Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This nasty thing is something I believe I have.

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx24.htm

My dad has it and I'm trying to beat it. One of the best things I was told to do to work on it is to keep as busy with activities as possible.

So sj nation, do any of you guys and girls have this? Have a relative with it? Any suggestions on how to stop it?

I know this is a thread for DocTalk, but I thought it could be a general thread too..

Thanks for everything.

BC

 

i've been there and gone through it. a close friend is going through the same thing these days; exercise helps but is short-lived. soon after working out, the anxiety returns, and it kills him that his teenaged sons have picked up on his distress.

he began a course of paxil last week, which i applauded. he'll know within three weeks or so if it's helping him out of the hole he's in.

it's been my savior for 11 years now. when it works, it's the greatest, though it's not for everybody. i'm big on giving paxil or one of its cousins a try until you find the right one for you.

folks who contend anti-anxiety or depression pills turn you into some kind of zombie are dead wrong. in my case, for example, the paxil simply allowed me to be the person i was before.

i sure ain't no zombie. simply no longer on edge, not sleeping and snapping at everyone i love. many friends, relatives and colleagues said to me after it did the trick: "welcome back."

 

My dad takes Buspar. Well, actually whatever the generic brand is works fine too. He was taking 3 per day, per doctor orders of course, but now has cut back to 2.5 and is on his way to cutting down to 2. It's not habit-forming I don't think.

 

Alprazolam is an amazing drug. I had a former colleague who was deathly afraid of flying and he took one and was mellow (not druggy at all) the entire flight. I think it's similar to Xanax, but not as strong.

 

alprazolam is the generic of xanax

 

I've been fighting through GAD symptoms for several years. I took Lexapro, but I didn't like how my body reacted to it - especially how it affected my sex drive.

My anxiety is work-related. Maybe it's burnout. I simply have little/no confidence in what I write. Most of my time in my role as editor of a weekly community news section is spent writing cutlines for photos I've taken or were submitted by readers, proofing/rewriting contributors' story submissions, and organizing the section. When I do have time to write, it's usually on days I'm off or late at night and I struggle through it. When it's done, it's a piece of crap that needs a lot of editing.

I've avoided writing the main cover story and any columns for my section the past few weeks. It's also been a very stressful time for me with a drug-addicted child arrested in late April for multiple auto burglary charges - he's still sitting in jail - and helping another child, who's vision impaired, finish her final days of high school.

I know some will say better time management will help me, but there are some thigns I'm experiencing that time managing can't help.

 

Wow. You have a lot on your plate. Keep on fighting the good fight.

 

First, I would locate the subjects about which you worry. I know it's "generalized," but I imagine your worry centers on a few key topics, maybe less than ten. When you worry uncontrollably, what do you worry about?

 

being alone. making sure that my family is OK, even though everyone is an adult and can take care of themselves.

Things like that.