Anxiety and/or depression discussion.

Frigating

Really not doing well at the moment. Just can't seem to cope with anything. Everything keeps building up and it all seems so petty which just makes me feel worse. I want to run away or get on a bus or train or something and just go far away and avoid everything and start again or just take a break but I can't and I hate it and I hate that I can't cope because other people can get through their lives just fine and they get over their problems or fix them and I can't and I don't know what's wrong me that I can't survive, my life isn't even that bad it's just me that's the problem and I'm sorry about this post but I just needed to rant

carzony

Lads is there any point in getting an assessment and actually getting diagnosed with anxiety/depression ? If so who would carry this out gp ?

871Mars

Hi guys,

I've been feeling very low, confused and lost for a long time now. Things were really starting to get on top of me so I finally took the plunge and rang a number that I had been holding on to for the past 18 months. So far I've had two counselling sessions, the second of which was today. Going by the conversations we have had, my counsellor believes that, along with depression, I have a disassociation disorder resulting from post traumatic stress.

I was wondering if anybody had any experience with disassociation disorder?

Gremlinertia

carzony wrote: »

Lads is there any point in getting an assessment and actually getting diagnosed with anxiety/depression ? If so who would carry this out gp ?

I think there is, so you can be target specific in treatment, it would be someone from your closest mental health team that would help assess you. Referral by your gp is the route i took which i guess would be the usual way. It is difficult to get yourself together for it, i had to use written lists because i was in such a panic i couldn't speak. Now that i'm 'in' the system things are a little easier..

Hope this helps.

Gremlinertia

871Mars wrote: »

Hi guys,

I've been feeling very low, confused and lost for a long time now. Things were really starting to get on top of me so I finally took the plunge and rang a number that I had been holding on to for the past 18 months. So far I've had two counselling sessions, the second of which was today. Going by the conversations we have had, my counsellor believes that, along with depression, I have a disassociation disorder resulting from post traumatic stress.

I was wondering if anybody had any experience with disassociation disorder?

Hi, welcome to the forum. I'm still in the process of getting a full diagnosis i'm under the care of the mental health unit in the local hospital, after referral there by my gp.. Have you discussed this with a gp, or is your first contact the counsellor?. If you are in college there is usually some help there too. Most likely if you want to progress, a gp is probably the way to go.. The counsellor sounds good though, lucky there. If you want to ask anything more feel free.. You can feel free to contact me by pm if you want any other questions answered etc.

Best of luck to you.

Gremlinertia

Frigating wrote: »

Really not doing well at the moment. Just can't seem to cope with anything. Everything keeps building up and it all seems so petty which just makes me feel worse. I want to run away or get on a bus or train or something and just go far away and avoid everything and start again or just take a break but I can't and I hate it and I hate that I can't cope because other people can get through their lives just fine and they get over their problems or fix them and I can't and I don't know what's wrong me that I can't survive, my life isn't even that bad it's just me that's the problem and I'm sorry about this post but I just needed to rant

Hi there, i find lots of little thoughts get to me also, like a thousand little needles sometimes, very overwhelming to be honest and i detest admitting weakness, as i see it.. Have you tried any mindfulness type methods? I thought it was total nonsense to begin with, but when i got over my considerable cynicism i found the relaxation techniques were actually useful.. Any other questions, feel free to ask.

mg1982

Hi 871mars. I suffer with ongoing dissociation and its a real problem for me. You are lucky you found a counsellor that recognises this condition because the ones i deal with dont seem to know much about it.

carzony

Gremlinertia wrote: »

I think there is, so you can be target specific in treatment, it would be someone from your closest mental health team that would help assess you. Referral by your gp is the route i took which i guess would be the usual way. It is difficult to get yourself together for it, i had to use written lists because i was in such a panic i couldn't speak. Now that i'm 'in' the system things are a little easier..

Hope this helps.

Went to see the gp and got 3 months worth of lexapro I asked her about the assessment and having an actual diagnosis she said she would only reccommend that for people who literally couldnt cope or function.

CaptainInsano

Hi,
I've been struggling with anxiety my whole life and have had a good 2 or 3 years on Lexapro. Went to get my prescription and was handed Escitalopram about a week ago. I was told they were the exact same thing only they are cheaper. Quick search online confirmed this and I thought no more about it.

The thing this is, yesterday I felt very spaced out, anxious again and confused. Today I've been having episodes of rage over nothing and headaches, and everything looks like a cartoon or something. I'm going to the doctor in a bit but I feel like I'm gonna be told that it's all in my head. Has anyone had any experience with this? Are they the exact same? Why are they cheaper?

Thanks a lot.

Gremlinertia

carzony wrote: »

Went to see the gp and got 3 months worth of lexapro I asked her about the assessment and having an actual diagnosis she said she would only reccommend that for people who literally couldnt cope or function.

