Benzos Would anyone recommend SSRI's?

[softyrection]

I went to the doctor's yesterday with intentions of getting a Benzo. Preferably Xanax or Klonopin as those are the only I've tried. I mainly want it for recreational use although I do suffer from Anxiety attacks and Social Anxiety from time to time (Mainly just public speaking but when I get anxiety it's bad). So I exaggerated to my doctor what I'm going through. Told him I can't sleep, have more anxiety attacks than I actually do, etc. He gave me a script for Lexapro (SSRI) and some propranolol. I was pretty dissappointed (without showing it even slightly of course) but on the follow up appointment with him or in five days I'll just tell him the shits not working and causing side effects. So my main question is, does anyone with anxiety recommend SSRI's? I've heard lots of shitty things about them and there's no recreational value so I've just been throwing them away. Would anyone suggest giving them a go or just hope I get benzoooosss

 

[PotatoMan]

Your post dances on the line of the rules idk.

Regular serotonin levels are supposed to decrease anxiety and since that's what SSRI's are supposed to do then yeah it'll help.

However I'll never recommend them to anyone. Fuck those pills.

We all suffer from anxiety man. Learn to deal with it. Abusing benzos will bite you in your ass.

 

[TheLostBoys]

IMO, & this is only my opinion, I think SSRI's are as big of a scam as the war on drugs is........if SSRI's actually helped, people would be knocking people over to get them.

Doctors will always offer to give you an antidepressant for anxiety.......I told my doctor I had anxiety & he offered to give me antidepressants, i looked at him & said, I'm not depressed, I said I had anxiety, & if I had depression, I wouldn't take that stuff, he clearly got the message.

Doctors get a huge kickback for prescribing AD's, & the last time I checked, the dea wasn't arresting doctors for over prescribing AD's........they're a complete joke for anxiety,& iIMO, depression as well.

 

[kosmokramer]

My lady has been on and off SSRI's for years and have given her nothing but grief. This has been my only interaction with them.
I am not a doctor, who knows they may work out great for you.
If you trust your doctor, follow his instructions, if not, don't. That is what they are there for.

I find etizolam to work as well as most prescription anti anxiety drugs I have come across.

 

[Mycophile]

I'll be the first to recommend SSRIs.

I just started taking Lexapro about 10 weeks ago and I'm already finding that it has helped quite a bit with both my social anxiety and depression.

A couple months ago I was having some pretty uncomfortable social anxiety that has bothered me on and off for years and was feeling depressed all day long almost every day.

I was skeptical that the Lexapro helped but it really has.

My general mood has improved about 50-60% and my social anxiety has probably improved about 70%.

People around here love to hate on SSRIs which actually REALLY annoys me because they can do a whole lot of good if you actually NEED them.

People will say stupid shit like "they are all a scam" and "people would be knocking their doctor's doors down if they did anything".

Wake up call: People HAVE been asking for these for YEARS and they've helped millions of people.

Of course, that doesn't mean that they can't have some pretty bad side effects and that every doctor and his brother don't often try to shove them down everyone's throat and that they aren't good for everyone, but when they work they REALLY work well.

I was also helped by Prozac at a young age and I've never experienced any of the sexual side effects or numbing of emotions or any of that shit.

If you have anxiety and depression you might want to give them a shot.

Also, people constantly think SSRIs are only for depression but they can also help certain types of anxiety too.

 

[Mycophile]

IMO, & this is only my opinion, I think SSRI's are as big of a scam as the war on drugs is........if SSRI's actually helped, people would be knocking people over to get them.

Doctors will always offer to give you an antidepressant for anxiety.......I told my doctor I had anxiety & he offered to give me antidepressants, i looked at him & said, I'm not depressed, I said I had anxiety, & if I had depression, I wouldn't take that stuff, he clearly got the message.

Doctors get a huge kickback for prescribing AD's, & the last time I checked, the dea wasn't arresting doctors for over prescribing AD's........they're a complete joke for anxiety,& iIMO, depression as well.

So what about the MILLIONS of people who have in fact asked their doctors for SSRIs?

