Misc SSRIs - Zoloft - Prescribed Instead Of Klonopin For Anxiety/ADD

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

So I recently got a psychiatrist after not having one for about 4 years.
Before that I was on 1mg/day of Klonopin and 30mg/day Adderall (don't really like the Adderall and never liked speed. It seems to take away my creativity and slows me down sometimes instead of giving me a hyper feeling).
I have been sober from opioids for about 7 years now on Suboxone and have not tried opiates in about 6 years.

Anyway, my Suboxone doctor recommended me to this psychiatrist to get my Klonopin script back and maybe my Adderall if I wanted to try for that as well, or another ADD drug if even needed. She mainly sent me if I wanted my Klonopin back.

I spoke with this new psychiatrist for over an hour being completely honest about my ADD and Anxiety Disorder. And she agreed for sure I have these plus documentation to prove I was diagnosed with these two disorders since I was 19 (I am 29 now).
I told her Klonopin 0.5-1mg/day worked perfect for me and that I do not really like Adderall but am willing to try a new ADD med, or maybe my anxiety just gives me ADD symptoms not sure but she asked if I would like to start on my anxiety or ADD, she doesn't want to start working on both at the same time for whatever reason.

She has my documentation and knows I was prescribed Klonopin 1mg/day for 4 years and then stopped seeing the doctor after I moved, and just never got the script back.

And I told her about how my previous doctor that prescribed me Klonopin gave me Lexapro before Klonopin and I had libido issues and nausea so they switched me to Klonopin (which they did do, I never tried the SSRI/Lexapro but assumed it would give me no libido and bad nausea).

Because I was given small sample Klonopin packets from my therapist for months before that doctor appointment so I knew Klonopin worked amazingly well with me. First few days I am a little more tired than usual then it just settles in and I do not even feel under the influence of anything after a week of 1mg/Day Klonopin. And I never upped my dose over the course of the 4 years I was on it. 1mg a day and it always worked just fine.

Now she gives me Zoloft to try first I am guessing before possibly scripting Klonopin (especially since I have a record of 4 years on Clonazepam), I am going to try the Zoloft today but I have read the withdrawal symptoms can be worse than benzos (getting off of 1mg a day of Klonopin wasn't really that bad, even after 4 years, took a few months or more to feel normal again, but I wasn't having seizures or anything)

Anyone else ever have to take SSRIs first before they finally give you Klonopin or benzos? I am only looking for Klonopin again since I know it worked perfect for me and still does when I can get it.
Or would Zoloft actually help with my Anxiety and ADD? I am getting it delivered today and might give it a try, anyone have experience with Zoloft for ADD and Anxiety?
And also finally getting benzos after failing with SSRIs?

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

ssris are good for anxiety. you have to give them a long chance though. i’d keep an open mind about it, and it sounds like you’re flirting with doing so.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

ssris are good for anxiety. you have to give them a long chance though. i’d keep an open mind about it, and it sounds like you’re flirting with doing so.

Well I would definitely give it a shot. As much as I know Klonopin works for me, if there is a medication that works even better I would at least try it. I am about to graduate college so I would like to make sure the last few months I do not have some insane interruption because of trying new medication.
Especially stuff with the libido, problems with ejaculation and erections and everything else I have read and heard.
I have been married with kids for 10 years since September and my marriage would be doing insanely worse if my libido/penis stopped working and would be overall depressing AF knowing it is because of some pill I never asked for.
Do they really help with anxiety and panic attacks? Never heard of that, I just thought it was another way for the pharma sales reps to dole out more pills off-label.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

I was on Zoloft from September 2003 until December 2008.

Even though I found the drug helped me with OCD (but nothing else, even though I was supposed to be on it for anxiety) I had a lot of shitty side effects.

I found it made my seizures worse (yet the doctor I had, a general pediatrician, kept me on it anyway - I found out when I was finally referred to a neurologist in 2008 - after having a Grand-Mal Seizure, that I shouldn't have been on it at all due to my epilepsy - I didn't see a neurologist until I was an adult for fuck's sakes), I had heart palpitations (yet never told anyone - I feared if I did I would be considered nuts, especially since every fucking year that idiot general pediatrician did a physical examination - I decided to leave it up to him to say something since he was doing the stupid examination), and I gained a lot of weight (even though I eat healthy and exercise).

