Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Surviving Anxiety

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 92 posts

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#71

Post by killface »

throwaway1 wrote: post #30
someone903209 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm speaking from personal anecdotes only. The only downside to me is that it suppresses REM sleep, leading to dreamless sleep. This is kind of boring. It's also more difficult to learn something for the first time while high. Don't go to a poker game high and try to learn the game, for example. Psychosis? Not a factor for me, so I'm not attempting to say one thing about it. Extrinsically, there's all of the legal/jo…

Don't worry, after a while (assuming you smoke heavily) you'll have crazy-ass dreams all the time, whether you want them or not. Smoke will buy you 90 minutes of peaceful sleep tops. It's not a long-term insomnia medication.

And once it stops working for insomnia, get ready for some restless limbs. That was my experience, at least. I've found melatonin and a tea with valerian root, chamomile, and a few other extracts (called sleepytime tea) works much better.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#72

Post by foobarqux »

jawngee wrote: post #54
foobarqux wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a meta-study by Kripke which concludes that even very rare use of benzos triples your likelihood of death, controlling for other factors.

That was actually refuted by the guys Kripke cited: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/264345529_Reply_to_E...

That's interesting, thanks. Were you already familiar with the original study?

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#73

Post by slinkyavenger »

manmal wrote: post #21

I had anxiety years ago, with panic attacks whenever I was on a train for more than a few minutes. I was also constantly afraid of having contracted fatal diseases. No more. I did a lot of different probiotics (Mutaflor, some generic L-bacillus stuff, homemade kefir, Kombucha,...) in the last years, and anxiety has completely gone away. Here is some possible explanation: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-be…

Would you go into more detail about this? I recently developed an annoying level of anxiety (complete with panic attacks) after a pretty long course of antibiotics.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#74

Post by aantix »

sjf wrote: post #57
aantix wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why the downvote?

Because you're effectively taking unregulated medicines with similar mechanisms to standard anti-depressants?

So because they could be dangerous, I shouldn't post the information?

I included the links to examine.com which gives a descent meta analysis of the research behind each of them. Both of them show promising research results.

Safety is never guaranteed. Certainly I don't have to spell this out for the HN audience?

Do your own research. Weigh the risks. If the safety profile is to your liking, then find a trusted supplier and ramp up slowly. Stop immediately if any undesirable effects are noticed.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#75

Post by hga »

refurb wrote: post #16
jawngee wrote: post #2

I can relate to this. I took klonopin for 10+ years, just recently weaned myself off of it (six months and counting). My first panic attack happened about two weeks after 9/11 on the F train. Top 3 most terrifying moments of my life. I did CBT, talk therapy, all kinds of anti-depressant medications (the worst being Effexor XR, that shit should be illegal) until finding klonopin to be the most effective. Marijuana was…

Honestly benzodiazepines should almost never be taken long-term for anxiety. They are fantastic drugs for short-term use, but in the long-term they tend to only make things worse. You don't have to take them for very long to have withdrawal symptoms after stopping. The effects of stopping can include crippling anxiety. Not exactly the best thing for someone having bad anxiety in the first place.

Absolutely. I myself use clonazapam (generic Klonopin) on an "as needed" basis, because you get tolerant to a particular dosage within a few weeks, and then you either increase step by step to the limits your doctor sets, or when you can mentally afford it, you wean yourself off, which is no fun at all. Good in its niche for anxiety, but not real solution.

I have eventually crippling genetic anxiety and "depression of a bi-polar nature" (it's most like bipolar depression, but I never go manic unless I'm prescribed the wrong drug (which is not uncommon in general)). A low dose of the now generic Seroquel, an atypical antiphychoic, was a life saver, without it I'd only get 4 hours of sleep a night when I need 8. I also take a stiff dose of now generic Lexapro, which is laser precise in its action.

It took years for me and my doctors to figure out this regimen that seems to be as good as possible unless and until an anti-anxiety wonder drug is developed.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#76

Post by hga »

killface wrote: post #68
A_COMPUTER wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For some people it is not only ineffective, it results in suicide. I was almost one of those people. I don't know if it should be illegal, but I'm just throwing that out there.

that's true of nearly every anti-depressant, though. it's called suicidal ideation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicidal_ideation#Prescription_...

Exactly. I have a friend who took another anti-depressant in a long search for one that worked that gave her suicidal ideation, which prompted her to go off it immediately.

As I explain the state of the art of these drugs to people, we know that if you poke at the brain with sticks who's ends are shaped in various ways, certain classes of effects will result. But everything beyond that is pure theory/search for a rational mechanism to e.g. explain this to people who aren't comfortable with pragmatic reality.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#77

Post by hga »

jawngee wrote: post #50
foobarqux wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you talk more about your experience with Effexor?

I was on 150mg a day (worked up to that from a low dosage). After awhile, I was getting these insane headaches, like stabbed in the brain with a rusty knife type headache. Those lasted a few weeks. And then came the brain shivers. Moving my eyes, or rapidly turning my head, would cause an electric shock sensation that, from what I've read, was similar to what people having a stroke experience. Like lightning in your…

As I like to say, cold turkey is for turkeys, but you self corrected quickly enough, and if you restarted at a lower dose then those two days of pain were not wasted. I'll sometimes trade off more pain for faster withdrawal in some stages when I wean myself off my benzodiazepam.

But there's no grand insight into your experience with Effexor, besides confirming that this isn't cookie cutter science/medicine, you try different drugs out until you find the best balance between side effects and desired action. And try to keep you shit together with what turn out to be bad choices, e.g. (generic) Paxil made me hypomanic.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#78

Post by hga »

manmal wrote: post #21

I had anxiety years ago, with panic attacks whenever I was on a train for more than a few minutes. I was also constantly afraid of having contracted fatal diseases. No more. I did a lot of different probiotics (Mutaflor, some generic L-bacillus stuff, homemade kefir, Kombucha,...) in the last years, and anxiety has completely gone away. Here is some possible explanation: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-be…

Definitely experiment with various probiotics. I ended up with this http://www.vrp.com/biopro-240-caps which seems to help my iffy digestion, and don't seem to hurt my anxiety and depression.

Your gut bacteria are important, why we e.g. don't need Vitamin K supplements, so I at least am not surprised by hints they also have effects on mood and the like.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#79

Post by gumz11 »

This article is great. I have fought with social anxiety for 5 years as a result of family complications and high school drama. I have been doing talk therapy for 6 months with very positive affects on my previously negative outlook on life.

I've always viewed it as a disease, but this article portrays anxiety in a new light. Maybe my ability to view the world this way enables self creativity that I never knew existed... That thought is exciting.

Thanks for sharing!

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#80

Post by someone903209 »

0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #64
someone903209 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anxiety and the meditative state are, to put it simply, impossible to experience at the same time. Who is it that is anxious, when that anxious person no longer exists?

In my experience meditation effectively reduces panic, but I'm still aware of panic. It's like holding a hot coal.

The hot coal is in your throat, not in your hand. Do you try to swallow it, or try to spit it up?
Post reply on HN