Day 22 on Lexapro 20mg - Still have a lot of Anxiety

No endoscopy yet. Doctors did not recommend it about 6 months ago but a few weeks ago, they said it is a good idea to do it. I want to get to a better place with my anxiety before doing it.
They don't really think they will find anything and in all hoesy, since on Protonix, I get heartburn maybe once every two weeks if I eat something with onions is spices. I am scared of getting endoscppy done honestly. I was way before the anxiety thing started 7 months ago.
Do you do CBT on paper or in your head? Do you utilize the therapist a lot for it?

I was only on it for about a month. Now I take .5. I did notice my anxiety increase when I first cut back.

I have been doing CBT with my therapist every other week.

I too was nervous of my endoscopy but it helped rule out any real issues I was having from my gerd thus relieving my anxiety.

Jenn. Thank you for being so responsive. Can I ask a few more questions please. I am male, 46, had one anxiety episode once about 12 years ago and it completely went away on 0.5mg Klonopin and 50mg Zoloft which I stayed on all these years. Got heartburn issues for the first time about a year ago. Have been dealing this episode of anxiety about 7 months now, again due to concerns of getting cancer from heartburn. Zoloft was increased by my pdoc. but it had an adverse effect on me and made my anxiety a lot worse. He kept raising the Zoloft until I could not function and the I changed doctors at that point, I know, it was too late and stupid of me to wait and listen to the same doctor knowing I was getting worse.
How long have you had GERD? Would you say that with medication and CBT, you are in a much more comfortable place? I feel like since this happened, I enjoy things very little and my motivation is not that great. I am back at work as of 2 1/2 months ago, too 4 months off, but still having trouble focusing. My work is very understanding since I have been an excellent performer for them for years.
Do you work? And how long have you anxiety issues for? Also, may I ask you gender and age please, that is if you don't mind?
Thank You

Yea I had it bad like 8 years ago and recovered . And it resurfaced because we moved to new house. I've been dealing with it for 5 months now but just started Lexapro 29 days ago. I think I have a mild - kind of heavy anxiety throughout the days. Not anxiety attacks. It's miserable. Although like I said I have had some strings of good days in a row last week . Then a bad 1 1/2 days. It's very odd. Jumping the gun meaning a decision about Lexapro. I think 4 weeks may be too early to judge it. I'm hearing 6-8 weeks. Then if not happy need to bump to 15mg.

Leno, Did you change anything that could have caused the increase in anxiety? For me, I reduced the Klonopin from 1.0mg to 0.875mg and my doctor thinks that might have caused it. I have resumed the 1.0mg again for a week and today, I might be feeling tiny bit better. I was very social and comfortable in my own skin and now, I am not as comfortable in social environments, mostly because of I keep comparing myself to others who are at the event and think that they are more comfortable than I am. I have been try not to do that, but it is hard.
Do you do that as well, compare your comfort level with others?

wolv.
CBT is suppose to be better than medication. I have had maybe 6-7 sessions of it, and still sensitive to eating food due to my heartburn concerns. It is much better however. Meditation is suppose to be very good as well, but I don't do that often when I am not feeling well. Try to see if you can meditate. I do take 22.5mg Tempazapam for sleep for the past 4 months and it helps a lot.


We'll beat this. This is just a thinking problem. I was watching M.J Fox and he has really bad parkinson's decease and I said to myself that we are blessed that we have something that a Klonopin can help it a lot and is a treatable condition. I am Leno are proof of it that it is treatable completely although it might resurface.

Leno,
How old are you if you don't mind me asking?
I am trying to look at the positives, although difficult many times. Every mooring and evening, I say my blessings to myself, things that I am thankful for and it tends to take the edge off a little.

We will feel great again. No doubt. There is an equation of time involved in this and no medication will fill in that time variable. I truly wish I could feel great tomorrow too, but I know tomorrow might be 2-3 weeks from now.

Everyone, What are your blessings please? Let's chat about the positives along side of the discussions of our issues.
I feel blessed that I don't have an incurable decease, I have 3-4 great friends who are supporting me, I am not as bad as I was 5-6 months ago, I have a job and a boss who is understanding of my situation, I feel pretty good in the evenings.
Let's all hear good things about each other.

Thank goodness Leno.

Anyone else wants to share their blessings?

Thank goodness Leno.

Anyone else wants to share their blessings?

You Have a good night too

Good morning. I woke up this morning and feel a bit anxious, not too bad. I am hoping the holiday go by fast. I think that is what is making me a bit nervous and on the edge. Being at work, despite not being to concentrate a lot, gives me something productive to do.
We have to take it one day at a time, as this is how life is. I hope and have faith that we will all recover fully and be at comfortable place very soon.
Please let's keep each other updated as the day goes by.

Cat,

Thank you. I hope you will feeling better as well.
My concern about the holidays is not the shopping, but having too much idle time. I live alone. I loved the holidays last year, knowing that I would get to sleep in late etc...
This year, I don't like spending time alone. A friend of mine is going to spend time with me during the holiday and that makes me feel a bit better.
Also, I still get nervous around lunch time due to my previous issues with heartburn. Do you think CBT will address this issue? I am doing CBT, but still get nervous about it. I take Protonix and really don't have heartburn anymore.

Lexa what's up? How are you ? Yesterday for me was overall better. As soon as my morning anxiousness wore off around 2pm then I felt pretty decent. I had a meeting with my CBT therapist yesterday too. Felt good and slept good. Did work around the house too. That was day 30. Let hope your feeling better and mine continues. God Bless.