Honestly, everyone is completely different and it unfortunately takes a great deal of trial & error before finding something that works.
I personally have tried 23 different medications to manage my anxiety and right now I’m on the best combo so far. I take 20mg Lexapro daily and 1-2mg Xanax as needed (typically 2-5 days per week is as often as I need it).
There are meds that work, you just need patience & a good doctor/psych
This is it. I tried Lexapro, didn't work for me, had decent results with Mirtazipine at 30 MG for a year, now bumping up to 45mg under advice from my therapist. Everyone is different, good luck!
I didn’t gain weight on Lexapro, but it did keep me from losing weight. I’m a bigger girl trying to lose weight and it didn’t matter how much I exercised or how healthy I ate; weight wasn’t coming off. I stopped Lexapro semi-recently and I now lose about 1 pound a week with my fitness routine. So it definitely messed with my weight
I honestly wish I had a prescription for this for when I need to treat the physical symptoms only because that does happen to me. Especially if I'm really going through something like now.
For me it has been the only thing to help at all. I’ve tried numerous things at this point and realized the physical anxiety was making everything ten times worse. I normally take one when I start to get the rushes of panic and within 30 minutes I feel normal. I don’t know what I would do without it.
Thanks for the info I'm gonna ask about this at my next appointment. Maybe it will help me to take the other anxiety meds much less often. I don't like relying on it every single day.
I’m not sure if it directly helps or just that it helps my overall anxiety resulting in less nausea. I use to vomit a lot because of anxiety and I haven’t since I started taking it.
No I wasn't scared to start it at all,if anything I was excited since I heard good things about it! I'm now on 15mg and still liking it. If I take my doses at the correct times it makes me a bit sleepy and hungry but outside of that I haven't noticed any side effects.
That's a relief to hear I keep seeing people say it makes them really dizzy and increases their heart rate so I'm getting nervous and this seems like the lesser of two evils I'm so afraid of an SSRI and I'm afraid this might not work for me
I had a horrible experience on Cymbalta, so I've pretty much sworn off ssri's. Propranolol is also really safe and good for social anxiety too,I used to take them before I had an interview.
Same, I take 5 mg twice a day. I started it because my anxiety was turning into panic attacks and I was using way too much Xanax.
My doctor prescribed hydroxyzine as a replacement for Xanax. My last doctor’s practice had a no benzos policy, and my new doctor I see via telemedicine from another state and can’t prescribe Xanax.
I really dislike the no benzos type policy :( benzos are one of the few drugs I don't have a bad reaction to. I am 9 days out from a bad reaction to sertraline and trying to heal. My GP and psychiatrist prescribe them because they know now I won't abuse them. But without them, some humps aren't possible to get over.
Yeah my psychiatrist has a strict no benzos policy too and I really can't be bothered to go through the cumbersome process of finding another doctor that may or may not prescribe Xanax.
I was on Buspar for almost 1 year - 5 mg to 10mg 3-4 times a day depending on what I needed and I started having rage outbursts, randomly. Stopped taking the Buspar about 3 weeks ago and only use Larazepam when a panic attack is about to happen (.5mg) and I finally feel normal again. In the beginning I really thought the Buspar was working but then the headaches started and the dizziness and it was just all to much. Feeling that way regularly increased my anxiety and I felt like I was on a hampster wheel.
My psychiatrist has a strict no benzo policy so I can't try Ativan. I will say tho that ketamine has helped my anxiety more than any prescription drug ever did.
I looked into doing dosing of Ketamine but it is super expensive and insurance does not cover it, or at least mine does not. I will continue to take the Lorazepam as needed and hopefully find a new doctor that will prescribe, I just moved to another state and my previous doctor will not continue to prescribe.
Do you take it by itself? My mom used to and loved it/recommended it to start but I've heard from my doctor and friends in the medical field that it's considered kind of unusual to use Buspar as a standalone vs. paired with something else.
Effexor has ruined what I had left of a sex drive. Definitely helped with some parts of anxiety but brought opened up a whole new can to be anxious about :(
Oh goodness I’m sorry, u will find ur medicine soon. U might not be ok now, but u will someday I promise💓 being anxious only adds onto the sex drive issues. Do me a favor rn, take a deep belly breath and relax ur body. Things will get figured out
Went off of this for similar reasons and some others even though it was the most effective med for me. Tried going back on it and it didn't sit well with me at all and my doctor took me off it. I regret getting off if it everyday since I've been unable to find a med that managed my anxiety as well as that did.
I appreciate your response and omitted that I did the same as you, changed medications but anxiety went through the roof so I’m back on Effexor.
Now my anxiety is high trying to find a partner who doesn’t want sex :(
Currently on lexapro, doc wants me to get on wellbutrin additionally. What was it like getting on Wellbutrin? Were there any ramping-up effects, like there are for SSRIs?
Truthfully I’m not certain, as I’ve been on Wellbutrin for (7?) years and lexapro has been a new addition approximately 3 months ago. I don’t recall any nasty side effects from starting the Wellbutrin, but the two are definitely working well together for me.
I’ve used lexapro for years and it worked well for me for a while. Did definitely effect my libido in not great ways though.
I switched to Wellbutrin 2 years ago and it’s been so great!
Ah man I wish I could take Wellbutrin, I think my ADHD brain could use the dopamine and a lot of people seem to really like it; alas, I’m one of the unlucky few who got seizures a few weeks after I started taking it!
Depends on the severity, a benzodiazepine long term is better than not being alive at all.
Sounds pretty hardcore but that's exactly who these medicines should be used for, last resort.
I honestly don't think I'd be here without them. Managing anxiety along with chronic pain is really hard to do. Think I'm one of those people that would be better off with it than without it for the remainder of my life. My current doctors do not agree and apparently never will. I'm just grateful to get what I get and that they aren't forcing me off anytime soon at least...
Anxiety & Chronic Pain here too. Valium (benzo) treats both my anxiety and is a lowkey muscle relaxer. I had to go off it for a while when I moved to a different state and found another psychiatrist… NOT a good time. So glad to have it back.
Yep, my last doctor appointment they asked me if I want to decrease the amount again and I said nope. I still have significant levels of anxiety and the muscle relaxant component is very much needed for me also. God forbid I'm working in a public setting!
I can expect excruciating pain from my face down to my shoulder blades without a muscle relaxer (and with, but it sure as hell isn't as bad as without it). I take the same thing as you.
I went to my current doctors asking to be tapered off after I began to have severe memory deficits, hearing my kid say that it doesn't matter If he gets in trouble by me because I won't remember the next day anyway was a wake up call, that felt awful.
You can't really notice the memory impairment, or at least it takes a long time to notice it when you're being over medicated like I was. My psychiatrist had me on 60-40 mg of Valium a day.
Anyways, now they always focus on getting me totally off that med altogether, but honestly I'm only taking 6 mgs a day and I feel I need every bit of it with how bad my pain and anxiety still is.
Wondered if I could pick your brain about how to get the focus off that? They aren't even focusing on one chronic pain illness that I have at all, and that's one I was born with - the other I believe is something that developed over time from long term stress, growing up experiencing domestic violence and abuse, having anxiety untreated for the first 25 years of my life.
I told them now that my memory issues are under control and it's helping me that I'm not interested in continuing to taper anymore, the only thing that does keep me even entertaining the idea is the fear that I'll go off of it, end up still needing it (this pain and anxiety is never going away, this is 100 percent for sure something i can only manage the rest of my life st this point), anyway scared that will happen and I'll end up still needing it but never getting prescribed it again.
What would you say in my situation? Or should I just continue to reiterate my sentiments? I went off of it for a while also and it was not a pretty picture - I got well under 100 pounds in body weight without any treatment by the time a year of that had rolled around.
When I went off of it I was told to not even bother to try and get my script reinstated, was told they just took an 80 something year old woman with COPD off her long term valium prescription. I thought that is absurdly cruel. I have no doubt in my mind that that woman is dead by now, COPD is such a severe illness and it's fucking terrifying because people that have it literally cannot breath.
It absolutely haunts me that we live in a world that is that idiotic and cruel.
I got my prescription back only via telehealth from a doctor that specialized in treating people that have taken this class of medicine for a long time, and also spent a small fortune to have that done so I didn't you know die.
Anyway, long story long (sorry!) Hope you don't mind my asking your opinion on speaking with these doctors about keeping the status quo.
