Posted by softheprairie on April 2, 2009, at 1:11:49
In reply to New meds needed for anxiety - advice please, posted by garnet71 on April 1, 2009, at 9:52:12
I wouldn't rule out a beta blocker for anxiety if you haven't tried one yet. Historically, they've carried a risk of increasing depression for some people; the newer one I'm taking, Bystolic (the generic name is nebivolol) doesn't show that on its official information, and it hasn't increased depression for me. Bystolic makes my antidepressant desipramine at high dose (300 mg/day) tolerable, as the desipramine is great for my depression but brings on a bunch of anxiety, heart palpitations, and fast heartbeat. Perhaps a beta blocker would make your Adderall more tolerable? PRN perphenazine also helps my anxiety (yes, it's an old-school anti-psychotic, but I like it, and so far the benefits to me from it are greater than the risks and downsides).
P.S. I get the Bystolic free from the maker's patient assistance program.
> Had a panic attack after dropping my son off at school this morning-I thought I was going to pass out in my car. It starts when my breathing seems to get messed up, then I see flashes of light, then my lower arms got so tingly, got dizzy-came close to passing out. So I don't know if the anxiety is causing hypoxia, or if its something else. I took 2 xanax, but I'm only allowed one a day, so I think I might need to switch to something else besides Buspirone now.
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> I can't say for sure if the Adderall is causing it, because the day before I started this drug, I had a panic attack. I can sit at my comptuer for hours on adderall w/no anxiety. For some reason, the anxiety is the worse in my car. I have no driving phobia, I like driving, so I don't know what's up with that. Even in my early 20s when I'd get anxiety here and there, it would start in my car. Well, I didn't even know what anxiety was back then but I remember this.
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> The Adderall is working so well with focus and motivation, much better than Ritalin-I don't want to quit yet.
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> Or could that be symptoms of high/low blood pressure?
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> I also wonder if Buspirone messes with my breathing. I don't feel like I have normal breathing anymre, like I have to remind myself to breath sometimes. I doubt it, but its a possibility.
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> I don't know what to do. I haven't tried Celexa or Lexapro for a number of years so was thinking about that. But Zoloft and Wellbutrin both took away my motivation and made me depressed and physically miserable too, and I can't take Prozac. I don't know about Effexor-it seems to be too much.
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> I'm not sure what to do-I really want to stay on the Adderall until I get through school. It's made a big difference so far.
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> Any ideas?
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> Thanks
poster:softheprairie
thread:888034
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090330/msgs/888159.html