It’s a shame that Zoloft didn’t do it for you. You certainly don’t want to get addicted to Xanax, so hopefully you’ll be able to ease off of it well. At some point I’m sure my doc will want to talk about going off meds for a while…these days I’ve been getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night and have completely changed my lifestyle to one of healthy diet and exercise, so it would be interesting to see if there were any difference.
Glad to hear your doing good buddy. This has been a great thread and if anyone needs any help or questions feel free to shoot me a pm. God Bless guys,
Austin
[quote]LittleJohn wrote:
ZEB wrote:
CoachMike wrote:
Whatever doctrine you turn to, “He helps those whoo help themeselves” .
Sorry, but I have to ask: where did you read that one? I always hear people saying it but never know where it came from.
Thanks
That quote is definitely not in the bible. I did a quick google on it and found a source claiming that it came from one of Aesop’s fables.
LJ
[/quote]
OK fine . .whatever . .the point is, as I turned to a bunch of support groups online, trying to find ways to get off the Klonopin for good, . .there’s a real split in posters . . .1/2 are aggressively researching means to heal themself and take care of their predicament and half are sitting there waiting for divine intervention to show them the way . .
There was a quote at one of the sites, “If He lead you to it, He’ll take you through it” - and I don’t knwo where it’s from . .
I’m not here to thump a bible but rather to say,
“The harder I work, the luckier I become”
[quote]wfifer wrote:
It’s a shame that Zoloft didn’t do it for you. You certainly don’t want to get addicted to Xanax, so hopefully you’ll be able to ease off of it well. At some point I’m sure my doc will want to talk about going off meds for a while…these days I’ve been getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night and have completely changed my lifestyle to one of healthy diet and exercise, so it would be interesting to see if there were any difference.[/quote]
I don’t want to get addicted to Xanax, either. My doc and I talked about that yesterday, and we’ve set up a slow tapering-off period. I’m going to start by not taking any Xanax 1 day a week for 2 weeks; then if that goes OK, we’ll increase that 2 days (non-consecutive) for 2 weeks and so on until I can go a full week without the meds with no side effects.
He said that he might have me try Paxil or something to that affect after the Xanax, but I told him I’d like to see how I do with no meds before I start popping more pills.
Glad the Zoloft works for you; whatever it is that helps you feel better is a good thing.
Getting that full night’s sleep is a nice feeling, isn’t it? I remember struggling to fall asleep when I was having constant attacks; now I not only can sleep 8-9 hours a night, I can also take naps in the afternoon if my schedule allows.
Hey everyone,
Well, I’m now officially 27 as Saturday was my birthday. It was a good day but unfortunately both my wife and I have head colds at the moment, no thanks to the Colorado weather, which was -13 Friday night.
Thankfully we celebrated last week by going to the Colorado Crush arena football game. I did receive some nice presents, including Seinfeld Season 6; Clue (the movie, a fav. of mine); MVP: NCAA Baseball '06 for PS2 and money towards the purchase of a Wavebag (moveable heavy bag).
I wanted to get the Wavebag b/c I likely will have to stop going to my MMA class in a couple of weeks as my work schedule will change; but I wanted to keep up with my training, so this way I can still practice my punches and kicks and do conditioning drills in my home 2-3x a week and then still hit the weights.
Speaking of the gym, I went for a short workout today as I didn’t want to do too much since I’m still under the weather.
I also did my weekly weigh-in today and checked in at 188, down 1 pound from last week (not surprising with my cold).
Here’s the stats from today; I changed up my exercise order a bit:
Clean and Press 3x4: 125
Bench Press 3x3: 195
Wide-grip Pullups 3x10: BW
Hammer Curls 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 (w/drop set 1x10: 35, 40, 45 (20).
Close-grip pushups 3x15: BW.
Did some wrist rolls and rotator cuff exercises at the end.
Hopefully my head cold will be gone or at least under control enough for me to attend MMA class tomorrow.
I also had a busy weekend of work, having to cover state wrestling and final weekend of regular season basketball. My anxiety levels were elevated a bit due to not feeling well and the extra work, but I did some calming breaths and got things quickly under control so no real worries there.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.