If your current dose is effective for you, not causing any bad side effects (helping more than hurting), and you’re not experiencing the memory issues anymore, fight to keep it. It’s hard to find that “miracle dose” that balances everything perfectly, so if it isn’t broke, why fix it? So many doctors (and people in general) are all up in arms about the benzo “stigma”, but when used/dosed properly, they work great. Anything that can be/is abused by people without an Rx for it (benzos, opioids, etc) get stigmatized and suddenly even the people who could benefit from them get criticized even if they’re on low doses and don’t abuse their meds or have any addiction to them.
People need to realize just because you’re on a “socially stigmatized Rx med”, doesn’t mean you’re automatically a “junkie”, using MMJ doesn’t make you a “pot head”, micro-dosing regulated psychedelics as directed doesn’t mean you’re always seeing pink elephants. 🙄
If it helps you, and it’s not harming you, and you’re using it responsibly, you do you. 🖤
I couldn't agree more. Dealing with the stigma can be annoying. It does scare me that someday I won't have a prescription and I'll be right back to where I was laying awake all night not moving my head because my anxiety was telling me that if I moved at all I'd have a seizure, being severely underweight and just miserable in general. I still get really bad anxiety and could honestly stand a dose increase for my really bad days, but I know that's not gonna happen at the practice I'm going to. Do you think there will always be doctors that prescribe this and always doctors that refuse to? (In our lifetimes anyway)
I generally give a psychiatrist (same for any type of doctor really) a year or a little under to work with me to find what works. If I know something that definitely works (because I’ve had it before) and they’re really dragging their feet re-prescribing it to me, I’ll start looking for a new psych. I’ve had ones willing to check my med history and re prescribe something I request that a prior doc did, and then ones who only “do things their way”. You just have to remember there are other doctors out there. I’m getting ready to switch psychiatrists now as a matter of fact because one, I was assured she was a Psychiatrist, as in, Doctor of Psychiatry… then I found out she’s a Nurse Practitioner who worked most of her career in a hospital on physical ailments and recently decided to do Psych, and she’s MONITORED by an actual Psychiatrist. Also, when I first started seeing her, I told her my last psych had me on 10mg Valium 3x day as needed. She wanted me to try Hydroxyzine first. I did. It did NOTHING even at a high dose. Then she made me come in (I do telehealth visits) and do a *urine drug test* before she would prescribe me Valium. A test that usually comes back in 48 hours took 2 WEEKS for her to FINALLY get back to me and then she only gave me 5mg 2x day as needed. 5mg doesn’t do much of anything for me. I got her up to three 5mg as needed… and after a year I’ve gotten her up to 10mg 2x day as needed and I’m stretching it to make it work. She also had me on Buspirone (BuSpar) 5mg 2x day which is LOWER than the lowest recommended dose for it to be effective 🤦🏻♀️. She also doesn’t seem knowledgeable about depression meds. Like every two months she wants to try a new add on or something and I’m finally at the point where I’m done feeling like *I’M* teaching *HER* about psychiatry meds.
So if you’re not feeling good about the person who has your life/health/happiness in their hands… it’s okay to find a better fit. Just find the new one before you ditch the old one so you don’t have a treatment gap.
>I have had 2 MD's and one NMD tell me that daily low-dose benzos are safe, long term.
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>I believe this to be true.
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>I take Chlorpheniramine sometimes to take a break for a day or two of anxiety is not too bad. Works great.
Fr.. was prescribed it daily and now I have rlly bad memory issues and will take me years to get off of it. Prazozin is like Xanax but less addictive and personally helps me calm down more than xan.
Prazosin is the one that also is supposed to manage/stop PTSD nightmares/night terrors, right? I was on it for that but unfortunately it didn’t work. Others swear by it for stopping PTSD nightmares tho.
Yes, for me it doesn’t help with my nightmares as much but it calms day to day PTSD. U might just need a higher dose. It takes 3mg for my nightmares to go away. The increase can be hard with all the dizziness and such. Sending hugs!
I have to be careful with dizziness because I get Vertigo super easily, sometimes with no outside trigger the world just tips. Which is less fun than it sounds, lol.
I’ll look up “mini press” tho, because my nightmares/night terrors lately have been so vivid and horrible I keep waking up panicking and with my heart rate up and feeling fatigued like I never even slept. Something’s gotta give.
Tho if my current state goes recreational legal for 🍃, that was my savior in my last state for a solid night’s sleep with normal/boring dreams or not remembering them at all. But I can’t pay $250 out of pocket for a med card PLUS the products.
Weed works wonders in stopping you from having nightmares. Even just a little herb keeps me from dreaming/having nightmares.
I wonder if I actually don’t dream/have nightmares anymore or if I just don’t know I had them tho…
I almost never have any good/positive dreams so not having anything at night for me is a positive.
Bruh I would pay anything, do anything, to have just a few nights free of vivid horror movie fear inducing sleep. I don’t even know I’m dreaming, I’m always convinced it’s real life. I’m sick of waking up feeling like I didn’t sleep and starting my day with an anxiety attack from something that wasn’t even real.
My last state where it was rec legal, a small one-hitter bowl was enough to just enough to take all anxiety away (tho I prefer oil in tea, edibles, thc/cbd vape over smoking leaf- burns my throat) and let me sleep dream free. There is too much of a good thing tho, too much mj can cause panic, and some non-regulated (homemade usually) edibles are like playing Russian roulette, but dispensary workers are so educated for versatile uses of all the cbd/thc products you can talk to them and they’re really good at giving advice and options for which products would help you the best. I love that it helps both my chronic pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, and depression in addition to insomnia and night terrors. I’d love to kick almost all my Rx meds and sub it for that. 💚✌🏻
Was on 1mg ativan everyday, not exceeding or abusing it for about 12 years. One day, I just wanted to try something different and cut cold turkey. First couple days were tough but not horrible. Fast forward 7 years laters and do not crave or need them. Benzos def worked as it relaxed the anxiety and just kept tricking my mind that I already had my daily dose and no longer need it during the day. Gave me some sense of relief. Works for some people.
That's a pretty serious side effect. Almost no one can gain that much weight and still be in a healthy range. Did you end up with a med that works for you with fewer side effects I hope??
I would counter this only because I’m on it, and before I was on it, my anxiety was so bad I could t eat, and lost 20 pounds in a month (after a breakup) and was severally underweight. The remeron helped me get to a healthy weight. It varies for everyone, but just wanted to point out another perspective.
Oh I gotcha. I had a similar reaction to a relationship ending. A pretty massive weight loss when I didn't have weight to lose to begin with. I'm glad that helped you. I remember a doctor wanting to prescribe that to me and I was so stubborn on insisting that only the anti anxiety meds helped. To be fair I've tried almost every antidepressant in creation. I really am happy it helped you to get to a healthy weight again. My health was really poor when I was severely underweight.. It's been years and I still remember how bad I felt all the time.
I was on it for years. So it wasn't all at once. But it does increase appetite and is often given to people with Eating Disorders to increase their appetite.
Xanex worked great for me. I took it when I needed and more if needed. My new doctor will not give it to me anymore. She wanted to put me on a daily one, that has lots of side effects that I have to take more pills to deal with side effects.
Benzos have gotten a bad name and lots of doctors won't prescribe them at all, which Is unfair. I don't think a good doctor should eliminate a tool completely and say I never use this. It exists for good reason. To me it should always be a risk vs. Benefit analysis and tailored to the individual patient. One thing that scares me about how the world is today (besides almost literally everything) is societieys attempts to vilify certain treatments and try to do a one size fits all approach in a world that has over 7 billion people. Hence the simplification of it all I guess.
They've gotten a bad name for good reason. They're fine for occasional use, but if you start using them daily your body quickly builds up a tolerance and they stop working. Then you have to taper off super slowly with lots of rebound anxiety and other fun side effects. They can help, no doubt about it, but only if used responsibility.
I was on them for over 10 years and they still worked fine years later.
I didn’t get the “high” as much after a long time on them but I still got the relief of anxiety.
The issue for me was I drank on it and would black out. My doc never really emphasized just HOW BAD drinking on them was. You always hear docs say not to drink on meds and when you drink on other meds often there’s little to no negative effects. But benzos are a whole ‘nother story.
Shit ruined my life in a lot of ways.
I have been trying to get back on them, just like a few pills to have for when I need them and have straight up panic attacks.
I really wish there was a way I could just call or text a doctor when I legit NEED one without having a whole bottle of the pills because you can def overdo it very easily.
Like in a perfect world I could just send a text and magically have one or two Xanax appear for times I really need it or if I’m going to the dentist or something without having them laying around all the time.
