Which Antidepressant for the following Symptoms?
Which specific antidepressant, other medication, or adjunct therapy would you recommend for someone suffering from the following symptoms (I’ve listed them in order of importance, starting with the most important):
1. Severe daily anxiety that includes fear of experiencing a future panic attack, similar to panic disorder.
2. A panic attack experienced at least once per week, especially when away from home, but sometimes, however rarely, when at home. Panic attack includes irrational fear, chest pain, dizziness. (Close to panic disorder with agoraphobia, but relief is not always experienced by returning home.)
3. One tension-type headache experienced at least once per week.
4. Fear of death and irrational fear of illness, similar to hypochondriasis.
5. Once every month, one episode of surreal depersonalization accompanying severe anxiety, similar to depersonalization disorder.
I have never taken any medication, but I read that antidepressants can help with the above mentioned. Thanks for your help.
I can add other details or answer questions per request.
Tagged with: Antidepressant • following • Symptoms
Filed under: Tension Headache Relief
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Benzodiazaphines can help, probably more than antidepressants can because your main problem is anxiety. Xanax is a good one.
As far as treating your tension headaches, go to your local pharmacy or department store that has medicine and look for Excedrin. Excedrin is very effective in relieving tension headaches.
This is something only a doctor, preferably a good psychiatrist, can begin to answer with any accuracy … and I would not count on medication to solve *any* of those problems on its own. However, it may level out your thinking to the extent that cognitive-behavioural therapy will take hold and let you begin to work on your problems.
As it goes with antidepressants, I understand that Paxil is sometimes useful for anxiety. And Effexor, at high enough doses, can work with some anxiety and OCD symptoms.
I’m not convinced that antidepressants would be one of the first-line treatments for what you’re describing. It sounds much more like a flavour of anxiety disorder with some obsessive components. You’ll need to do some serious CBT work to examine your intrusive thoughts, find the patterns, challenge them rationally, and learn to manage your stress responses.
I recommend picking up The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook from New Harbinger press. It’s updated frequently and has a solid chapter on drug interventions in anxiety disorders, including antidepressant options.