-Dan
Well, despite still be bothered by this lingering head cold, I proceeded to head to my MMA class today. It was rough as I had a time catching my breath since I couldn’t breathe through my nose.
We started class with a lot of ab and lower back work; doing bridges, supermans, crunches, skip knees, bicycles; you name it, we probably did it.
We then worked on our knees and kicks. Those were fun, except for when it was your turn to hold the pads. We then moved to the bags and worked on combos with punches and kicks.
We finished up the class with a nice little circuit that consisted of one-legged squats and good mornings for 10 reps each for 3 minutes. While one person did this, the two people hit the bag, alternating 10 punches.
We finished off with some burpees and then stretched.
It was a tough class today but a good workout. My stamina wasn’t that great b/c of my breathing problems but I made it through.
I’ll have to do some training on my own as I’ll be unable to make class on Wed. or Thurs. due to work.
Hope everyone is doing well and I hope I get over this cold soon.
Later,
Dan
Damn, happy belated, Dj.
I’ll be nineteen a week from thursday, and will be in class most of the day. I can’t even go out to dinner, since I have a lab I can’t miss from 6 to as late as 9. But most of my buddies will be back from school over that weekend, so we’re gonna party hard.
I’m weighing about the same as you now. I haven’t been “thin” since the beginning of middle school at least, so even though some might think it’s a bit early for me to be cutting, I think it’ll do loads for my self-confidence to be at low body fat for the summer. Not to mention, they say you peak at 18, and I’ll be in the best shape of my life! I’ve lost about 15 pounds this past month, no muscle loss to speak of; and between fat loss and practice, I’m able to do a set of pull-ups for the first time in my life.
Weather’s been nasty here in the northeast, too…hopefully things will warm up soon, because the cold makes it damn hard to do anything.
It may be a bit late to throw this into the ring, but St. John’s Wort has a long history of treating anxiety. It’s been used since the middle ages for that purpose (iirc). It’s available among the herbal supplements at any health food store.
Hello all,
Well my head cold appears to have gone into hibernation (knocking on wood). I took yesterday off and woke up today breathing normally and had a lot of energy, so I headed to the gym!
I’ve switched things up a bit and am going back to TBT. I was tired of doing the same exercises each time, although I’m going to find a way to incorporate DB Snatches in at least 1x a week.
Also, as per Joel Marion’s advice, I’m throwing in some extra wrist extensor/flexor exercises at the end of my workouts twice a week; with the third day being static holds to improve my grip strength and forearm size (things I think I need for my MMA class).
Here’s what I did today:
Sets: 3
Reps: 8
Rest: 30-45 (called for 90 but I didn’t feel like waiting that long)
DB Incline Press: 65, 70, 75 (75’s were a struggle to get up but once I got them moving I was fine)
Push Press: 95, 105, 105
Good Mornings: 95, 105, 105 (I did these as a Superset with no rest inbetween and used the same bar. I took this idea from a Randy Couture vid I saw).
Barbell Biceps Curl: 60, 60, 60
DB Triceps Overhead Extension: 65, 65, 65 (another Superset w/no rest)
Did some wrist extensions, flexions followed by a couple sets of knuckle pushups and planks. I also did 3 sets of 50 jumping jacks followed by 30 situps at the beginning and end of the workout.
I felt pretty pumped after this workout. I noticed that I’ve leaned out a bit from doing my MMA class, so I’m excited about that. As soon as I get my digital camera fixed, I’m going to try and upload some pics.
Oh, and good news on the medicine front. They are coming out with a generic form of Xanax XR (control release up to 12 hours). Should cost around $10-15 as opposed to the $30 I’m paying now. Like I said, this drug has been great for me, so if you’re interested, ask your doctor about it.
Take care,
Dan
Well, today was a landmark day for me.
I went without medication for the first time in over 2 months! Man, I’m so happy about this. As my doc calls it, I took a med “holiday” today since I didn’t have to go into work and wasn’t planning on doing much, I decided today would be the day to try and go without Xanax. Well, I did and you know what? I’m fine!
