SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Hello all and congrats to all of you for making it through Christmas. The fact that you are sitting upright and on this website for support means that you are a lot stronger than you think.

I am financially strapped from going to intense therapy since my DD almost 4 weeks ago, but I have decided I need to see a psychiatrist (I have been seeing psychologists) to get meds. The cost is half my paycheck so part of me is waffling and thinking that maybe I can manage on my own but I've had too many incidences that have gotten out of control. My mood swings are way to severe and are interfering with me functioning properly. When I'm angry, in particular, I throw things and then start hurting myself. The other night, I slapped myself in the face hard. Yesterday, I dug my nails into my arms till they bled. I need meds to calm me down but I've never once been on long term medicine in my life and that scares me a bit.

Has anyone been successful with certain drugs during this brutal time in their lives? I, of course, still need a doctor's prescription to get any but I'm curious what people have used and had good results with....and also what hasn't worked at all or resulted in bad side effects. My friend tells me never to do Xanax or Prozac.

Thank you.

Hi, and sorry you're hurting so much. It's an awful place to be.

I think, instead of looking for drugs, I would find a psychiatrist that works on a sliding scale, or perhaps just a different psychologist. Remember, there are great psychologists and terrible psychiatrists. The trick is finding one that works for you.

For some "get through" drugs, I would simply ask for some anti-anxiety pills. Prozac is an anti-depressant. Also, please listen to your doctor and your own research that backs up the doctor (or contradicts and you ask questions) and not your friends on what medication to take or not take. They mean well, but they are simply going on hearsay or a bad experience. You need to manage your care with the assistance of your doctor.

Take care.

Anti-depressants are very much tailored to the individual. What works for one may not for another. If you have specific concerns (such as weight gain or sexual dysfunction), they can "tailor" the appropriate medication to meet your needs. Not all of them work the same.

At one point, I was on Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Topamax, Luvox AND Abilify. Not quite all at once, but close though. (I had VERY bad, long-lasting depression after discovery, which was exacerbated by a family history of mental illness, so don't be afraid that such a thing will happen to you. It's VERY doubtful.)

Side effects are hard to pinpoint, because each medication will work differently for different people. For me, I tolerated Prozac very well - but Paxil made me a zombie, while Topamax made me lose my MEMORY. (That was scary. My XH told me that I had chased him around the kitchen with a knife, and I have NO MEMORY OF DOING SUCH A THING. )

Again, don't let what I'm saying scare you. The moment you experience side effects that you don't like, you call your doctor and they WILL change the medication to something that will work for you. It does take a couple of weeks for the meds to kick in, though (especially if they're SSRI class - Paxil and Prozac fit into this category), so you may have to give it time to work.

I know more about this subject than I want to know, believe me.

Good luck. It WILl be okay, no matter what you decide. It does get better, though it may not look like it now. But it does.

Wow Fireball - I thought I was on a lot with 5 lol.

ziganska, as Fireball said, SSIs take a bit of time to see the benefit. One of the side effects is that for the first week or two, things can get a bit, well, nutty. It was like PMS for me - huge highs and lows. About 10 days in, it leveled off, and I'm much more in control now.

Please work with your doctor. They will change your meds if you're having a problem. Fireball just gave you a wealth of info. Please take advantage of that.

I think I have been having a little success using St. John's Wort.

I am a gun enthusiast. Can't go to the Doc for depression... the Hell Bitch might use it to get the authorities to take my gun rights.

Been taking 300mg 3 times a day for a little over a week. Not sure if it is the herb, or just the natural progression of things, but I am feeling a little better.

Can you go to an MD instead of a psychiatrist for medications? It may be easier to qualify for financial assistance for an MD.

Also, Wellbutrin works well for me. As does Xanax. Prozac gave me sexual side effects.

Get a script from your family doc. Walmart has a 4 dollar prescription program, Prozac is on the list as well as others. Google Walmart 4 dollar prescription plan, print the mental health med list, take it to the dr, and they can choose something appropriate for you.

Good luck!

I couldn't get in to a psychiatrist right away after DDay, so I got an appointment with a therapist and a prescription from my family doctor. The plan was that if I needed to I could switch when one of the psychiatrists had an opening, but I love my therapist and the meds I have from my FP seem to be just what I need right now so I am sticking with what is working for me. Is is possible something like that would be more financially viable for you?

FWIW, I have Effexor for depression that I take daily and Xanax for anxiety/insomnia on an as needed basis. I know some people are nervous about the Xanax because it can be addictive, but taking it as needed has worked well for me. I am four months out and still have plenty left in my first bottle.

If you are hurting yourself, you definitely need to take the next step. Have you let your psychologist know about that?

Most people with anxiety and depression only need to see a family doc. We reserve psychiatrists for bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, severe personality disorders and severe depression with psychotic/suicidal features.

Many good drugs are cheap: Prozac (given a bad rap but a very good drug), Paxil, Celexa are all 4 dollars on the Walmart list; lexapro went generic a few months ago, Effexor is generic and cymbalta goes generic sometime soon.

It's the benzos (Valium, Xanax, Librium, Klonopin, Ativan) that you have to be cautious with due to their addictive potential.

Dr. PJ4