|
First of all let me give you a link to a great web page that gives some great tips and ideas for discussing side effects with your doctor, it's a part of the about.com section on panic disorders.
The medications I use and have used for my anxiety and depression have several varried and sometimes severe side effects. On this page, I will list my common coping skills for dealing with each of the major side effects.
Also, let me recommend a book that I have refered to often for dealing with these side effects. The Antidepressant Survival Guide.
An estimated twenty-five million Americans take antidepressants to combat depression, but most continue to cope with a host of debilitating side effects that equal, and sometimes outweigh, the medication's obvious benefits. Many doctors consider side effects such as weight gain, lethargy, and sexual dysfunction to be necessary evils.
This book gives many techniques for combating the side-effects, but not only that, actually increasing the positive effects of the medication at the same time.
Drowsiness: Keeping a balanced level of protein and carbohydrates/sugars in my diet, as well as a good 30 minute walk each day, prevents the drowsiness from becoming severe. I generally drink a protein shake upon waking, and another one before going to bed, and also eat 3 meals a day, this keeps my sugar levels where they ought to be.
Increased Anxiety: It's ironic, but some medications for anxiety can actually increase anxiety occasionally. For this I use a relaxation cassette tape to calm me down. This is usually a 30-minute exercise involving muscle relaxation and breathing techniques. I keep a variety of relaxation tapes handy for use in this type of situation.
Sexual Impotence: I haven't mastered this one, but the best way I have found to fight this side effect is to stay on a healthy diet and exercise, like taking a thirty minute walk each day, combined with using a relaxation tape. All of this helps to decrease the Fight-Or-Flight response, which will phsyiologically put my body in a better state to achieve sexual arousal.
Dizziness: This is a very tough one to beat. I have found that if the dizziness is not accompanied by involuntary muscle contractions, the dizziness can be combated by one of two methods. First, is sleeping through the episode. The dizziness usually lasts for a few hours so taking a long nap can get me through it. This technique sometimes works even with the involuntary muscle contractions. Second, the opposite approach, is to force myself to go for a walk and continue walking until the dizziness goes away and I start to feel exhausted.
Involuntary Muscle Contractions: The only way I have found for this is to sleep through it. I would like to see a chyropractor or get a massage for this, but I can't afford that, so my only recorse is to sleep through it if I can, because walking is almost impossible in this situation.
Weight Gain: Once again, eating a balanced diet and making sure I walk
a good 30 minutes a day can at the very least stabilize or
reduce the amount of weight gain.
Dry Mouth: Drink lots of water! And expecially use
good dental hygeine, including a flouride rinse.
Insomnia: I have found that using a relaxation tape
after taking a medication sleeping aid (Sonata) helps me to
get to sleep, but not always. This one is very difficult to
cure. Usually the best thing to do is to just do something. I don't allow myself to just lie in bed praying to god to help me sleep. Instead, I keep myself busy until my body finally decides it wants to go to sleep.
|