I didn’t just sit around the house, either. I went out, got a haircut, washed my car and went to a sporting goods store to check out some prices on some equipment (I’m getting a portable heavy bag and likely some mats for the floor and some medicine balls).
I also worked out today. Did some shadowboxing for 15 minutes and did jumping jacks, pushups, situps and squats (doing them as a big group in sets of 3 with a 30 second rest after) both before and after the shadowboxing. Got a great workout in since our MMA class was cancelled today.
Tomorrow I’m off to the therapist to tell her the good news. I’ll also be going to the gym and will do my weekly weigh-in and report back.
Hope everyone is doing well. Not even the possible demise of my PS2 can bring me down today!
-Dan
Hey everyone,
Well, I had a rough night of sleep last night. Not sure if there’s a relation to not taking the Xanax at all yesterday or if I just went to bed before I was ready and thus, tossed and turned all night.
I woke up feeling pretty crappy but still hit the gym for an abbreviated workout before my therapist appointment. The training went OK but I could tell I wasn’t in the right frame of mind (anxiety levels were higher due to lack of sleep). Once I went to the therapist, we worked on exercises to help re-center me when I’m feeling anxious and they definitely did the trick, as I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m going to try and do some deep breathing exercises this afternoon and will also try and take a nap.
As for what I did in the gym today, here are those numbers:
Sets: 2
Reps: 10
Rest: 30-45
BB Decline Press: 185
Chins: BW (did these as a superset)
Deadlift: 185
Seated Calf Raises: 135
BB Skull Crushers: 60
That’s all. I was in and out in 25 minutes but still got a decent workout in considering. I’m going to take the weekend off and return to the gym on Monday.
Later,
Dan
[quote]Northcott wrote:
It may be a bit late to throw this into the ring, but St. John’s Wort has a long history of treating anxiety. It’s been used since the middle ages for that purpose (iirc). It’s available among the herbal supplements at any health food store.[/quote]
Careful !! St. John’s Wort competes for the same receptors as many benzo’s and other anxiolytics . .be sure to google and search your drug name plus St. John’s Wort to make sure . .
Boy will you feel it if you blocked your med from being absorbed.
it did so with my Clonazepam / Klonopin . .hence my experience 
Dan, I find that I only need the xanax at night for restless sleep. I never need it during the day. Unless I have a terribly stressful day, I may not take it at all. I’m prescribed 1mg a day, but it’s been days since I used it.
The Paxil does it’s job very well, and I have no worries about getting addicited to xanax, because it’s been over two years since I’ve been on both, and I can take the xanax only when I need it. But I will say it is nice to have it when shit gets your blood boiling to the point where you can’t relax. That’s when it’s most effective.
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
Dan, I find that I only need the xanax at night for restless sleep. I never need it during the day. Unless I have a terribly stressful day, I may not take it at all. I’m prescribed 1mg a day, but it’s been days since I used it.
The Paxil does it’s job very well, and I have no worries about getting addicited to xanax, because it’s been over two years since I’ve been on both, and I can take the xanax only when I need it. But I will say it is nice to have it when shit gets your blood boiling to the point where you can’t relax. That’s when it’s most effective. [/quote]
I was actually thinking about making that switch, Ragoo; taking the Xanax at night instead of during the daytime. Like you said, the Xanax is still there so if I ever needed to take it during the day, I could. I’m prescribed .5 mg a day right now and that has been working great.
I slept better last night, took me a while to doze off but I did some relaxation techniques and next thing I know it’s morning.
I too am a sufferer of both severe anxiety/panic disorder and bad depression. Diagnosed at only 12 and now 31 I have been on a disgusting amount of meds. The list is in the mid 20’s. Benzo’s, AD’s, Anti-psychotics, Mood stabilizers…pretty much everything but ECT so far.
I was put in a mental hospital for a month and diagnosed as one of the few that are severely resistant to typical treatments/meds.
I’ve found that over the years I’ve had good spells and bad ones. The cycles seem to be completely random and unpredictable. It worsens the depression aspect because I can’t plan around the unexpected periods.
I’m currently going through another bad spell and it’s been around a year. I can’t work and suffer severe agoraphobia.
For the first time in my life, I was so low that I stopped exercising altogether. That was 9 months ago. I’m forcing myself now to work out at home.
