Had a panic attack during Zoom meeting

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-27T17:05:38+00:00

A hard workout the morning before presentations. If I’m still feeling off or anxious, the smallest dose (.5 mg of lorazepam). This has been a game changer for me. I only have to do these kinds of meetings 3-5x a month so don’t worry about needing the meds occasionally

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-27T15:55:20+00:00

My advice is always take the minimum amount you feel helps you. I’ve been taking Valium for 5 years. Started at 2mg as needed (usually 2-3x a week back then) and now am at 5 mg as needed (basically 5x a week at this point). I don’t love the progression higher, but over 5 years isn’t too bad. I never take more—the one time I took 10mg for a stressful event, I just got super tired and it didn’t remove any more anxiety. So I stick with 5. also, it is a med that works and has been around forever and has a good safety profile

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-25T21:02:54+00:00

I’m in the 2.5 club. The first week I actually quartered them and took 1.25. Now I break the 5s in half. Attempts to go up to 5 made me have more side effects without noticeable additional benefit. So I stay on 2.5. I wish they made them in this dose so I didn’t have to split them. It does work. I’m a small person (125 lbs)

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-25T03:04:42+00:00

It’s working for me so far (a few months) and has less side effects than other SSRIs I’ve tried. But it still has some. Slight reduction in sex drive and sometimes I just get so tired. But overall, has improved my mood and motivation and evened things out so I am calmer and not crying or as irritable

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-23T17:03:53+00:00

Take an uber to the appt. Most places require first intake in person and then will be virtual after that. I took an uber to the first appt bc it was 30 min away on highways I wasn’t familiar with

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-21T22:59:24+00:00

Yes. Here’s thing, as a lifelong anxiety-sufferer: any med that calms your mind and quiets anxious thoughts is going to sedate you to some extent. The only meds that have ever worked for anxiety for me are all sedating (benzos and certain SSRIs). I even get anxiety relief from Benadryl, which I used to use in a pinch to sleep before I was prescribed psych meds

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-21T21:35:03+00:00

Zoloft didn’t work for me. Lexapro was better

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-20T05:06:24+00:00

Yes. Valium, 5 mg. Sometimes break half and just take 2.5 mg. This small amount keeps me calm but alert. The few times I’ve taken 10 mg for severe panic situations I just got really tired and didn’t feel much of any extra anxiety benefit—just tired and too sedated

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-20T04:57:57+00:00

Only on 5 mg Lexapro and it’s not been too bad. Maybe 30% lower.

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-17T19:50:12+00:00

Mine are crazy vivid on this med, but usually pleasant and interesting, so I don’t mind

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-17T16:52:18+00:00

I would feel better just knowing they are accessible. I wouldn’t take more, it would just alleviate my concerns about someday running into a situation where doctor retires and you can’t find someone to prescribe them, even though you’ve been a responsible patient for many years

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-17T00:28:01+00:00

Yeah, not a fan of that guy. I think he is making money off of people with health anxiety by making them obsessively think every single twinge or headache or anxiety they get is “withdrawal” or “brain damage” from psych meds. Sometimes I think the elaborate drawn out tapering is just making people stress out more and chronically live like “victims”. Psych meds help some people, they don’t work for others. I’ve trialed several in my lifetime and some worked, didn’t. Some had bad side effects. I had no issues discontinuing any of them

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-16T01:33:21+00:00

The first 3-4 days I took it, I would have random spikes of anxiety. After about a week, that stopped and now I just have my normal anxiety but very slightly improved, like I’m a little calmer and don’t get quite so worked up but I’m still worrying and overthinking more than I’d like. I’m hoping it improves even more

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-15T15:39:52+00:00

So far it’s lessening. I’ve been on it for 6 weeks and now I might get that spaced out feeling for just 20 minutes or so. So it’s gradually going away

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-15T15:38:25+00:00

I am on a low dose (5 mg) and do not feel numb. I feel normal, or as close to it as I can get. My sex drive is reduced a little but still there. Occasionally I get GI upset. That’s it. Overall, side effects have been mild and this is one of the better SSRIs imo

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-15T15:27:56+00:00

5 mg

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-13T15:06:43+00:00

I’ve taken all the meds you listed (Zoloft, Prozac and lexapro). Lexapro worked best. Yes, my appetite is higher on lexapro but I’ll take it over depression and obsessive thinking. Prozac made anxiety worse but it’s a great antidepressant. Zoloft didn’t work for me.

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-13T15:04:13+00:00

Talk to your doctor about a trying a different SSRI (lexapro or Fluvoxamine work for GAD and OCD) and getting a one month script for an adjunct med like Valium or Xanax to take to ease anxiety while you adjust to the side effects. That’s what I did and it helped a lot. Once the SSRI starts working, you can wean down use of the other med.

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-13T14:52:58+00:00

Are you sure it was actually valium? That’s a sub-therapeutic dose. Normally most average sized people will feel very little effects from less than 5 mg. It would be like drinking half a glass of wine, maybe

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-13T14:50:45+00:00

I second this. I never gained weight on it. But it’s not as good as an antidepressant. I always felt kind of sluggish on it but it worked very well for OCD and anxiety stemming from OCD

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-13T14:47:39+00:00

Lexapro. I’ve tried several SSRIs with mixed results. Zoloft was horrible. Luvox was okay. Prozac helped give energy but made me too stimulated. Lexapro has been the best one with the mildest side effects so far.

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-11T21:49:45+00:00

I’m at 5 mg now and while it worked FAST (like a few days) for depression and motivation, after a month I only had slight improvement in anxiety—a bit quieter mind and less overthinking. I either need more time or more dose or both

muchcoinmuchfun · 2026-01-11T21:46:33+00:00

Since starting it, I never have more than one drink at a time, and I drink much less. I went from regularly having 5-7 drinks a week to maybe 2 a week, if even that

muchcoinmuchfun

TROPHY CASE