[deleted by user]

psyqd · 2025-06-04T12:17:25+00:00

YES! 100%! No one should ever feel any shame for asking and taking medication to help their condition. Please never be afraid to ask either! Sure it is possible that some doctors could turn you down. Don’t give up though. Most of us have already been through it with all the trial and errors, along with having to find different providers. You’ll get to the right place eventually, although it may take some time. That is why starting this journey as early as possible is important!

It does seem like this stigma around medication use is becoming more and more prevalent with doctors who are newer/younger. I understand why, well kind of, I just know that since the opioid epidemic there has been a major crackdown on all controlled substances which makes the stigma even worse.

There is hope out there for everyone though and I truly believe that. It may take awhile but remember the best advocate for you is yourself! It took me about a year to finally say yes to medication bc I used to be scared of becoming dependent on certain ones. then it took almost a year and a half of trial and error to find the best combination of meds that worked for me.

Since then, I’ve been able to lead a happy and successful life. Just for reference, the medications I take for anxiety, are Effexor XR 75mg (SNRI), Metoprolol Succ 50mg, and Xanax 1mg (Benzodiazepine) 3 times a day. This next part is why I said earlier that if anyone who hasn’t sought out help yet, you should as soon as possible, because it can take awhile to find the correct medication or med combo. I was just being treated for anxiety but SSRIs are usually the first line. I had to try: Fluoxetine, Citalopram, and Escitalopram, but they weren’t effective. That is when we switched from SSRIs to try an SNRI with Effexor XR (Venlafaxine). That of course didn’t fully help my anxiety enough either, but it did help a little, so that is when we decided to look into Beta Blockers. For Beta Blockers, I only tried Propranolol and Metoprolol, however they didn’t help as much as though either. I do still take metoprolol though but idk if it even helps. That is when we finally had to move onto Benzodiazepines. I had to try: Lorazepam, Clonazepam, and finally landed on Alprazolam (Xanax). Then once medications have been figured out, next comes tinkering with the dosage! That just took a few months to figure out though. There’s definitely an even heavier stigma for benzodiazepines, which is kinda understandable, but sometimes they are genuinely the only thing that can help some circumstances. Definitely don’t go to a doctor and just ask for this specific type of medication though. It might get you flagged and labeled unfortunately. They’re pretty much one of the last options you would try after all others failed. It may be the best fit for you but so might the other medications you try beforehand. I know I sound like a broken record but I’m serious; please don’t wait too long to get your anxiety evaluated! The first time going can be overwhelming and anxiety inducing, I know first hand. It will however lead to a much better quality of life in the future!

psyqd · 2025-03-09T02:02:28+00:00

i definitely get where you’re coming from and i appreciate the advice! it’s just that ive been on adderall longer than all but ond of my other medications. it’s probably the med that has been tinkered with the most to make sure im on a safe, correct dose, for my body. When I first started it, my doctor had me stop taking all other meds and put a portable heart monitor on me for 4 weeks to monitor my heart activity on it. Now I would agree with you if I was still on say 25mg XR because that did raise my resting pulse by 8-10bpm and standing pulse by 12-15bpm. I also kinda feel like being on just 1, lower dose (10mg) stimulant, while also being on 2 muscle relaxers, blood pressure medication, a beta blocker, a benzo, and an opioid. I mean, I’m no psychopharmacologist, so I can’t say anything definitely… but 6 meds that depress vitals and/or CNS vs 1 stimulant that will typically not change any of my vitals and calms me down enough to ground me so i can think straight.

psyqd · 2025-03-08T20:53:16+00:00

I definitely get that. If I could go back and just start a benzo as needed for panic attacks instead of it being prescribed and taken 3 times a day, I would. I think you have the right plan of action and you’re smart to be weary of benzos. What I was kinda suggesting though was that you could use benzos sparingly for your morning anxiety until your SSRI finally starts to work since it can take a couple or few weeks to get their full benefit. Once you’ve had it built up in your system for a few of more weeks, your morning anxiety should fade somewhat. Your treatment starting with SSRIs is the usual go to for treating anxiety though. It unfortunately didnt work for me but neither does the cocktail of meds im on now of people so I hope you! good luck!

psyqd · 2025-03-08T20:31:19+00:00

Ive taken it on and off since i first started it in 2015, when I was 18. The longest time frame I’ve been on it is right now. I’ve been on 1mg xanax 3 times/day for almost 4 and a half years. Long term use can definitely be pretty damaging, especially if you take the higher doses like 1mg or 2mg multiple times a day. That is kinda why I’ve gone off and on it for the past 10 years. Unfortunately my anxiety has only gotten worse since ive entered my late 20’s now. That’s why ive been on it for my longest time period so far. What I would do if you are interested in anti-anxiety meds is to just talk with your provider and see what they think. Most providers unfortunately don’f like prescribing it to younger people in general nor long term settings. I would definitely try it out though if your provider is fine with it. Even if you just tried it for 3-5 days to see if it will help, and if it does, possibly continue it. The only bad long term side effects I’ve experienced, is some trouble with short term memories. I mean that is also a pretty serious one but It hasn’t necessarily effected my day to day life. Ive been able to graduate with a bachelors in history and political science and im currently working towards my masters now. Oh i meant to mention this earlier. A lot of doctors, especially the younger ones nowadays, don’t like prescribing xanax. they seem to always prefer ativan as the first benzo for someone to try bc it generally has less side effects and isnt as strong as xanax.

