freaked out

[graceabnd]

I was a truck driver and i had pushed myself to hard one time to many and had a anxiety attack. ever since then the doctor has put me on zoloft for deppresion but i still have a hard time going outside or for a ride with my wife. I dont know what to do. I sleep late and dont want to get out of bed then i eat all day long and feel terrible i have never felt like this before what can i do? what kind of meds can i take to make me feel normal?

[stef80]

Well i think maybe you could try another antidepressant since for some people they need to take a different one or have to change their dose....
You might want to think about trying a different one...
I was on lexapro and was at the max dose and for some reason i didn't feel it working as well and my head felt heavy(first time my doc experienced that as a side effect :rolleyes:)
so i switched to effexor.....i do love it but its definitely a long term med....
its tough to get off of it, i know but i find it has helped me in so many ways....
so you might want to talk to your doc about switching....and in the depression forum its common to have a med not work after a term of taking it and have to switch....
so i would say think about that and talk to your doc about what your experiencing since he/she can help there too....
and then talk about maybe an anti-anxiety med....
hope this sorta helped....:rolleyes:
*hug*kitty

[houghchrst]

Hi graceabnd, welcome. Did you have problems with depression and anxiety before your anxiety attack?

Not everybody who has an anxiety attack needs to be treated long term for anxiety. It could very well have been a one time thing caused by stress and exhaustion. Once you are stable you may no longer need to be on the antidepressant. Zoloft may not be the right one for you. How many milligrams are you taking and how long have you been taking it? Have you become worse since you have been taking it? Are you doing any kind of talk therapy also? Very often that helps in conjunction with the medication. Especially with stress and anxiety.

Always keep your doctor notified of the way you feel. You should not feel like crap 24/7 pardon my potty mouth lol.

[graceabnd]

the zoloft keeps me calm, but i still feel all freaked out when i go outside of my house. I am afraid of going back to driving trucks cause it might happen again. any time i get in crowds of people i start feeling like i cant breath. It is so confusing to me. I dont know what to do. I cant afford to go back to the doctor, no insurance. Is there a medicine that takes care of all of it? I also have problem sleeping. When i lay down to go to sleep i feel like i am falling and it is almost like my body is shuting down. The doctor put me on a pill called doxipin to help me get a normal sleep pattern going but as soon as i weened myself off of it i went back to the same old crap of not being able to go to sleep. see why i am so confused and stressed out. I dont know what to do.

[houghchrst]

Oh I so wish there was a medicine that took care of all of it. Believe me when I say there are many of us here that do.

You never mentioned how long ago your original breakdown happened. Doxepin is an antidepressant. There are over the counter things that you can take to help with sleep. One thing I have tried is Valerian Root tea. You can get it at any store, usually it is sleepy time chamomile mix. Couple drops of honey or something makes it more palatable for some. My psych doc said that is fine because I take Zoloft also. It worked surprisingly well. Just make sure you get in bed after you drink it because there is a window where it's efficacy is can be missed if you wait too long. Routine before bed is very good.

Is there anyway you can get on a state insurance program? You really need to get some kind of health care. I really hope you find some help.

[graceabnd]

my doctor says that they used to use doxipin a long time ago and it just made people sleepy so thats why he gave me that. I have tried tylenol pm dont work. my doc in florida had me on lunesta, dont work. they also put me on ambein but it had the ad-verse effect, it wired me out. Medicade wont except me, clueless on that one. This all is not helping me one bit with the stress. I do appreciate you writing back though, it helps to be able to talk to someone who understands.

[houghchrst]

Are you collecting unemployment and that is why medicaid turned you down? Sorry if seems nosy, just trying to figure things out. Did you talk to someone on the phone or did you go through the whole filling out the booklet, interview process?

I am sure you are miserable. I know how it feels to not sleep or at least not well.

Maybe if you call your local health department and explain to them what is going on, and what you need they may be able to lead you in the right direction.

I so hope you find something. Don't stop looking. There is always a way. I am living proof.

[graceabnd]

I am working on it thank you. My days vary from ok to bad to miserable. I am looking into all my options. I do appreciate all the advice thank you

[graceabnd]

doing better, doctor put me on something for the anxiety and i can go outside now and deal a littl bit better with society. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive for me i will talk to you all later

[houghchrst]

It is great to hear from you. Especially great to hear that you are doing a bit better. That is wonderful. I hope you check in more often, missed ya.