I would be aware of those side effects (along with nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations - I only had this happen to me once; when the dose was increased) even if you're not epileptic. I don't have heart problems yet am somehow sensitive to that side effect with drugs. No idea why that happens to me .

Hey well I'm happy to hear you finally saw a neurologist and got that sorted out.

I have GAD and ADD not ADHD. And I know taking Klonopin somewhat fixes both. It relieves my daily anxiety and allows me to focus. Not everyday but most days I feel like it deals with both disorders. Or taking Concentra with Klonopin works too for me but could live without that combo.

I will give it 2 weeks and see, but I would much more want Klonopin. Even though I have no tolerance for benzos anymore I am willing to go back on them.

I already get some 1mg Kpins off my friend who ironically gets them from the same psychiatrist I am seeing now.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

you won’t have anything but negative side effects at two weeks. after a couple months, negatives will start to wear off and you very well may see significant improvement in your anxiety. benzos are the opposite.

would have been chill of your psych to give you a little bit of kpin to help with your symptoms meanwhile and with ramping up on the ssri. works out well you were able to pick up some from a friend.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

you won’t have anything but negative side effects at two weeks. after a couple months, negatives will start to wear off and you very well may see significant improvement in your anxiety. benzos are the opposite.

would have been chill of your psych to give you a little bit of kpin to help with your symptoms meanwhile and with ramping up on the ssri. works out well you were able to pick up some from a friend.

That's true. Well she said to take it for 3 weeks and if I have too many negative side effects then she will need to stop the zoloft and try something else. What else is there? Another random SSRI?

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

^how long have you been taking it? it is well indicated for my symptoms and even came up during discussion with at least one of my past psychiatrists, but as a later possibility as it’s not a first-line medication. it sounds like a real version of mirtazapine, which i tolerated well and received some relief.

 

[Fairy of the Flowers]

it sounds like a real version of mirtazapine, which i tolerated well and received some relief

That's the only antidepressants that works for me, it poops out though so then I need a couple of weeks or so on benzos, bought illegally and then maybe sleeping tablets before going back on the mirtazapine

@OpiatEuphoriaReturns
I'm the UK you go to doctor wanting benzos and they throw antidepressants at you, they might give you a few benzos here and there for occasional hospital appointments and things, but only once you've tried all the antidepressants, believe me I've tried like 15 and Buspar, Hydroxyzine and Propranolol, and even then it's just 2mg diazepam which you need to eat all to feel any sort of anxiety relief the UK doctors are so tight they push us to buy illegally and take what ever pills that are passed off as benzos

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

Why is your friend getting them yet you can't? I'm not being nosy, it just seems weird.

On July 9, 2020 I was at the emergency room because of issues with renewing an anti-seizure medication, since I couldn't speak to my neurologist (and he wasn't responding to faxes from pharmacy nor would my general practitioner do anything). There was also a woman in the room next to mine, in walls where you could hear EVERYTHING being said. One of my seizures is triggered by anything to do with mentioning, reading, watching, or personally dealing with the circulatory system (such as at medical appointments). I mentioned this trigger to the triage nurse and even the fucking doctor. I had a seizure due to being triggered since some doctor was in the room next to mine and announced to this woman that she was going to listen to the woman's heart - the doctor loudly announced every part of the examination they were going to do, even though neither they nor the woman was deaf and the place was quiet. I had a seizure and, even though I had one right in front of the doctor, she refused to do anything about my prescriptions; she wouldn't even contact the neurologist . Yet they prescribed a written prescription for Ativan for the woman in the room next to mine since she was having panic attacks (I heard everything said).

It sounds like cherry picking, to an extent, since at least the psychiatrist is prescribing something for you and not just telling you that they won't help you yet will help your friend.




I have been on numerous drugs for anxiety, unfortunately most of them were anti-depressants.

I have been on Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, Paxil, Trazadone, and BuSpar. Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, and Trazadone are all SSRIs. I don't recommend any of them. Effexor is an SNRI (still an anti-depressant). The side effects were shitty, like Zoloft. I found Zolofty and Effeor to be the worst for side effects.

BuSpar didn't have any bad side effects, nor did it really help me either. The only thing it did was make me fall asleep if I accidentally screwed up the dose. BuSpar is supposed to be anxiety; you could look it up and talk to your psychiatrist about it. Most doctors would rather prescribe BuSpar instead of Clonazepam or other benzodiazepines even though BuSpar doesn't do anything.

Funny story:

I once went to this hospital meant for mental health since I needed a renewal for BuSpar, in May 2017. My psychiatrist wasn't able to be contacted since he was out of the province so I went to the mental health hospital since BuSpar is a psychiatric drug that is non-addictive. I thought that because it's on my file as a drug I was on and is non-addictive the doctor in the hospital would prescribe it. I was wrong. The triage nurse and doctor were nasty and the doctor actually used the excuse that he didn't know me well enough therefore didn't feel comfortable prescribing it. I would understand that if this was an opioid or benzodiazepine but it wasn't; I challenged his comment about not knowing me and pointed out that this is an emergency room so how could he know me if he's working in an emergency room and not as my general practitioner or psychiatrist. He didn't respond to that question, he just repeated that he wouldn't do anything and for me to see my family doctor (who wasn't even available either since they were on sick leave).

I left, feeling shitty (due to other things said to me before I saw the doctor - the triage nurse was a huge fucking bitch that made me really upset), frustrated, and did something I had not done since 2012: I went to the liquor store, bought a 1 Litre Orange Flavoured Bicardi Breezer and two Vodka Mudshakes and, when I got home, I drank them all. I was not addicted to alcohol, it doesn't appeal to me; I have only drank on some of the occasions when I felt extremely upset. I didn't even get sick or hungover, nor did I get drunk. Since then, I only drank one more time, the next year, in December 2018: I had a horrendous experience with a bully that picked me up in a taxi; I knew this person from High School. I thought that since we were both adults (29 years old) the bully would be respectful. I was wrong. I ended up getting dropped off somewhere else since I didn't want the bully knowing where I lived in case they tried to rob me later. After I got out of the taxi, I went to the liquor store and bought alcohol (1 Litre Orange Flavoured Bicardi Breezer and two Vodka Mudshakes) and, when I got home, drank them all. I was already out of it since I had taken Clonazepam earlier due to anxiety but the taxi driver made me extremely upset so I bought alcohol again. That was a bad idea since I had taken Clonazepam earlier and was already high (I wasn't high on purpose). I ended up changing the password to my Hotmail, telling off a (now ex) friend (we became ex-friends for a different reason), and posting random crap on websites. I did not know about any of this until the next day when I went online.

I find it ironic that you go to a mental health hospital for help but leave feeling worse; you leave feeling so much worse that you buy liquor to try to numb the pain. I swore after that date that I would never go back to that hospital but unfortunately broke my own promise, twice, since I had no choice - in January 2018 then again this year, because of medication issues. I was helped in January but not this year.

By the way, I turned on the TV when I started drinking after I got home from the liquor store the day I was neglected at the hospital. A movie that I saw the last time I was drinking (Se7en) was on TV when I turned it on (I think about when I drank whenever I hear about or see anything about that movie lol).

I really do not understand why she is willing to prescribe him so much medication. But I mean at least I was prescribed something within the first visit in the first hour of visiting. He is also prescribed Zoloft, Ambien and Valium and Xanax somehow (Idk if those are all from the same doctor, I assume no)
He pays cash not insurance. We are the same age. I am bigger than him and I only have Social Anxiety Disorder and ADD. I think he has depression as well I am unsure.
But yeah when I first got Klonopin it took a prescription to Lexapro first. I told my then doctor that I was having severe Libido and stomach ache/naesua issues and she then prescribed me Klonopin which my Therapist had written a recommendation for Klonopin letter to her during that time as well.
My old therapist has since retired but yeah I had it for about 4 years. When I bought my new house and moved to another city I just never got another doctor to get my Klonopin back.
Then when I am finally tired of all the anxiety, panic attacks etc I reach out years later and get Zoloft lol. Even when I show I was prescribed Klonopin for 4 years or more and it worked just fine. I even got off of it for several years and was fine. Never been arrested nor do I have any sort of criminal record.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

