Anyone Taking Meds For Anxiety Or Depression

[CarolinaKip]

I know we are all different, but would like some input on these meds. Looks like I might need them. Thanks!!

[cassP]

I know we are all different, but would like some input on these meds. Looks like I might need them. Thanks!!

all mental meds in general??

ive been depressed most of my life- now i know it may have been due to Hashimoto's Hypothyroid. i also have Grave's and have been suffering from Anxiety too. big stupid rollercoaster

also have Celiac, obviously.... going gluten free did stabilize my mood SOMEWHAT...

anyways: in my 20s i did Paxil for 1 year. it was good for me at the time... i needed a break from depression. all it did was numb my moods.. take away my libido, which was fine since i was heartbroken... but after 1 year- i was ready to be off!!

in my 30s, i did Paxil again - this time for extreme anxiety. it did not work this time- it is SUPPOSED to be excellent for anxiety- but i think it made my Grave's worse- as i would get stuck in these long catatonic stares into space- so bad i felt like Robert Deniro in Awakenings. :/ so i switched to Celexa - but it sent me into a MANIA- i was so angry and anxious- and breaking down crying. went back to paxil- but got off quick- cause i was just turning into a zombie.

now that i am on thyroid meds (Armour-> t3 & t4)- i dont feel so depressed and paranoid. i still take Xanax as needed for anxiety.

1. as someone with gluten intolerance- you MUST get regular thyroid checkups- quite common- and can affect your mood.

2. ALSO- check your B12- common to be low with gluten problems- and this can cause depre/anxiety

3. if you do not have these things- ask your doctor to try paxil. i would suggest NOT taking prozac- as it is made from fluoride and could give you a thyroid problem. and i would advise AGAINST Effexor- its slightly different from the other antidepressants- and people get really bad side effects trying to get off it.

[Sammyj]

Yes, I am on 300mg of effexor, and Deplin.

Deplin is a medical food. Deplin

[Bubba's Mom]

I've been on anti-depressants for 30 years. I've had issues with anxiety as well, and was prescribed xanax.

Recently, as my undiagnosed celiac went raging out of control my anxiety level increased rapidly too. I got so I can't sleep more than an hour or two a night.

My new Dr. found that damage to my villi is preventing my body from absorbing nutrients from the food I eat. It was explained to me that my brain and body are starving. They don't want me to lay down and sleep they want me to go eat! I'm told as I heal and my vitamin levels are replenished things should settle down.

If you are having anxiety/depression issues I urge you to tell your Dr. Dealing with an illness like this can become overwhelming at times too, causing depression.

There's nothing wrong with taking a "chemical" to treat a "chemical imbalance".

Don't suffer in silence..get help.

Best wishes to you

(((hugs)))

[Skylark]

I avoid them as much as possible. I find that if I am eating correctly and taking enough vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and fish oil, my anxiety and depression are usually not enough of a problem to medicate. This is in stark contrast to my awful mental health eating gluten.

If you had total villous atrophy and are still healing, you might need meds until you are healed from the celiac. I was also on an antidepressant briefly recently while I was waiting for a different dose of thyroid medicine to work.

[Sarah Alli]

I've taken a ton of different meds over the course of my life for my severe (inherited, not gluten-related) anxiety. Nothing ever did an ounce of good, until I agreed to try one last time, found a good psychiatrist and she suggested sertraline. It's like night and day.

You need to see a psychiatrist specifically (not just a general practitioner) if you are interested in medicines for this. There is a huge spectrum of medicine choices out there and psychiatrists are specifically trained to match you with one that makes the best sense based on your individual situation. For example, my psych started with a fairly big list of possible choices and we narrowed it down based on my age range, my symptoms, my desired outcome- unfortunately I am an unusually tough cookie because I have anxiety AND fatigue (most anxiety medicines work with a sedative effect) AND insomnia (so I didn't want a sedative OR a stimulant), which is a somewhat uncommon symptom constellation. However, the sertraline ended up being perfect. Didn't fix the fatigue or insomnia, but it certainly hasn't made them worse, either.

I used to feel bad and unhappy with taking medicine. Now I understand that my anxiety is a disease, just like diabetes. I wouldn't skip taking insulin just to prove how "strong" I am, would you?