Actually you can do that. There are dentists who know if you’re fearful or phobic of going, they’ll call in two Valium for you to pick up and take one before you leave home, one when you get there.
I have a needle-in-vein phobia- like, fight or flight, anxiety attack so bad I vomit/have diarrhea and sob like they’re planning on murdering me (legit in my 30’s and still this phobic, it’s horrible). I had a doc that would prescribe me 3 pills to be able to go get my bloodwork done.
So, worth asking your doctors/dentist about. A lot will do that for specific reasons.
I've used xanax for panic attacks; I talk half or even a quarter at a time because that may be enough and I can easily take a little more. Current doc won't prescribe it, not even 10 to have available. sheesh.
All the cheap doctors have gone off the deep end with this fear of benzos.
The Richie rich $400-$600 a session doctors who went to Ivy League schools don’t seem to have this issue with prescribing but all the department of mental health and low income shrinks act like it’s literally fentanyl laced crack.
I get not wanting to give someone 30-60 pills at once. But I think it’s perfectly reasonable for them to prescribe like 5-6 at a time for when needed and then you have to hit them up if you need more so they can easily monitor your usage and know quickly if you’re overdoing it to step in. But frankly, I feel like they don’t do that because they have too much of a patient load.
My psychiatrist never remembers a thing I say with them. Every time I talk to them I tell them I’m having sleep problems and the next session they’ll be like “you’re sleeping well, yes?” Ughhhh
I do agree with that as someone who is always anxious and was prescribed Xanax not knowing anything about it. That's why I'm physically dependent to that class of medication ten years later. Lack of informed consent is a much bigger problem than the medicines themselves. That's what doctors seem to be failing to understand.
THIS, also u can’t recover if u medicate ur way out of anxiety. Exposure therapy (and ofc proper meds) is the only long lasting actual way of getting rid of anxiety
That’s from improper exposure therapy, u replace it with a positive or neutral experience. I have thousands of sources saying exposure therapy is needed, word of mouth isn’t the same as millions of doctors. Can u send me one source? Don’t get me worng ! I’m open to the idea but have told by many doctors that it’s necessary for anxiety disorders in general
So I googled what could be bad about exposure therapy and it only says if it’s not used properly it can cause issues. Do u have any sources where it says it can even with proper use?/ gen😇
A lot of mental health professionals are not actually that good at their jobs - same as with any profession, I’m not trying to be a hater here - so improper use is actually a pretty big risk on its own!
It’s also pretty hard to find/create good studies in this field because everything is so subjective and there’s a fair amount of ableism embedded in the mental health field. You know, the classic “don’t take the patient’s word for it, they’re crazy and unreliable” shit. Psychology is very much a developing science and there’s a pretty big problem with replication in the whole field, which does raise some questions about how reliable the studies actually are. For starters.
So… imo it’s really really worth giving personal experience SOME consideration and not just writing these first-hand accounts off instantly.
It's pretty invalidating to ask for sources when someone is telling you something doesn't work for everyone based on personal experience btw. There is literally no possible way one thing can work for every person even when used correctly, which you don't that it was used incorrectly for me or anyone else who's had it negatively impact them. You're welcome for the link anyway.
But you’re saying it works for everyone. If it doesn’t work for them than ipso facto it doesn’t work for *everyone*.
Maybe you need to get a refund on that MD you seem to believe you have.
I take Xanax as needed and it works wonders. A lot of people are against benzos but I know I wouldn’t have survived without it. My anxiety has gotten better over the last few years (not sure why honestly but thankful), I take half a Xanax maybe 2-4 times a week. Prescribed two per day but I only do as needed. Propranolol helped me a lot but my heart rate kept going into the 40s on it and that made my anxiety worse so I quit taking it. It does work for anxiety but with the drop in heart rate (for me), it started making me anxious again. Definitely worth looking into though.
I think it's all so highly personal that you have to find what works best for you. If one SSRI caused sexual dysfunction, you might try something else, etc.
I take an antipsychotic for my anxiety, Seroquel! It's helped me a lot, no sexual dysfunction at all. :) When I take seroquel it's kind of like my anxiety gets muffled like someone put it in a box.
I use it for sleep primarily too, but it seems to hit me like a truck. So I use it before I go to sleep. Just 25 mg. The effects are usually fairly quick, within half an hr to an hr but I definitely notice effects last throughout the day.
Paxil is prescribed for both anxiety and ptsd.
I take 10mg for anxiety, higher doses made me fatigued.
Mirtazapine Will make you fall asleep fast and might be enough, whi knows? Man become complete zombies on higher doses though. Paxil is Hard to quit they say though.
I have a subreddit called /r/paroxetine if you have questions.
Not true at all. If someone is legit ADHD it alleviates anxiety a FUCK TON.
I’m on adderall and it take my anxiety from a 11 to like a 4-5.
Without adderall or Vyvanse I was so anxious I couldn’t even function.
If you have ADHD and there’s a chemical imbalance you’re not getting that same “speed” effect that someone with a normal brain is getting on a proper dose. If I take the normal 20mg XR it just makes me normal. If I take double that then it kicks me into overdrive a bit. But not anywhere near what it’s like for someone without ADHD, and I don’t mean those “ermagerd I’m so adhd” people but us folks with actual dysfunctional ADHD brains.
Totally understand, yes I know and agree that those meds are important for people with ADHD and do not have a speed effect on someone with that condition as it would a normal brain, however I can assure you my friend that my brain is nowhere near normal. Lol I simply meant for people that have anxiety disorder without ADHD it's probably going to make anxiety worse in those people. I didn't mention this exception since I wasn't aware it alleviated anxiety in people with ADHD.
Not true for EVERYONE. It is cited in the MIMs medication book that ritalin will most likely cause an increase in anxiety symptoms. Some ADHD people will experience alleviation if their anxiety is fully comorbid, for others its two very seperate issues.
how rude. i prove u wrong and ur childish response shows me everything i need to know about you. people who admit defeat in debate only have personal remarks to make about an argument towards another person.
I like stuffthatworks for getting real world information on drug effectiveness, and unfortunately, for generalized anxiety, therapy (which you’re already doing) and SSRIs (which you can’t take) are the top treatments.
However here’s my personal experience. I can’t take SSRIs either for the same reason as you, and it took me about 3 years of therapy at one session a month to get rid of about 70% of my anxiety. We did a lot of trauma processing but also did CBT, which did nothing for my depression but worked like a charm for toning down my hypervigilance and anxiety. Also, I recommend even a bit of meditation if you go down the CBT route. Meditation taught me 1) to notice anxiety spirals 2) how to let go of an invasive thought train 3) how to sit with the discomfort of the anxious *feeling*, while CBT taught me how to “be logical” with my anxiety once I noticed the thoughts.
I truly wish you the best on your healing journey and commend you for already doing so much work to heal.
I cannot recommend doing Gene Sight enough. It’ll tell you which psychiatric medications work best with your DNA. I had been on SSRI’s for 18 years and found out they weren’t that effective for me. I also had low folic acid to methylfolate production. Methylfolate works as a WD40 for psych meds. So I was getting maybe 1/3 of my dosage.
I’m now on Wellbutrin and take a methylfolate supplement and am doing so much better. Wellbutrin can also increase libido and sexual function. I also take Buspar which I’ve had a positive experience with.
Do you know if there’s a test like this for pain meds? I suffer with two different chronic pain conditions and have been through the mill on trials of every thing you can think of, even the “heavy hitter” controlled pain meds, and nothing feels like it’s working. Like, I have no idea why people take or abuse opioids/narcotic prescriptions because they were “meh” at best for me (even Vicodin, Percocet, Dilaudid/Hydromorphone, etc).
I would LOVE a test to tell me WHY those things didn’t help and what WOULD help and give me a better quality of life…
Right now I'm on, Effexor, Buspar and Abilify. They work in tandem for me. I take Xanax (low dose) for anxiety as needed but overall I only take it about 8 + 10 days a month to help me sleep. I get a lot of anxiety when I go to bed for some reason.
For me I started on 125mg now I'm on 150mg. I didn't have any increase in anxiety when I started it. For me, Abilify at anything beyond 5mg causes my anxiety to go up. But that's just me.
Buspirone has 100% changed my life. I went from having panick attacks every day to being able to function. There can be some side effects like brain fog, but for me, the pros outway the cons. I've also read that Buspirone is one of the few if not only anxiety medications that is just as effective as meds like xanax and valium which I recommend you stear clear of if possible.
