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Well the first thing to remember is that taking drugs will not change your way of thinking and acting. Its more of a leg up in that they can brighten your mood making it easier to sort things out for yourself. If the main problem lies not with your mood but you ways of working then I'd reccommend seeing a good therapist instead. However anything's worth a go so if you think it may help then try it. Tampering with the way your brain works can be a bad thing at the best of times though so be careful.

In terms of antidepressants, its really a case of finding what works for you so its hard to reccommend. I'd personally say stay away from proxac and paxil but all I can offer is advice based on personal experience and seeing what they can do to people first hand. Prozac and paxil have turned many people's lives around. Antidepressants can work wonders but they can also screw you over something rotten. The best port of call would probably be the doctors office where they can match the prescription to your symptoms.

for anxiety, OCD, and depression, doctors usually go with Zoloft to start out with. Did s**t for me, but I wasn't having any anxiety or OCD issues. So, good luck with the antidepressants.

But, as said by Kudzu, you can't change without wanting to, and you can only make real change by wanting to change for you.

You shouldn't have to change yourself for someone else. Just make sure that when you say 'I need to be' that's want YOU really want. Good luck. mrgreen

Good luck.

I think Zoloft is most commonly given for depression/anxiety/OCD/Eating Disorders and PTSD. It has the least side effects (for most people), but then again, it isn't the strongest stuff around. Your doc should know what's best for you, if you tell him/her everything, and s/he isn't a quack.

For behavioural changes, try out cognitive behavioural therepy, if you like. It teaches you to turn your negative thoughsts into positive ones razz

for my depression/social phobia, I take Cipralex
it's definatly helped, I call it a miracle drug

for my OCD, I take Risperdal
I've found my OCD has actually flared up sad

for my general anxiety disorder (which includes panic attacks), I take Clonazapham (sp?)
I've only been on it for two weeks, but I haven't had a panic attack since I started taking it

Good Luck!!!

And what [Kudzu] said about recovery being for yourself, total truth, if you're doing it for someone else you won't get nearly the same results, or feel the same way about the results.

That's a good med. It calms you down. Unfortunately for me, it makes me sleepy and dizzy. At least it did when I first took it. I don't know if it's one of those drugs that affects you like that for the first time you start taking it. I now take it only just before I go to bed. It helps me sleep. I'm thinking I should take it a bit earlier than that, because I start to get more anxious early in the evening and I usually go to bed at 11. Does it do the same to you?

I have generalized anxiety disorder, and I take Zoloft. I haven't had a full-on panic attack in 3 years. I've had mini-breakdowns, but only 3, which is better than ending up throwing up, screaming, crying, and running endlessly around the block and treadmill (urge to run) every morning. The last one I had was because my grandfather died, and the panic bit only lasted 15 minutes. Once, four years ago, I cried for two days straight and couldn't get out of bed or eat.