Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with anti-anxiety

What have all these prescription drugs done to me?

Drohan — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:26:04 -0800

What has a decade anti-anxiety medication done to me? You name it, I've probably been on it at one time or another--Serzone, Topamax, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, BuSpar, Gabitril, Provigil, Klonopin, Ativan, Lexapro, Seroquel...the list goes on.

I've gone from my early 20s to my early 30s constantly on some combination of medication to combat Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Some of the drugs I've been on have been to combat the major side effects (weight gain & sexual dysfunction) of the main drugs. I've also been in therapy the whole time.

At this point, I'm still experiencing anxiety, which I hope to deal with with yet another cocktail of drugs/therapy. I'm on 20mg of Cymbalta and 2mg of klonopin a day. I'm trying to go off the Cymbalta because it doesn't seem to be working. I just went off Seroquel because it was making it impossible to wake up and I had a feeling it was causing a huge explosion in weight gain.

My question: Will I ever be "normal" again? Now that I've gone off the Seroquel, will I have an easier time losing weight? Will I ever get my sex drive back? Before all these drugs, I had a really healthy sex drive. Even in the few months between being on SSRIs etc. over the past decade, my sex drive hasn't magically come back. Am I doomed to be overweight and sex-drive-less from an early adulthood of pharmacological roulette?

Is it bad to take Ativan?

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:09:38 -0800

Is there anything wrong a grad student with taking an anti-anxiety medication, Ativan, to get through the end of a school term? It seems like the drug of choice for grad students in this high-pressure research university. The student health service doles it out pretty easily. Is this bad?

I have a problem climaxing while on anti-anxiety meds

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:43:14 -0800

Having a problem climaxing while on anti-anxiety meds. Any suggestions? I have tried various anti-anxiety medications and I always seem to have a problem climaxing while having sex with my fiance. Once I am off them it returns to normal in a few days but then I have panic attacks again. Naturally my fiance thinks its her fault and is upset. The other day we went for over an hour and while she climaxed five times, I got nothing. I often come extremely close. I am at the top the hill but rather than plunging down I slowly cost. I can still climax when I, um, touch myself but I believe that is becasue I can adjust what I am doing very specifically in a way that is not possible while having sex.

So....any suggestions? New positions (we have tried the usual)? Different meds (I have tried Zoloft, Celexa, Xanax, Prozac)? Please help...