OK, I took my first dose of medication this morning, and I got into contact with the program I was taking therapy with! I do need to plan a regiment for exercising, though. It's much too early to tell the affect that the medication's had.

Double post.

Gosh, I wouldn't personally recommend Cymbalta, especially if your primary issue is anxiety; but I certainly don't want to interfere with anything. But I'll give my reasons, if it interests you. (For the record, I work in family medicine as a PA)

Cymbalta increases serotonin levels, but it also increases norepinephrine (adrenaline). It can give you more energy, but that can often come at the cost of more adverse effects, and, the biggest reason I have a distaste for the class, the potential for severe withdrawal symptoms if you try to come off the med (or miss a dose). Effexor (venlafaxine) and pristiq are in the same class. Anxiety and depression are the number 1 most common diagnoses I see. I have spoken with some of my patients who tried to come off of meds like Effexor and Cymbalta, and many of them described the withdrawal symptoms as quite horrible. So, I personally try to avoid that class whenever possible.

The absolute most common med I use for anxiety is Zoloft (sertraline). I use this bc it's very effective in treating a wide variety of anxiety disorders, as well as depression; but also bc it is a very clean drug with minimal adverse effects. I try to put people on meds only when absolutely necessary, so I always look for the safest options (note: Zoloft is the main go-to anti-depressant to treat depression/anxiety in a pregnant woman, which is further affirmation of its safety).

I start Zoloft at the lowest possible dose at 25mg. Lower doses of antidepressants are better for anxiety, while higher doses are typically required for primary-depressive symptoms. A lot of times, patients have great success just on Zoloft 25mg, which is good, bc the lower the dose, the less the chance for adverse effects. It's uncommon for a patient to require more than 50mg for primarily anxiety.

You restarting therapy is excellent. Pretty much all research on anxiety and depression conclude that a patient will not get maximum treatment efficacy unless they have BOTH medication and therapy (best form is called cognitive behaviorial therapy) on board. But therapy is only as good as the therapist, so make sure u find a good one that is teaching you things. The last thing that I recommend for all my anxiety and depression patients is exercise. Research consistently shows that exercise elevates mood, stabilizes mood, and reduces stress and anxiety.

Good luck! And keep us updated with your progress.

It surely must be hard VCP.I have had my atacks of anxiety with a couple of things, but just as any other person do when they are doing something important or that is hard to do for that person, so I understand.

I understand even more that friends are as important as therapy.I know that you have few friends in real life, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can send me a message anytime!Promise I wont call you names for being a filthy communist!!! XD

Thanks!! I did use to have friends, but as my anxiety got worse, I started slowly pushing them away until I didn't have any left. I appreciate your offer to talk

I wish I could afford a therapist.

I can't really afford one either, but the one I'm going to is a government program.

Same. It's not just psychiatry that's imperfect, it's medicine as a whole for the reasons you mentioned. To be honest, psychiatry is a bit less flawed overall because these doctors usually care more about the patient's context than your "normal" doctor does.

Anyway, I'd recommend him seeing a true therapist as a complement of seeing a psychiatrist. They don't prescribe drugs and focus on understanding and solving the root of the problem, rather than using drugs to lessen the symptoms. It worked wonders for me and I got cured within 6 months with no drugs (anxiety and social phobia).

Or worsen. Mental illness of any kind + weed is a total crapshoot. Some people lose their shit when they smoke, and sometimes people who are already compromised see their condition worsened. I've seen it personally, or had somebody tell me about it many times.

Are there any safe places to run near your house? Running could be a good side activity to deal with that, not in place, but in addition to the meds and docs.
I like an app called Sportstracker, for android phones. It show the map, calories, distance, time of the race. And it stores every data so you can always compare a month with the last and such.
Also, reading the gospels and praying helped me to get out of deep depression and suicidal toughts.