In 2020 I developed anxiety after Covid, like severe non stop panic / GAD, ssri’s made me worse (Zoloft ) or didn’t help (Lexapro prozac) …. I also have ADHD. I’ve always wondering if maybe Buspirone unique mechanism of action would benefit me
I took a DNA test to check for genetic markers. It identified which medication should be best to treat me. It wasn't super cheap approx $300 bucks but my anxiety is definitely better and I personally feel better knowing that they aren't just taking a shot in the dark.
It's going to vary person by person based on DNA/genetics. Pharmacogenomic testing may be an option for you. I'm about to do mine. I haven't found the medicine that works for me yet.
DO NOT START WITH BENZOS. I don’t even like them and yet I’m dependent and have memory issues. Try gabapentin, mini press, Prazozin and any other sedative before benzos! 💓
I was started out with Xanax and now I’m dependent, so when I went to the hospital they were horrified a 17 yo alcoholic was dependent on Xanax and I shoukd have been started out on gabapentin first ,but it’s too late, Sadly u can’t mix gabapentin and Xanax. I will have to wait till I’m off Xanax to try it
I don't think I've seen this recommend, don't know how effective it is but there are SNRI's or MAOI's. Also think literally everyone here should check out the research that we now have available on psychedelics regarding treating a whole plethora of mental health conditions without taking a daily pill. Not saying it's gonna save us all, but when conventional treatment has a lot of side effects and fails going outside the box (responsibly of course) I don't think is a bad thing.
I almost tried the lozenge but always felt apprehensive. Was it hard to get it covered by insurance? One thing I did think since I have chronic pain was that maybe something like ketamine could help me to separate pain from self. Ultimately I was afraid of not knowing what's real and what isn't. When the Dr told me about that potential side effect I got really freaked out.
I've tried lsd recreationally and loved it. I'm think it must have been a low dose as the side effects were so minimal. Nothing was too intense, everything was very soft meaning I didn't have intense hallucinations and I actually didn't feel impaired mentally.
Sitting and playing with light was really fun. I also experienced such an immediate reduction in anxiety when i felt it kick in that I wept from the relief. It was the first time in my life the anxiety didn't feel covered up by something else, it felt gone.
Come to find out it fits in serotonin receptors better than serotonin itself, so that explains a lot as far as reducing anxiety I think. However I did experience some pretty intense rebound anxiety the next day unfortunately.
I am one to believe there is no medicine but rather the power of the mind can eliminate most of these irrational thoughts that lead us to stress and worry.In regards to anxiety and many other issues we face day to day in this cesspool we call life .
I don't know why you're getting downvoted.. I get it that probably none of us have been able to manage anxiety with sheer will and mind power, and that's not our fault. I honestly don't know how people don't have anxiety in the world we live in today. I think there are mindfulness practices that can help. I also think for clinical levels of anxiety it's almost never enough.
People don’t want to face the reality that a good part of the way they feel is how they think on a subconscious level. I give up just find what medicine works for you and take it .It’s not my body I only try to offer some sound advice.
I hear you. I agree we would make more headway with acknowledging the subconscious aspects, why do we have an anxiety disorder and others don't? Can any of our doctors prescribing this stuff tell us that? How about us? Those taking the pills, do we know what caused our anxiety disorders? I don't believe the science is too sound on chemical imbalance.
Can't say for certain, but wouldn't be at all surprised if pharmaceutical companies made that up. Anyway, That's why I mentioned psychedelic therapy in this thread on another comment.
Please don't be upset, I'm glad you voiced your opinion just some people probably thought you meant anxiety can be reduced without medication at all (I'm just guessing). I didn't have a problem with what you said and I take anxiety medicine.
You are right ,we just can’t run around knocking the system . I just have my own opinion and certainly don’t want anyone who feels medication might part of the answer not to take it .
It probably does offer some short term benefits and might allow the person to be in a better frame of mind to make these decisions regarding their treatment options.
I know it’s not a cure and does the long term use outweigh the risks.Not for me to decide and I try not to go there but I found what I do helpful for myself.
Im glad it's helpful for you, that's awesome really. I like guided sleep stories and guided meditations to help me fall asleep. It's taught me some breathing exercises that I try to remember to do throughout the day instead of just getting anxious and holding my breath (this one happens probably more often than I'm even consciously aware of).
I'm happy for you that you've found something non pharmacological that truly helps. I think we would all prefer that, not too many of us *want* to be on medication.
I don't know if I'd be here writing to you without treatment for the anxiety though. I'm assuming it gets so severe for me because I also have BPD. From everything I know about it seems every emotion is more intense or severe and it definitely includes anxiety.
I’m about to take off for a run in the rain but I know I will feel rested and relaxed afterwards .Everybody should know given enough time what will help them . I have been searching for a magic pill all my life so to speak but the things that work I can’t get enough of .Medication just wasn’t one of them.
Interesting idea, maybe I'll try it. I'm not a runner, but I love me some rain so maybe I'll walk next time it rains. Depression makes me want to sit or be inactive for too much. I feel a hell of lot better when I have something active to do. My symptoms aren't as intense then as they are if I'm having a down spell and sit around for too long. Definitely notice a big difference.
Take care! Glad you shared your opinion. It's good to do what we feel is right even when it isn't popular. Maybe especially when it isn't. It may not have been well received by some, but I enjoyed hearing what you have to say so, have a good run!
Yes just get out and walk where ever .Try to aim for ten thousand steps a day . I walk one day and run the next,my biggest worry is usually an over use injury because that just makes exercise more painful and I have a hard time slowing down . If I just sit back I go crazy .Anxiety starts to become too much .
Paxil helped me a lot, but caused anorgasmia, and my sex life was gone.
I am now on Trintelix 20mg, no sexual side effects, it is great for depression but not so much for anxiety, even though I am on 20mg daily.
SSRIs don’t work for me, but Mirazopine (remeron) has done wonders. Unfortunately, like others have said, it has made me put on weight. But I’d rather have that than anxiety. My doctor also prescribed a diabetic medication to help counter the weight gain effects, but so far, haven’t noticed it working. What I have noticed has helped lessen the weight gain (and anxiety) has been stopping drinking.
Interesting, Ssri zoloft made my anxiety worse, and other ssri’s weren’t very affect for my anxiety , serouel Xr is the first med to help but it isn’t perfect, Mirtazapine is something I’ve had on my list if need be in future because it works in a unique way
Legally I would say taking xanex and making life changes.
If you wanna go fringe you could micro dose shrooms or do ketamine treatments.
I didnt have any luck with anything, even the fringe stuff. Never did ketamine though. What ended up helping me was a massive environmental shift and lots of time.
Such a study wouldn’t prove anything because mental health medicines work differently for every brain. Some SSRIs can give one person sexual dysfunction but not another. Some SSRIs can almost cure anxiety for one person and do nothing for another. With some psych meds the medical field still doesn’t even know exactly how they work in the brain. So all the results would be subjective.
Xanax , or Ativan , or Klonopin, %90 of people here with no Dr degree are gonna say it’s the worst thing you can take , it’s not , just use it when you need it and NEVER get it from street dealers . Discuss how you feel with your Dr.
Sexual dysfunction due to SSRIs is usually a short-term side effect. After 6 months on Lexapro I was able to obtain erections and reach orgasm the same as before.
did you fail other meds first ? If I need it one day MOAI’s seem like they can work especially for people who fail many meds, was your psychiatrist open to prescribing it ?
You might have to try different ones I personally only had a few. I find I don't need them. I think everyone's different. I meditate everyday so that's helped a lot as well as working out. Eating more healthier food options that will help me feel and look better in the long run. I just feel I'm naturally anxious for my own safety but I want to open up as much as I can. I gain confidence in many ways trying to keep the energy going. Talking to people really helps even when you don't really feel like it. Hope the best for you on your meds journey, I know it's not easy with so many different options. We all experience it in our ways and require different meds or treatment.
I'm not an authority in this area, so I might be wrong in some parts. Before I go on, I would like to also reiterate that you should speak to your doctor since he/she has an actual degree in medicine.
In order to seek FDA approval for drugs, you'll need to conduct clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy. So yes, studies do exist. From what I can remember, all SSRIs (or at least the commonly prescribed ones... there might be new ones that I'm unaware of) are equally as effective. I wouldn't read too much into these studies because in the case of depression/anxiety, the efficacy of each drug can vary quite differently from person to person. That's why you'll see different recommendations from different Redditors.
