Posted by jasmineneroli on June 19, 2004, at 1:36:35
In reply to Re: HELP-Don't know where to go from here » scatterbrained, posted by King Vultan on June 18, 2004, at 8:04:02
Hey:
I wonder if you have ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? Anxiety disorders can often lead to depression, or be mistaken for depression.
I have GAD and sometimes my anxiety attacks manifested themselves as complete mental confusion breakdowns. I just couldn't THINK at all. Everything (all stimuli coming in...questions, voices, sounds,ideas) just overwhelmed my brain and I felt paralyzed, thinking-wise. I would forget things (leave my car running with the keys in it, whilst grocery shopping etc.etc.). I just felt like I couldn't sort out all the input and my brain would kind of shut off!!! This would come and go and didn't seem to have any connection to an event or be related to panic disorder. GAD is an odd sort of Anxiety Disorder, in that you always kinda live in a state of worry or vigilance or very conscientious or very "aware". My Pdoc described my situation as my brain/body being totally flooded with adrenaline all of a sudden, all senses on overload, and it just "shuts down".
My original Dr. thought I had depression with anxiety, and I took Celexa for nearly a year. The forgetful, brain shutting down episodes got worse during this period, however the GAD constant racing thoughts improved. I tried other SSRI's with worse effects. The only thing that has helped me is Klonopin ( a benzodiazapine). It works on GABA and acts like a "brake" on the brain that is going into overload (Gaba is an anti-excitory neurotransmitter). I keeps my anxiety under control and I have far fewer epsiodes of total Brain Failure!!
I know benzo's aren't for everyone, but I can't function without Klonopin. I am on the same very low dose of 1mg to 1.25mg per day as when I started it last August and have not felt the need to increase it at all.
I don't know if the above is anything like you experience, but maybe consider severe anxiety as a diagnosis and get yourself checked out for all the possible physiological causes too. I was checked for thyroid, iron deficiency, B12/folate deficiency, hormone functioning, immune functioning etc etc.
Even if we have different diagnoses, Scatterbrained, I can totally relate to the feelings you describe, and truly hope you can find an answer. Just keep digging, researching and persisisting. It took me nearly 4 years! Good luck, don't give up!.
Jas
poster:jasmineneroli
thread:357454
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040614/msgs/358014.html