sueto - I wanted to address this yesterday but forgot. No one meant any disrespect to Canada or their drug stores. Here in the US, we've been hearing from people for a while that they get their drugs cheaper from Canada. I know of someone that did, and sent them an email a few months ago when my prescription insurance got maxed out and they made me pay 100% until Jan 1 when the insurance would kick in again. The person never got back to me; I actually thought about making a post here too. I wouldn't know the 1st place to look to find a legit place to buy meds from. Carla, that doctor is not doing you any favors. I have one doctor that I see once a year. I called the other day for a 30 day script because I get mine mail ordered. They called it in to my pharmacy. I don't doubt that had I asked for samples I would have gotten some.

I just discovered this thread. How are you doing, Deedee? I am sorry to read your story, and the others here, because I understand this tale so well. One thing that has not been mentioned is that anxiety and panic are physical; they are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and they are usually genetic. This affliction is not necessarily attached to menopause. I had my first panic attack in 1976 (I'll never forget it) and they are still going on (am now in my sixties). One thing that is crucial is a good therapist, preferably a psychiatrist, if you have insurance that will cover that. Because psychiatrists are MDs, they understand your entire health situation, and can prescribe the tests necessary to see what kinds of meds you can and can't handle. They also understand these meds in ways that no other therapist or doctor does. My first "therapist" was a psychiatric social worker. I was having trouble with a lot of anxiety most early mornings, as I was showering and doing my hair and makeup. This guy had me analyzing my "unhappiness" at being a woman and having to compete in the world while being "miserable" about myself. The makeup was the trigger, in his opinion. When I escaped from him and landed with a real shrink, the doc said, "Well of course you're having morning shakes; your system is running out of meds. Take the pill as soon as you get up, dissolve it under your tongue (gets into the bloodstream much faster than swallowing it), wait 10 minutes, and then shower, etc." And it worked. I am a huge believer in meds for those with debilitating panic. I take 1 1/2 mgs of Xanax every day, broken into 1/4 mg halves, which I work through during the day. I also take 30 mgs of Celexa, which for me is mainly a mood elevator. When I wailed years ago to my shrink of now 21 years that I was going to be on meds for the rest of my life, he said to think of it as being a diabetic or epileptic, conditions which could not be cured, but could be lived with. I had a high-stress career which I was determined to keep, teaching foreign language to the military, had to be "on" all the time in front of high-energy, hormone-driven soldiers, sailors, Marines, etc., and the meds enabled me to do that. Have been retired for six years and was dropping down on my meds. But in April I had the worst panic attack of my life, it sent me to an ER for an EKG, and since then, my meds are back up. And as others have mentioned, I am a sort of hermit, happiest at home, although I can get pretty jumpy just doing housework. Deedee - I understand about your feeling worst before you go out and then often being better once you're out. That's very common with people like us. Have no idea what the solution is, other than to tell oneself that it will pass. Oh, and being a perfectionist can also be a part of this syndrome. Since we can't be perfect, we are set up for seeing ourselves as failures. I don't suppose that going on disability is an option, is it? BTW, my husband takes Buspar. It helps, but not completely. He can be a nervous wreck, although to look at him you'd never know it. Wishing you good luck and a much improved situation...

Caroline, I am on Cymbalta now. I started last December and my doctor said to stay on it at least one year. When I first started it I noticed that the pain from my fibromyalgia dramatically disappeared!! It was unbelievable. The mental aspect was good too. I didn't have that overwhelming sad weepy feeling anymore. I was going through a really tough time in my life and my doctor begged me to just try this new drug. I am so glad I did. I did tell her I want to get off it at some point but I also don't want to have to take Motrin (big doses) because of the fibro pain. She said we would talk about it the next time I met with her. Oh, another good thing about it is my "emotional" eating changed. It seemed to help me not use food when I was feeling depressed and low. The only way I could explain it to my doctor was to say, "Food will always be my friend, but it's not my therapist anymore." I don't know if that's typical...but that has been my response to the drug. I hope this helps. I had to try Lexapro and Wellbutrin before finding that Cymbalta worked. So don't give up hope if this isn't a match for you. ~Susan

Hi Angie, Chronic pain is it's own brand of hell, isn't it? I have severe Crohn's disease (and, as an off shoot, a type of non-damaging arthritis and psoriasis). I understand the pain issue! You said you're disease was not progressive enough or not as of now to warrant biologics, but I wonder if it woudn't help. I take Remicade, started in Jan 2010, and though I still have some degree of pain, it wasn't enough to make me feel like just waking up was too much trouble. I had to stop Remicade back in Dec '12 due to lack of insurance--fast forwards to now, and I have pain constantly, no energy (fatigue seems like such a small word to describe how I feel), inflammation in my guts and elsewhere and sleep problems. Remember, inflammation causes fatigue, and as you probably know from experience, fatigue can muddy your cognition (I believe they call it brain fog), slow your body and generally produce a sinking malaise that threatens to take you down. Therefore, I wonder if a biologic might help with your overall pain levels? Maybe you could talk to your Rheumatologist about it? See if they have any recommendations. I feel like they would be better than a family physician in understanding how inflammation and chronic pain can affect your mental well-being. Also, when my pain is bad, my sleep is horrible. I think insomnia is the wrong word--let's just call it disordered sleeping (can't fall asleep till 5, 6 in the morning, get a migraine when I sleep past 11 am, and such nonsense). Maybe a biologic would at the very least reduce your inflammation to the point your cognition can rebound. ...(also, I understand low-low sex drive--makes one feel like a very pathetic person in a partnership. And, surprisingly, being on Remicade, for one reason or another, does help my sex drive--perhaps bc it's acting on the inflammation which is negating the inflammations usual cascade of horribleness?).