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Thread: Anxiety

  1. #1
    Craftsman
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    Anxiety

    I posted a couple of months ago about my brother's struggles with anxiety .He has Asperger's and the changes to his routines Eg not seeing support worker and going to a group have made his anxiety shoot through the roof .He was really suffering and was very upset fearful etc could not relax or sleep .Fortunately it went away for a while and he was more relaxed and happy about things ,however it returned with a vengence a few days ago and he seems to have gone back to square one .

    The doctor gave him Sertraline ,however he is a bit scared to take it ,he tried another SSRI a number of years ago and had very bad experience with it and stopped taking it .
    I was wondering if anybody on here had used it and would be willing to say how it effected them with regard to side effects and effectiveness etc. (Obviously it is a sensitive area and obviously you could PM me ).I know it takes a number of weeks to start working and I was wondering if there is anything he can take in the meantime

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  2. #2
    my own experience is that antidepressants have no effect on me for anxiety (and ive taken lots of them over a long period of time ) the only non benzo that does anything for me is lyrica (pregabalin ) , that said lots of people reckon AD's help them.
    a lot of psychiatric drugs are known to not work well in people with autism (they either do very little or cause lots of side effects in even small dosages ) - unfortunately it all comes down to trial and error and they affect each person differently (if you look at the side effects listed on most drugs (AD's ) these day they list just about everything they can think off - including 'may cause depression' ) .

  3. #3
    It should help reduce panic attacks my friend.
    It is also often prescribed fir PTSD - but it’s relevance is to aid sleep etc too

    Are there any online support groups via Mind etc that you could tap into as his support?

    4-6 weeks before any real effects will show, that leaves him vulnerable to being unwell in the interim

    What I can say from personal experience is that if things become so black for him that he’s showing heightened aggression or panic, go to a and e
    Just go - covid19 is a killer, but mental health issues can flare up to that in a matter of minutes if he is feeling so helpless or panicked

    I’ve suffered with anxiety, massively, people can’t believe it - but it is always there when you peck away

    Good luck - and reach out to as many forums as you can fir advice - I hope things improve for you all

  4. #4
    Grand Master RustyBin5's Avatar
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    My son has aspergers also. I certainly wouldn’t suggest the medication when he (in a state of anxiety) has already said he is scared to take it. I could see that making things worse. Is his anxiety mostly due to the disruption in his routine or not being able to speak to his support worker? Our son took a lot out of a Skype call to his - have you tried that or is the support worker not available at all?

    I know we had to create a timetable for our son to help him deal with being locked down. Structure has always helped him deal with anxious catalysts. Good luck

  5. #5
    Craftsman
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    Thanks for all your help and advice it's reassuring to know there is other people in the same place .The big worry is if he takes the drug and things don't go so well then it's such a bad time to deal with issues ,difficult at best of times

    Sent from my moto g(7) play using TZ-UK mobile app

  6. #6
    I take Sertraline (75mg daily) for anxiety issues. It works well for me but, as a previous poster has said, it does take 4-6 weeks to work as it should. The only side effect I experience is a dry mouth. This I treat with Biotene Dry Mouth gel.

    Unfortunately, I would think that there is no way to tell if it causes issue until he tries it. I am told that it is a 'modern' SSRI.

    NB. Alastair Campbell (Blair's ex-Spin Doctor) takes 100mg Sertraline daily. Make of that what you will.
    Last edited by Alpha4; 24th May 2020 at 23:29.

  7. #7
    Master RAFF's Avatar
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    I've been on Sertraline for the last couple of years (with a break inbetween). I suffered anxiety and OCD. It cleared up the OCD (which is why I took it in the first place), even after I came off it for a while. The only side effect I had was in the recreational activity area for a couple of months. Some would argue it's a positive but my wife didn't think so

    I think it's worth a shot, but I guess it comes down to the individual and how they'll react (or not) to it. If he was prescribed it, I'd not worry too much about adverse effects.

    I was on 125mg a day in the first stint, but now on 100mg. I was initially reluctant to take it but I think there is a stigma attached that makes people reluctant a lot of the time.

    I hope he gets over it, whatever he decides.

  8. #8
    Which SSRI did your brother have previously? SSRIs can increase anxiety in the short term for some people. I found that out the hard way 20 years ago but I had Paroxatine (Seroxat) and then Prozac. Both caused a massive rise in anxiety. Your brother should avoid the former like the plague, it's known to cause panic attacks (which the doctor failed to warn me).

    I think Sertraline is one of the most tolerable SSRIs though and is supposed to be good for anxiety once it kicks in.

    My wife is on Sertraline for depression and anxiety and it's been fantastic for her, like night and day.

    If he does try it, do it in as small a dose (break up tablets if needed) as possible to start with and build up slowly.

    If not Tricyclic antidepressants are generally much better tolerated for anxiety at first. Amitriptyline has been the wonder drug that turned my life around along with cognitive therapy. I had no issues taking it in terms of anxiety. It's seen as old fashioned now though and doctors tend to prescribe more for nerve pain than mental illness now.

    Best wishes to your brother, I really hope he feels much better soon. It's a truly horrible illness that is beyond any comprehension unless you've experienced it.
    Last edited by watchcollector1; 31st July 2020 at 23:05.

  9. #9
    Master AIDM's Avatar
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    Hi all,

    Bumping this old thread rather than start a new one, but for anyone who suffers anxiety or knows someone who does, you may hopefully find the podcast below interesting or useful.

    https://aviationaction.org/news-and-podcast

    Aviation Action is a MH (amongst many other positive things) charity set up early last year that I’m involved with. The podcast features two (cough, middle aged) guys talking candidly about their own personal battles with anxiety. One of them is me!

    be interested in any feedback...

    cheers,

    Rob

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