I thought I had things under control with my health and now I have a whole new set of problems. I seem to have the MAV under control with Topamax 75 mg and Klonopin .5mg, but now I have new health issues that are causing me problems and have some relation to the things we deal with here, so I thought I’d ask for some help.
I won’t bore you with all the details of what is happening with me with the new health stuff - actually two issues - the latter is I seemed to completely have messed up my system somehow by doing a diet or one similar called the Candida diet. According to it, the extra yeast in your body dies off too fast and the toxins from it flood your body and blood stream and cause all kinds of havoc. I’ve experienced many different symptoms for weeks that have been really horrible. And I think something has chemically happened somehow too.
Anyway, one of the things that has suddenly happened is I have extreme anxiety now. I’ve been prone to having some, but not like this. I wondered if any of you are taking anything for anxiety or have in the past, as I know MAVer tend to have anxiety issues too. Unfortunately, since I already take Klonopin, I can’t take the obvious other benzos like xanax, etc as they interfere/enhance each other. (I tried long ago I think with xanax and it zoned me out and made my arms/legs feel like weights and hurt. Docs says that is common benzo to benzo.) I could increase my Klonopin but it would have to be to a much higher amount and I am not keen on doing that with benzos and also worry about drowziness as I am already very tired/have sleep issues now too (waking up multiple times a night). A psych friend mentioned they use Buspar now, but even though that has less problems than most meds, it too has issues.
Just wondering what meds anyone has taken NOT occasionally and with what other meds? I’m struggling in so many ways now. ANd I thought the MAV was bad…
I thought I had things under control with my health and now I have a whole new set of problems. I seem to have the MAV under control with Topamax 75 mg and Klonopin .5mg, … Anyway, one of the things that has suddenly happened is I have extreme anxiety now. … Unfortunately, since I already take Klonopin, I can’t take the obvious other benzos like xanax, etc as they interfere/enhance each other.
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There are many other benzos you could try. Some benzos belong to different chemical categories than others (such as keto, imidazole, nitro compounds) and if you’re willing to experiment you might strike lucky in finding one which doesn’t conflict with your Klonopin.
Although anxiety and depression are separate problems, some people say that an antidepressant (such as a tricyclic or an SSRI) will help deal with anxiety. Personally I find SSRIs make me restless and give me poor quality sleep, so in my own case I’d probably choose a tricyclic antidepressant. Of course, there are side effects with the tricyclics too.
Hi
I, too, suffered from extreme unrelenting anxiety once this stuff started. You could try Buspar, which is very hit or miss. The ssri group and snri (effexor/cymbalta) are prescribed for it…and I would highly recommend remeron I’m a low dose. You don’t want to add on benzos…
Any of those meds can work… It’s really trial and error. The snri have less chance if weight gain:sexual side effects,
But they are tough to get off…
Good luck!
Kelley
Ps
Remeron has no sexual side effects but known to make you eat sweets.
Hi,
My old psychiatrist used to give zoloft and lexapro for my anxiety. He started me out with clonazepam at the same time (I think that may be the same as Klonopin?) until I got up to a dose that helped my anxiety and then I stopped taking the clonazepam. I did not have depression at the time so I guess he used those drugs strictly for my anxiety.
Christine
Hi Kelley,
No, not at the same time. This was awhile ago and yes it worked very well. I think I used lexapro first and then switched to zoloft because it was cheaper.
Christine
Hi
I, too, suffered from extreme unrelenting anxiety once this stuff started. You could try Buspar, which is very hit or miss. The ssri group and snri (effexor/cymbalta) are prescribed for it…and I would highly recommend remeron I’m a low dose. You don’t want to add on benzos…
Any of those meds can work… It’s really trial and error. The snri have less chance if weight gain:sexual side effects,
But they are tough to get off…
Good luck!
Kelley
Ps
Remeron has no sexual side effects but known to make you eat sweets.
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HI Kelley,
Thanks for the feedback. It’s tough when you are already on other meds (me - klonopin and topamax) and already tired. So are you saying you are taking Remeron now? If so, may I ask how much (or if you did, how much?) What side effects have you dealt with? I’m so afraid to have to take another med on top of everything at this point, as there are days where I can barely get up as it is and am exhausted by the time I get home. I already go to bed way early just to get through the night. I was on Impramine (Tofranil?) at one point (very low dose) for the MAV but discontinued it; I suspect I would have to be on a much higher dose for anxiety/depression and fear the side effects of that even though I tolerated it ok at a low dose (but didn’t like the sensitivity of sun/heat and dry mouth). Argh, this is so frustrating! I don’t even know what I did to my body/brain. Is it the diet issues affecting me directly or some how tapping into the MAV or both? I think more of the first, but who knows? Weeks ago I could barely get through the day with fatigue/brainfog/wooziness, but it was different than my MAV. Don’t know how to explain exactly. Thas seems to have gotten much better, but my appetite/metabolism is screwed up still as is sleep. Then the anxiety hit. BUt this anxiety issue has gotten very severe with bad thoughts that I need to figure out something.
Well remeron was great but I had crazy insomnia and couldn’t relax my brain at all… Relentless and pervasive… All I could think about was Mav… Very depressed, crying all the time, not eating… Insomnia… If you are on the other side and having lethargy, too much sleep then I would def not go for remeron.
What have you tried already? O you think the topamax is revving you up?