I’m too goddamn stubborn to give up what I’ve worked most of my life to build. I’ve been told this illness will most likely be with me till I die. So I have to live with that. Fuck it. It could be worse. I have been through the alcohol abuse, benzo addiction, hospitalization and the whole scoop.
I just know everyone that choses to fight it all the way will become a stronger individual because of that choice. I’m really glad I found this thread. Why did I post and babble about a lot of things that have already been touched on?
Partially to vent, to identify and to help others to know there’s lots of us out there going through it too.
Thanks everyone. Let’s keep in touch.
Kaleb.
[quote]Kaleb wrote:
I too am a sufferer of both severe anxiety/panic disorder and bad depression. Diagnosed at only 12 and now 31 I have been on a disgusting amount of meds. The list is in the mid 20’s. Benzo’s, AD’s, Anti-psychotics, Mood stabilizers…pretty much everything but ECT so far.
I was put in a mental hospital for a month and diagnosed as one of the few that are severely resistant to typical treatments/meds.
I’ve found that over the years I’ve had good spells and bad ones. The cycles seem to be completely random and unpredictable. It worsens the depression aspect because I can’t plan around the unexpected periods.
I’m currently going through another bad spell and it’s been around a year. I can’t work and suffer severe agoraphobia.
For the first time in my life, I was so low that I stopped exercising altogether. That was 9 months ago. I’m forcing myself now to work out at home.
I’m too goddamn stubborn to give up what I’ve worked most of my life to build. I’ve been told this illness will most likely be with me till I die. So I have to live with that. Fuck it. It could be worse. I have been through the alcohol abuse, benzo addiction, hospitalization and the whole scoop.
I just know everyone that choses to fight it all the way will become a stronger individual because of that choice. I’m really glad I found this thread. Why did I post and babble about a lot of things that have already been touched on?
Partially to vent, to identify and to help others to know there’s lots of us out there going through it too.
Thanks everyone. Let’s keep in touch.
Kaleb.[/quote]
Kaleb,
I’m glad you found this thread and that you were kind enough to share your story with all of us. I know that is a hard thing to do.
I’m sorry to hear that your prior treatments haven’t worked for you. Hopefully this thread will give you some renewed strength as you continue to fight this disease and try to improve your life. I can’t imagine dealing with what you’ve been through – I don’t know what I’d do if treatment didn’t work for me – but I think that you’re a very strong person for trying to lead a normal life, despite this disease that like you said, can kick in at any time.
Hopefully you will turn the corner soon and start having more good days than bad ones. Feel free to post here as much as you want. This really is an open forum/thread for all of us with anxiety/panic disorder to share stories and experiences; as well as a way for me to keep track of my progress both in and out of the gym.
Take care,
Dan
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Kaleb wrote:
I too am a sufferer of both severe anxiety/panic disorder and bad depression. Diagnosed at only 12 and now 31 I have been on a disgusting amount of meds. The list is in the mid 20’s. Benzo’s, AD’s, Anti-psychotics, Mood stabilizers…pretty much everything but ECT so far.
I was put in a mental hospital for a month and diagnosed as one of the few that are severely resistant to typical treatments/meds.
I’ve found that over the years I’ve had good spells and bad ones. The cycles seem to be completely random and unpredictable. It worsens the depression aspect because I can’t plan around the unexpected periods.
I’m currently going through another bad spell and it’s been around a year. I can’t work and suffer severe agoraphobia.
For the first time in my life, I was so low that I stopped exercising altogether. That was 9 months ago. I’m forcing myself now to work out at home.
I’m too goddamn stubborn to give up what I’ve worked most of my life to build. I’ve been told this illness will most likely be with me till I die. So I have to live with that. Fuck it. It could be worse. I have been through the alcohol abuse, benzo addiction, hospitalization and the whole scoop.
I just know everyone that choses to fight it all the way will become a stronger individual because of that choice. I’m really glad I found this thread. Why did I post and babble about a lot of things that have already been touched on?
Partially to vent, to identify and to help others to know there’s lots of us out there going through it too.
Thanks everyone. Let’s keep in touch.
