Anxiety/OCD/Depression - help.. treatment over a year not working.

  I am a life long anxiety suffer, I have been dealing with it since I was at least 7 years old.. I am now 38. So I can understand and sympathize with everyone here. I would like to know has every had this happen to them, or have any ideas what is happening with me. I have anxiety/OCD-pure O/depression, which I know one leads to the other. I have had successful treatment for several years with Lexapro and eventually went off and was great for 2.5 years. Fast forward to last March, I had work pressures and everything started to fall apart again. I had major panic attacks, OCD thoughts, couldn't work, hard to leave house..etc. I was put on Celexa and it made me sick, went back to Lexapro 20mg, I felt wonderful for about 6 weeks and the anxiety feelings came back. The doctor wouldn't bump up, so placed me on Effexor XR (worst drug ever to come off of), felt good with 75mg for few weeks, then anxiety came back, bumped up to 112.5 mg. Again, I felt good for several weeks, and anxiety came back, I was bumped again to 150mg, and made me feel worse. Went back to doctor, she recommended me go back to my old psychiatrist, I went back down, to one 112.5 mg and felt good for several weeks. I then went to the psychiatrist and they kept me with what I was on, because it seemed to work. Of course, the anxiety came back, then they started to wean me off Effexor and start me on Prozac 20mg. The wean down was okay, until I got to the point of having no Effexor in me, which was pure hell. The Prozac was bumped to 40mg and helped ease the withdrawal process. However, true to form, I was feeling good and then boom comes back, bumped up, feel good for a few weeks, then boom. I am currently on 80mg of Prozac, and I was feeling good for several weeks and of course it pooped out. I do also take Ativan as needed, which helps temporarily, but make me tired. I was at the 4 week point with 80mg of Prozac, and called the Dr to say that its not working. He told me that I need to wait longer, because it take 4-6 weeks just to feel a difference, but longer for therapeutic effect. It is now 6 wks, and I am still having anxiety/OCD feelings. It has been a year long journey this time around, and I am just not feeling how I know I can. They do not believe I am bipolar, to explain the medication difficultly. I just want to add that I am in therapy with this to help with trigger issues, but I know that this can be better controlled, because had a good run for 7 years. I am better than I was a year ago, but it seems like it gets me through it, but not helping to go beyond, which I know I can. DOES ANYONE HAVE A SIMIALR SITUATION, OR ANY THOUGHTS THAT CAN HELP ME GO IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? I am sorry for being so long winded.. and that is a watered down verison. lol

Hi, I don't have time to say much now 'cause I have to leave for work (which has my anxiety way high), but I am in the same position as you are and quite honestly feel hopeless right about now. I'm thinking of starting on Lexapro again, which I have started and stopped 3 times because I am also terrified of meds.

Hang in there. You surely are not alone. And my OCD is off the charts...ugh!

Welcome Elktra, sorry about your elevator blues. Thats the term I use when medicine isnt doing what i think it should. I forget that medicine is never going to take away 100% of disease symptoms. A % is up to me. I am the part usually that can be blamed for not working. But heck, I dont work at it because I feel so bad.....thats called the tail wagging the dog. If I go to other forums and read posts of others I feel blessed to have the symptoms that I do, so I try harder. If I put all the pieces together, exercise, diet, medicines, therapy, well hells bells, that medicine works better than I thought. When it doesnt then when I tell the doc its not working i can tell him it really is not working.

I am not saying you are not doing what you are supposed to do. i am just telling you what happens to me. I truly want you to feel so much better. I go out every day and plunge my hand into the pool to see if I can stand the shock of the cold, eeeekkk, not yet. I am going to watch for your posts often to see how you are doing. i am pulling for you. Anxiety and panic and OCD are the pits. Panic attacks scare me to death. Hang in there.....regards....Cathy

Thank you for the support. Unfortunately, I know that there is no magic pill... if only there could be. The thing that makes me frustrated is how the increase makes me feel "normal", and how it quickly wears off. I know from prior experience, that this can be better controlled. I don't know if I need an increase, decrease, an add on pill, or a complete change. I cringe at a change or an add on will make things worse, again. Like many, I need to work and deal with this and it is not always easy to handle.