![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 14:40:06
In 2001 my doc (an internist) gave me a diagnosis of GAD and put me on Paxil. I stopped taking the Paxil back in mid-October. A few weeks ago I went back to see my doc on another matter and she said it was fine that I'd decided to stop the Paxil because it was obvious from my current demeanor that the anxiety I felt when I first sought her care was due to the situation at that time. Which is just ducky.
Except.
There are some negative emotions (symptoms?) that do, to some extent, interfere with my life.
1) I experience pretty much daily bouts of impatience that often escalates to irritability or even intense anger. For example, when I plan to go out, I get ready and go, whereas my husband spends hours getting ready and taking care of last-minute details before he actually walks out the door. Most of the time I'm about ready to kill him long before the car doors get opened and I think this reaction might just be a tad excessive. I guess what I'm getting at is that I feel my outbursts of annoyance are way out of proportion to the incidents that trigger them. (By the way, I don't stay mad--the anger goes just as quickly as it comes, and I often end up feeling pretty darned silly for getting so angry about a trivial matter.)
2) I'm VERY easily distracted. I can think of only two activities to which I'm able to give my undivided attention: reading a good book and watching a good movie. When it comes to any other activity, my mind wanders constantly. I'm forgetful, too...I'll walk away in the middle of doing dishes and forget that I left the water running or leave my office and forget that I was online. Naturally, my work suffers in that I take longer to complete a given task than someone who is able to focus. I also adopt, and then discard, hobbies with startling swiftness--sometimes I lose interest even before I've assembled all the materials I'll need to pursue a given hobby.
I've always been this way. Well, I've always been easily distracted (as a look at any of my school transcripts--or my employment history--will confirm), and I suspect I've always been impatient, too (my grandfather used to call it "not suffering fools gladly" and say that I'd got it from him).
This just doesn't sound like GAD to me. Any thoughts, fellow posters?
Posted by crazychickuk on November 18, 2003, at 15:54:58
In reply to GAD? I think not., posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 14:40:06
Sounds abit like gad yes it does just like me, maybe you could ask for a referel and get propply diagnosed, myabe ask for some tests etc.
Posted by KimberlyDi on November 18, 2003, at 16:43:31
In reply to GAD? I think not., posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 14:40:06
but... who knows?
Posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 19:06:52
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not., posted by crazychickuk on November 18, 2003, at 15:54:58
> Sounds abit like gad yes it does just like me, maybe you could ask for a referel and get propply diagnosed, myabe ask for some tests etc. <
It does? I thought GAD meant experiencing fear, worry, or anxiety without any real cause, or at least far in excess of the seriousness of the patient's stated cause.
Although I was very anxious when I started the Paxil back in 2001, I no longer experience anxiety. I rarely, if ever, trouble myself with "what ifs" about problems that don't exist, nor do I experience anxiety about genuine problems--I figure out a way to solve them, delegate the task of solving them, or put them out of my mind until a solution presents itself.
How can I have GAD if I'm not anxious? I'm irritable, yes; and impatient, yes, but neither of these feelings is akin to anxiety as I understand the term.
Am I totally off base here? (If so, I'd better hang up my red pen and quit editing!)
Posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 19:10:44
In reply to Sounds more like ADD to me-inattentive » wordwitch, posted by KimberlyDi on November 18, 2003, at 16:43:31
> but... who knows? <
That's what I was thinking...ADD or maybe ADHD. Sigh...back to the doctor, I guess. Do you happen to know offhand if there's anything other than ritalin that's being prescribed these days for adult ADHD? One of the reasons I'm so reluctant to discuss this issue with my doctor is that she's very pro-drugs and I'm getting really tired of taking medicine that causes worse effects than the illness it's meant to treat. (The Paxil turned me into a zombie and caused me to gain 20 lb to boot.)
Posted by Stavros on November 18, 2003, at 23:00:53
In reply to Re: Sounds more like ADD to me-inattentive » KimberlyDi, posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 19:10:44
I have just started taking Strattera for ADHD/ GAD like symtoms? I HATE the drug hell I am stuck in and feel that God is the only thing that can clear my head up at this point! Wellbutrin worked realy well for me a while ago for ADHD anxiety and depression
> > but... who knows? <
>
> That's what I was thinking...ADD or maybe ADHD. Sigh...back to the doctor, I guess. Do you happen to know offhand if there's anything other than ritalin that's being prescribed these days for adult ADHD? One of the reasons I'm so reluctant to discuss this issue with my doctor is that she's very pro-drugs and I'm getting really tired of taking medicine that causes worse effects than the illness it's meant to treat. (The Paxil turned me into a zombie and caused me to gain 20 lb to boot.)
