Anxiety medication and antidepressants
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 11 years ago and then anxiety and depression soon after my diabetes diagnosis, now my question is, how many of you felt overwhelmed and scared when diagnosed with diabetes. I was trying to talk to my doctor back then how I was feeling about my diabetes this was about 3 weeks after diagnoses and he put me on antidepressant and anti anxiety meds. I don’t think it was depression. At the time I was newly diagnosed and have been told these are normal feelings of what I’ve read. I am still on the medications. And have been told that I should not have been on the anti anxiety meds this long because I could get dependant on it and it’s very hard to get off because of withdrawl, and the same with the antidepressant, I have tried to wean off the anti anxiety med but couldn’t because of the withdrawl. And same with the antidepressant. Has anyone else gone through this. Please tell me how you were getting off these meds. Was it hard to sleep when you were weaning off, because that was my problem.
Hi
. I have not been on antidepressants/anxiety meds, but some of my children have. The first time one child wanted to get off them, we went by the doctor's six-week schedule for tapering. It was a disaster, an emotional rollercoaster for about three months after the last dose. He ended up going back on it. The second time, we decided to go by our own schedule, reducing the 125 mg dose little by little (sometimes as little as 12.5 mg) over a year's time. In the beginning, we waited a good two months to reduce it again. There were no issues at all. For the next child, we again created our own tapering schedule and it was successful. You should never ever taper faster than a doctor's recommendation, but most doctor will agree to a slow schedule. If not, I would really want to know why. I can see why sleep would be a problem as you weaned off. Sleepiness is a common side effect of antidepressants. Here is an article from our sister community for people with insomnia with some natural treatments and therapies that might help: https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/home-remedies. I hope you get some good input from the community as well. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member) I totally get that, getting diagnosed can be really scary. A lot of people feel that way at first. Weaning off meds can be tough, especially with sleep issues. It’s usually something that’s done slowly with a doctor’s guidance, along with support like therapy or other coping strategies. Sleep can improve over time. Hang in there.
That sounds like a really heavy experience, especially with everything happening so quickly after your diagnosis. A lot of people feel overwhelmed and scared at the beginning, so you are definitely not alone in that.
When it comes to medications, many people share that tapering can be challenging, especially with sleep and other symptoms. It usually takes time and patience, and having a gradual plan can really help.
Some people find it helpful to go slowly, track how they are feeling, and check in regularly with a provider they trust. Others lean on routines, support systems, or therapy along the way.
You are not alone in this. It might help to hear from others too. For those who have gone through tapering, what made the process feel more manageable?