Ah, i hadn't realised this, yeah i went through that with gp first, checking that medication couldn't help me through a bad patch. I'd spent a few years battling to drag myself to a doctor first, but i guess that's how it's done.. Go back when it's time with how you are and ask for extra help i guess.

locum-motion

CaptainInsano wrote: »

Hi,
I've been struggling with anxiety my whole life and have had a good 2 or 3 years on Lexapro. Went to get my prescription and was handed Escitalopram about a week ago. I was told they were the exact same thing only they are cheaper. Quick search online confirmed this and I thought no more about it.

The thing this is, yesterday I felt very spaced out, anxious again and confused. Today I've been having episodes of rage over nothing and headaches, and everything looks like a cartoon or something. I'm going to the doctor in a bit but I feel like I'm gonna be told that it's all in my head. Has anyone had any experience with this? Are they the exact same? Why are they cheaper?

Thanks a lot.

There is no difference between the active ingredients of an originator product and its generic equivalent; they contain the same amount of the same drug and the absorbtion of the drug into the body is the same.

There might be some differences in inactive ingredients, but they are exactly that; inactive.

In the case of Lexapro and its generic equivalent Escitalopram Teva, even the inactive ingredients are the same with one exception; there is some talc present in the Lexapro that is not present in the generic. (Talc is used as a 'glidant'. It is added to the powder mix from which the tablets are made in order to allow the powder to flow easily in the tableting machine)

So, EVEN IF there was some inactive ingredient in the generic formulation that was causing your symptoms (and it's a massive 'IF' since the ingredients involved don't cause these symptoms), then the same ingredient is also in the Lexapro. So, that ingredient would also cause symptoms when you take the Lexapro.

I cannot say with absolutely 100% certainty that the switch from original to generic is not the cause of your symptoms. However, I can say that the likelihood of that being the cause is so vanishingly small as to be almost certain that it's not the cause.

scrimshanker

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Ah, i hadn't realised this, yeah i went through that with gp first, checking that medication couldn't help me through a bad patch. I'd spent a few years battling to drag myself to a doctor first, but i guess that's how it's done.. Go back when it's time with how you are and ask for extra help i guess.

Does that include extra meds on an as required basis like xanax?

Hugo Stiglitz

locum-motion wrote: »

There is no difference between the active ingredients of an originator product and its generic equivalent; they contain the same amount of the same drug and the absorbtion of the drug into the body is the same.

There might be some differences in inactive ingredients, but they are exactly that; inactive.

In the case of Lexapro and its generic equivalent Escitalopram Teva, even the inactive ingredients are the same with one exception; there is some talc present in the Lexapro that is not present in the generic. (Talc is used as a 'glidant'. It is added to the powder mix from which the tablets are made in order to allow the powder to flow easily in the tableting machine)

So, EVEN IF there was some inactive ingredient in the generic formulation that was causing your symptoms (and it's a massive 'IF' since the ingredients involved don't cause these symptoms), then the same ingredient is also in the Lexapro. So, that ingredient would also cause symptoms when you take the Lexapro.

I cannot say with absolutely 100% certainty that the switch from original to generic is not the cause of your symptoms. However, I can say that the likelihood of that being the cause is so vanishingly small as to be almost certain that it's not the cause.

You sound like my formulations lecturer!

InReality

CaptainInsano wrote: »

Hi,
I've been struggling with anxiety my whole life and have had a good 2 or 3 years on Lexapro. Went to get my prescription and was handed Escitalopram about a week ago. I was told they were the exact same thing only they are cheaper. Quick search online confirmed this and I thought no more about it.

The thing this is, yesterday I felt very spaced out, anxious again and confused. Today I've been having episodes of rage over nothing and headaches, and everything looks like a cartoon or something. I'm going to the doctor in a bit but I feel like I'm gonna be told that it's all in my head. Has anyone had any experience with this? Are they the exact same? Why are they cheaper?

Thanks a lot.

There would be no effect from ingredients but Placebo effect is quite possible.

BobCobb

CaptainInsano wrote: »

Hi,
I've been struggling with anxiety my whole life and have had a good 2 or 3 years on Lexapro. Went to get my prescription and was handed Escitalopram about a week ago. I was told they were the exact same thing only they are cheaper. Quick search online confirmed this and I thought no more about it.

The thing this is, yesterday I felt very spaced out, anxious again and confused. Today I've been having episodes of rage over nothing and headaches, and everything looks like a cartoon or something. I'm going to the doctor in a bit but I feel like I'm gonna be told that it's all in my head. Has anyone had any experience with this? Are they the exact same? Why are they cheaper?

Thanks a lot.

I switched from Lexapro to the generic about a month ago and there were a few days, particularly in the first week after swapping, that I felt a bit spaced out too. It could have been something else causing it, but it did feel unusual, almost similar to milder feelings of withdrawal symptoms I had experienced when I stopped taking Lexapro for a few days.

