9 replies to this topic

[Kraser]

Hello,

 

I know there are probably a lot of these threads out there but I would appreciate some help.

 

History:

 

Throughout highschool I had anxiety but never really thought much of it because I assumed it was at a normal level and I could handle it pretty easily. Last fall I begin university studying Nanotechnology Engineering at Waterloo. I was doing quite good but as the term progressed I began to get more stressed and anxious well beyond anything I was prepared for, leading to panic attacks, and I could no longer function. After going to the hospital for a bad midterm panic attack I started on Bupropion (Wellbutrin) as well as Escitalopram (Cipralex) and Clonazepam for situational use (but pretty much every day). I began seeing a engineering counselor that handles people like me but it was useless so I switched to a real Psychologist after a few weeks. After 2 months on this I still couldn't handle the pressure and I could no longer think, concentrate or sleep so I ended up dropping out right before exams (which wasn't the best idea because I would have done fine in hindsight) and switched into Software Engineering for this fall. As soon as I had decided to drop the program the stress and anxiety vanished. I stopped all Clonazepam use and tapered off Wellbutrin and Cipralex because I no longer need it. The anxiety (and anxiety caused depression) returned in waves as I began to think about the previous term and next fall so it's very situational based (around school). I went back on Cipralex for the next 5 months but with no positive change in anxiety/depression as well as loss of motivation and heavy brain fog, I decided to come off of it last month and set up a Psychiatrist appointment. I went to a Psychiatrist the other day to talk about medication options and he said what I already knew: I had General Anxiety Disorder. Anyway, he said that it is no surprise that the Cipralex didn't work as it's more for depression (which is the opposite of what my family doc told me) and suggested two different anti-depressants for me. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) which is a SNRI and Sertraline (Zoloft) which is an SSRI. Since I have been doing my own research for the past few months I had come across Tianeptine which is a SSRE, which interests me because of how it is thought of to increase BDNF. I asked him if he's ever heard of it and he hasn't since I live in Canada and Tianeptine is not a thing here. Anyway I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these? I don't really want it to be purely a just guessing game.

 

Note: I have been seeing the Psychologist since school (doing CBT) and I think it is starting to work but until I'm confident with that alone, I don't think I'll be able to make it through next year without medication assisting.

 

TLDR: I have General Anxiety Disorder. Can't handle university anxiety. Escitalopram (Cipralex) didn't work. Psychiatrist recommended Duloxetine (Cymbalta) or Sertraline (Zoloft), asked about Tianeptine and he never heard about it (not a prescription drug in Canada). I'm still considering Tianeptine because of how promising it sounds but I'm really not sure which one I should go for as I really don't want to guess too blindly as it is quite a time investment to try different antidepressants. Anyone have any positive or negative experiences with these: Duloxetine (SNRI), Sertraline (SSRI) or Tianeptine (SSRE)?

 

Shorter TLDR: I have General Anxiety Disorder: Duloxetine (SNRI), Sertraline (SSRI) or Tianeptine (SSRE)? Anyone have any positive or negative experiences with these?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[Gorthaur]

I also had general anxiety through much of college. I was put on citalopram (20 mg) and stayed on it for two years, but it was never that effective. Several years later I tried sertraline (100 mg), and it's been extraordinarily effective for anxiety and depression. The only problematic side effect for me is sexual dysfunction. I plan on trying tianeptine very soon.

[Al Capacino]

I've got anxiety and accompanied depression and probably others as Ive never actually been told my diagnosis.
Anyway I've been on sertraline and found it ok. It didn't relieve my anxiety though and I still couldn't function very well. Same goes for duloxetine.
I find all the ssris work fine first week or two then it's just a dull feeling I get. There's no life in me or real feeling and becoming apathetic about things is just too easy.
I've only just started taking tianeptine last few days from Nyles on eBay and it's good. It doesn't eliminate my anxiety but it gives me a bit of a spark. I'm more focused with bit more energy and I can feel feelings still. I'm taking it with some buspar aswell to try and deal with my anxiety. The bonus of tianeptine is I feel ZERO side effects. So give it a go. If nothing else it's useful to have around!

[tunt01]

Reiterating what I've posted 5x in other threads on this site about anxiety disorder.

 

- GAD can be caused by a misprogrammed hpa axis due to epigenetic/environmental factors.

- Misprogrammed HPA axis means you will have a very high response levels to stress (whereas someone might not respond as much) leads to an exaggerated biological response (adrenaline, etc.) or overreaction to stressful situations.

- Beta blockers partially interfere with this behavior by blocking the effect of adrenaline.

- Beta blockers are actually shown to increase lifespan in mice, are preventative of many long-term stress induced pathologies like prostate cancer and alzheimers.

 

Consider trying  metoprolol succinate (extended release form).  It is a cardiac drug and not commonly prescribed by psych people.  It will lower your heart rate, blood pressure, but I think it's a worth while consideration for the above reasons.

Edited by prophets, 25 June 2014 - 06:02 PM.

[Al Capacino]

beta blockers were rubbish for me.  First few days they helped with some physical symptoms of anxiety but after that they were useless.  But my anxiety is constant.  It never leaves me.  Just sitting here on the couch with this laptop on my lap and my heart feels like its racing so fast with a sometimes butterfly like uneasy feeling in my chest and stomach.  Its hell.  Only time I get relief is from things like codeine, kratom and previously mirtazapine and Trazodone.  But who wants to live life sedated?

 

Doctors still haven't tried me with some benzos yet tho.  Just doesn't seem to be anything that can take this feeling away and is safe for long term use. 

[tunt01]

beta blockers were rubbish for me.  First few days they helped with some physical symptoms of anxiety but after that they were useless.  But my anxiety is constant.  It never leaves me.  Just sitting here on the couch with this laptop on my lap and my heart feels like its racing so fast with a sometimes butterfly like uneasy feeling in my chest and stomach.  Its hell.  Only time I get relief is from things like codeine, kratom and previously mirtazapine and Trazodone.  But who wants to live life sedated?

 

Doctors still haven't tried me with some benzos yet tho.  Just doesn't seem to be anything that can take this feeling away and is safe for long term use. 

 

Do you have high blood pressure?  

[metabrain]

Try my combination of NAC+Zinc+Folic Acid and see if that helps, it has no withdrawal effects and worked way better for me than Sertraline did.

[Kraser]

I may try some non traditional antidepressants if I find these don't work for me. I haven't really given them a chance yet really as I've only tried one. But I'll check those out, thanks.

[shantaram]

Tianeptine doesn't do much in terms of anxiety, for many people it actually makes anxiety worse.

[Galaxyshock]

Tianeptine doesn't do much in terms of anxiety, for many people it actually makes anxiety worse.

 

For me it was comparable to Phenibut in terms of anxiolysis. But of course we now know Tianeptine is a mu-opioid receptor agonist and some people abuse it.

 

Duloxetine unfortunately did nothing for my general anxiety. Escitalopram was ineffective too except when I combined it with Ginseng for some time. I wonder if there's something that could synergize with Duloxetine that way.

 

Maybe I should give herbals another go for managing my anxiety. Lemon Balm is on my list and I think Lavender could be another: https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/19962288/