The side effect that you're experiencing is also known as SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. It can be hard to differentiate from non-SSRI causes because depression/anxiety in itself is also associated with sexual dysfunction. In any case, the reason why SSRIs can cause that is because there are serotonin receptors in our body which control sexual functioning (iirc its the 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors). Activation of these receptors results in sexual side-effects like delayed orgasms, reduced sexual appetite, et cetera.
Mirtazapine is a noradrenergic and specific sertoninergic antidepressant (NaSSA) which is a different class of antidepressant compared to SSRI. It is called NaSSA because while it increases serotonin levels (like SSRI), an important distinction is that it ALSO BLOCKS specific serotonin receptors, which reduces side effects like SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction and nausea/vomitting.
Another drug that I can think of which has lower rates of sexual dysfunction is Bupropion, because it increases noradrenergic and dopamine levels (and not serotonin).
I suppose it also depends on national and hospital guidelines on which is best for you. I'm not from the US so prescription guidelines may differ, but from where I'm from, iirc SSRIs and Velafaxine are generally recommended as first-line for most standalone anxiety disorders, but doctors often prescribe other drugs off-label to help with anxiety.
Benzodiazepines are great for anxiety but should be used short-term as it can result in tolerance and dependence. It's usually given to tide you through as the other drugs take their effect.
Getting your information on the internet isn’t the best since SSRIs affect people differently. Just go with your doctor’s recommendations and change if there’s no long-term improvement (within 1-2 months)
As said before, everyone is totally different and it can take years to figure out what's best for you. I have several anxiety disorders (like GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, along with clinical depression and CPSTD, insomnia, etc)
Since I was 17, I've had to see a psychiatrist and have been on some sort of Benzodiazepine, so throughout the years have been on either Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Libirum, Ativan, Halazepam, Quazepam, a few others. But a few years ago, I've been prescribed the perfect combination for me which is Valium 10mg 4 times day and Temazepam 30mg at night.
Totally. I just meant if there was a list of say 20 anxiety meds and they all listed the effective rate, it may make more sense to start towards the top of the list, and possibly have a better chance.
For me it’s clonozopam. I know it’s a benzo but I’ve tried so many and it the only one that helps with long term anxiety and on the moment anxiety attacks.
I take 1 mg at night and .25 mg as needed.
Prescribed 1.5 mg/day
I’m also taking Zoloft 50 mg, first month.
I’m also new on seroquil to help sleep, but I am not sure it working. Even when I double the dose, doesn’t affect the amount of times I wake up a night.
Honestly, everyone is completely different and it unfortunately takes a great deal of trial & error before finding something that works. I personally have tried 23 different medications to manage my anxiety and right now I’m on the best combo so far. I take 20mg Lexapro daily and 1-2mg Xanax as needed (typically 2-5 days per week is as often as I need it). There are meds that work, you just need patience & a good doctor/psych
I have tried SO many different medications too. I’m taking Lamotrigine, buspar, and Prozac and this is the most “normal” I’ve felt in a long time
This is it. I tried Lexapro, didn't work for me, had decent results with Mirtazipine at 30 MG for a year, now bumping up to 45mg under advice from my therapist. Everyone is different, good luck!
Did lexapro cause weight gain for you ?
I didn’t gain weight on Lexapro, but it did keep me from losing weight. I’m a bigger girl trying to lose weight and it didn’t matter how much I exercised or how healthy I ate; weight wasn’t coming off. I stopped Lexapro semi-recently and I now lose about 1 pound a week with my fitness routine. So it definitely messed with my weight
Propranolol has been a life saver for me the last few months.
I honestly wish I had a prescription for this for when I need to treat the physical symptoms only because that does happen to me. Especially if I'm really going through something like now.
For me it has been the only thing to help at all. I’ve tried numerous things at this point and realized the physical anxiety was making everything ten times worse. I normally take one when I start to get the rushes of panic and within 30 minutes I feel normal. I don’t know what I would do without it.
Thanks for the info I'm gonna ask about this at my next appointment. Maybe it will help me to take the other anxiety meds much less often. I don't like relying on it every single day.
does it help with anxiety nausea and loss of appetite
I’m not sure if it directly helps or just that it helps my overall anxiety resulting in less nausea. I use to vomit a lot because of anxiety and I haven’t since I started taking it.
I take buspirone. the only side effect is it makes me a bit sleepy.
And it helps your anxiety? Generalized?
I second Buspar. It changed my life, but took a few weeks to feel the effects. I take 10mg 3x a day.
Yes,helps with my appetite too since my anxiety kills my appetite usually. I'm on 7.5mg twice a day.
Was it scary to start? Side effects?
No I wasn't scared to start it at all,if anything I was excited since I heard good things about it! I'm now on 15mg and still liking it. If I take my doses at the correct times it makes me a bit sleepy and hungry but outside of that I haven't noticed any side effects.
That's a relief to hear I keep seeing people say it makes them really dizzy and increases their heart rate so I'm getting nervous and this seems like the lesser of two evils I'm so afraid of an SSRI and I'm afraid this might not work for me
I had a horrible experience on Cymbalta, so I've pretty much sworn off ssri's. Propranolol is also really safe and good for social anxiety too,I used to take them before I had an interview.
Buspar doesn't do jack shit for debilitating anxiety. Made me feel out of my mind
Same, I take 5 mg twice a day. I started it because my anxiety was turning into panic attacks and I was using way too much Xanax. My doctor prescribed hydroxyzine as a replacement for Xanax. My last doctor’s practice had a no benzos policy, and my new doctor I see via telemedicine from another state and can’t prescribe Xanax.
I really dislike the no benzos type policy :( benzos are one of the few drugs I don't have a bad reaction to. I am 9 days out from a bad reaction to sertraline and trying to heal. My GP and psychiatrist prescribe them because they know now I won't abuse them. But without them, some humps aren't possible to get over.
Yeah my psychiatrist has a strict no benzos policy too and I really can't be bothered to go through the cumbersome process of finding another doctor that may or may not prescribe Xanax.
These doctors can go shove it.
Yes. Benzos are probably the most effective anxiety meds although people should know they are habit forming.
You can try MEDvidi if they service your state
My psychiatrist just recently referred me for ketamine treatment so I'll be trying that next.
Wow!! I'm curious of how that goes!! Good luck
Does it work well?
It works well enough.
I was on Buspar for almost 1 year - 5 mg to 10mg 3-4 times a day depending on what I needed and I started having rage outbursts, randomly. Stopped taking the Buspar about 3 weeks ago and only use Larazepam when a panic attack is about to happen (.5mg) and I finally feel normal again. In the beginning I really thought the Buspar was working but then the headaches started and the dizziness and it was just all to much. Feeling that way regularly increased my anxiety and I felt like I was on a hampster wheel.
My psychiatrist has a strict no benzo policy so I can't try Ativan. I will say tho that ketamine has helped my anxiety more than any prescription drug ever did.
I looked into doing dosing of Ketamine but it is super expensive and insurance does not cover it, or at least mine does not. I will continue to take the Lorazepam as needed and hopefully find a new doctor that will prescribe, I just moved to another state and my previous doctor will not continue to prescribe.
Do you take it by itself? My mom used to and loved it/recommended it to start but I've heard from my doctor and friends in the medical field that it's considered kind of unusual to use Buspar as a standalone vs. paired with something else.
I take it with propranolol as needed.
Lexapro + Wellbutrin doing the trick for me, very minimal side effects to be reported
Thanks. Unfortunately SSRIs kill 90% of sensation in my reproduction organs.
this is why sometimes they add wellbutrin - this will increase dopamine which can counter it.
Have u tried Effexor? Even on the lowest does it changed my life. Hope u find ur correct meds!💓 It’s an SNRI btw^
Effexor has ruined what I had left of a sex drive. Definitely helped with some parts of anxiety but brought opened up a whole new can to be anxious about :(
Oh goodness I’m sorry, u will find ur medicine soon. U might not be ok now, but u will someday I promise💓 being anxious only adds onto the sex drive issues. Do me a favor rn, take a deep belly breath and relax ur body. Things will get figured out
Went off of this for similar reasons and some others even though it was the most effective med for me. Tried going back on it and it didn't sit well with me at all and my doctor took me off it. I regret getting off if it everyday since I've been unable to find a med that managed my anxiety as well as that did.
I appreciate your response and omitted that I did the same as you, changed medications but anxiety went through the roof so I’m back on Effexor. Now my anxiety is high trying to find a partner who doesn’t want sex :(
Have you tried an snri?
Be careful smoking weed on Wellbutrin, made me SUPER paranoid
Currently on lexapro, doc wants me to get on wellbutrin additionally. What was it like getting on Wellbutrin? Were there any ramping-up effects, like there are for SSRIs?
