anxiety

[Luis S]

When i when to my therapist he told me i had an anxiety problem. He said that is why i jumping from one though to the next. He did not prescribed anything i have to wait until i see the psychiatric but that wont happen until march. My primary care doctor prescribed me with celexa and my therapist was not too sure that was what he would have prescribed, but he told me to take to see if it works. I have not taken it iam too scared of the side effects and i in my mind an antidepressant is not the solution. Have anyone been told that they have anxiety problems and how have you been treating it? Should i take the celexa to see if it works?

[Alex]

Meds are a complicated process so I recommend going with the Celexa. What I've learned (or at least my psychiatrist's strategy) is always explore the options and follow through before moving on. She puts me up to maximum effective dose before changing my meds out for instance. It would be unfortunate if it works for you but you don't take it or end up moving on to another. Always listen to your doctor though, unless it's totally unreasonable though. I don't recommend not taking your meds or stopping them without supervision. 
I am being treated for GAD. I've had anti-depressants and mood stabilizers before, but I'm on my first anxiety med which is buspar and doing nothing for me (plus making me drowsy). Was hoping it would help as it's what my mom is on. It's a process to figure out your cocktail though. Patience and perseverance is required. I'm on four meds but luckily the first medication she put me on for ADHD has proven effective for me, so I'm excited to have that.
Side-effects wise, everyone reacts differently. Serious side-effects are rare; I wouldn't worry about them. Some medications you'll have no side-effects with, some minor side-effects. The most I've experienced is congestion, drowsiness, and change in appetite. If you can't cope with them, you're always able to tell your doctor and switch. You're in control of your treatment, even if sometimes it doesn't seem that way. You're paying after all. A good doctor will understand that.

[Luis S]

Thanks for your comment i guess i was second guessing my doctor because i felt like he did not took the time to understand what was really going on with me because in less that 10 min he prescribed with that. And in my mind i had so much stuff that i felt i needed to say but did not get the change to say it. I guess i need to start trusting my doctor more, he is more experience than me, and maybe he did not needed more time to know what was going with me. Like my therapist said to me "i noticed that you have and anxiety problem just two minutes after i saw you"

[MatthewR]

It really depends on the doctor. I, too, was prescribed a drug in less than 10 minutes--a drug i would later come to hate. I didn't really get a chance to discuss my options with the doctor because of the limited appointment time. I live in an area with an overworked and underfunded mental healthcare system. My visits with the doctor basically amount to a handshake and a few yes or no questions about my mood and my tolerance to the drug. I don't like doctors who dispense drugs like candy. How can any doctor possibly know what a patient is going through psychologically in less than 10 minutes?

I admit I'm not a fan of pharmaceutical solutions. I think the problems always go much deeper, and patients need the chance to talk about it before committing to a cocktail of drugs. I don't disagree with the benefits of using drug therapy, I just have a problem with the business of selling drugs to people who might not necessarily need them.