How have you missed the fact that people have been both asking for and being prescribed and often helped by SSRIs for like over 30 years now?

That book Prozac Nation was written in the 80s if I'm not incorrect.

Just like every drug they have pros and cons.

 

[pinpoint]

My personal opinion: I'd recommend them if you don't mind trading your feelings and sex life for a monotone emotional state. For some people that trade-off is worth it because they are so depressed that having dull emotions is better than the 24/7 misery. Don't forget too, you're in for a hell of a ride when you decide you want off.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I was on Celexa for about three or four weeks. Didn't notice any significant change in anxiety (for which the drug was prescribed), then again I was in a very rural environment and most of my anxiety is of a social nature (with some other neurotic manifestations). The only really noticeable effect it had on me was to completely kill my sex drive, it became impossible to achieve an erection while I was on it, my dick on citalopram was like a chewed-up piece of bubble gum LOL.

You're mileage may vary, though. I don't know. I don't think that SSRI's are very effective for anxiety, personally, a condition that's separate-but-related to depression. In my experience the best course of action for anxiety is coping mechanisms combined with benzodiazepines for "breakthrough anxiety". A regular course of benzodiazepines taken daily can introduce new problems, though, like physical addiction.

 

[Mycophile]

My personal opinion: I'd recommend them if you don't mind trading your feelings and sex life for a monotone emotional state. For some people that trade-off is worth it because they are so depressed that having dull emotions is better than the 24/7 misery. Don't forget too, you're in for a hell of a ride when you decide you want off.

Again though, those side effects don't occur to everyone and I'm not even sure they occur to more than 50% of users.

I've been on SSRIs most of my life and have NEVER experienced those side effects or really any side effects I'm actually aware of.

Also, you don't even need to ever get off of them if you don't want to.

If they don't cause noticeable side effects like they haven't for me you can just take them in the morning and forget entirely all about it for years, that's how the past 20 years on them has gone for me and my anxiety and mood are generally better for it.

Your mileage may vary though, maybe you'll get horrible side effects and maybe you'll be like me and be fine.

 

[TheLostBoys]

So what about the MILLIONS of people who have in fact asked their doctors for SSRIs?

How have you missed the fact that people have been both asking for and being prescribed and often helped by SSRIs for like over 30 years now?

That book Prozac Nation was written in the 80s if I'm not incorrect.

Just like every drug they have pros and cons.

Good for you, it helped, but I know many people that have taken SSRI's & they have made these people worse......

I knew 2 young college kids that committed suicide & they were both on Prozac......& both came from wealthy families......so money couldn't have been a problem.

I still think they're a scam & no one can convince me otherwise.

You keep popping your Lexapro........

No way should patients be guinea pigs for these doctors. It could take years for a patient to find anything worthwhile, & that's hoping it works longer than a few months, & by the time you might have found something, you brain has been rewired & is all fvked up from all the SSRI's you've been trying all those years.

Like I said, I'm glad it works for you.......& I hope you get better, but I have read & seen too many horror stories.......& Prozac Nation was a memoir from 1994 & written in a movie that came out in 2003 I believe.

Too much propaganda to push parents into putting their kids on adderall & SSRI's.........I would NEVER put my child on antidepressants, we would get thru it other ways.

Antidepressants= lobotomized zombies walking around with no emotions

 

[Burnt Offerings]

Why were the people who committed suicide on Prozac in the first place? If it was because of depression, well, unfortunately depressed people commit suicide all the time. It doesn't seem like that can be blamed conclusively on the drug.

 

[kosmokramer]

At the end of the day, none of this really matters.
Everyone has an opinion.
The only thing that really matters is your relationship with your physician.
It's important to find one you trust.
They are there to help you not brainwash you.
In any profession some are good some are bad, but generally a good doctor will work with you to find the best solution for you.

It sounds like you were strictly trying to get a benzo prescription, if that is the case there's freely available alternatives that work just as well (etizolam, clonazolam etc)

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[TheLostBoys]

Why were the people who committed suicide on Prozac in the first place? If it was because of depression, well, unfortunately depressed people commit suicide all the time. It doesn't seem like that can be blamed conclusively on the drug.

