Have PTSD, Panic Attacks, Anxiety. Taking Klonopin, Ritalin. Have Heavy Breathing, Nausea, Feeling Scared. Help

Posted on Tue, 27 Aug 2013

Question: Im a 59 yr old male,panic/anxiety/ptsd/ gad/35 yrs.suffered fear all waking hours/chest would be sore in morni ng from racinging pounding heart.Began in military. Lasted 10yrs this severe, I wanted to die.Eased up but could still not laugh and enjoy life, wanted to stay home. Finally these diseases were being taken more seriously, but at 40 I had a colon cancer scare and it came back and colon was ok but i had started fearing the fear I felt and and 8 more yrs trying everything , 5 mile walks 2 mile run drugs. finally seen a Doctor who had himself experienced constant fear and anxiety and he put me on 3 mg klonipin and 2 anti dep.. in about a year i started getting and in a few year s i felt decent, still afraid to go on a trip w/o klonipin but i was getting better at this, but then once in a while i would have a severe bout of fatigue and would work hard and exercise vigerously and it would stop.4 yrs later with afew bouts in between and divorce finally coming to end next mo.,Im on 20mg ritalin, 20 mg.velafaxine, 2.5 mg olanzapine ,40 mg olanzaoine, 40 mg omeprazole .
Im so exausted ,breathng is heavier if I do manage to get off of couch and make myself walk/im disabled with this and back.oh also 4 mg.dilaudid for back. But never had any trouble taking these drugs before.My docto will be mad but I have to take 5 -20mg methyldate to keep staying on couch and going to store.have constant nausea and a little fear mixed in most of the time too. Dont know how much more I can take , I want to give up now, my whole life has been like this, im very tired of it. Is there help? Also I sleep sound but more dream's lately.

Answered by Dr. Payman Hajiazim (1 hour later)

Hi there, thanks for asking. The reason for your tiredness could be the sleep problems. Let me know how is your sleep. Methylphenidate that you take to stay awake and go to work, can affect the sleep quality at night. Also venlafaxine has been known to affect the sleep. You can talk with your doctor to adjust your medications and other things for your health to have a better sleep-wake cycle. Your back problems can also affect your sleep and can cause more tiredness during the day. Let me know if you have other query. I wish you a good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Payman Hajiazim (11 minutes later)

What kind of an answer was that ? I told you i slept sound

Answered by Dr. Payman Hajiazim (4 minutes later)

Hi there, that is true. you feel that you sleep well. However, there are some measures which could be done by doctors and they will know how much a sleep is efficient. It is known that ritalin and venlafaxine can affect the sleep quality. Any solution that helps you to decrease the dose of your medications will help you. You can ask your doctor for solitary talk sessions or group therapy for the issues you that affect the anxiety. Then you can have less tiredness with a new dose of medications.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar