Posted by C.M. on May 25, 2000, at 5:28:36
In reply to GAD... medication recommendations, posted by Circe on May 23, 2000, at 10:03:43
Hi Circe,
Sounds a lot like the symptoms I have. I suffer mainly from anxiety symptoms.
I know that a number of people do well on benzodiazepines like Xanax and Klonopin, and although I'm not against the use of them, I would opt for a sedating antidepressant first that could target a number of your symptoms.
One particular antidepressant in mind is Elavil. It has antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and sedative like properties to it, and it promotes sleep. If the side effects are tolerable, and it's effective for an individual, it can be a very useful med. I will say that it can make you very tired for the first one to two weeks, but that does diminsh. Some people need to go up slow on the dose starting out with 5mg. or 10mg. at bedtime. The list of side effects for Elavil can look over wealming, but I myself have only had some constipation, and some dryness as side effects.
Another med in mind is Imipramine which is similar to the Elavil, but not as sedating.
As I said, I'm not against the use of meds such as Xanax and Klonopin, but if an antidepressant can work for a person with minimal side effects, I personally think a person can be better off in the long run. Now that's not to say that a low dose of a benzodiazepine couldn't be used with an antidepressant, because I myself have used Klonopin at a low enough dose not to produce a strong physical dependency. I have been able to stop the Klonopin almost right away even after taking it for several months. I just take 0.25mg. Klonopin every other day along with Elavil
SSRI's such as Celexa have also turned out to be effective meds against anxiety for many people. Perhaps a small dose of Elavil like 10 to 30mg. could be used with the Celexa.C.M.
poster:C.M.
thread:34402
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000517/msgs/34576.html