The one kid was in his 3rf year of college & doing well......but he was on all kinds of pills from his doctor, & one of them.being Prozac......


I felt really bad for his mom, dad, & sister......really good parents......kid shot himself in his bedroom & his sister found him, God rest his soul.

But from everything I heard & what not, people blamed the cocktail of pills, then again, depression is a silent killer.

I was prescribed an SSRI years ago for anxiety, on my 5th day of taking it, I stopped 10 feet before a stop sign & my gf was looking at me like wtf, what are you doing......I told her I wasn't able to acknowledge how far the sign was, to me it was a lot closer, I went home & threw that bottle away, & never took another SSRI ever again.


There are all kinds of reasons why people are depressed......very bad childhood for some that they can never get over......

Bad marriage, etc......you know where I'm going with this......& what happens is they lump everyone together & hand them the same stupid SSRI's.

I have my opinions & others have there own......

By the way, no one in my family takes SSRI's & I'm glad for that.

 

[when I dream]

I used Prozac for a little over two years and the only side effect I ever had were vivid, often lucid dreams. No sexual side effetcs, no "emotional numbing", no weight gain, nothing. It definitely helped with depression and anxiety; because of Prozac I was able to actually have conversations with people where I wasn't silently freaking out the entire time about saying the right things and what the other person was thinking about me.

My motivation levels and my ability to enjoy things were also significantly enhanced; for example I was able to enjoy video games again like I had when I was young without loading myself up with alcohol, and/or opioids, and /or weed. The only reason I stopped taking Prozac is because as it turned out, bupropion actually ended up working a little better so my doc switched me to exclusively Wellbutrin.

What I really miss about Prozac are the dreams. I would literally have dreams every night, and it seemed that I would dream from the second I fell asleep to the second I woke up. They were awesome and vivid and even when they were "nightmarish" I would very much enjoy them. I know that sounds kind of oxy-moronish but I guess you have to have dreams like that to understand. Also, I would say maybe 25% of the time my dreams would slip over into a lucid state, where I would know I was dreaming while I dreamt. It isn't really quite as simple as realizing you're dreaming and all of a sudden being able to control every thing that happens but they were truly amazing experiences. Wellbutrin still gives me dreams quite often, maybe 75% of the time, but they aren't quite as vivid and I very rarely lucid dream now. They also are lack the sort of supernatural, melancholic feeling of Prozac dreams, but they are definitely enjoyable in their own right.

Dreams aside though, if you are clinically depressed/anxious there is a good chance that SSRIs could help you. If, however, your aim is to get high they are completely worthless.

 

[mandisweetness32]

Try Zoloft, excellent for low serotonin levels. If you're going to take a benzo, take klonopins, they're addicting (as most benzos are) but they're less addicting and u don't gotta worry about seizures like you would with other more potent benzos ie; xanax.. Hope I was of some help.. Good luck

 

[Mycophile]

I used Prozac for a little over two years and the only side effect I ever had were vivid, often lucid dreams. No sexual side effetcs, no "emotional numbing", no weight gain, nothing. It definitely helped with depression and anxiety; because of Prozac I was able to actually have conversations with people where I wasn't silently freaking out the entire time about saying the right things and what the other person was thinking about me.

My motivation levels and my ability to enjoy things were also significantly enhanced; for example I was able to enjoy video games again like I had when I was young without loading myself up with alcohol, and/or opioids, and /or weed. The only reason I stopped taking Prozac is because as it turned out, bupropion actually ended up working a little better so my doc switched me to exclusively Wellbutrin.

What I really miss about Prozac are the dreams. I would literally have dreams every night, and it seemed that I would dream from the second I fell asleep to the second I woke up. They were awesome and vivid and even when they were "nightmarish" I would very much enjoy them. I know that sounds kind of oxy-moronish but I guess you have to have dreams like that to understand. Also, I would say maybe 25% of the time my dreams would slip over into a lucid state, where I would know I was dreaming while I dreamt. It isn't really quite as simple as realizing you're dreaming and all of a sudden being able to control every thing that happens but they were truly amazing experiences. Wellbutrin still gives me dreams quite often, maybe 75% of the time, but they aren't quite as vivid and I very rarely lucid dream now. They also are lack the sort of supernatural, melancholic feeling of Prozac dreams, but they are definitely enjoyable in their own right.

