Anti-anxiety meds suggestions.

[readyforlife]

twenty years ago I was put on Prozac for my anxiety attacks. I went off my prozac six months ago because I wanted to see if that was causing some of my exhaustion because on the bottle it says may cause drowsiness. I do have more energy but my anxiety attacks are getting really bad. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow morning to see about getting back on something. I just don't know what that something should be.

Any suggestions on meds that don't cause drowsiness??

 

[glenp]

Buspar

I liked buspar when I took it. I think that it has to be taken on a regular basis and takes about 3 weeks before it starts to help. I had no trouble coming off of it. I don't think many physicians prescribe it unless you specifically ask for it. It is not a benzo. It does not work as an occasional aid like the benzos do.

glen

 

[readyforlife]

Thank you Glen, I will look up Buspar. I don't want anything that will be addictive which I think Benzos are. What I don't want is a med that says on the bottle may cause drowsiness. Once again thank you for the reply.

 

[heapsreal]

look into trytophan and also into optimising hormones like pregnenolone and progesterone etc for adrenal fatigue etc have known to help anxiety

 

[anne_likes_red]

I've found 5mg lithium orotate daily to be very beneficial for a low level of anxiety. Incredible stuff actually
In my case it has a gently sedating effect but it's not like a blanket/masking sedation it's more of a "normalising" effect from the inside out. There may a be a thread here somewhere on peoples experiences with lithium - they do vary.

 

[Valentijn]

You could try to get your neurotransmitters' levels tested. They can get pretty out of whack with ME/CFS, and can cause anxiety. It's relatively easy to treat, if that's the problem.

 

[caledonia]

I looked back in my records and I did a Neuroscience Neuroadrenal test in 2007. The test covers neurotransmitters and adrenals. I don't have my exact results, just some notes. It looks like I was low in all neurotransmitters (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, GABA, glutamate, PEA, creatinine), but high in histamine indicating food allergies.

What an SSRI like Prozac does is double the amount of serotonin already present in your body. You can help your body make new serotonin by taking 5htp or tryptophan.

When I increased my intake of active B12 and folic acid, I was able to get off Zoloft which I had been on for 10 years due to panic attacks. I assume that means I'm making more serotonin now.

I'm getting the B's through Thorne Labs multivitamin, about 500mcg each. Note Rich Vank's methylation protocol ratio has a lot more B12 than folic acid. So this would be a partial version of Rich Vank's protocol.

When I was on Zoloft I didn't notice any effect on energy/drowsiness.

 

[Emootje]

Ginger reduces anxiety by activating the 5-HT1A receptor. (buspar is also a 5-HT1A agonist)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20363635

Deep breathing is also effective in reducing anxiety by lowering the main anxiety neurotransmitters. (epinephrine and norepinephrine)

 

[readyforlife]

Thank you everyone for their posts. I'm going to see what my doctor thinks about Wellbutrin and Effexor.

 

[Nielk]

I would try neurofeedback. I have used it with success for depression and anxiety and there are no adverse effects.
I would just make sure that the practitioner has a lot of experience.

 

[Sallysblooms]

My doctor had me do the n.transmitter testing. I take supplements to boost seratonin and keep other transmitters in balance.

 

[Legolas]

You could consider trying transdermal Magnesiumchloride. Mg gets absorbed much better transdermal then oral. It kind of blocks the NMDA receptor (the most important glutamate receptor). Some future antidepressant and anxiolytics will target the glutamatergic neurotransmission.
I actually strongly recommend everyone to give it a try.

I think excessive glutamate or activation of the NMDA receptor plays a major role in the pathogenesis of CFS/ME and fibromyalgia.

 

[August59]

Thank you everyone for their posts. I'm going to see what my doctor thinks about Wellbutrin and Effexor.

He might look at Effexor, but Wellbutrin made me very anxious. Could have been to high of dose though.