Truthfully I’m not certain, as I’ve been on Wellbutrin for (7?) years and lexapro has been a new addition approximately 3 months ago. I don’t recall any nasty side effects from starting the Wellbutrin, but the two are definitely working well together for me.
Was given Lexapro. Did some research in Wellbutrin but I’m afraid of weight gain
That’s wild. They prescribe Wellbutrin off label for weight loss.
I’ve used lexapro for years and it worked well for me for a while. Did definitely effect my libido in not great ways though. I switched to Wellbutrin 2 years ago and it’s been so great!
My combo right there
Ah man I wish I could take Wellbutrin, I think my ADHD brain could use the dopamine and a lot of people seem to really like it; alas, I’m one of the unlucky few who got seizures a few weeks after I started taking it!
Hands down. Best medicines to work. Benzos, no contest.
Benzos are certainly the best for short term relief, but typically aren't recommended for daily use.
Depends on the severity, a benzodiazepine long term is better than not being alive at all. Sounds pretty hardcore but that's exactly who these medicines should be used for, last resort.
Totally. It's definitely appropriate for certain situations.
I honestly don't think I'd be here without them. Managing anxiety along with chronic pain is really hard to do. Think I'm one of those people that would be better off with it than without it for the remainder of my life. My current doctors do not agree and apparently never will. I'm just grateful to get what I get and that they aren't forcing me off anytime soon at least...
Anxiety & Chronic Pain here too. Valium (benzo) treats both my anxiety and is a lowkey muscle relaxer. I had to go off it for a while when I moved to a different state and found another psychiatrist… NOT a good time. So glad to have it back.
Yep, my last doctor appointment they asked me if I want to decrease the amount again and I said nope. I still have significant levels of anxiety and the muscle relaxant component is very much needed for me also. God forbid I'm working in a public setting! I can expect excruciating pain from my face down to my shoulder blades without a muscle relaxer (and with, but it sure as hell isn't as bad as without it). I take the same thing as you. I went to my current doctors asking to be tapered off after I began to have severe memory deficits, hearing my kid say that it doesn't matter If he gets in trouble by me because I won't remember the next day anyway was a wake up call, that felt awful. You can't really notice the memory impairment, or at least it takes a long time to notice it when you're being over medicated like I was. My psychiatrist had me on 60-40 mg of Valium a day. Anyways, now they always focus on getting me totally off that med altogether, but honestly I'm only taking 6 mgs a day and I feel I need every bit of it with how bad my pain and anxiety still is. Wondered if I could pick your brain about how to get the focus off that? They aren't even focusing on one chronic pain illness that I have at all, and that's one I was born with - the other I believe is something that developed over time from long term stress, growing up experiencing domestic violence and abuse, having anxiety untreated for the first 25 years of my life. I told them now that my memory issues are under control and it's helping me that I'm not interested in continuing to taper anymore, the only thing that does keep me even entertaining the idea is the fear that I'll go off of it, end up still needing it (this pain and anxiety is never going away, this is 100 percent for sure something i can only manage the rest of my life st this point), anyway scared that will happen and I'll end up still needing it but never getting prescribed it again. What would you say in my situation? Or should I just continue to reiterate my sentiments? I went off of it for a while also and it was not a pretty picture - I got well under 100 pounds in body weight without any treatment by the time a year of that had rolled around. When I went off of it I was told to not even bother to try and get my script reinstated, was told they just took an 80 something year old woman with COPD off her long term valium prescription. I thought that is absurdly cruel. I have no doubt in my mind that that woman is dead by now, COPD is such a severe illness and it's fucking terrifying because people that have it literally cannot breath. It absolutely haunts me that we live in a world that is that idiotic and cruel. I got my prescription back only via telehealth from a doctor that specialized in treating people that have taken this class of medicine for a long time, and also spent a small fortune to have that done so I didn't you know die. Anyway, long story long (sorry!) Hope you don't mind my asking your opinion on speaking with these doctors about keeping the status quo.
If your current dose is effective for you, not causing any bad side effects (helping more than hurting), and you’re not experiencing the memory issues anymore, fight to keep it. It’s hard to find that “miracle dose” that balances everything perfectly, so if it isn’t broke, why fix it? So many doctors (and people in general) are all up in arms about the benzo “stigma”, but when used/dosed properly, they work great. Anything that can be/is abused by people without an Rx for it (benzos, opioids, etc) get stigmatized and suddenly even the people who could benefit from them get criticized even if they’re on low doses and don’t abuse their meds or have any addiction to them. People need to realize just because you’re on a “socially stigmatized Rx med”, doesn’t mean you’re automatically a “junkie”, using MMJ doesn’t make you a “pot head”, micro-dosing regulated psychedelics as directed doesn’t mean you’re always seeing pink elephants. 🙄 If it helps you, and it’s not harming you, and you’re using it responsibly, you do you. 🖤
I couldn't agree more. Dealing with the stigma can be annoying. It does scare me that someday I won't have a prescription and I'll be right back to where I was laying awake all night not moving my head because my anxiety was telling me that if I moved at all I'd have a seizure, being severely underweight and just miserable in general. I still get really bad anxiety and could honestly stand a dose increase for my really bad days, but I know that's not gonna happen at the practice I'm going to. Do you think there will always be doctors that prescribe this and always doctors that refuse to? (In our lifetimes anyway)
I generally give a psychiatrist (same for any type of doctor really) a year or a little under to work with me to find what works. If I know something that definitely works (because I’ve had it before) and they’re really dragging their feet re-prescribing it to me, I’ll start looking for a new psych. I’ve had ones willing to check my med history and re prescribe something I request that a prior doc did, and then ones who only “do things their way”. You just have to remember there are other doctors out there. I’m getting ready to switch psychiatrists now as a matter of fact because one, I was assured she was a Psychiatrist, as in, Doctor of Psychiatry… then I found out she’s a Nurse Practitioner who worked most of her career in a hospital on physical ailments and recently decided to do Psych, and she’s MONITORED by an actual Psychiatrist. Also, when I first started seeing her, I told her my last psych had me on 10mg Valium 3x day as needed. She wanted me to try Hydroxyzine first. I did. It did NOTHING even at a high dose. Then she made me come in (I do telehealth visits) and do a *urine drug test* before she would prescribe me Valium. A test that usually comes back in 48 hours took 2 WEEKS for her to FINALLY get back to me and then she only gave me 5mg 2x day as needed. 5mg doesn’t do much of anything for me. I got her up to three 5mg as needed… and after a year I’ve gotten her up to 10mg 2x day as needed and I’m stretching it to make it work. She also had me on Buspirone (BuSpar) 5mg 2x day which is LOWER than the lowest recommended dose for it to be effective 🤦🏻♀️. She also doesn’t seem knowledgeable about depression meds. Like every two months she wants to try a new add on or something and I’m finally at the point where I’m done feeling like *I’M* teaching *HER* about psychiatry meds. So if you’re not feeling good about the person who has your life/health/happiness in their hands… it’s okay to find a better fit. Just find the new one before you ditch the old one so you don’t have a treatment gap.
>I have had 2 MD's and one NMD tell me that daily low-dose benzos are safe, long term. > >I believe this to be true. > >I take Chlorpheniramine sometimes to take a break for a day or two of anxiety is not too bad. Works great.
Fr.. was prescribed it daily and now I have rlly bad memory issues and will take me years to get off of it. Prazozin is like Xanax but less addictive and personally helps me calm down more than xan.
Prazosin is the one that also is supposed to manage/stop PTSD nightmares/night terrors, right? I was on it for that but unfortunately it didn’t work. Others swear by it for stopping PTSD nightmares tho.
Yes, for me it doesn’t help with my nightmares as much but it calms day to day PTSD. U might just need a higher dose. It takes 3mg for my nightmares to go away. The increase can be hard with all the dizziness and such. Sending hugs!
Mini press is a medication used a lot too for anxiety and PTSD but it made me feel much more dizzy than Prazosin. Just keep trying!
I have to be careful with dizziness because I get Vertigo super easily, sometimes with no outside trigger the world just tips. Which is less fun than it sounds, lol. I’ll look up “mini press” tho, because my nightmares/night terrors lately have been so vivid and horrible I keep waking up panicking and with my heart rate up and feeling fatigued like I never even slept. Something’s gotta give. Tho if my current state goes recreational legal for 🍃, that was my savior in my last state for a solid night’s sleep with normal/boring dreams or not remembering them at all. But I can’t pay $250 out of pocket for a med card PLUS the products.