That's the only antidepressants that works for me, it poops out though so then I need a couple of weeks or so on benzos, bought illegally and then maybe sleeping tablets before going back on the mirtazapine

@OpiatEuphoriaReturns
I'm the UK you go to doctor wanting benzos and they throw antidepressants at you, they might give you a few benzos here and there for occasional hospital appointments and things, but only once you've tried all the antidepressants, believe me I've tried like 15 and Buspar, Hydroxyzine and Propranolol, and even then it's just 2mg diazepam which you need to eat all to feel any sort of anxiety relief the UK doctors are so tight they push us to buy illegally and take what ever pills that are passed off as benzos

Honestly I can take 1mg of Klonopin a day and be completely fine without needing to up the dose. I did this for 4 or more years and it was amazing. I started at 0.5mgs/day and eventually went up to 1mg/day and never went any higher. My doctor would ask but I would just be like: "I'm good, it is working fine and I can focus and think clearly no problem now and sleep just fine".

Like come on, how hard is it to prescribe 1mg/day of Clonazepam to a 29 year old married with 2 kids full time student and self employed person with their own business and brand?
Plus Klonopin has no high I am aware of. I can take like 4mgs, stumble around for a few hours then fall asleep, but that is a waste of 4 tablets.
Klonopin isn't Xanax, it isn't this near instant anxiety relief, and to some instant high.
It takes an hour to even kick in, and it is a slow onset. It feels like Benzo XR.
It literally solves my ADD and Anxiety Disorder at the same time.
I tried the Zoloft for 2 days and I feel like shit so I am not taking anymore.

 

[Fairy of the Flowers]

See I take benzo on occasion for anxiety and when I say on occasion, I buy them occasionally then I eat them throughout the day, then before bed till they're all gone, stay on them few weeks till tolerance comes then like I said back on mirtazapine for a month or 2 lol, but when on benzos I keep redosing, don't feel high off them it's just nice not to have anxiety and pain from fibromyalgia for a while

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

See I take benzo on occasion for anxiety and when I say on occasion, I buy them occasionally then I eat them throughout the day, then before bed till they're all gone, stay on them few weeks till tolerance comes then like I said back on mirtazapine for a month or 2 lol, but when on benzos I keep redosing, don't feel high off them it's just nice not to have anxiety and pain from fibromyalgia for a while

Sounds like you need an actual script for a benzo. Instead of buying them off the street, try taking them the way they are supposed to be taken and see how that works. I tried taking the Zoloft but I had so many negative side effects I couldn't wait to stop taking it and throw them up in my cabinet never to be used again I assume. Glad the anti depressants are working for you somewhat, but it seems like you get better treatment with benzos if you go out of your way to get them from time to time for anxiety your doctor should have under control right?

 

[Fairy of the Flowers]

My doctor actually said "we don't want to give you pills we want you to do talking therapy" I'd not had any diazepam in over a year then had a bad few weeks swapping from pregabalin back onto mirtazapine and wouldn't leave my flat and they gave me 2mg diazepam which I obviously took 5 or so ofbat once to take edge off, so it's a waste of time trying to get benzos, can't even have tramadol go my fibromyalgia

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

benzos will burn you. if you wanna pursue them, word. but don’t disillusion yourself about that path. “the way they are supposed to be taken” is a point of contention, and the printed guidelines are for a few weeks as a transitory medication.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

benzos will burn you. if you wanna pursue them, word. but don’t disillusion yourself about that path. “the way they are supposed to be taken” is a point of contention, and the printed guidelines are for a few weeks as a transitory medication.

