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38 days sober. Any help with Anxiety and depression?

Old 10-23-2017, 04:23 AM
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38 days sober. Any help with Anxiety and depression?

Everything has been going pretty good as far as not drinking goes. I am having a little trouble with tiredness, anxiety, and depression. I have gone to my Dr and he has prescribed me gabapentin for the anxiety and Viibyrd for depression. I have trouble taking depression medicine because of the sexual side effects. Viibyrd is the first depression medicine I have taken that has no sexual side effects and I have taken more than I can count. I had to stop taking the Viibyrd because of stomach issues it causes. This sucked! mainly because I thought I finally found a depression medicine that was going to work for me. Very frustrating! The Gabapentin seems to help a little for the anxiety. I'm only taking 300mg twice a day. I think I'm going to ask him to increase the dose. Oh and the tiredness. I can't seem to make it through the day without wanting to take a nap mainly after lunch. I stay tired all day long. Has anyone taking depression medicine that doesn't cause sexual side effects? Hopefully I can get these things straight so I can continue staying sober...
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Old 10-23-2017, 04:43 AM
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In the early days of sobriety, I too had lots of anxiety and notable depression. Sleeping took awhile to get into a reasonable pattern and naps especially after lunch would’ve been nice, but I was at work. I found that all these issues tended to improve as time went on. Around ninety days I experienced about a week of mood swings and urges, but they cleared off along with a decrease in depression and anxiety. I just crossed over 6 months and things have continued to heal. I’m glad I hung in there through the urges. Going back to day one or the first couple weeks of sobriety would stink. Congratulations on passing 30 days. I’m sure you have felt improvements, your body keeps healing. Stay strong it’s worth it.
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Old 10-23-2017, 05:00 AM
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Sleep, Diet, and regular exercise go a long way in helping with depression and anxiety. That is for sure my fix.
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Old 10-24-2017, 01:52 PM
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I suffer with anxiety too Wizzooo. I've recently started using a meditation app. It has a specific programme for anxiety so once I've completed the basics programme I am going to move on to that. It's early days using the app but I am thoroughly enjoying the state of relaxation I've experienced thus far during my meditations. I always thought that meditation was about stopping our thoughts...but I'm coming to realise it's about being able to observe our thoughts and letting them go without engaging with them.

Wishing you well on your recovery journey 💜
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Old 10-24-2017, 01:56 PM
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Belly Breathing: It's simple but it works.

Sit comfortably, with your shoulders, head and neck relaxed.
Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out.
Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale slowly through your mouth.

And, some books that have helped me:

Amen, Daniel Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Bassett, Lucinda From Panic to Power

Burns, David MD When Panic Attacks

Chodron, Pema The Places That Scare You

Doidge, Norman MD The Brain That Changes Itself

Dyer, Wayne The Power of Intention and Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

Orsilla, Ken Mindful way Through Anxiety
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Old 10-24-2017, 06:12 PM
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I misdiagnosed my self with anxiety and depression, and I didn’t pick up on it until I met someone with real anxiety and depression. What I was suffering from was fear an self pity but they don’t have pills for that.

My fear and self pity arose out of my alcoholism. There is no bottled cure for alcoholism, so I ended up working the steps, and no longer suffer from either.
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Old 10-24-2017, 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Wizzooo View Post
Has anyone taking depression medicine that doesn't cause sexual side effects? Hopefully I can get these things straight so I can continue staying sober...
I dropped my dose of an SSRI (lexapro specifically) to nearly nothing because of sexual side effects. I will probably discontinue it completely.

Wellbutrin (buproprion) doesn't cause sexual side effects, in fact it can boost your libido, and for me has no anorgasmia. However, it is stimulating and can increase anxiety. In my case I started slow and I didn't have the anxiety problem.

I managed the anxiety in early sobriety with gabapentin, and still take 300mg at bedtime for relaxation and sleep. I found that as I progressed in sobriety, my anxiety drastically decreased to where it was considerably lower than my baseline when I was drinking. For me, time was the best anxiety medication.

The non-medication approach to managing anxiety given above is also extremely useful. Psychotherapy can also be useful. I found that AA was helpful to give me a sounding board for addiction issues that many people can't relate to who haven't been through the process. It also made me feel a lot less lonely.

Hopefully your doctor is a psychiatrist, preferably one who specialises in addiction, and can address these concerns.

You can do this, the anxiety and depression gets easier. It should not interfere with your sobriety!
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