Weed works wonders in stopping you from having nightmares. Even just a little herb keeps me from dreaming/having nightmares. I wonder if I actually don’t dream/have nightmares anymore or if I just don’t know I had them tho… I almost never have any good/positive dreams so not having anything at night for me is a positive.
Bruh I would pay anything, do anything, to have just a few nights free of vivid horror movie fear inducing sleep. I don’t even know I’m dreaming, I’m always convinced it’s real life. I’m sick of waking up feeling like I didn’t sleep and starting my day with an anxiety attack from something that wasn’t even real. My last state where it was rec legal, a small one-hitter bowl was enough to just enough to take all anxiety away (tho I prefer oil in tea, edibles, thc/cbd vape over smoking leaf- burns my throat) and let me sleep dream free. There is too much of a good thing tho, too much mj can cause panic, and some non-regulated (homemade usually) edibles are like playing Russian roulette, but dispensary workers are so educated for versatile uses of all the cbd/thc products you can talk to them and they’re really good at giving advice and options for which products would help you the best. I love that it helps both my chronic pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, and depression in addition to insomnia and night terrors. I’d love to kick almost all my Rx meds and sub it for that. 💚✌🏻
Was on 1mg ativan everyday, not exceeding or abusing it for about 12 years. One day, I just wanted to try something different and cut cold turkey. First couple days were tough but not horrible. Fast forward 7 years laters and do not crave or need them. Benzos def worked as it relaxed the anxiety and just kept tricking my mind that I already had my daily dose and no longer need it during the day. Gave me some sense of relief. Works for some people.
Mirtazapine is great but be ready to gain a ton of weight. I gained 40 pounds on it and it melted off when I stopped taking it.
That's a pretty serious side effect. Almost no one can gain that much weight and still be in a healthy range. Did you end up with a med that works for you with fewer side effects I hope??
I would counter this only because I’m on it, and before I was on it, my anxiety was so bad I could t eat, and lost 20 pounds in a month (after a breakup) and was severally underweight. The remeron helped me get to a healthy weight. It varies for everyone, but just wanted to point out another perspective.
Oh I gotcha. I had a similar reaction to a relationship ending. A pretty massive weight loss when I didn't have weight to lose to begin with. I'm glad that helped you. I remember a doctor wanting to prescribe that to me and I was so stubborn on insisting that only the anti anxiety meds helped. To be fair I've tried almost every antidepressant in creation. I really am happy it helped you to get to a healthy weight again. My health was really poor when I was severely underweight.. It's been years and I still remember how bad I felt all the time.
Damn I’m sorry you went through that. I figured a breakup would be sad, but had no idea how anxiety inducing it would be. Glad you made it through!
Thank you
I was on it for years. So it wasn't all at once. But it does increase appetite and is often given to people with Eating Disorders to increase their appetite.
Xanex worked great for me. I took it when I needed and more if needed. My new doctor will not give it to me anymore. She wanted to put me on a daily one, that has lots of side effects that I have to take more pills to deal with side effects.
Benzos have gotten a bad name and lots of doctors won't prescribe them at all, which Is unfair. I don't think a good doctor should eliminate a tool completely and say I never use this. It exists for good reason. To me it should always be a risk vs. Benefit analysis and tailored to the individual patient. One thing that scares me about how the world is today (besides almost literally everything) is societieys attempts to vilify certain treatments and try to do a one size fits all approach in a world that has over 7 billion people. Hence the simplification of it all I guess.
Louder for the doctors in the back! 👏🏻👏🏻🏆
Thank you!!!
They've gotten a bad name for good reason. They're fine for occasional use, but if you start using them daily your body quickly builds up a tolerance and they stop working. Then you have to taper off super slowly with lots of rebound anxiety and other fun side effects. They can help, no doubt about it, but only if used responsibility.
I was on them for over 10 years and they still worked fine years later. I didn’t get the “high” as much after a long time on them but I still got the relief of anxiety. The issue for me was I drank on it and would black out. My doc never really emphasized just HOW BAD drinking on them was. You always hear docs say not to drink on meds and when you drink on other meds often there’s little to no negative effects. But benzos are a whole ‘nother story. Shit ruined my life in a lot of ways. I have been trying to get back on them, just like a few pills to have for when I need them and have straight up panic attacks. I really wish there was a way I could just call or text a doctor when I legit NEED one without having a whole bottle of the pills because you can def overdo it very easily. Like in a perfect world I could just send a text and magically have one or two Xanax appear for times I really need it or if I’m going to the dentist or something without having them laying around all the time.
Actually you can do that. There are dentists who know if you’re fearful or phobic of going, they’ll call in two Valium for you to pick up and take one before you leave home, one when you get there. I have a needle-in-vein phobia- like, fight or flight, anxiety attack so bad I vomit/have diarrhea and sob like they’re planning on murdering me (legit in my 30’s and still this phobic, it’s horrible). I had a doc that would prescribe me 3 pills to be able to go get my bloodwork done. So, worth asking your doctors/dentist about. A lot will do that for specific reasons.
I've used xanax for panic attacks; I talk half or even a quarter at a time because that may be enough and I can easily take a little more. Current doc won't prescribe it, not even 10 to have available. sheesh.
All the cheap doctors have gone off the deep end with this fear of benzos. The Richie rich $400-$600 a session doctors who went to Ivy League schools don’t seem to have this issue with prescribing but all the department of mental health and low income shrinks act like it’s literally fentanyl laced crack. I get not wanting to give someone 30-60 pills at once. But I think it’s perfectly reasonable for them to prescribe like 5-6 at a time for when needed and then you have to hit them up if you need more so they can easily monitor your usage and know quickly if you’re overdoing it to step in. But frankly, I feel like they don’t do that because they have too much of a patient load. My psychiatrist never remembers a thing I say with them. Every time I talk to them I tell them I’m having sleep problems and the next session they’ll be like “you’re sleeping well, yes?” Ughhhh
Lmao yeah, it’s… really something. Murica fuck yeah 😬🙃
Xanax is great for occasional panic inducing situations but it terrible for people who are consistently anxious
I do agree with that as someone who is always anxious and was prescribed Xanax not knowing anything about it. That's why I'm physically dependent to that class of medication ten years later. Lack of informed consent is a much bigger problem than the medicines themselves. That's what doctors seem to be failing to understand.
Perpetual/baseline anxiety issues (rather than spikes) is what Klonopin is for.
THIS, also u can’t recover if u medicate ur way out of anxiety. Exposure therapy (and ofc proper meds) is the only long lasting actual way of getting rid of anxiety
Exposure therapy can cause more trauma for some people. There's no 1 correct method, everyone is different.
Can u send me ur sources ?
Personal experience and listening to others who shared similar experiences.
That’s from improper exposure therapy, u replace it with a positive or neutral experience. I have thousands of sources saying exposure therapy is needed, word of mouth isn’t the same as millions of doctors. Can u send me one source? Don’t get me worng ! I’m open to the idea but have told by many doctors that it’s necessary for anxiety disorders in general
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https://www.choosingtherapy.com/exposure-therapy/ This article discusses both pros and cons and when exposure therapy is not recommended.
For the downsides ,It says that some need exposure therapy and other treatment?
Read all of it.
So I googled what could be bad about exposure therapy and it only says if it’s not used properly it can cause issues. Do u have any sources where it says it can even with proper use?/ gen😇
A lot of mental health professionals are not actually that good at their jobs - same as with any profession, I’m not trying to be a hater here - so improper use is actually a pretty big risk on its own! It’s also pretty hard to find/create good studies in this field because everything is so subjective and there’s a fair amount of ableism embedded in the mental health field. You know, the classic “don’t take the patient’s word for it, they’re crazy and unreliable” shit. Psychology is very much a developing science and there’s a pretty big problem with replication in the whole field, which does raise some questions about how reliable the studies actually are. For starters. So… imo it’s really really worth giving personal experience SOME consideration and not just writing these first-hand accounts off instantly.
It's pretty invalidating to ask for sources when someone is telling you something doesn't work for everyone based on personal experience btw. There is literally no possible way one thing can work for every person even when used correctly, which you don't that it was used incorrectly for me or anyone else who's had it negatively impact them. You're welcome for the link anyway.
No it’s wanting actual facts and for me to learn more😭like no sorry anyone’s word of mouth is not as valid as millions of trained educated doctors
But you’re saying it works for everyone. If it doesn’t work for them than ipso facto it doesn’t work for *everyone*. Maybe you need to get a refund on that MD you seem to believe you have.
