Medication Question

I have taken Cymbalta at 30 mg for 9 years. In March I tried to taper off it but went to quickly and got really ill. In May I tried it again going very slowly. I've been doing fine with that but I'm starting a new job next month and the anxiety is really ramping up. I take it for anxiety/panic attacks. It has really helped me in that way, even though if I'm really stressed an occasional attack can still break through. I know this is TMS and I hate that my mind is doing this to me. But I know if I have an attack at the new work place then my mind will remember this and they will continue. I'm considering going back on the full dose. I had decreased to 20 mg.

I've been studying everything I can about TMS and trying to get into mindfulness these past few days, as well as continuing the SEP but when I get anxious the way I am now it seems like there is nothing I can do to soothe myself. I allowed myself to be happy when I found out about the job offer but that quickly turned into dread which is very depressing. Can someone heal from TMS while taking medication? I know that it just masks the symptoms but I don't know what else to do. My new work place is a very big and busy place and those kind of places can contribute to having a panic attack.

 

Years ago I had a panic attack that I thought was a heart attack--nothing like imminent death to make one a bit panicky. I went to my doc, who gave me a tread-mill EKG and certified me healthy, 2nd only to a patient who climbed Everest. He gave me an RX for Xanax and told me to take one if I felt panicky again. I've only taken half of one since then. Maybe something like that for an occasional nervousness would be useful without having to go back on meds full-time.

 

Hi Renee,

Whilst I'm not a medical Dr and wouldn't want to advise you to stop any medication, sometimes it's needed as you work through the process.

There are various techniques you could incorporate into your day to day routine which have helped so many ease their anxiety levels. Most notably, the practice of mindfulness meditation and mindful living. There is currently a free Mindfulness Meditation Summit which I would encourage you to sign up too, I believe it may help you with the anxiety and fear which you are currently encountering.

Best regards

 

Claire Weekes, in Hope & Help For Your Nerves has a very simple method for dealing with imminent anxiety attacks. You can practice this while on meds. Claire Weekes has helped numerous people with anxiety. It was that book combined with Dr. Sarno that turned my life around, because I also was suffering from escalating anxiety and emerging depression until I learned about TMS. The book is easy to find in stores and online, and my local library has all of her books. It's small, easy to read, and incredibly comforting.

Also, Renee, I'm hearing a lot of self-criticism, which is very self-destructive. Loving yourself, comforting yourself, and accepting where you are at right now, without judgement, will go a long way to calming your brain.

 

I took Ativan for years unfortunately. Benzos are good drugs for occasional use but a doctor told me to take it every day. I now have Klonipin for emergencies but I don't want to make a new job an emergency situation because it is a slippery slope.

I read Claire Weekes' book and liked it and understand where she is saying to let the panic happen to show yourself that it will diminish, but I can't afford to do that in front of co-workers since I have a lot of visible signs of a panic attack like unsteady legs, etc. I am thinking of buying the "Anxiety and Phobia Workbook." I read somewhere on here that this book talks about how to deal with the actual fear of an attack.

 

Hi Renee,

Congratulations on your new job!

I've dealt with a very same issue for some time. I took Trazodone for depression and insomnia for over 20 years. After being able to control my chronic pain symptoms using TMS techniques, I decided it was time to gradually decrease the Trazodone and, hopefully, be able to get completely off the medication by treating my symptoms as TMS equivalents. I went slowly from 150mg to 50mg, and was OK for awhile. But then, like you, I started a new job in a new area, and I found myself overcome with anxiety that I hadn't experienced before, as well as an increase in insomnia and depression. I wasn't able to deal with it on my own and ended up back on 150mg of Trazodone.

The lesson I learned from the experience is that timing is important when making a big change to your medication. It is a difficult adjustment, and if you are also adjusting to a new job, that is probably not the best time to make a medication change. I hope to work on going off the medication again, but only after everything else in my life is fairly stable.

I don't get panic attacks, but I like the videos by these folks. There are several short ones available on their website.



I wish you the best. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

I think that sometimes in our lives we just need some medication to help us through the hump. If that calms you down enough to be able to engage in the various meditation/mindfulness practice i don't see anything terrible about that. Then as you start to feel better you can taper off with the help of your doctor. I think its safest to go with a health care provider in changing doses etc. I agree with Ellen this is probably not the best time to go off meds with the new job ahead. Be kind to yourself and keep trying the TMS way of thinking regardless of the medication issue. Congrats on the job!

 

for me its been a uphill battle on and off meds…granted I ma taking less than 1/2 what I use to and had a stretch of 4 months where I was off everything..it just seems I can't get over the hump but I stop trying and live everyday one day at a time…I have seen a tms dr and therapist granted it did clear my mind of any structural problem, I excepted the fact that tms healing comes from deep inside and how you respond to life as it comes..I feel if we can grasp this brass ring healing is around the corner. :}

 

