Anti-anxiety meds and the immune system

[Sharon]

I've had this question for awhile and I'd be thankful to anyone willing to share their experience:
Has anyone felt that anti-anxiety meds manage to calm down their immune system
and thereby improve their symptoms or at least prevent stress induced flares?
I'm considering trying this.
Thanks!

[irish]

I have been on these meds along with anti depressive meds for many years. I have never noticed any help in decreasing flares with the meds. I know that they help with coping with illness which is good. However, docs don't like to get to carried away with these meds. They can be very addicting and hard to get off of. I am a pill counter and am very responsible about any of the medications that I take. This is probably the only reason my doc prescribes them for me. A bottle can last me a long time. You will have to talk this over with your doctor.

If you aren't on antidepressant meds and suffer from bad anxiety you might want to talk with doctor about starting the antidepressants. Even at a low dose they reduce anxiety and help with pain, sleep and all sorts of issues. The anxiety of autoimmune disease is real and caused by physical illness which quite often needs to be treated to give us a better quality of life. Good luck. Irish

[Sharon]

Thanks irish, my GP has offered such meds before but I always refused them
even though I'm under alot of stress with all the health issues and other issues as well.
I'm not tolerant of most meds in general and many worsen my dry mouth as well.
I would seriously consider it if I thought it would calm the immune system,
but from what you say looks like it doesn't.

[Sharon]

I just found these articles:
http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/studies-show-klonopin-and-xanax-may-impair-immune-system-101612
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3203915/

Confusing...studies show these anxiety meds impair the immune system, which sounds awful
but when your immune system is hyper (like mine) it might not be a bad thing...?

[finallyadx]

Hello.  I have a prescription for ativan and have had one since my mother passed away about five years ago.  Much like another poster stated, I am very careful with the prescription and do not abuse it.  I have used it for panic attacks generally but have to say when I feel quite bad or feel like I am in a flare, I may use it a few more days than I normally would in a row and it makes me feel better.  I use the lowest dose possible and only 1 pill on any given day.  I have to say that they have been a lifesaver for me on numerous occasions.

I do know many people have a very strong opinion about them and they are not right for everyone by any means, but used carefully they can help.

I hope you find some symptom relief.

[irish]

Anxiety is very real for people with Sjogrens. Most autoimmune diseases have the component of anxiety. Lupus sufferers have a lot of anxiety and depression but Sjogrens patients seem to have more anxiety according to the literature. I am of the opinion that because the Sjogrens affects the the secreting glands it makes sense that the brain secretes less norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin which leads to the anxiety and depression.

Last visit with my psychiatrist for a med check my doc informed me that the psychiatrists are now working on the theory that depression is inflammatory in nature. I didn't tell him I told you so but I was thinking it. I didn't have all this anxiety until I started having the autoimmune symptoms . I know my meds have helped me live a more satisfying life. When you sleep better and have less depressive and anxiety symptoms life is so much better.

I do feel bad that people have trouble accepting the meds for depression cause it can make such a difference. I have been on Zoloft many years. I am drug sensitive to almost everything I take so I have to be so careful. My doc is so good about this and really easy to work with. He has helped me try many different meds and I always come back to the Zoloft. It is somewhat drying but not enough to make me quit.

The one thing about a psychiatrist to keep in mind is that you have to be able to get along with your doc. We always have to be truthful and cooperative with them. We also need to always call and inform them if we have a change in our depression so that they can lower or increase our dosages. If we try to change dosages on our own we could end up losing their trust. Psychiatrists are very concerned about our mental health and need us to interact with them in order for them to feel safe treating us. And at the same time we need to feel safe in the way they are treating our depression. Just some thoughts. It takes many years to build a really good relationship with doctors. Good luck. Irish

[AnneNeville]

I was proscribed a fairly high dose of xanex for my anxiety and was on it for two years. I do NOT recommend benzos this way! The withdrawal between doses were panic inducing, and tapering off the xanex once I decided it was backfiring was TERRIBLE. I did not return to normal for many months after my final dose, and had maddening side effects after discontinuing, such as severe tinnitus.

I am currently taking prozac, which is helping my anxiety disorder. I have a prescription for a very low dose of Klonopin, a benzo, that I can take rarely if needed.

Recently, I did experience bad joint pain shortly (within hours) after getting anxiety provoking news. I took a dose of the Klonopin and the pain did subside.

