My story....Any advice?

Hi im 25 years old i never had anxiety in my life. In the begging on this year i went thru a lot of changes in my life...changed jobs, lost house and broke up with my boyfriend that i thought i was going to marry. One day i woke up feeling nausea, heart palpitations, vomiting, lack of appetite, insomnia, fear of socializing and so on. I started panicking because this is not normal and its deff not me . I went to doc they ran all labs possible to see if there was anything wrong with my organs. Everything came back negative. Then we realized that it is anxiety and depression. I started breaking out very bad into cystic acne which made my anxiety 1o times worst. Its been 6 months not that ive been dealing with this crap and its so diffucult. Everyday its a battle an dont know what to expect. I was on lexapro for 2 weeks and felt super weird, not like myself at ll. Then i took lorazopam for 4 months but it wasnt really solving much so i cut back on it, and now its been 4 weeks that i have been off of it. Today i felt nausea again and depressed so i took a lorazopam but didnt make me feel better. Then 2 hours later a gf gave me a xanax i never took it before, and i feel great on it. I wonder if anyone is on Xanax and how r the side effect? Even though i try to deal with my anxiety on my own it feels like its taking control sometimes and i need a medication for it. Now i am dealing with cystic acne on top of everything and planning on getting on acutane soon. I really believe that a lot of my anxiety has to do with the acne. Please help me with some advice. Thanks a lot

Hi and welcome! Sorry to hear that you are having a rough time. I have to echo Myjoy and discourage you from sharing meds. Also, if you are going to add something new, even accutane, be sure and tell your Dr. ALL meds you have taken recently. (you don't want to have an interaction) Can I also suggest that you seek therapy if you haven't already? I think that for long-term anxiety recovery it is the best method. You will learn a lot about yourself and how to deal with stress. I honestly think that in our crazy, manic-paced world everyone could benefit from it! Take care and let us know how you are doing:)
Scaredy Cat

I agree that you should think about seeing a psychiatrist. In many cases anxiety and depression coexist, and you may need a professional to determine which is the predominant condition. That one will be the one you treat. For example if the psychiatrist thinks depression is your major problem, he will almost certainly not want you taking either Ativan or Xanax. They are CNS depressants. If anxiety is your major problem, he may want you to take a benzo. It may or may not be Ativan or Xanax; there are several to choose from.

Xanax can cause a very mild euphoria in some people, and that could be why it made you feel better temporarily. Or you may have just stumbled on what is a better drug for you. A qualified doctor should decide.

I also agree that drugs are only part of the answer and that with some work you can train yourself to think differently. The drugs can help to settle you down and are a great tool, but I doubt they are the whole answer for many people.

Good luck. Better days are ahead.

I would just echo what's already been said. Medication can help in the short-term and allows you the opportunity to process in counseling over time the things that are causing the anxiety and panic in the first place. It's hard to work on these issues when you're constantly worried about and attending to a slew of physical symptoms and fears.

As far as the Xanax, it like most of the other meds is a very individual thing. I take it myself and have no side effects. It really works well for me. But I do know about and have some concern in the back of my head about how hard it can be to come off of it. When you see a psychiatrist, be honest and mention that you did try it and try to remember or find out what dosage you took. You'll likely be reminded about not sharing meds, but you might also be given your own prescription given that you had a positive response to it already.