My Anxiety story ... should I try Sertraline, Xanax?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 20yo male suffering from anxiety disorder with mild agoraphobia. It's been ~7 months since it all started basically out of nowhere - Had to quit college. Since then there have been many ups and downs - sometimes I was ok for couple weeks, able to go out, do things with little to medium anxiety depending where I was, even got a job, that I quit after one month because throughout 1 week it got worse .. to a state where I couldn't even get out of my house, just laid in bed, watching tv series.

First I was prescribed Citalopram and Clonazepam, first 1/2tab made me feel lethargic, low HR, discomfort - didn't take it. Then I got better event without it, but after ?3 months (when I had the job) it got much worse. Then, about a month ago I was prescribed Sertraline (aka. Zoloft) and Xanax. Didn't start taking it (was afraid?). But here I am, feeling better again, able to do things again, just not feeling 100% when I am out, but overall fine. Since Nov 2014 I haven't been drinking, smoking or drinking caffeine, just started eating warm foods more and been taking magnesium supplements since then till now (tried couple of them).

My symptoms range from very high HR to very low HR (<50) at rest, couple different kinds of "weird beats" (palpitations) when resting, sitting, anxious, after physical activity etc., several different kinds of chest pains, some of them radiating to left pec/shoulder/arm, chest tightness, in extreme cases cramps (tetany) etc etc.

As I said, currently I feel good, only get anxious after a while driving or in doctors' waiting rooms, public transport, sometimes shops, offices, or when I am just alone somewhere no near home etc. ... about 6 weeks ago I was stuck to bed though, even shower or a number 2 was a challenge for me.

My question is, What should I do? Should I try taking Sertraline? Will it prevent me from getting worse again, not getting anxious whereever, to function properly for a longer period of time, to be able to continue college or to work again?

What else should I do/try? I want my old life back :/

Please help. Thanks.

Hey Kus,

This sounds almost exactly like what I've been going through for years. I'll feel good for weeks until everything changes (sometimes within an hour) and I'll suffer the same things you mentioned for weeks. I can't go to school or keep a job either.

It's horrible, and I don't know what to do either. I've run out of things to try a long time ago.

All I can say is you're not alone.

Chulture wrote:Hey Kus,

This sounds almost exactly like what I've been going through for years. I'll feel good for weeks until everything changes (sometimes within an hour) and I'll suffer the same things you mentioned for weeks. I can't go to school or keep a job either.

It's horrible, and I don't know what to do either. I've run out of things to try a long time ago.

All I can say is you're not alone.

Hi, thanks for the reply

What exactly have you tried? There will always be something left to try I think Have you also tried medication, therapy, exercise etc.?

Hi Kus Kus

No one on these boards can tell you whether you SHOULD take a certain medication. That's something you must decide after consultation with your doctor or doctors.

However, I can tell you about my experiences. I suffer from AvPD, which is similar to social anxiety. The main symptom that I experience is anxiety. Whilst at first I was prescribed medication for depression, I came to realise, over a number of years, that anxiety was causing the depression.

I've had allsorts of meds...from paroxetine to velafaxine. I've had citalopram too. I had mixed results with them all. However, the one that seemed to work the best was setraline.

Sertraline, being an SSRI, works on the serotonin levels in the body. Usually, this helps with depression. Most SSRIs give you a feeling of well-being of being of being able to cope. However, with sertraline, it seemed to reduce the level of anxiety too.

Please bear in mind, that everyone's brain chemistry is different. Also each medication has different ingredients, so will have different ways of working. So what works for me, might not work for you. And your side effects may be different and more or less pronounced than mine.

Taking medication isn't for everyone. And having other treatments with medication helps, such as talk therapy or counselling.

Kus kus wrote:

Chulture wrote:Hey Kus,

This sounds almost exactly like what I've been going through for years. I'll feel good for weeks until everything changes (sometimes within an hour) and I'll suffer the same things you mentioned for weeks. I can't go to school or keep a job either.

It's horrible, and I don't know what to do either. I've run out of things to try a long time ago.

All I can say is you're not alone.

Hi, thanks for the reply

What exactly have you tried? There will always be something left to try I think Have you also tried medication, therapy, exercise etc.?

No problem.

I've tried over 15 different medications, none have worked and I developed an addiction to each one and getting rid of them was horrible. The worst were the ones specifically for anxiety which were supposed to help almost instantly (of course you and I are different, I suggest you try different medications because they help a lot of people). Also tried therapy, exercising, changing my diet, meditation, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, pretty much everything the internet has suggested. Nothing has helped in the long term for me. These could however work for you.

Are you currently seeing a psychiatrist about all this? I ask because from what I'm reading you seem to switch between periods of feeling really good and periods of feeling really bad, which could be indicative of a mood disorder (i.e. bipolar), and SSRIs can made the switching of moods a lot more frequent/extreme. Being put on an SSRI and watching my moods go crazy was how I figured out I have bipolar II.