 

[August59]

You could consider trying transdermal Magnesiumchloride. Mg gets absorbed much better transdermal then oral. It kind of blocks the NMDA receptor (the most important glutamate receptor). Some future antidepressant and anxiolytics will target the glutamatergic neurotransmission.
I actually strongly recommend everyone to give it a try.

I think excessive glutamate or activation of the NMDA receptor plays a major role in the pathogenesis of CFS/ME and fibromyalgia.

What I try to understand is NMDA has sodium receptor and calcium receptor and either one can cause exitation or relaxation depending on how each receptor is attached to. NMDA is a vast system in its self and I do think it will play an important system in at least towards positive treatments. The "Brain" magazine this month has some very deep stuff in it about different junctures in the brain and how they can now start seeing more minor differences than before and they are seeing changes that could especially help in alzheimers and parkinsons. Was a short article that talked about autism and how the female testosterone could be being attacked by bad colostrum. It also says they are looking much more at the gut/brain ratio of different nutrients and believe they will find leads there.

 

[merylg]

Hi readyforlife,

Here is a link on how to make your own transdermal magnesium cream:

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Magn...se_it#Transdermal_absorption_by_topical_cream

I haven't tried it yet, but I intend to!
I just had a bad experience on Zyban (Wellbutrin). Even on 1/4 usual daily dose had bad side effects of muscle pain and sicca syndrome.

 

[soxfan]

Wellbutrin also caused my anxiety to become worse. I was crying all the time and couldn't even sit still to have a conversation...I was taking it to maybe help with energy but it didn't work for that either. Once I came off the crying stopped for the most part and I don't have that anxious feeling inside. I know everyone is different but I did have some anxiety before starting the Wellbutrin but it increased alot while on it...

 

[Valentijn]

Wellbutrin also caused my anxiety to become worse. I was crying all the time and couldn't even sit still to have a conversation...I was taking it to maybe help with energy but it didn't work for that either. Once I came off the crying stopped for the most part and I don't have that anxious feeling inside. I know everyone is different but I did have some anxiety before starting the Wellbutrin but it increased alot while on it...

Wellbutrin increases the effectiveness of dopamine and norepinephrine, and the hope was probably that their inhibitory abilities would counteract the excitatory neurotransmitters that were causing your anxiety.

But in the case of ME/CFS, the odds are quite good that we have high levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, which causes anxiety. Something acting directly to block or reduce glutamate would be more likely to be effective for us in reducing anxiety.

 

[soxfan]

My glutamate was actually in the normal range..the only thing really off was the serotonin level which was very low. I think maybe that was why I was given Wellbutrin. I am trying the 5HTP to see if that helps any with my depression or anxiety. I am not sure which is the worse problem for me. I was wondering when is the best time to take it (5HTP). I am not using it for sleep so I am assuming in the morning unless it can cause any type of tiredness because I certainly don't need any more of that...

 

[Sallysblooms]

I am tested twice a year for various things including seratonin. I am on 5HTP in the morning and evening. My doctors tell me the amount and brands to take for my supplements.

 

[dannybex]

I've had anxiety for 30 years, maybe longer (and then ME/CFS for the last 13 years). It's recently been brought to my attention that I may have a 'hidden' copper toxicity problem, so have been looking into that, and it seems to make a lot of sense. Of course other factors -- including mercury, staph infections, b12 def, folate def, etc -- could be causing this, but I was prescribed copper -- and also zinc/copper supps off and on, so...it kind of rings a bell for me.

Anyway, if anyone's interested, here's a good article on the subject:

http://www.westonaprice.org/mentalemotional-health/metals-and-the-mind

"Copper increases the electrical potential of the neuron, probably because of the enhanced movement of sodium. This leads to over-production of the activating neurotransmittersdopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotoninleading to anxiety, racing mind and insomnia. Researchers Pfeiffer and Goldstein demonstrated that brain waves exhibit an equivalent central nervous stimulation from either 5 mg of copper or 5 mg of Dexedrineso copper is equally as stimulating as Dexedrine to the mind. "