Anxiety Medication

do you take medication for anxiety?

what has worked?
I am extremely skeptical.
i have found much much more results from psychotherapy.

 

i've tried a handful. the long term stuff (SSRI, SNRI, etc.) either seem to not do anything or make me depressed on top of the anxiety.

benzos have worked for me (ativan, clonazepam) as a short term solution to help deal with a panic attack.

overall the things that have helped most are healthy living (exercise, eating well, making sure things like iron, B12, vitamin D are all sufficient) and cognitive behavioural therapy.

 

I've been prescribed Xanax since '08, and it has helped. But that by itself isn't enough. Preparing in advance for stressful situations also helps. An example would be something like keeping my car maintained so that it's less likely to break down suddenly, causing me to blow a gasket myself. Saving money each month so that I have an emergency fund if something unexpected occurs. Carefully choosing the people I hang out with. Hanging with cheerful, positive people in itself is better than a drug. I can't stand bitchy, whiny people who always look at the dark side of things. Doing things that relax me. A good book or movie, for example. I also get a kick from preparing meals. That can be even better than eating it. Just simple things like that can significantly reduce the anxiety level in your life.

 

Nothing has worked for my panic attacks except for benzoes... I was rx'd benzoes for years for panic disorder and also phobias that cause panic attacks (driving on certain highways for one).. but just what eggsprog said... those other things have worked better for me in the long term. I've been off the meds for over a year now and I do sometimes still feel like I could use one ... like when I recently got onto a highway with a lot of traffic and I could feel the panic coming on and in that situation it is SCARY cause you can't just freeze... but once you start taking them long term then you need them and if you don't take them, the anxiety and panic gets worse and worse... so i'd def say they are great for short term but be careful with for long term...
the things that work otherwise are... say you're afraid of driving on a highway- well, you make yourself drive near the highway or drive onto the highway and then get off after one exit and then after two exits and you keep doing it... oh, if it's really bad you visualize yourself doing those things first...
and yes, the taking care of yourself. anxiety is more likely to occur if you are not sleeping well, or not eating well or not getting enough of a certain nutrient or super stressed or too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar... so, you balance your body and it really goes a long way to balance your mind.
also, telling yourself that is just anxiety and it cannot hurt you and learning to work through the anxiety instead of eliminating it works wonders. work on your breathing, etc.
oh and distraction is the best way to get out of a panic attack w.out benzoes... that and breathing NORMAL.. not long and slow...

 

I take two benzo's, Xanax and clonazepam. I have been since 04'ish and has always helped. Sometimes a large dose is required and some small.

I ride motocross and gncc, But Im afraid of heights and im tall on top of that. Couple foot off the ground and im done. But I love to ride fast and jump sometimes and the occasional 'airing it out big' is a thrill/adrenalin spike, But at the same time going nuts in the helmet about the next 'jump' lol.

I also hate large crowds but have to be around them. Its hard for me to find true peace to where I can let my guard completely down and relax, Always something going on or being pulled another direction.

But with the right balance of it all along with meds when needed, I manage. The best thing I have found to stop a 'panic attack' from creeping in, Is always have a cold drink with you. Water, Soda etc anything but energy drinks and the like.
A cold fountain soda has saved me many times, But I guess its also 'in the head too' lol.

 

Yeah, i agree in a huge way.
living a very simple slow life and enjoying simple things eases my as much as anything...

i am FUCKING EXTREMELY skeptical of that.....
if having a sip of cold water could stop panic attacks i would know by now.
when i was a kid and shitting my pants multiple times in public, and throwing up on my dad at the hockey game... i was so fucking far beyond trying DRINKING WATER.




i have taken many many anti-anxiety meds,
so far they have all made me feel worse or uncomfortably strange.
although i do drink a massive amount,
and that is not going to stop.
so meds have to take that into consideration.

i have been dealing with anxiety forever,
i am only interested in people who have long-term success /consistency with meds-
like 10, 15 years ++

 

Lexapro 20 mg
Wellbutrin 150 mg
Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day

 

I've never been prescribed anything for anxiety but I used to have a pharmacist friend that would hook me up with xanax. I always took them carefully, probably more conservatively than a doctor would have even prescribed - just .25 or .5 at a time (well, except when I was 16 and stealing xanies from my mom....then of course I was just looking to get fucked up) and never for more than a couple of weeks at a time. I used them as a way to level me out long enough to get my head straight so that I could eventually take control of my anxiety myself without them.

I think benzos are a horrible long-term solution and its sad so many doctors prescribe them as a long term solution, but they definitely help short term.

