# how do you stop constant racing thoughts???



## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

I posted this in the medication section as well... but I am hoping some more ppl can give some insight or advice on this topic:S:S:S
I think its the anxiety that is causing it, but my racing thoughts are keeping me living inside my head It makes me feel totally inable to be in the present or feel attached to anything. Does anyoen know what meds might help STOP racing thoughts? Is this anxiety based? Also what helps bring back EMOTION? I want to feel love, happiness, and excitment 
again I just want to love the things i use to and feel warm and fuzzy again... after two years of being numb and anxious i would do anything for these feelings back and to stop these racing thoughts! I am thinking of starting an SSRI but i dont know if they would acutally help stop racing thoughts...?


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## jeremy (Apr 28, 2006)

Taking meds will not bring you back love, happiness and excitement. The only thing that will do that is changing your beliefs and thought patterns about life. To think that taking the "magic pill" will give us back all these positive aspects of our lives is like banging our heads against a wall. Are you ready to take responsibility and control for your life....or is it too scary right now??


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## walkingdead (Jan 28, 2006)

no


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

Benzodiazepines!!!! Ativan/Lorazepam will stop your racing thoughts. Two weeks is all you need to calm you down, clear your head, and back to normal!!!


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Yup a benzo would definatly help matters there. They are the best meds for when you need to calm down right now. Ssri's make some people worse in the short term.

Benzos wont solve all your problems but they can atleast help you deal with them with a clearer head.


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## jeremy (Apr 28, 2006)

On a natural note I would recommend Cherry Plum, Sweet Chestnut and White Chestnut (Bach Flower Remedies). A couple of days taking these you will definetely notice a difference. No side effects too.

or benzos by the looks of things if your into meds.....


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

thansk for all your repl;ys! I totally agree with you jeremy that ther is no "magic pill" (although wouldnt it be gerat if there was!) I am in CBT to try and change my thinking patterns and cope with this disorder better and it is slowly (although VERY slowly) working. Buteven my counsellor agrees it is a long road with CBT and that sometimes meds give u the boost u need until CBT can take full effect and u can get off of them... thats her view at least.

And i hope she is right because i really feel i need a bit of a break from this. And my life is going ot fall apart if i cant pull things together... relationships and firednships are falling apart left right and center because icant feel anything for anyone I think benzo's sounds like soemthing i should at least try... i pray they can help these racing thoughts so i can come back to reality for a bit:S Are there any SSRI's that are good for anxiety or it sounds like benzos are more effective? Do ppl find their mood boosts when the anxiety subsides or does the depression still remain??


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

thansk for all your repl;ys! I totally agree with you jeremy that ther is no "magic pill" (although wouldnt it be gerat if there was!) I am in CBT to try and change my thinking patterns and cope with this disorder better and it is slowly (although VERY slowly) working. Buteven my counsellor agrees it is a long road with CBT and that sometimes meds give u the boost u need until CBT can take full effect and u can get off of them... thats her view at least.

And i hope she is right because i really feel i need a bit of a break from this. And my life is going ot fall apart if i cant pull things together... relationships and firednships are falling apart left right and center because icant feel anything for anyone I think benzo's sounds like soemthing i should at least try... i pray they can help these racing thoughts so i can come back to reality for a bit:S Are there any SSRI's that are good for anxiety or it sounds like benzos are more effective? Do ppl find their mood boosts when the anxiety subsides or does the depression still remain??


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

shootingstar said:


> thansk for all your repl;ys! I totally agree with you jeremy that ther is no "magic pill" (although wouldnt it be gerat if there was!) I am in CBT to try and change my thinking patterns and cope with this disorder better and it is slowly (although VERY slowly) working. Buteven my counsellor agrees it is a long road with CBT and that sometimes meds give u the boost u need until CBT can take full effect and u can get off of them... thats her view at least.
> 
> And i hope she is right because i really feel i need a bit of a break from this. And my life is going ot fall apart if i cant pull things together... relationships and firednships are falling apart left right and center because icant feel anything for anyone I think benzo's sounds like soemthing i should at least try... i pray they can help these racing thoughts so i can come back to reality for a bit:S Are there any SSRI's that are good for anxiety or it sounds like benzos are more effective? Do ppl find their mood boosts when the anxiety subsides or does the depression still remain??


Benzos are more effective in the short term because they have an immediate calming effect. Don't take them continuously for more than three weeks. Stay away from Xanax (risk for dependency) but try a longer lasting benzo; my favorite is Lorazepam. I take it maybe once every two months, and only half a pill. SSRI'S......hhhmm....Lexapro and Celexa seem to work well according to the anxiety "community", but some like Paxil can actually induce more anxiety. It all depends because everybody reacts differently.


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## peacedove (Aug 15, 2004)

Klonopin, another benzo, also helps with racing thoughts.

Have you been on any meds before?


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

i have taken one antidepressant (Celexa) before about 9 montsh ago. I took it for about 3 months but found it did very little I guess i gave up too quickly though.. i decided meds would do nothing, but now i am hearing i need ot try different ones. I think i am going ot ask about combinign an antidepressant and benzo to hopefully tackle both the lack of emotion and the racing thoughts!


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

You mentioned having been on Celexa for a while without any real signs of improvement. You might want to talk to your doctor/psychiatrist about tricyclic anti-depressants. They belong to an older group of medications since they have been around for a while and they took a back seat because of the popularity of SSRI's in the late 1980's. Tricyclics usually have more side effects as opposed to SSRI's--although some people claim that the side effects ar worse for SSRI's--but a lot of experts believe that they are actually more effective than SSRI's, especially for people suffering from a combination of anxiety/depression.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

I am currently on amitriptyline which is probley the most popular of the tricyclic anti-depressants. I originally started taking it for chronic pain but it also does wonders for my depression and insomnia. This med is by far the best thing ive tried to get rid of insomnia.

Amitriptyline gets abit of a bad rap because some people cant tollerate the side effects such as dry mouth and daytime drowsiness. I am currently on 150mg taken before bedtime, which is a pretty high dose. The only complaint i have about this med is the awful dry mouth it gives me in the morning. I dont get any daytime drowsiness at all so other then the dry mouth it gives me no side effects.

The only other anti-depressant ive taken is effexor and i hated the stuff. I couldnt eat, sleep or have a sex life. Plus it gave me a constant headache. The one thing i really like about amitriptyline is the fact that it causes no sexual side effects for me. The ssri's and effexor are notorious for causing sexual dysfunction.

You may want to try a tricyclic. Theres no way of telling how you will react to it untill you try it. If you have depression with insomnia tricyclics might just be the ticket. They have fallen out of favour with doctors as of late because ssri's have pretty much taken over the market. But there is some evidence to suggest that tricyclics are more effective then ssri's in treating major depression, especially the kind of depression where agitation and insomnia are prevelant.

All the same even though it did wonders for my depression and insomnia, it didnt do jack shit for my anxiety or dp/dr. Thats why im on the clonazepam. Which has basically saved my life.


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