
In reply to @susanlorrie "Hang in there. I don't know what your pain level has been but I take a..." + (show)
@susanlorrie

Hang in there. I don't know what your pain level has been but I take a similar amount of a morphine equivalent. I think your comment about weaning off 90mg but then going back on because of the pain is an enlightenment for me. I do have to wean down per doctors instructions to adhere to guidelines, but I don't have to wean all of it. I really want to, but I don't want to get myself it trouble. My husband continues to tell me to take it slow. Let us know how it works out.

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Slow and steady...
I practiced healthy breathing before the drugs take effect -
Takes work - Good Luck!!!

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Oct 6, 2016
In reply to @susanlorrie "Hang in there. I don't know what your pain level has been but I take a..." + (show)
@susanlorrie

Hang in there. I don't know what your pain level has been but I take a similar amount of a morphine equivalent. I think your comment about weaning off 90mg but then going back on because of the pain is an enlightenment for me. I do have to wean down per doctors instructions to adhere to guidelines, but I don't have to wean all of it. I really want to, but I don't want to get myself it trouble. My husband continues to tell me to take it slow. Let us know how it works out.

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I weaned off at 15mg every 2 weeks, because I wanted to see if the Cymbalta would do the job on its own. I found that it doesn't, so took 15mg for 10 days, then 15mg in the morning and 15 at bedtime. I still have a fair amount of pain, but I won't go any higher until I talk with the pain specialist next week. I intend to discuss medical Marijuana, as well.

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Minnie1971 | @lesbatts | Oct 7, 2016
In reply to @IndianaScott "I don't want to argue here, but I believe it is not the government who got..." + (show)
@IndianaScott

I don't want to argue here, but I believe it is not the government who got us into the opioid drug mess we are in but the doctors who listened, were namby pamby at first, and went lockstep with big pharma's lies about those drugs. The government is now trying to control the barn door after far too many horses have gotten out.

Just my two cents plain,

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The same thing happened to me but my doctor said that it was time to change doctors even though I was a model patient. I can see the doctor talking to me about not weaning myself off your pills but to have my doctor dump me for a first time offense is ridiculous. I was really shocked! The reason I weaned myself off by myself is because I was having some terrible side effects and I knew I wouldn't hear from her right away and I just couldn't wait that long.

Have a wonderful day everyone, or at least try to.

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safetyshield | @safetyshield | Oct 7, 2016

I am a practicing therapist and I am very concern about law suits. Ironically the suites are based on what I say and how the client interpreted it. But all the cautions that doctors take the end result seems to be if someone takes a medication or advice from their doctor and something goes wrong as much precaution the doctor takes he may still be sued. I have personally experienced mistakes by doctors and hospitals. But before I consider legal action I will talk to the doctor about the mistake and work it out before legal action. But of course in any situation things are different

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safetyshield | @safetyshield | Oct 7, 2016
In reply to @IndianaScott "I don't want to argue here, but I believe it is not the government who got..." + (show)
@IndianaScott

I don't want to argue here, but I believe it is not the government who got us into the opioid drug mess we are in but the doctors who listened, were namby pamby at first, and went lockstep with big pharma's lies about those drugs. The government is now trying to control the barn door after far too many horses have gotten out.

Just my two cents plain,

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First as the patient it is not your fault that the doctor wanted you to change doctors. Your doctor should of discussed with you the reasons he wanted you to change doctors. To the point you would understand and no need for guessing on your part. It's a burden that YOU not have to go through. Doctors choose to depart with a patient for many reasons and not being the patience fault. It upsets me and angers me when a doctor is so uncaring of their patients. I hope you can find another doctor that treats you more as a person than a body. Please continue in these conversations and bring your thoughts etc with you it will at least be helpful to me.

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