Great job getting this going, Andrea.
Well, I have had issues with my nerves since I was a child. Over the years, there have been P-L-E-N-T-Y of things that have made it worse (which I won't get into here because it would take YEARS) but I didn't start medication for the first time until 1999. My ex-husband and I were separated then and he was also serving a stint in Korea (he was Army) so I was very young (19), alone, devastated and scared in a brand new place (I am originally from Ohio). Zoloft was the first drug of my doctor's choice, along with Klonopin (sp?). This is when I started putting the weight on and being so obsessed with food.
I got to a point where I felt stronger, so I stopped taking the drugs and soon went into an emotional tailspin. The divorce was difficult and dragged on for 2 years, I had little money and no family nearby. SO - back to the doctor I go for more Zoloft. I was on and off different levels of it (I think I have blocked out much of that time) and the first time I started trying to date a new guy, I had what seemed like a heart-stopping, stomach cramping, nauseating, cold-sweating, WTF-is-this panic attack. And I had no idea what it was.
Several misdiagnoses later, I moved from Zoloft to Buspar. I also got into trouble with my doctor because without doing my homework on Buspar, I went and had a few cocktails near my house (playing it safe - yeah right, I know better now) and ended up getting Alcohol Intoxication thanks to the reaction of the pills and liquor.
Talk about a
VERY humbling experience......
She gave me a BIG lecture and threatened to stop seeing me, so after I promised that I would not be that stupid again (which I haven't), she added Lexapro to my regimen. I am now taking the lowest dose of both Lexapro and Buspar (1 pill a day of each) and have been attack-free for about 2 years.
I still have my moments of stress - being a redhead doesn't help
- but it hasn't been nearly as bad as it used to be. Of course, I've been getting fat as I've gotten happier, so go figure!!!!
Anyone else care to share their stories or can relate to mine?