Dreams aside though, if you are clinically depressed/anxious there is a good chance that SSRIs could help you. If, however, your aim is to get high they are completely worthless.

Interesting you mention this because this is EXACTLY what happens to me when I dream now however I had been attributing it much more to the fact that I take Melatonin every night and it has always given me a lot of dreams.

However, you might be on to something and maybe the Lexapro is doing some of that.

If you want those dreams back I'd recommend you take some Melatonin though and maybe it will do that for you.

 

[Mycophile]

Good for you, it helped, but I know many people that have taken SSRI's & they have made these people worse......

I knew 2 young college kids that committed suicide & they were both on Prozac......& both came from wealthy families......so money couldn't have been a problem.

I still think they're a scam & no one can convince me otherwise.

You keep popping your Lexapro........

No way should patients be guinea pigs for these doctors. It could take years for a patient to find anything worthwhile, & that's hoping it works longer than a few months, & by the time you might have found something, you brain has been rewired & is all fvked up from all the SSRI's you've been trying all those years.

Like I said, I'm glad it works for you.......& I hope you get better, but I have read & seen too many horror stories.......& Prozac Nation was a memoir from 1994 & written in a movie that came out in 2003 I believe.

Too much propaganda to push parents into putting their kids on adderall & SSRI's.........I would NEVER put my child on antidepressants, we would get thru it other ways.

Antidepressants= lobotomized zombies walking around with no emotions

It's fine that that's your opinion, and also I NEVER said parents should put their kids on them as that is a decision everyone should make for themselves.

However, SSRIs can't simply all just be a "scam" if they help as many people as they do like me.

Maybe some other people are "walking around without emotions" but that isn't the case for me even despite the fact that they aren't doing as much for me as Klonopin once did but they are giving me fewer side effects.

Also, many of the people I've seen around here who are so against SSRIs and benzos will tout experimental RCs as godsends when no one even has any solid proof of what kind of dangers they pose.

At least we KNOW what the possible side effects of SSRIs CAN sometimes be but a lot of these drugs people recommend instead are so little understood that they could pose bigger threats.

Also dude, that bolded part was pretty annoying and insulting to be honest.

Yes I will keep "popping that Lexapro" since so far it is preventing me from having paranoid thoughts that were making me think I'd have to become agoraphobic and also helping prevent me from feeling like I'm going to be depressed the rest of my life.

If you'd experienced that shit and then found that Lexapro was helping you'd keep "popping it" too.

 

[CaveBear]

ive been on prozac, wellbutrin, paxil, cymbalta, and a few drugs like lithium, etc. some work, most didnt. now i take paxil and cymbalta. it works for me. its not a cure for depression/bi-polar, but it helps when combined with therapy. none of these drugs are magic pills where everyday is beautiful and sunny. doesnt work like that. as far as side effects, my only problem over the years has been ed, which a little viagra cured just fine. im 44, ive been doing this since my mid twenties.

i find it funny that people here bitch about ssri's and side effects but have no problem jamming a spike in their arm not knowing what their heroin, coke, meth whatever is cut with or how pure the dope is....... just odd to me???? ive watched the manufacturing of meth, i know whats in it. i can guarantee any ssri is a hell of a lot safer to ingest than meth is....wtf???

 

[keeping]

we're not here to tell you how to play your doctor plus, recreational benzo use is just asking for trouble.
ssris can help, but they can also interfere with your body in all kinds of booky and uncomfortable ways, i've personally been on six different ssris and only one really helped, and it had tons of side effects too.

 

[PotatoMan]

Lol these debates. It's only the ones who have been fed the nonsense are the ones believing it's truly a big problem they can't fight without pills. They can't bear to accept that maybe, just maybe they were fed lies and ideologies that had them happily do nothing about their "disorder" other than take a few pills.

Depression hurts, a bunch of other things rather than pills will help .

Learn what a natural high is imo.