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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lucy2005 on May 6, 2005, at 21:43:05
Hello. I am new to this. I am a 37 year old woman who is a recovered alcoholic - 1 and a half years sober. Into my first few mos of sobriety I began having awful panic attacks - including tinitus, numbness in ears and face, shaking and feeling like I would pass out. I previously had times in my life when I had anxiety attacks, which I guess partially led me to years of alcohol abuse, but the symptoms had never been this extreme or varied. I found out that I had hypothyroid and after months on Levoyxyl felt a bit better with most of the symptoms but the anxiety persisted, and I began to get daily headaches. The headaches feel as though there is a deep stinging sensation in my brain, it occurs in different areas of the head - I get other headaches sometimes too, but these are the most bothersome. They are nothing like migraines from what I understand, but yesterday when I was stressed out I saw an aura, which I guess some see before a migraine - no significant headache followed though, I just felt like I was going to faint and it prompted a huge panic attack, heart pounding and shaking all over. I was able to talk myself through it, but it scared me. The "aura" was like seeing funny wiggly lines floating throught the air in front of me. That was the first time that ever happened. I am very much into holistic approaches - I have never been a pill popper, although have occassionally taken a Zanax when the anxiety gets unbearable, esp. when having to fly or go to the doc., or if I absolutely can't sleep. Mostly I take holistic stuff to help me sleep and it works pretty well. I usually take Calms Forte - also valerian. I don't want to use the Zanax too much because I don't need to be addicted to something else, plus I can only take one pill each day for a couple of days, any more days than that and I get the headaches even worse when I stop. I went to the doc. today about the headaches and aura and stuff and she wants to put me on Effexor. I have been really fighting being on an anti-anxiety med., especially since I guess it's for depression as well and I'm not depressed. I want to stay holistic, but what I'm doing is not enough and my daily quality of life is suffering, I am consumed by these feelings and it's hard to foucs and live my life normally. My doc. said the Effexor could be temporary, but I read on the Net that the withdrawals can be horrific - plus I'm concerned about side effects (trying to learn more about what both of these include). Anyway, any feedback would be great. Thanks!
Posted by linkadge on May 7, 2005, at 1:06:49
In reply to New to Effexor - to take or not to take?, posted by lucy2005 on May 6, 2005, at 21:43:05
I'd give the alternative board a whirl. Perhaps some b vitamins, SJW, kava, taurine, theanine, etc would be a better choice.
I am a medication junkie, Ie. I wish I had never got on them, wish somebody had given me some alternatives.
I would certainly not close the doors to medication, but I think that trying other possabilities first may be a good idea.
Linkadge
Posted by Racer on May 7, 2005, at 12:53:48
In reply to Re: New to Effexor - to take or not to take?, posted by linkadge on May 7, 2005, at 1:06:49
I guess we have different ideas of what "holistic" means: to me, it doesn't necessarily mean going herbal.
For one thing, herbs contain chemical compounds, and natural doesn't mean safe. (Arsenic is natural, after all. And Lithium is natural, too -- yet it's prescribed by doctors and purchased in a pharmacy.)
Effexor can be a very effective medication for many people, and now that the withdrawal symptoms are known they are generally considered when it's time to discontinue. I guess I'd recommend that you consider other anti-depressants first, though, and I would also mention that many people find that Xanax can leave them more depressed and more sensitive to anxiety. It's a great drug to use as needed, but if you're sensitive to those effects, it may not be the best choice.
As far as anxiety goes, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers can be very helpful for some people. You might want to discuss something like that with your doctor. Biofeedback might be helpful, too. Talk to your doctor about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, too. Maybe a short course of it would help a lot with anxiety, and wouldn't involve pills.
Good luck.
Posted by lucy2005 on May 7, 2005, at 15:38:10
In reply to Re: New to Effexor - to take or not to take?, posted by Racer on May 7, 2005, at 12:53:48
Thank you very much, you have given me some good feed back that I will look into. Trouble with talking to the docs about this stuff is they claim to know nothing about the alternatives, and seem to want to push the psych drugs, I was even asked by one why I even went there knowing they used traditional approaches if I wasn't open to that. I told him it was because I wanted to know what was causing it and how to resolve it, not just how to mask it. The fact that a lot of this was brought on by the Hpyothyroidism just led me to believe maybe there was more to it. I had been sober once before for about 15 mos. and never had this degree of anxiety until my new (and final!) sobriety coincided with the thyroid thing. I understand what you are saying about natural not necessarily being safe, I know too much of a vitamin or herb, or the wrong combination can cause problems as well. Do you know anything about Gaba? I tried it briefly, but it was before I was on the Levoxyl - so I didn't really give it a fair chance. I guess that is supposed to help with transmitters in the brain or something to produce the chemical that keeps you from getting so anxious (I'm sorry I don't know the exact correct translation of what exactly it does, I just heard it's supposed to help).
I don't believe I will try the Effexor, I guess it just goes against what I believe is right for me and I am more afraid of the side effects and withdrawals even when managed. I had sleep deprevation, hallucenations, convulsions and seizures with the alcohol w/d and I don't want to get my body dependent on a drug again that may induce that - that is why I am extremely careful with the Zanax. I just wanted to hear feedback on it from "real" people who had experience with it rather than from a doctor who probably has never used it themselves - and to perhaps hear alternative ideas from those people, such as what you suggested to me. So, once again thank you - I appreciate the data you have given me and will definitely do some reseach on it - I guess I need to find a doctor who is open to holistic. Take care.
> I guess we have different ideas of what "holistic" means: to me, it doesn't necessarily mean going herbal.
>
> For one thing, herbs contain chemical compounds, and natural doesn't mean safe. (Arsenic is natural, after all. And Lithium is natural, too -- yet it's prescribed by doctors and purchased in a pharmacy.)
>
> Effexor can be a very effective medication for many people, and now that the withdrawal symptoms are known they are generally considered when it's time to discontinue. I guess I'd recommend that you consider other anti-depressants first, though, and I would also mention that many people find that Xanax can leave them more depressed and more sensitive to anxiety. It's a great drug to use as needed, but if you're sensitive to those effects, it may not be the best choice.
>
> As far as anxiety goes, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers can be very helpful for some people. You might want to discuss something like that with your doctor. Biofeedback might be helpful, too. Talk to your doctor about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, too. Maybe a short course of it would help a lot with anxiety, and wouldn't involve pills.
>
> Good luck.
Posted by lucy2005 on May 7, 2005, at 15:47:25
In reply to Re: New to Effexor - to take or not to take?, posted by linkadge on May 7, 2005, at 1:06:49
I think I will do that, thank you. Also thanks for the vitamin suggestions. I am familiar with some of them, and I have tried some vitamins, but have to admit I am just kind of going on the advice of my vitamin lady at GNC and from what I read. I feel that I have to find someone who is knowledgable enough on the anxiety and stuff who might be able to provide some proper guidance. I guess I really believe that our bodies are trying to tell us something when this happens and putting a foriegn chemical in there that alters our brain seems so extreme - I mean there was a time when shock treatment was all the rage, but that doesn't make it right. I know there has to be a safe and natural solution, I just did not want want to be so close minded as not to look into this and I appreciate the feedback I have gotten. Thanks!
> I'd give the alternative board a whirl. Perhaps some b vitamins, SJW, kava, taurine, theanine, etc would be a better choice.
>
> I am a medication junkie, Ie. I wish I had never got on them, wish somebody had given me some alternatives.
>
> I would certainly not close the doors to medication, but I think that trying other possabilities first may be a good idea.
>
> Linkadge
>
This is the end of the thread.
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