>
>
Posted by Viridis on November 18, 2003, at 23:51:56
In reply to GAD? I think not., posted by wordwitch on November 18, 2003, at 14:40:06
I'd guess inattentive ADD -- I suspect that you'd benefit from Adderall, based on my similar experiences. But, of course, you really need a more definitive diagnosis. Strattera would also be worth a try (give it time, and increase the dosage slowly or you're likely to experience annoying side efffects like dry mouth, nausea, etc.).
Good luck!
Posted by Stavros on November 18, 2003, at 23:58:30
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not., posted by Viridis on November 18, 2003, at 23:51:56
Viridis,
Yeah i've have got the side effect right now at 40 mg.daily. I was on Adderall and Paxil a few years ago and there were some better results but still i cannot get rid of the hyper-self awareness that is snuffing out my life. Have you had ext with Strattera?
> I'd guess inattentive ADD -- I suspect that you'd benefit from Adderall, based on my similar experiences. But, of course, you really need a more definitive diagnosis. Strattera would also be worth a try (give it time, and increase the dosage slowly or you're likely to experience annoying side efffects like dry mouth, nausea, etc.).
>
> Good luck!
Posted by wordwitch on November 19, 2003, at 8:27:45
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not. » Viridis, posted by Stavros on November 18, 2003, at 23:58:30
Oh, no. I no longer buy into the modern medical practice of trading one set of symptoms for another. More often than not, the side effects are far worse than the symptoms the drug was meant to control.
BTW, lest you think I am an uneducated peasant who views doctors the same way isolated tribal cultures view anthropologists doing field work: I edit medical books for a living and have done so for the past nine years. I also edit various science and medical journals. So no, I don't fear doctors and look upon them as evil wizards practicing black magic and trying to steal my soul. I'm an informed consumer--I read labels and do research about everything I put into my body and I concluded recently that the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits for many, if not most, of the drugs presently used to "treat" various mood disorders.
Another thing: My comments refer exclusively to my own mood disorder--not to anyone else's. I'm well aware that there are many disorders and illnesses that must be controlled with medication, regardless of the side effects. I realize that sometimes the symptoms are infinitely worse than any side effects might be. I'm simply stating that in my case, they aren't. I can't live with medication that controls my impatience and anxiety while simultaneously opening up a Pandora's box of equally unpleasant side effects.
Posted by CraigD on November 19, 2003, at 16:13:59
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not...and meds, posted by wordwitch on November 19, 2003, at 8:27:45
Witch:
What has been suggested to me by a doctor is that if a stimulant or ADD drug clears you up, it might be ADD, but if it makes you anxious, your distraction is likely GAD
Posted by Viridis on November 20, 2003, at 2:20:07
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not. » Viridis, posted by Stavros on November 18, 2003, at 23:58:30
Hi Stavros,
What's ext? If you mean ect, no I haven't tried that and don't plan to.
Strattera does seem to cause a lot of side effects, but most were pretty minimal for me and went away quite quickly. However, I did increase the dose slowly -- I can't imagine how people tolerate 80 mg/day within a week or so of starting it, as some posters here seem to be pressed to do by their doctors. It takes time to get used to these meds, and I always start with a very low dose.
Posted by Viridis on November 20, 2003, at 2:36:52
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not...and meds, posted by wordwitch on November 19, 2003, at 8:27:45
Hi Witch,
I definitely can relate. I had years of treatment with SSRIs, Wellbutrin, etc., and if anything, they made things worse for me. It was extremely frustrating to have multiple doctors tell me that these drugs are "magic bullets" when they made me feel awful (and I never could adjust to them). To add insult to injury, one doctor even told me that modern antidepressants "can't" cause side effects, and that my response to Wellbutrin (which caused weird side effects I'd never experienced before) must be "imaginary".
However, I am willing to tolerate some initial side effects if there's also an indication that the med will help. Adderall, Klonopin, and Strattera fall into this category -- fairly mild side effects at first, combined with definite and rapid improvement. With these, the side effects did go away quite quickly and were only annoying anyway. The benefits have remained. That I can live with -- it just irks me that it took so long to find a pdoc who actually had a clue about what might be effective for me and believed me when I told him what hadn't worked. He was also the first doctor I've met who actually told me that he'd used some of these meds himself and knew that the side effects they can cause are very real.
Posted by wordwitch on November 20, 2003, at 6:24:32
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not...and meds, posted by CraigD on November 19, 2003, at 16:13:59
> Witch:
>
> What has been suggested to me by a doctor is that if a stimulant or ADD drug clears you up, it might be ADD, but if it makes you anxious, your distraction is likely GADHi Craig,
Thanks! Isn't it amazing that so many doctors can see the similarity between GAD and ADHD, yet are completely oblivious to the (albeit subtle) differences that might help them provide a correct diagnosis?
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.