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Medications: what has helped what hasn't?

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abacacus
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11 Feb 2012, 3:45 am

Sweetleaf wrote:
So far cannabis, it seems to reduce my anxiety and PTSD symptoms and makes the depression a little bit easier to manage. I also tried Prozac for about 3 1/2 weeks and I ended up throwing out the bottle because it was causing me to hear people whispering when they weren't and greatly increased my anxiety.

Adderall I have taken a few times..........not by prescription, but it seems it would probably not really benefit me to have a prescription because I don't think I have ADD or ADHD so it does not calm me down or help me focus it has the stimulant effects which would probably not be good for the anxiety and PTSD stimulants are better on occasion unless caffeine or nicotine those just help with staying awake when I don't get enough sleep.

Then of course Xanax I have been given it a couple times here and there, and I can see why it's prescribed for anxiety......but from what I hear it's also far more addictive then cannabis is so the risks might be a little higher with such a thing.


I'm with Sweetleaf. The best medication I've ever taken was a few good hoots.


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YellowBanana
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11 Feb 2012, 7:51 am

I've previous taken several antidepressants - none of which helped anything. The only effect was that one of them made me throw up. The rest I had no effect from whatsoever. This was before my ASD diagnosis. Turns out I wasn't depressed ... hey ho.

I did not want medication, and didn't ask for it ... but I have recently been prescribed 2mg tablets of diazepam (valium) to be taken as needed for anxiety and they are brilliant. I take them only when I really really need them - I am always reminded by my doctor that these are "temporary" and I don't want to risk losing this prescription earlier than I have to because it is the only thing that has ever made a difference, and I also know they would lose their effectiveness if I took them all the time.

But they can relax me enough to be able to speak in situations where I have lost speech but really need to communicate, stop an anxiety attack when I can't get away from the trigger, and can also stop my suicidal ideation (which is a stress reaction for me, but quickly becomes obsessive to the point where I am a danger to myself) in it's tracks. Because they are low dose tablets I can easily adjust the amount I take to cope with the level of anxiety/panic/stress I am experiencing on those occasions when I do take them. They have made a huge difference.


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