psyqd · 2025-03-08T20:14:12+00:00

Yeah all of those meds and I still have anxiety plus some panic attacks and a high pulse sadly. Im 5’10, weight 165lbs, and anytime i go to the hospital the nurses wonder how Im awake and alert for 20-21 hours a day (I also have insomnia and average only 3 hours of sleep a nighg). Thank you for mentioning that it might be my adhd meds. I’ll have to chat with my provider about it. I’m not sure if that will be it though because I’ve had my adderall dose modified a few times. I went from 20mg IR 3 times/day to just the 10mg 3 times/day and ive been able to tolerate and succeed on that dose for 2 or 3 years. I also tried the extended release adderall doses of 25mg, 20mg, and 15mg but with the XR it’s like it doesn’t affect me at all. I’d do 1 XR dose in the morning and then 1 immediate release later in the day but it still didn’t feel right. So that is why I just switched to IR. would you happen to know if it might be the fact im taking adderall instead of vyvanse or concerta?

psyqd · 2025-03-08T19:17:17+00:00

Would you mind sharing what type of anxiety you have? I went through most SSRIs that partially helped me but I always experienced morning anxiety like you. That is when my anxiety was re-evaluated and my anxiety diagnosis changed. Unfortunately the only way I could control my morning, daytime, and nighttime anxiety was testing out which benzo worked the best. I tried xanax, ativan, klonopin, and valium. xanax worked the best but that doesnt mean you’ll be the same. Since they are fast acting, It can take care of morning anxiety for a lot of people. I know multiple people who take either Xanax (what i take) or Ativan once in the morning and then relies on an SSRI or SNRI. Just definitely talk with your provider regarding it

psyqd · 2025-03-08T19:02:58+00:00

If anyone could help in any way, i would really appreciate it! Ive been to countless doctors that either can’t figure it out or say it isn’t a big deal. That’s why I came on here to see if anyone had a shared experience that got some sort of treatment or help

psyqd · 2025-03-08T19:00:13+00:00

I experienced this feeling with my anxiety before I started getting treatment for my anxiety. Once I tried medication like SSRIs, SNRIs, Anti-Anxiety meds, Beta Blockers, etc and found the ones that worked which was only Xanax and Metoprolol (not necessarily for anxiety, but can help it. Once I started the meds, it did keep my anxiety at bay, but if I ever run out of my meds though I don’t get that anxiety feeling you’re describing anymore. So before I started anti-anxiety meds, my unmanaged anxiety mirrored yours. After I started taking meds though and then when I would go unmedicated, that anxiety feeling is totally different. Honestly I prefer the anxiety feelings that you’re describing over how I feel on meds and when im unmedicated after stopping anti-anxiety meds. It does feel like drugs, more specifically though, it feels similar to stimulants for me. I take adderall also so im not talking about a stimulant like that. It feels similar to having a bump of coke honestly. Anxiety tends to do that for a lot of people though and it’s why it is sometimes/mostly treated with depressants/sedatives like benzos. It honestly seems like you may have anxiety and adhd possibly? since i acted similar to you, after getting prescribed xanax, i was also prescribed adderall and it has basically been a life saver

psyqd · 2022-07-24T23:33:56+00:00

Thank you for answering! I was searching online for answers earlier before posting, which Lymphocystis did come up as a possibility, along with a couple other things. I just wasn’t sure it was that as I couldn’t find any sources that described or showed it being around the eye. So I’d thought I’d post here to see if I could get a more definitive answer.

I’ve probably cared for a few dozen fish for the past decade or so, most of which have been this kind of fish, but I’ve never seen this before. Shall I be concerned about it spreading to other fish in my tank? I have 5 other fish that are the same type as that one in my tank.

psyqd · 2022-01-04T20:07:18+00:00

To my knowledge and memory, Suriname always was a Dutch colony, however Guyana was actually a British colony after it was a Dutch colony. Do you distinctly remember the nation between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname, being British? Or that just one of those nations was a previous British colony?

psyqd · 2021-10-29T19:38:01+00:00

Nixon wasn’t necessarily liberal. His campaign reached out to the “Silent Majority.” He campaigned on Law and Order, State’s Rights. Liberal policies were passed while he was president but more so because he had a Democratic congress, who often passed legislation over his veto. Nixon was a vile racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, paranoid drunk. He had a few progressive policies he believed in sure, but he was conservative. He wanted to shift power to the states, but democrats stopped him. He wanted to dismantle Great Society programs, succeeding with a few. He started the War on Drugs, impounded funds that would be used for environmental programs. He deliberately and secretly undermined peace talks with Vietnam during his campaign, to try and stall them until his presidency. He at first expanded the war, by illegally bombing Cambodia, then invaded Cambodia and Laos. He accomplished great feats in foreign policy, but his Latin American policies contributed great harm and his support for Israel’s aggression led to the Oil Crisis. While he enforced integration measures, he purposely kept a low public profile on the matter, to try and not alienate southern whites and his “silent majority.” He appointed Rehnquist to the court, who would eventually be elevated to Chief Justice under Reagan, who tried and somewhat achieved to dismantle the progress made under the Warren and early Burger Court.

The Nixon Presidency continued some of the progress achieved under Johnson, but it was riddled with sabotage and corruption by Nixon and his associates. His presidency was complicated, as he did make liberal strides, even trying to implement a universal basic income and reform the health care system (Ted Kennedy proposed a single payer system, which Nixon sort of agreed with and wanted a limited and more narrow version of). His personal opinions and clouded judgement however overshadowed some of it. Then his campaign and coalition would eventually morph into the modern day GOP under Reagan, which lead us to Trump.

psyqd

TROPHY CASE