Kaleb.
Kaleb,
I’m glad you found this thread and that you were kind enough to share your story with all of us. I know that is a hard thing to do.
I’m sorry to hear that your prior treatments haven’t worked for you. Hopefully this thread will give you some renewed strength as you continue to fight this disease and try to improve your life. I can’t imagine dealing with what you’ve been through – I don’t know what I’d do if treatment didn’t work for me – but I think that you’re a very strong person for trying to lead a normal life, despite this disease that like you said, can kick in at any time.
Hopefully you will turn the corner soon and start having more good days than bad ones. Feel free to post here as much as you want. This really is an open forum/thread for all of us with anxiety/panic disorder to share stories and experiences; as well as a way for me to keep track of my progress both in and out of the gym.
Take care,
Dan
[/quote]
That’s right Kaleb, use this for support. We will help as we can.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
Dan, I find that I only need the xanax at night for restless sleep. I never need it during the day. Unless I have a terribly stressful day, I may not take it at all. I’m prescribed 1mg a day, but it’s been days since I used it.
The Paxil does it’s job very well, and I have no worries about getting addicited to xanax, because it’s been over two years since I’ve been on both, and I can take the xanax only when I need it. But I will say it is nice to have it when shit gets your blood boiling to the point where you can’t relax. That’s when it’s most effective.
I was actually thinking about making that switch, Ragoo; taking the Xanax at night instead of during the daytime. Like you said, the Xanax is still there so if I ever needed to take it during the day, I could. I’m prescribed .5 mg a day right now and that has been working great.
I slept better last night, took me a while to doze off but I did some relaxation techniques and next thing I know it’s morning.
[/quote]
I find that giving myself at least a half hour to unwind before bed helps me get to sleep fast when not on the med. Keep that in your daily routine.
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
Dan, I find that I only need the xanax at night for restless sleep. I never need it during the day. Unless I have a terribly stressful day, I may not take it at all. I’m prescribed 1mg a day, but it’s been days since I used it.
The Paxil does it’s job very well, and I have no worries about getting addicited to xanax, because it’s been over two years since I’ve been on both, and I can take the xanax only when I need it. But I will say it is nice to have it when shit gets your blood boiling to the point where you can’t relax. That’s when it’s most effective.
I was actually thinking about making that switch, Ragoo; taking the Xanax at night instead of during the daytime. Like you said, the Xanax is still there so if I ever needed to take it during the day, I could. I’m prescribed .5 mg a day right now and that has been working great.
I slept better last night, took me a while to doze off but I did some relaxation techniques and next thing I know it’s morning.
I find that giving myself at least a half hour to unwind before bed helps me get to sleep fast when not on the med. Keep that in your daily routine.
[/quote]
Yeah, I need to get back on that routine. I’ve been falling back into some old habits recently and realize that I need to do things like turn off the computer and video games by 8:30 p.m. so I can unwind mentally.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
Dan, I find that I only need the xanax at night for restless sleep. I never need it during the day. Unless I have a terribly stressful day, I may not take it at all. I’m prescribed 1mg a day, but it’s been days since I used it.
The Paxil does it’s job very well, and I have no worries about getting addicited to xanax, because it’s been over two years since I’ve been on both, and I can take the xanax only when I need it. But I will say it is nice to have it when shit gets your blood boiling to the point where you can’t relax. That’s when it’s most effective.
I was actually thinking about making that switch, Ragoo; taking the Xanax at night instead of during the daytime. Like you said, the Xanax is still there so if I ever needed to take it during the day, I could. I’m prescribed .5 mg a day right now and that has been working great.
I slept better last night, took me a while to doze off but I did some relaxation techniques and next thing I know it’s morning.
I find that giving myself at least a half hour to unwind before bed helps me get to sleep fast when not on the med. Keep that in your daily routine.
Yeah, I need to get back on that routine. I’ve been falling back into some old habits recently and realize that I need to do things like turn off the computer and video games by 8:30 p.m. so I can unwind mentally.
[/quote]
Definitely do that. Get off the computer, turn off the lights, and watch a mind mumbing tv show. That will have you ready to sleep and your mind will have stopped racing.