Anxiety and Depression
In the late 90’s I was prescribed Prozac for depression, it did not work for me so I stopped taking, I went a week in a zombie state, never do something like that without talking with your Dr.
After the 2004 hurricane season I was angry all of the time, finally, I talked with my Doctor and he told me about Effexor for Anxiety. He explained to me Serotonin and how it works with the brain. He knew of my experience with Prozac and understood my fear completely. He started me slow and told me to call any time I felt like I was going to loose it or if I felt like it was making me worse. Medications work differently for everyone.
I did not want to take any meds because I thought I could deal with it on my own, after all, is it not a matter of ‘Attitude Adjustment’ and life is something you just have to learn to deal with (sarcastically said). My thinking at the time was that everyone else seems to be handling there lives with out drugs so why can’t I. After all, isn’t it part of life to have bad days.
Reluctantly I took the medicine; it took a while to fully work, at first I still felt angry inside but it wasn’t coming out verbally and then one day I noticed I was happy and I did not have the demon inside raging a war to get out. I started to feel the affect after 3-4 weeks.
Family and friends noticed it before I did. I always thought other people were the problem, not me. I just could not understand why they thought I was an angry, sad person. I have always seen myself as a happy up beat person.
After a few months, yes months, I realized I was not getting angry, frustrated or as irritable. I still do but everyone does from time to time and it is not extreme like it was. I started to see how others saw me. I tell people I have G.A.D. General Anxiety Disorder, and joking call it Glad, glad I am not crazy and that I take my happy pill daily, my Dr does not like that but hey, it helps me keep things in balance.
My father passed away early this year after a long battle with heart disease complicated by MRSA. I felt like I was loosing it again. My old way of thinking came back. I thought death is part of life and I just need to work through it, true but some people need help. I got to the point I would cry uncontrollably at work and that was not good. Thank God, I work with good people who understand.
My friend made me talk with my Doctor and he suggested Xanax, NO NO NO I thought, that is only for the weak. I was wrong, when I felt like I was loosing it I took one, it relaxed me, did not make me sleepy as people told me it would (Dude, I must have been really wired LOL) I only used it a couple of times for the first month or two after his death, it helped me survive and bring me back to the land of rational thought.
I have not used the Xanax in while and I hope I will not have to again, but I will if I need it. Thankfully, father’s day is on Sunday so I will be at home.
Do not hesitate to use the medications; they are there for a reason. People who say Christ is all you need are correct, All you need is Christ and his knowledge. As I said in my earlier Blog, God gave us knowledge and we are to use it. Christ came to heal disease; Depression and Anxiety are a disease. Do not be ashamed, more people have it but do not feel comfortable talking about it. I tell people, it bothers some of my friends and tell me to keep quiet. I want people to know that it is nothing to be ashamed of and if I can help others then I will.
I wish I could say I didn’t need meds but I do and I tell people they saved my life. Yes, some of America is over medicated but not all.
:applause: I admire you for taking the first step and realizing you need help, I had to have a brick hit me in the head
In the late 90’s I was prescribed Prozac for depression, it did not work for me so I stopped taking, I went a week in a zombie state, never do something like that without talking with your Dr.
After the 2004 hurricane season I was angry all of the time, finally, I talked with my Doctor and he told me about Effexor for Anxiety. He explained to me Serotonin and how it works with the brain. He knew of my experience with Prozac and understood my fear completely. He started me slow and told me to call any time I felt like I was going to loose it or if I felt like it was making me worse. Medications work differently for everyone.
I did not want to take any meds because I thought I could deal with it on my own, after all, is it not a matter of ‘Attitude Adjustment’ and life is something you just have to learn to deal with (sarcastically said). My thinking at the time was that everyone else seems to be handling there lives with out drugs so why can’t I. After all, isn’t it part of life to have bad days.
Reluctantly I took the medicine; it took a while to fully work, at first I still felt angry inside but it wasn’t coming out verbally and then one day I noticed I was happy and I did not have the demon inside raging a war to get out. I started to feel the affect after 3-4 weeks.
Family and friends noticed it before I did. I always thought other people were the problem, not me. I just could not understand why they thought I was an angry, sad person. I have always seen myself as a happy up beat person.
After a few months, yes months, I realized I was not getting angry, frustrated or as irritable. I still do but everyone does from time to time and it is not extreme like it was. I started to see how others saw me. I tell people I have G.A.D. General Anxiety Disorder, and joking call it Glad, glad I am not crazy and that I take my happy pill daily, my Dr does not like that but hey, it helps me keep things in balance.
My father passed away early this year after a long battle with heart disease complicated by MRSA. I felt like I was loosing it again. My old way of thinking came back. I thought death is part of life and I just need to work through it, true but some people need help. I got to the point I would cry uncontrollably at work and that was not good. Thank God, I work with good people who understand.
My friend made me talk with my Doctor and he suggested Xanax, NO NO NO I thought, that is only for the weak. I was wrong, when I felt like I was loosing it I took one, it relaxed me, did not make me sleepy as people told me it would (Dude, I must have been really wired LOL) I only used it a couple of times for the first month or two after his death, it helped me survive and bring me back to the land of rational thought.
I have not used the Xanax in while and I hope I will not have to again, but I will if I need it. Thankfully, father’s day is on Sunday so I will be at home.
Do not hesitate to use the medications; they are there for a reason. People who say Christ is all you need are correct, All you need is Christ and his knowledge. As I said in my earlier Blog, God gave us knowledge and we are to use it. Christ came to heal disease; Depression and Anxiety are a disease. Do not be ashamed, more people have it but do not feel comfortable talking about it. I tell people, it bothers some of my friends and tell me to keep quiet. I want people to know that it is nothing to be ashamed of and if I can help others then I will.
I wish I could say I didn’t need meds but I do and I tell people they saved my life. Yes, some of America is over medicated but not all.
:applause: I admire you for taking the first step and realizing you need help, I had to have a brick hit me in the head
