What do people on here think about meds being the root cause of Anxiety?

Hi everyone

I have been medicated for schiz for well over 30 years.

I have also suffered unbearable anxiety for the past 30 years.

Putting 2 plus 2 together I am having a strong conviction that the meds are

causing the panic.

I would love to hear peoples’ thoughts.

Regards

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I have no idea, I never had anxiety even on meds.

Meds effect everyone differently.

Meds greatly reduced or eliminated my anxiety. Both antipsychotics and benzos.

But there is something called the “paradoxical effect” which states that a medication can have the opposite effect that it is suppose to have. For example Ativan (a benzo) usually calms down most people and even puts them to sleep, but some people experience the opposite and their anxiety skyrockets when they take it. Maybe that is what you are experiencing, some kind of paradoxical effect.

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Thanks for the reply.

Some people find it hard to describe anxiety and panic with schizophrenia (at least that is what my shrink said).

I am not saying you don’t but people swap it with saying akathesia

or inner restlessness.

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I don’t have these either. I was never diagnosed with anxiety. Are you diagnosed with an anxiety disorder?

I had akathisia on Latuda but it disappeared after switching to Risperdal. The akathisia is intense feeling to move almost like ocd, I wouldn’t call it anxiety personally.

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They are very very different feelings, I’ve experienced both.

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When I had akathisia it was like involuntary movements like someone was controlling and moving my hands and feets.

I’ve had bad anxiety for long before I was on any kind of psych meds. Mine started when I was a little girl. Then again, so did my hallucinations and depressions. But the psych meds came later, so for me, the meds didn’t cause it.

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I have terrible anxiety for years. I think it’s from my meds. But I don’t know for sure. Sometimes it’s unbearable

I think it is quite impossible for anti psychotic medicine to cause anxiety. I sympathize with you having anxiety. Mine has improved greatly and I’m only on 2 mg Valium twice a day. Anxiety can rob one’s enjoyment of life. I would say positive statements like, I am not afraid of missing my appointment tomorrow! forcefully and things like that and it helped. Anxiety is the root cause of all mental illness. If meds were causing your anxiety would you have none otherwise. Everyone on earth experiences anxiety and a little bit is good and necessary.

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I also take an antipsychotic and antidepressant.

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I personally find anti anxiety meds exacerbate the problem but there was anxiety there beforehand too.

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Antipsychotics tend to make some people more anxious, “jittery”.
I know it’s like this with certain APs like Abilify.

Had anxiety before I was SZ and found that it got worse when diagnosed, but meds that reduce positive symptoms helped reduce anxiety for me, too. Therapy is what turned out to be most helpful, learned great coping strategies.

Am aware of the difference between anxiety and akathesai.

I personally think if you are on benzos they can increase anxiety.

It is counter-intuitive, but because benzos suppress anxiety, it tends to shoot up when the effect fades. The brain loses its natural coping mechanism.

I came off benzos and in anxiety provoking situations, I get currents in my head and body. The body clearly has lost its ability to cope with anxious situations, and it will take awhile before it adjusts back to the baseline.

Thanks for this explanation. It is quite thought provoking.

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I had anxiety 18 years before any AP. I recently found cold water on the face lowered my anxiety. Also Progressive Muscle Relaxation and self hugs help me.
Klonopin made me extra anxious.

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Thanks I will try the cold water technique next time I have a panic attack.

The med’s can affect different people differently. There is a chance that your med’s are making you anxious. Maybe you could talk to your pdoc about getting a med to help out with your anxiety. Anxiety is one thing the med’s don’t give me. The typical antipsychotics do make me feel so bad that I wish they didn’t exist. Some people don’t have that problem, though. I knew a guy who could take any amount of Stellazine and it had no effect on him, but by far most of the people who take the typicals really don’t like them.