Back in December I had so much anxiety, I told my hubby to take me to the psyche ward. Luckily there were no beds. I don't know what would have come to pass if there were.
At any rate, I was prescribed zoloft and Xanax to get me through, however it was given by my regular doctor and I had not been confirmed with Lyme. It helped tremendously!
I was told to be careful because some people react very negatively to SSRI's. Sometimes the side effects are kinda rough, but I felt so bad, there was no way I could feel worse. I was experiencing the side effects in horrible ways before I even took the first pill.
I can say that I was afraid to take all of it. My anxiety and OCD had me in all sorts of craziness, afraid of what it was going to do to me.
I ended up staying with my parents over Christmas and my mom talked sense into me. I started taking 2-3 Xanax a day and then started my zoloft. It saved me! I never became dependent on the Xanax and stopped needing it after a few weeks. As the days on zoloft went by, I needed the Xanax less and less.
Now after being on Babesia treatment for 7 months, I am weaning off the zoloft too! It's hard for me to even wrap my head around the unbelievable level of anxiety I was feeling.
There are folks who will tell you that it can do all kinds of horrible things to you. The reality is that most people do just fine. In my home town in PA it's prescribed like candy. I know tons of folks on them and none of them had any adverse reactions.
I even had a very highly respected acupuncturist whose mother did her dissertation on the abuse of antidepressants say that short term use is generally safe. She said it was originally only supposed to be prescribed for 6 months at a time.
But it is different for everyone. There are certainly many on this site who had terrible complications. Lyme complicates everything.
My experience was good! I'm glad I did it and am grateful for the option. It helped me get through a debilitating time in my life.
However, I will say that when I herxed from the A BAB, the anxiety broke through the zoloft. I think in the end, when you come further along on your BART treatment, the anxiety will improve.
If I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now, I would probably just stay with the Xanax. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Lyme and co was causing that. Now as I go through treatment, I know.
Sorry for the long twisting response. This was a big decision for me and I labored over it for weeks before I started the zoloft. Best of luck to you!
Post edited by: kimomile, at: 06/29/2012 08:28 PM
