Why don’t anxiety meds work for me?

To @rick98

Thanks for the heads up. I thought there was a way you could private message someone.

Claudia

I get it. I believe you 100%. I have had sleep issues since I was 15 and I am 78. It's rare that I am tired or fatigued. The only thing that works is Ativan before bedtime.

To @rick98
Cont. from previous reply: I was unable to leave the house today to do my walk around the neighborhood which I started doing a few days ago. My husband prepared food but I am too jumpy to eat. The starting does of Venlafaxine is 37.5 and when I took the first pill at 4 am, I started to feel calm but it didn’t last long, so I decided to take another Venlafaxine and once the calm feeling wore off, I took one more for a total of 112.5 instead of 37.5. I had been on Venlafaxine for more than 30 years so I thought I could reinstate easily. Basically, this medication was my last hope as nothing else worked for me. On Monday I have to get bloodwork done that is 6 months past due. I hope I will be able to leave the house. My prayers go out to you and everyone like us who is suffering.

Claudia, I myself would not use the CBD/CBN because many people who consume the product report a level of paranoia, frightfulness, anxiety, etc. that is very harmful. Who knows where that type of drug would put you in your distressed condition. I don't have answers or solutions to the things you are experiencing. I do share things that I find slightly helpful. There's sleep frequency music on YouTube and breathing meditations of all sorts. I use them daily to get by. They help some momentarily but I am doubtful about medications though I am using Clonezepam and Gabapentin and Hydroxyzine to get by and these medicines still for now barely help me. Search and Google to find whatever is available on YouTube to bide your time going through what your going through. Naturally , I pray for all of in this world who suffer and I pray over and over and over as I lie in bed unable to sleep and feel anxiety. It's horrible I understand but somehow we must find our ways to survive each moment what we are experiencing.
I think that the Benzodiazepines have a lot to do with the adverse symptoms I have. But after so many years I have no choice but to continue them Clonezepam regularly at the same dose .5mg every 12 hours same time to keep the medication as even as possible in the blood and I would like to do a proper taper slowly over a long period of time in order to do it the safest way. Using that kind of medicine Xanax, Ativan, etc. inconsistently crossing over different doses different times of the day is not recommended and is dangerous so please talk to your prescriber to make a plan of a consistent use of one of them if you're going to use Benzodiazepines. Cutting off abruptly or cutting down and being inconsistent in using them is very dangerous and can keep you in a terribly unmanageable condition. 🙏Hang in there do the best you can each moment whatever that is: taking quick showers, breathing listening to guided breathing meditations the slow ones not the rapid breathing meditations which can cause more anxiety. Sleep frequency music on low to focus on breathing and maintaining some degree of calmness. Eat something nutritious whatever an apple, a celery stick . Try to avoid sugar and sugary foods which can elevate anxiety. 🙏

@mikaylar
My heart is pounding as it’s already 7pm. I sit in the living room until midnight when my husband usually tries to go to sleep. My insomnia affects him, too. I then try to go to the bedroom but as soon as I lay my head down on the pillow, my blood pressure rises and my heart beats even faster. Last night I got out of bed and just sat in the recliner all night watching utube.

@rick98

Got blood work results back. Not all good news. I guess some of the unsatisfactory results are due to my malnutrition. The lab techs were wonderful. After telling them about my anxiety, they brought me to the head of the line.
Claudia

I know eating is so difficult in the condition we suffer. I have to force myself each day to eat something nutritious at least twice per day. I have basic things like a hard boiled egg or eggs prepared some way. Oatmeal or cream of wheat with some milk, a banana and a multivitamin. We have to eat or matters get much worse. Hamburger or thin cut steaks, lamb chops with a salad, either cooked asparagus or broccoli with so.e garlic, butter and salt and pepper. Have to stay hydrated with juice cut with water that I'll sip throughout the day. I know how awful it is you're not alone. But please start forcing yourself to eat and drink malnutrition creates all kinds of problems and makes our symptoms much worse so we have to force ourselves to. I can't say anything about medications because none have ever worked for me and I believe long-term use of any Benzodiazepines have brought me to this horrible condition. I still take .5mg 2X 12 hours apart and am holding there because cutting out any Benzodiazepine cold turkey and not weaning over a slow long period of time is always very dangerous even though the medicines like in my case don't do much I don't stop taking them regularly because they can cause such havoc like seizures coma and even death. I hope you and your doctor can figure something out that will help you of course. Always in my prayers🙏

I will be condemned on this site for saying this but try Klonopin. Your life sounds like hell on earth if you don’t have an addictive personality you could take 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night combined with a good SSRI and Wellbutrin and hopefully you will stop living a life I wouldn’t wish on anybody. It has worked for me for over 35 years and I am almost 74. You husband will be glad you did.
Good luck to you.

I am surprised you don’t mention an SSRI in your list of medications. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand and in my humble opinion gabapentin does absolutely nothing to address anxiety or depression. It has been around forever and is prescribed for just about anything under the sun.
Try a good SSRI like Zoloft that is well tolerated by most people and combine it with Wellbutrin. They are very complementary. I also take Buspar and Klonopin. I have been taking the same dose for over 35 years and the combination has served me well.
Best of luck to you.

@rick98

Hello Rick, how are you doing? I have an appointment on Monday with a PA as I can’t continue on without some kind of medication. I have seen him before but have no idea what he will suggest as his previous prescriptions did not work out.
Claudia