I never saw that but I rarely would read the pamphlets for my Clonazepam and my doctor never said they were supposed to be short term but it was always Clonazepam, not Xanax or another short acting benzo.
I just know taking them daily for me I am fine. After 4 years on Klonopin and then 6 years off, that is what I know to be true.
Also the withdrawal was not too bad as I was only taking 1mg a day for 4 years.
And by the end of it, I was taking 0.25mgs a day for a few weeks before.
I have studied the Ashton Manual and all sorts of other harm reduction methods etc for Benzos over the past decade or more so I am also aware of how dangerous they can be.
I accepted that risk 10 years ago, and I will accept that risk once again at 29 years old.
But I appreciate what you have to say.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

Update-10/17/2020:
I took the Zoloft now for over a week and all I feel is side effects.
I am finding it difficult to even wake up in the morning. I get hot and cold sweats. I feel completely off, somewhat dizzy, odd throughout the day. Just overall feel worse than with no drugs. It feels like poison.

I am going to my Suboxone Doctor on the 21st to refill my Suboxone and do a check up. She is the one who recommended this new psychiatrist to me and she knows I have been illegally taking Klonopin the past few years because my script ran out many years ago. She knows I take them responsibly, have zero arrest record, test clean for over 3 years straight now (except Klonopin, which she doesn't test for but I would be dirty for benzos if she did).
So I will ask her to recommend Klonopin 1mg/Day to my new Psychiatrist and that should solve it instead of wasting weeks or months taking SSRIs and feeling terrible on them when all I have is ADD and Anxiety, I am far from depressed or feeling nothing at all.
From my previous experience with Klonopin, my old Therapist wrote a letter/email to my psychiatrist and told her that he suggested Klonopin as a great chronic anxiety medication for me and it worked, the medicine and recommendation. So I will try that out.
I will update on what happens but I really don't know at this point. I am only hoping I either get prescribed the Klonopin or something else that works for chronic anxiety.

 

[supersonic89]

I took sertraline for something like 2 years and never felt like it did much for my social anxiety. I don't know why doctors keep prescribing that shit for everything. In fact, other antidepressants that are supposed to be more stimulant, like fluoxetine and venlafaxine, worked better for me and my anxiety.
Honestly, quitting sertraline was a piece of cake, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I don't know why people say it's so hard to quit. The only thing a little annoying was the brainzaps for a couple of days after stopping it.
It also didn't give me many side effects, except for delayed ejaculation and weight gain, due to my increased appetite.

 

[OpiatEuphoriaReturns]

I took sertraline for something like 2 years and never felt like it did much for my social anxiety. I don't know why doctors keep prescribing that shit for everything. In fact, other antidepressants that are supposed to be more stimulant, like fluoxetine and venlafaxine, worked better for me and my anxiety.
Honestly, quitting sertraline was a piece of cake, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I don't know why people say it's so hard to quit. The only thing a little annoying was the brainzaps for a couple of days after stopping it.
It also didn't give me many side effects, except for delayed ejaculation and weight gain, due to my increased appetite.

This is definitely one of the best replies I have seen so far so thank you.

I stopped taking it 2 days ago and I'm only feeling better, not worse. I hate that pill.

I'm going to try either getting a small dosage of Klonopin or maybe something for my ADD. Which could be the cause of my anxiety I'm not entirely sure.

 

[supersonic89]

This is definitely one of the best replies I have seen so far so thank you.

I stopped taking it 2 days ago and I'm only feeling better, not worse. I hate that pill.

I'm going to try either getting a small dosage of Klonopin or maybe something for my ADD. Which could be the cause of my anxiety I'm not entirely sure.

What dose of sertraline did you take? Maybe you started with a high dose. In any case, there are people who are more sensitive to SSRIs and don't tolerate them very well. The only one that made me feel a little strange was escitalopram but I took that for a little over 1 month.
I know a lot of people who take benzos every day and always the same dose. I believe that in these people the benefits outweigh the risks. In your case, also, it does not seem to me that you have been abusing your medication.

 

[supersonic89]

I have also read that about half of people benefit somewhat from SSRIs when treating their depression/anxiety. Tricyclic antidepressants and MAOIs I think work better but doctors are afraid to prescribe them because of how dangerous they can be.