I am writing this blog in hopes to help others with anxiety. My mother was the first to start recognizing signs of my anxiety. Because my father and aunt both suffer from anxiety. Her first reaction was to tell me to go see a doctor to get on medication because my father and aunt both chose medication. Their medication are working great for them! After months of my mother suggesting I go to see a doctor I finally went to see my general physician. And she put me on 10mg Paxil which is what my father takes but only a higher dosage.
Let me just say I have generalized anxiety/depression/social anxiety. This is what I have diagnosed myself as being. After being on Paxil for roughly 6 months I decided I wanted a different path for my anxiety.
Some of the side effects I experienced from Paxil were exhaustion and weight gain. I also was at the time in my life where I wanted to start thinking about having children. So I did my research on trying to wean myself off of Paxil. Afterwards I just felt so lost and hopeless with all of the negatives I found. From people getting off of Paxil and experiencing extreme depression for months after being off of Paxil along with a number of other things. Yet I did not find much information...So I decided to try and wean myself. I decided to take Paxil every other day. Well lets just say about 4 days later I started to experience some withdrawal symptoms at work (i.e. dizziness, out of body, and depressed). I could not cope at work and thinking this would go on for months was terrifying.
So I called my doctor and got on 20mg Prozac. Which worked like a charm. I was eating less and was less tired. Yet this still did not solve my problem of wanting to get off of any form of anti anxiety/ anti depressant. The research I had done suggested that these medication can and are known to have effects on unborn children while the mother is pregnant and on medication. For me personally the cost of being on the medication outweighed the benefits for me personally. Everyone is different, this is just my experience and trying to help others. I realize some people desperately need medication (my aunt and father). Mine is so mild being where I am now I realize medication just wasn't/isn't for me.
So after being on Prozac for about 4 months as that was the earliest I could get in to see a behavioral therapist that deals with medications like these I finally started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I then was referred to a Behavioral Health Doctor who has a specialty in behavioral medications and is a licensed doctor who can prescribe medications. She put me on a schedule of taking 10mg Prozac every day for 2 weeks. Then 10mg Prozac every other days for a week. Then 10mg every 2nd day for a week. Then 10mg every 3rd day for a week. And then that's all. So all in all it took 1 month to get off of my medication! She had even told me that with her education Paxil is not something should would prescribe to a female of reproduction age.
After all of this I am writing this to tell you that it is possible. And that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you take the steps. If you choose not to be on medication anymore there is a way. HOWEVER I am not saying you can or should do it yourself; but if it is something you want then go talk to someone that has a specialty in this field.
I have been completely off any medications for 2 months now and feel great but still have troubles. I will write about my post medication experiences in a later post. But trust me it is not a cake walk to get off of medication when you really do have a problem like anxiety/depression. And to anyone whose medication is working for them GREAT and who have children with no problems GREAT!!! For myself after my own research and feelings about everything it is not for me. I think sometimes medication is over-prescribed while at the same time think medication is also needed. There is a fine line in my opinion. I wish I would have done my research before just listening to what everyone else said and everyone's experiences. Because everyone is different and every situation is different. I believe that is true for many different situations and everyone should make the decision that is RIGHT for them not right for everyone else.