It could have been a placebo effect, as I had heard previously online of people experiencing these symptoms after switching to the generic, but I hadn't been expecting or waiting for these symptoms to occur.

I don't really notice anything now, so perhaps it was as simple as a different packet and pill upsetting the brain's expectations, and needing a while to get used to these subtle factors?!?

CaptainInsano

Thanks everyone, that has put my mind at ease a little. I know from previous experience that my mind can be my own worst enemy and I could convince myself of anything if I thought hard enough about it. Like the post above, it felt similar to withdrawals which set me off a bit. Placebo effect can be a scary thing.

Edit: On a side note, is the reason for the switch of pills on medical card just to save money? Just curious.

mg1982

Yes it is captaininsano. Generics are far cheaper then branded meds.

CaptainInsano

mg1982 wrote: »

Yes it is captaininsano. Generics are far cheaper then branded meds.

I see. Do you know reason for not having all generic pills from the start? Sorry if this is off topic, if anyone had a link to an article about budget cuts or something that'd be great. Just curious to know why they decided to change now and not initially when the going got tough.

locum-motion

CaptainInsano wrote: »

I see. Do you know reason for not having all generic pills from the start? ...

Patents.

When someone invents something new, they patent it so that others can't copy their idea. It allows the inventor to make money from their work, and not every Tom, Dick & Harry.

In the case of drugs, patents expire after something like 15-20 years.

Gongoozler

It's 7 years

locum-motion

InReality wrote: »

... but Placebo effect is quite possible.

CaptainInsano wrote: »

... Placebo effect can be a scary thing...

In this case, of course, it would be a 'Nocebo' effect, not a 'Placebo' effect.


(From the Latin for 'I harm', rather than the Latin for 'I please')

Roquentin

the thing about the meds is that a company has to spend ten years in preproduction to get the med on the market and spend fortunes in doing so. the generics just copy the original med and dont have all this huge investment to refianance. thats why they are cheaper.

Euphoria Intensifies

I've been getting generic venlafaxine for years so I don't think switching to generics for medical card holders is due to recent budget cuts anyway.

Isn't there a rule that pharmacists can only give you exactly what is written on the prescription or something like that? So maybe your doctor always wrote Lexapro, but just changed to writing escitalopram recently, and that's why the pharmacist gives you the generic now.

CaptainInsano

Euphoria Intensifies wrote: »

I've been getting generic venlafaxine for years so I don't think switching to generics for medical card holders is due to recent budget cuts anyway.

Isn't there a rule that pharmacists can only give you exactly what is written on the prescription or something like that? So maybe your doctor always wrote Lexapro, but just changed to writing escitalopram recently, and that's why the pharmacist gives you the generic now.

No the prescription had Lexapro on it. I thought that was odd myself. Anyway, thanks for explanations.

scrimshanker

Euphoria Intensifies wrote: »

Isn't there a rule that pharmacists can only give you exactly what is written on the prescription or something like that? So maybe your doctor always wrote Lexapro, but just changed to writing escitalopram recently, and that's why the pharmacist gives you the generic now.

Actually I think that's just changed recently. Pharmacists are now allowed to dispense a generic even if the prescription has a branded drug listed on it.

locum-motion

Gongoozler wrote: »

It's 7 years

Don't think so. It's 15 or 20 as I said. However, by the time the drug actually makes it to market, a good chunk of that 15-20 might be already gone, so maybe that's where your 7 comes from.

locum-motion

scrimshanker wrote: »

... Pharmacists are now allowed to dispense a generic even if the prescription has a branded drug listed on it.

Correct. This rule is being introduced along with a rule that the pharmacy only gets paid (by the government) for the cheaper product, even if they supply a more expensive product. If the patient chooses too take the more expensive product, they will have to pay the difference.

carzony

is there any negative side to the goverment allowing the generic brands? or is it a smart move? (they make few of them)

scrimshanker

Hi guys

Does anyone here know why anxiety causes people to wake during the night? I'm so tired of lying awake and every time I wake and see 3am on the clock it's such a horrible crushing blow.

Gremlinertia

Don't worry about generics people, exact same make up, the active ingredient which is all one is interested in a medicine is the same, just now because it's patent or copyright if you like has run out so it can be made more cheaply. If you've been on something that has been working and are now are on the generic it's still working, and in the same way.

Scrim, just because you've fallen asleep doesn't mean aspects of anxiety or other illness has gone to sleep too. For instance i'm suffering a lot with jaw clenching and teeth grinding lately due to being under more pressure than usual. Best thing that works for me (opinion anyway) is setting a sleep routine, not exactly by the clock, but by preparation, when i feel tired enough, the computer/phone gets put down, lights off, some music on, then perhaps a little breathing awareness/mindfulness/meditation whatever you want to call it.. This does sometimes take weeks to get into of course, but works for me mostly..