Exercise helps me control my anxiety a lot but more than anything I've just experienced a complete paradigm shift and don't really get anxiety much anymore. I've really learned through meditation (of sorts, I had to find something to meditate ON, nature in my case, because traditional meditation never worked for me) how to live in the moment and focus on exactly what I need to focus on in any given moment, nothing more.

 

Lamotrigine is a great drug. Truly, it has helped me so much. Instead of being intense all the time, I can calm down, and enjoy how my mind works and how I fit with the world.

I also use effexor for depression, and lorazepam for extreme anxiety.

And I smoke pot! It gives me a positive attitude.

I'm very fit as well and working off stress outside exhausting myself is great.

 

Was on a baseline dose of 9mg of Xanax and 6mg Klonopin a day for 8 years (so I usually took more then that) for anxiety. Tapered off that dose in 4 1/2 months. Been off them for 5 months, I literally went to hell and back coming off those.

I would seriously suggest only take benzos occasionally, if at all. Psychotherapy is the best long term solution.

 

All benzos work similarly..xanax and valium are effective at treating anxiety but clonazepam is probably a wiser choice if it's everyday anxiety and not just certain situations, I think it's less likely to cause serious addiction as it's not really much of a buzz compared to other benzos and it doesn't give this yoyo effect of being calm and carefree then nervous and edgy when it wears off. SSRI's can work also, mirtazipine also good. That said, you should only take the meds while receiving CBT at the same time..all they bad do is relieve the symptoms, CBT is the only permanant solution

 

I'm currently prescribed 8mg of xanax per day for anxiety and insomnia. It definitely works, but tolerance builds quickly and, if I should happen to run out of pills before I can get a refill, the withdrawal symptoms can be hellish.

 

I'm on busprone three times daily. I have horrid panic attacks, and it seems to be helping a lot.

 

They first put me on Lexapro which made me feel like a lifeless robot. They then switched me to abilify and pristiq. They worked, sure. But couldn't even smoke weed when I was on them, constant headaches. I ditched all meds within a month or two and yeah, I'm still depressed but hey, at least now I can smoke, trip, do whatever to make it better. I will tell you this, I would never recommend anyone any anti depressants.

Oh and I was getting xanax too, which now I use whenever I'm in an anxious situation or when I'm coming down. I'd never recommend abusing it too much though. I was constantly tired and hitting the bed whenever I got bored.

 

Ive been prescribed xanax, clonazepam, and ssri's at different times. I was an addict so I wanted to get high but I also had anxiety very bad. The ssris help some after they get builkt up in your system. The benzos are excellent for panic attacks, but are addicting. I've found that when you are going through it to take what you have to when you are weak. When you get stronger and start changing and watching your thoughts more it gets better. Meditation helps too, I put my attention on the space between thought(the void) and just keep bringing it back when you become aware it has strayed. With patience and perseverance it is the best anxiety cure. The Self. If you take a benzo I would recommend etizolam just because the withdrawal is not as bad to me as the others. I hate coming off of benzos

 

Seems now a days, anti anxiety meds are prescribed for most anything not to do with pain. What the hell did people do to function in generations before? The PC mentality of today has pushed us into believing that unless we act like robots, showing no emotions, we need to be on medications for anxiety. Its complete overload, which as in information overload, could be why most can't cope with normal day to day without help!

 

I agree with that. The same technology that was designed to help make our lives easier has us scurrying around like ants in a colony. Everything we do is fast-paced, and it gets on our nerves and makes us more aggressive. Just take 5 seconds too long when a traffic light turns green and see how the driver behind you responds. Take something as simple as shopping. I remember a time when shopping was a pleasant experience. Now that the big retailers have taken the market we're shopping in huge supercenters packed with pissed-off people. Christmas shopping has become a nightmare. It's no wonder so many people are on meds.

 

ive tried every kind of pharm under the sun for anxiety/depression: all kinds of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, and a few oddballs. benzos have helped me out way more than anything else. after trying a few different ones i ended up on clonazepam. It has worked so well for me for anxiety and insomnia. truly a godsend. Really all i can say is that in my experience i had to try a lot of different medication to find out what worked for me. Anxiety is the worst, i hope you find relief.

 

what did people do before anxiety meds? they drank, a lot.

 

Hammer meets nail head!

Up until the earily 80's, Almost everyone had a flask or had a small bottle at work if they drank. Wasn't un-common for a couple beers on lunch, Now you are a drunk and need help!

Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's people drank whiskey all day. As more 'civilization' came the less people carried around and drank.
I don't drink at all, But come from a long line of alcoholic's. Im sure if I didn't have my med's, I would smoke even more smoke and pick up drinking the whole time im awake.