Kelley
Well I am stuck in the middle - exhausted but not sleeping right. Waking up in the middle of the night after a few hours, barely going back to sleep. I dont think the topamax is doing anything bad to me at all in this. Have been on it so long, with the klonopin, that they work well together. I just did something to set off the anxiety big time and now I don’t know what to do. Having all kinds of high anxious thoughts about things that shouldn’t be a big deal or shouldn’t be worrying about now, then leading into even worse thoughts at times. Crying with it. I haven’t tried anything yet for the anxiety because I don’t know what to take for fear of being so wacked out and tired or the other side effects. I know it is a crap shoot and trial and error, just like our MAV meds, but every anti-anxiety med I researched sounds like it could be a problem for me (and that’s taking the side effect lists with a grain of salt.) The remeron sounds bad if it makes you eat sugars/over eat (I CANNOT do that) and puts you out. While I do need better sleep, I also need to be able to get up and function during the day at work. These darn meds make me so drowsy easily. Even the klonopin/topamax was hard to adjust to for a while. Long, long ago before any of the MAV meds, I was on very low dose of Zoloft and then Paxil. Latter worked great for depression but zonked me out that I didn’t do my work. I just don’t know what to do at this point. Can try one but the idea of doing that for weeks, going through the side effects, then maybe having withdrawal if it doesn’t work, and finding another and doing the same with more side effects scares me. It’s like you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
A big part of the problems I have are related to anxiety, I can just tell you what is working for me after years of problems…verapimil, Celexa, Klonopin as needed(usually .25 per day)and then 6.25 Ambien …doctor hopes as I continue to feel better I will stop Klonopin and only occasionally need ambiem.
Bcrelief,
what dose of Klonopin are you on? It is an anxiety med, and anything specifically for anxiety is usually a benzo…so you actually are on an anxiety med…the deal is that its obviously not working, or not working well enough. Paxil is great for anxiety, but super duper high on the serotonin hit…which usually means weight gain, sleepiness, and no sex drive. Prozac is the most “anorexic” of the ssri’s so it’s the least likely to cause those side effects. You could try remeron for a week or two just to sleep and get over that anxiety hit you’re on…it’s not hard to get off like the others…
otherwise, a low dose celexa or lexapro would probably help as well. Usuallyh the lower dose you are on the least likely you are to have the bad side effects.
Kelley
I think an SSRI is the best for chronic anxiety. Im not a fan of benzos for longterm treatment. Its possible that an SSRI could improve or cure dizziness too.
Benzos work well for me but I use them every day and also at night for sleep. I don’t take large doses but I’ve been using them for very many years. I figure I must surely have got some degree of tolerance/dependence on them by now. Such long term use isn’t good. I’m looking to reduce them slowly but it’s not going to be easy because they really help me when I get unwell during the day.
There’s a part of me which says that the effect of long term benzos may have contributed to my MAV.
In theory that shouldn’t be possible but there can be paradoxical reactions to meds where the patient gets the opposite effect compared to most other patients. (For example, I knew someone who took a massive 80 mg Prozac for OCD and it increased their libido noticeably, whereas many patients complain about reduced libido on just 20 mg Prozac.) I wonder if that may be happening in my case with long term benzos. The neurologists I see are uneasy that I have been taking benzos for so long.
Bcrelief,
what dose of Klonopin are you on? It is an anxiety med, and anything specifically for anxiety is usually a benzo…so you actually are on an anxiety med…the deal is that its obviously not working, or not working well enough. Paxil is great for anxiety, but super duper high on the serotonin hit…which usually means weight gain, sleepiness, and no sex drive. Prozac is the most “anorexic” of the ssri’s so it’s the least likely to cause those side effects. You could try remeron for a week or two just to sleep and get over that anxiety hit you’re on…it’s not hard to get off like the others…
otherwise, a low dose celexa or lexapro would probably help as well. Usuallyh the lower dose you are on the least likely you are to have the bad side effects.
Kelley
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I’m only taking Klonopin for the dizziness associated with MAV -.5 a day, half in am, half in pm. At one pt. my neuro did mention Paxil I think. Would be curious to hear about others’ experiences taking it. I think I will likely need to be on something long term, so the remeron probably wouldn’t be a good choice.
I have to also note that I am very worried about meds that cause or enhance suicidal ideation (thoughts or attempts at suicide) and I believe SSRIs, etc do that.
bcrelief,
I think the suicide ideation is fairly rare, and only when getting on the meds. It’s good to have someone look out for you to see if you have any increased depression. FYI, the benzos can make one more depressed.
Kelley
bcrelief,
I think the suicide ideation is fairly rare, and only when getting on the meds. It’s good to have someone look out for you to see if you have any increased depression. FYI, the benzos can make one more depressed.
Kelley
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Prob true, but I think I already have some of that now, that’s why I was concerned. But then again, I’m concerned/anxious about everything now too. My brain/thoughts feel really messed up. Something has happened for sure.
Celexa has been helpful to many. I wouldn’t worry about ssri withdrawal…I got to the point where I just didn’t care anymore… I just wanted help and to get my life back!!
You gotta swing the bat to his the home run!!
Kelkey
I’m bumping this up in case anyone wants to comment more. My neuro wants me to go through a psychiatrtist/my General doc since it is so bad and I wondered if anyone has experience in this area, even if it is unrelated to the MAV. Pretty concerned about the med use but I need something since it is so bad. Thanks.