I really don't recommend benzos for regular use. Tapering off prednisone has been less terrible than getting off xanex was.

That said, prozac and Wellbutrin are in different classes and both have helped my quality of life immensely. The former helps my anxiety, the latter my depression.

[Deb 27]

Interesting topic. I have taken advil before and noticed a change in my mood. I think Irish's psychiatrist hit on something for some of us, maybe not all.  If it helps your quality of life, you might at least try an antidepressant.  Most are quite drying though, to some extent. Some worse than others. I think cymbalta was the worst for me. I don't take antidepressants anymore, I just couldn't cope with all the side effects. I never found one that I could tolerate. I hope you have better luck.

[irish]

Depression caused by inflammation is more than my psychiatrists thinking, it is the thinking of the psychiatric associations. There has been investigations into the inflammatory basis for several years. Irish

[bluegardenia]

i never wanted andidepression meds, not even when my son died, but i take some benzodiazepine that are Not antidepression, just calming and i noticed that they help when i have itching or tinnitus.

[Sharon]

Thanks for all your responses.
I agree with many of the things posted here:
Depression can be due to inflammation (there's evidence of this)
Antidepressants can improve quality of life- if you can tolerate them
Benzodiapines can help with pain, sleep and allergic reactions but can be difficult to come off of
Xanax is the moost dangerous and addictive of all benzos

[AnneNeville]

i never wanted andidepression meds, not even when my son died, but i take some benzodiazepine that are Not antidepression, just calming and i noticed that they help when i have itching or tinnitus.

Xanex is actually used to treat tinnitus, however severe long lasting tinnitus can also be a side effect of long term use of xanex. Catch-22!

[irish]

Tinnitus is also a side effect of long term use of aspirin. Years ago we treated Rheumatoid arthritis with aspirin given 4-6 times a day. It helped the arthritis but people developed stomach ulcers and ringing in the ears. For every med there is a good and bad affect. Irish

[cccourt1942]

Irish hit the nail on the head---as usual.
    One man's meat is another man's poison!  This is one reason I have stuck with my particular med cocktail!  If it ain't broke, etc.

    That being said, I've followed this thread as to I always want to be aware of what does work for others.  As I read these replies, I realized the age I was when I was first given Xanax.   I didn't equate it to age/menopause.  That's when it was given.  I took it about 2 years.  While in full blown menopause, I suffered migraines.  I can't say what these drugs did, but I know what I took:  one was an "Uptake---surely not inhibitor" but that's what I recall...and the other a "downtake inhibitor".  The combo was Zoloft and Verapamil.  And it worked.  By that time Imitrex was in pill form, so I never injected meds, and then a new one I liked best was offered:  Zomig.  AFTER the migraines were over (I had to stop taking estrogen before they stopped) but I was afraid to stop the others as i'd taken it for 3 or 4 years.  The dr agreed.  I took about 1/2 of what was taken initially..and eventually 1/4 amount.  So..I was on some amount of Zoloft for about 6 years.  I was experiencing all the SjS symptoms..but no idea anything was wrong beyond aging.  This thread makes me believe the symptoms were kept at bay by the Zoloft.  I didn't start taking Xanax again until about a year before my dx.  btw: the Xanax was (and is) always taken for sleep.  Once or twice I may have taken one during the day for one reason or another.  The first few years I took it (each time) I used it 2 to 3 times a week. Now?  I use it a minimum of 5 nights a week.  I take .50mg.  btw:  it does help w' stuff ya'll have mentioned like tolerating the tinnitus, worrying about issues as I would try to fall asleep (usually something to do with SjS), etc.   
      I guess the symptomatology over the years did result in meds which helped without the dr's or my awareness of real culprit.  If I didn't take so many meds, I would ask for Zoloft again.  and one more thing:  I have a plethora of physicians (as do all of you)...and EVERY ONE asks two questions:  1) Have you fallen recently, and 2) are you depressed.  I always laugh (to myself) thinking IF ONLY those were my only probs.  Then I realize, those ARE big probs with chronic disease and aging.

     Hang in there girls.  You appear to be finding your medication salad!
ccc
     

[Sharon]

C3- Don't the antidepressants and Xanax worsen your dryness?
BTW, whenever I'm asked by doctors if I'm depressed I'm thinking:
"Come on! Is it possible NOT to be depressed when you have 2 AI diseases?!"