When I was very sick with tms/anxiety and panic, a wise man once told me: "You know our body react to our emotion just like we react to the weather. When it is more than 100F out there we will feel hot and we will sweat. If we don't drink enough water and we work hard in the sun, heat exhaustion/stroke may come. If it is snowing and freezing we will feel cold. And if our body is not protected, frostbite may come. When we are subject to "changes" (see the Holmes and Rahe test that Tennis Tom often talked about), changes that will often bring out strong emotion, we will get tms/anxiety symptoms. No matter what we do, it will come."
Doesn't matter if you are a tms expert or tms doctor, strong emotions will bring out physical changes in our body and nothing we can do about it beside endure it whether the changes is bad or good. How do you think doctor Sarno would feel if he lost someone who is close and dear to him? he will feel tms.
How strong our symptoms will be depend on how sensitive we are to that type of life changing situation and how often we are expose to it. I came from a war torn country and have witness dead and bloody body often, it is no big deal to me when I almost lost a finger due to a bad saw accident. A guy in my office couldn't stop cursing all day long because he has a "bad" paper cut to his finger. The more we are expose to the situation, the more we are "numb" and desensitize to it. I travel a lot so it is nothing to me when I have to go to a different city or country. A friend of my growing up never once go anywhere more than 50 miles from home his whole life. When he got to go to Washington DC for the first time, he couldn't sleep for days. The excitement and anxiety made him sick he almost have to cancel the trip. Changing job, promotion is a big event in anybody's life. It come with "changes". It take us out of our "comfort zone", it has big challenges.... and it will bring out tms symptoms. So what can we do? NOTHING. We can do nothing except accepting it. accept that there will be change to our life and our body. Accept that un pleasant thing will happen.
I don't give a sh...t, what ever come will come. That's the best way to deal with changes (anxiety).
Don't running around asking why I have this symptom and that symptom? don't go to expert and hoping he can do miracle and some how stop your anxiety before your promotion. because the expert will have anxiety if he has a promotion too. Just tough it out, just tell yourself this shall past. Just ACCEPT IT, don't FEAR IT .
If you feel like you need to take med to help right now, take it. But remember the only way to cure is to accept and accept everything throwing at you. Never never fear anything then you will be cure.
Just want to share. Hope this help a bit.

 

Hi, Renee. I had a panic attack years ago and went to a shrink who put me on 5mg Valium. It calmed me so I was able to drive half hour away to a new job. I took one pill each workday morning and another at noon to get through the afternoon. I did this for three years, seldom if ever taking a pill at night or on weekends. I hated the job so i quit after 3 years and didn't need the Valium anymore. So I suggest take the medication and it will help you at work.
If you feel panicky, just say you have a splitting headache and go to the ladies' room and do some deep breathing and maybe take another pill. You will get through this. Lots of us have been there and don't rely on medication anymore.

I bet many of most of the people you will work with are struggling with the same anxieties and fears.

Claire Weekes' books are the best for overcoming anxiety.

 

And don't drink coffee or anything with caffeine. I find a cup of hot milk relaxes me best.

 

Most jobs today they're just glad if you show up. Since TMS'ers have the ideal personalities to be work slaves they'll probably be very happy with you unless the boss is an a-hole and in that case you don't want to stick around long anyway. Give it two weeks for your homeostasis to adjust, after two weeks you can adjust to most anything. Like Walt said stay away from the caffeine for a while, a mocha will do it for me.

 

Tom, a great reply to mtngl. TMSers are great workers. More conscientious than others. Do half what you normally would do and you will most likely be doing twice or more of what the others do.

 

Thanks for all your comments everyone. You are all so kind and thoughtful. I received an email this morning that Steve O. wrote called "The Top 10 Mistakes Made in Healing from TMS." I thought it was interesting what he wrote about meds:

#7 Not wanting to get off meds. The desire to remain on medication shows a hesitation to full healing. TMS is a diversion by your brain to allow you to opt-out of your emotions, just as meds are a way to avoid having to face your-Self. The true-desire to heal means that you are ready to heal and to face the emotional experience that is driving your symptoms.
Some TMS-physicians prefer not to treat sufferers that refuse to eventually get off their meds, because it shows a resistance to healing. They believe that the meds may inhibit the cognitive changes necessary to uproot old beliefs and to integrate new
beliefs needed for healing. This is a challenge that must be met with great caution because there are poisons involved. Never suddenly quit taking meds without knowing the possible consequences, and one doctor may not know the reason why another doctor has placed you on your meds. So be cautious, it’s a serious matter. Be responsible with your life.
Many people ask me if they can heal while on meds. The answer isn’t simple. Some folks have healed while taking meds, and others have healed as soon as they stopped taking them, by breaking the association-response. Sometimes we need medication; it can be a safety-net for us when life has overwhelmed us. But the idea should always be to get off of them soon after starting. They are only Band-Aids for stopping emotional bleeding. The emotional pain underneath is the driving force for TMS. It needs to be exposed, not covered.

 

My fear of not sleeping is so big I can't tackle it yet. I both want and don't want to stop taking medication for OCD, generalized anxiety and things that go bump in the night.

 

You know I can see in a way where SteveO is coming from. But on the other hand I don't think people should have an added burden of guilt on them that somehow they are resisting healing by taking medications. I don't think anybody here really wants to have pain and or anxiety. And yeah we'd all like to be able to get off meds or not have to take them. But I don't feel anybody is a wimp or not wanting to heal by having to use some medications.

 

I have never seen or know of anyone who were able to cure their tms/anxiety by med.
And Steve O didn't say people who are using med is a wimp or not wanting to heal. It is just a bandage to calm us down temporarily, to fully heal we need to get off medicine. We fix our tms/anxiety problem not by changing our body's chemistry, we fix it by changing how we deal with our emotion and how we react to it.

 

You misunderstand me. I never claimed that medications cured TMS.

 

We all have to do what we have to do, and are doing it a little better every day.

 

Good stuff from SteveO, thanks for posting it Renee.