Wife says I need to be drugged for anxiety

My wife made an appointment for me tomorrow with my primary care doctor to see if he will prescribe something to settle me down. I am on edge and, of course, get really nervous when I am awaiting PSA results ( I know, don't we all).  My PSA test is done every 4 weeks, so it seems like it never ends.  The thought  of living with advanced PCa seems to never really leave my mind unless I am asleep.

So my question is: do any of you take medication for anxiety or that nervous feeling?  What do you take?  Since I am on Zytiga+prednisone, what should I avoid? 

I find that Xanax works well for occasional stress-related anxiety. It is not sedating and it works quickly. For long-term constant use there are better drugs but for once-a-month PSA anxiety it works great.

I used it mostly while waiting for biopsy results and, truth be told, I didn't actually take it that often. But I carried it around in my pocket. Knowing I had access to a bit of calmness if I found I needed it was usually all I required. As I recall, as I was sitting in my urologists office, waiting for him to come in with the results of my third biopsy (the positive one that diagnosed me) I broke one of the pills in half and popped half of one. Seemed to help but, arguably, it might have been mostly placebo giving me an excuse to calm down.

So many of us can relate. I just HATE what this disease has done to my life in terms of these anxieties.

I VERY VERY RARELY pop a Xanax.

As others have said, see what your doctor thinks.

Mel

Howdy Ed.

You raise a very good point!

I'm addicted to poker...and the Detroit sports teams!

Mel

Xanax is what I use whenever I feel overcome with anxiety. My PCP feels very strongly about having it available to me with what has been going on about the PCa.

For me it is usually work related anxiety not a PSA test. I usually only take a 1/2 a pill. One whole pill will knock me on my a**.

I have my PSA tested every 3 months. I figure it is what it is and there is nothing I can do about my PSA results until I hear about them.

You know what they say about worrying, it is like riding a rocking horse, it gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere!

Easy for me to say huh!

Bill from Florida

Yes, Bill, it is easy to say.

Logo doesn't like the phrase, but I truly believe it is how you are wired.

But, maybe not.
I have always been a bit laid back, easy-going, yet efficient and hard-working. I've always been a sufficient worrier -- by that I mean I worry enough so that I get whatever task I'm worried about done in a timely and efficient manner.

This PC crap is different. It has impacted me, and not really in a good way. I suspect prior worries were mitigated by actions I could take. With PC, I have to continually take tests and get results. There is little control. Some folks can say that they don't worry because you can't control it anyway. I wish I could truly internalize that and truly not worry about PSA tests/results. I'm just not wired that way and since I can't control it, it's a big problem. Fortunately, this feeling only happens when I am within a week or so of doing the tests. But, that's often enough!

Mel

I'm on Lexapro more for depression than anxiety. Perhaps it's good for both, I'm not sure. 2013 was a very rough year (for example, my diagnosis and treatments, my Mom passed away, and we were forced by work to move to another state leaving my friends and all my doctors behind), and well into 2014 I couldn't shake the dark clouds. My wife suggested I talk to my doctor at the time, and he concurred that my life had more than enough events to warrant this.

I have serious fatigue issues, but it's not clear how much is from Lexapro and how much is from HT. I'd been on HT for over a year before getting on Lexapro, and the fatigue didn't feel much different after I started it.

Getting off of Lexapro is challenging. I took about 6 weeks to wean off of it once, stayed off for about 4 weeks, and had to go back on it (not stable yet!). While off of it though I experienced "brain zaps", a very brief vertigo when moving ones head. Very strange. Next time I go off of it, after HT is over (possibly a year from now), I'm going to wean off very, very slowly. That's supposed to help.

This is one of life's more serious challenges, and I see no shame in getting medical help if needed.

Jerry

I take Xanax when I fly. The whole experience is stressful for me, and the Xanax takes the edge off, and makes me tolerable to my wife. 20 pills last me a year.

Paul

Xanax has a kick to it. It works quickly, so it's good for panic attacks, but it clears your system quickly, and can make you more anxious. (Husband is a shrink and doesn't like it at all. I've never taken it.) There are other drugs that can work better for anxiety, and last longer.

So if you are anxious about a PSA test result, and it's going to take days, maybe try Valium or another longer acting anti-anxiety drug.

You might try vigorous exercise. Weight lifting can help. It at least makes your muscles do something useful instead of the little motions that anxiety starts, then builds on. I have lorazepam available because it's not supposed to be habit forming, but it definitely causes drowsiness. I take half a milligram as needed, but I think it's often a placebo affect. I read somewhere that the accumulated dose over your lifetime of benzodiazepines is an issue for alzheimer's.

Valium helps (Xanax). I take it as and when needed!
,

Yes. It's not really painful, the shock of a biopsy is more to ones dignity than to ones body. He should be fine. Just make sure the Dr uses a local anesthetic to numb the prostate, which almost all Drs do.

Anxiety is so normal at HW. Even for someone like me whose been in the zero club for a while.
Only been goven calming meds once and that was about half an hour before they took me to surgery.
I found one of the best things to help me relax at bedtime was to shut out thoughts with music in my ears and a book in front of me.
I also listened to music when I was on my way to hospital forsurgery and in hospital post surgery, and when travelling to and from hospital for all my SRT. I also always try to read when in a waiting room - music isn't so good if you are on your own though as then you don't hear your name get called out.
Also play a lot of solitaire/patience or similar solo card games, minesweeper etc

I think that is also perfectly normal to talk to you docs about feeling nervous and to ask if they can recommend something to help.

For the record, my favourite soothing music was/is probably this:
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTjhymKGR7A

Alf