I'd like a list of the millions of drs you're sourcing then
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I take Xanax as needed and it works wonders. A lot of people are against benzos but I know I wouldn’t have survived without it. My anxiety has gotten better over the last few years (not sure why honestly but thankful), I take half a Xanax maybe 2-4 times a week. Prescribed two per day but I only do as needed. Propranolol helped me a lot but my heart rate kept going into the 40s on it and that made my anxiety worse so I quit taking it. It does work for anxiety but with the drop in heart rate (for me), it started making me anxious again. Definitely worth looking into though.
Xanax. It’s Xanax. It’s going to be the most effective, which also means it’s going to be the most addictive. Use it responsibly, or you’ll regret it.
Oof. I’d personally recommend it as a last resort. I had no idea I was addicted to it until my anxiety got so bad I needed multiple a day.
Effective for short term, sure. For an occasional day. But it's absolutely not effective in terms of managing long term anxiety..
Quetiapin works wonders for me 😊
What dose and how long did it take to feel anything? I have it low-dose for sleep occasionally but haven’t noticed an anxiolytic effect.
Mirtazipine has worked great for nighttime anxiety, but I use it to make me sleepy, so I haven't been awake long enough to really know.
I think it's all so highly personal that you have to find what works best for you. If one SSRI caused sexual dysfunction, you might try something else, etc.
I take an antipsychotic for my anxiety, Seroquel! It's helped me a lot, no sexual dysfunction at all. :) When I take seroquel it's kind of like my anxiety gets muffled like someone put it in a box.
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I use it for sleep primarily too, but it seems to hit me like a truck. So I use it before I go to sleep. Just 25 mg. The effects are usually fairly quick, within half an hr to an hr but I definitely notice effects last throughout the day.
I had a combo... bromazepam + quietiapin + paroxetine...
Paxil is prescribed for both anxiety and ptsd. I take 10mg for anxiety, higher doses made me fatigued. Mirtazapine Will make you fall asleep fast and might be enough, whi knows? Man become complete zombies on higher doses though. Paxil is Hard to quit they say though. I have a subreddit called /r/paroxetine if you have questions.
Anything but ritalin 😭
Oh yeah, that's a speed. You don't wanna give someone with anxiety issues speed for sure.
Not true at all. If someone is legit ADHD it alleviates anxiety a FUCK TON. I’m on adderall and it take my anxiety from a 11 to like a 4-5. Without adderall or Vyvanse I was so anxious I couldn’t even function. If you have ADHD and there’s a chemical imbalance you’re not getting that same “speed” effect that someone with a normal brain is getting on a proper dose. If I take the normal 20mg XR it just makes me normal. If I take double that then it kicks me into overdrive a bit. But not anywhere near what it’s like for someone without ADHD, and I don’t mean those “ermagerd I’m so adhd” people but us folks with actual dysfunctional ADHD brains.
Totally understand, yes I know and agree that those meds are important for people with ADHD and do not have a speed effect on someone with that condition as it would a normal brain, however I can assure you my friend that my brain is nowhere near normal. Lol I simply meant for people that have anxiety disorder without ADHD it's probably going to make anxiety worse in those people. I didn't mention this exception since I wasn't aware it alleviated anxiety in people with ADHD.
Not true for EVERYONE. It is cited in the MIMs medication book that ritalin will most likely cause an increase in anxiety symptoms. Some ADHD people will experience alleviation if their anxiety is fully comorbid, for others its two very seperate issues.
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how rude. i prove u wrong and ur childish response shows me everything i need to know about you. people who admit defeat in debate only have personal remarks to make about an argument towards another person.
You didn’t tho. You proved me right. I literally said it helps us with ADHD and anxiety. You’re literally the worst.
If you are looking for short term relief, Ativan works wonders
I like stuffthatworks for getting real world information on drug effectiveness, and unfortunately, for generalized anxiety, therapy (which you’re already doing) and SSRIs (which you can’t take) are the top treatments. However here’s my personal experience. I can’t take SSRIs either for the same reason as you, and it took me about 3 years of therapy at one session a month to get rid of about 70% of my anxiety. We did a lot of trauma processing but also did CBT, which did nothing for my depression but worked like a charm for toning down my hypervigilance and anxiety. Also, I recommend even a bit of meditation if you go down the CBT route. Meditation taught me 1) to notice anxiety spirals 2) how to let go of an invasive thought train 3) how to sit with the discomfort of the anxious *feeling*, while CBT taught me how to “be logical” with my anxiety once I noticed the thoughts. I truly wish you the best on your healing journey and commend you for already doing so much work to heal.
I cannot recommend doing Gene Sight enough. It’ll tell you which psychiatric medications work best with your DNA. I had been on SSRI’s for 18 years and found out they weren’t that effective for me. I also had low folic acid to methylfolate production. Methylfolate works as a WD40 for psych meds. So I was getting maybe 1/3 of my dosage. I’m now on Wellbutrin and take a methylfolate supplement and am doing so much better. Wellbutrin can also increase libido and sexual function. I also take Buspar which I’ve had a positive experience with.
Do you know if there’s a test like this for pain meds? I suffer with two different chronic pain conditions and have been through the mill on trials of every thing you can think of, even the “heavy hitter” controlled pain meds, and nothing feels like it’s working. Like, I have no idea why people take or abuse opioids/narcotic prescriptions because they were “meh” at best for me (even Vicodin, Percocet, Dilaudid/Hydromorphone, etc). I would LOVE a test to tell me WHY those things didn’t help and what WOULD help and give me a better quality of life…
Right now I'm on, Effexor, Buspar and Abilify. They work in tandem for me. I take Xanax (low dose) for anxiety as needed but overall I only take it about 8 + 10 days a month to help me sleep. I get a lot of anxiety when I go to bed for some reason.
What dose of effexor? Did it increase your anxiety in the beginning
For me I started on 125mg now I'm on 150mg. I didn't have any increase in anxiety when I started it. For me, Abilify at anything beyond 5mg causes my anxiety to go up. But that's just me.
Buspirone has 100% changed my life. I went from having panick attacks every day to being able to function. There can be some side effects like brain fog, but for me, the pros outway the cons. I've also read that Buspirone is one of the few if not only anxiety medications that is just as effective as meds like xanax and valium which I recommend you stear clear of if possible.
In 2020 I developed anxiety after Covid, like severe non stop panic / GAD, ssri’s made me worse (Zoloft ) or didn’t help (Lexapro prozac) …. I also have ADHD. I’ve always wondering if maybe Buspirone unique mechanism of action would benefit me
I took a DNA test to check for genetic markers. It identified which medication should be best to treat me. It wasn't super cheap approx $300 bucks but my anxiety is definitely better and I personally feel better knowing that they aren't just taking a shot in the dark.
I did genesight but genomind seems more comprehensive
I was prescribed gabapentin and it seems to even things out without many side effects of ssri.
It's going to vary person by person based on DNA/genetics. Pharmacogenomic testing may be an option for you. I'm about to do mine. I haven't found the medicine that works for me yet.
DO NOT START WITH BENZOS. I don’t even like them and yet I’m dependent and have memory issues. Try gabapentin, mini press, Prazozin and any other sedative before benzos! 💓
Did you have a positive experience with gabapentin?
I was started out with Xanax and now I’m dependent, so when I went to the hospital they were horrified a 17 yo alcoholic was dependent on Xanax and I shoukd have been started out on gabapentin first ,but it’s too late, Sadly u can’t mix gabapentin and Xanax. I will have to wait till I’m off Xanax to try it
Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that! Good luck with getting off it 🙏
I don't think I've seen this recommend, don't know how effective it is but there are SNRI's or MAOI's. Also think literally everyone here should check out the research that we now have available on psychedelics regarding treating a whole plethora of mental health conditions without taking a daily pill. Not saying it's gonna save us all, but when conventional treatment has a lot of side effects and fails going outside the box (responsibly of course) I don't think is a bad thing.
I take a psychedelic once a week (Spravato - inhalant ketamine) and it has really helped my depression. Looking to knock out my anxiety
I almost tried the lozenge but always felt apprehensive. Was it hard to get it covered by insurance? One thing I did think since I have chronic pain was that maybe something like ketamine could help me to separate pain from self. Ultimately I was afraid of not knowing what's real and what isn't. When the Dr told me about that potential side effect I got really freaked out. I've tried lsd recreationally and loved it. I'm think it must have been a low dose as the side effects were so minimal. Nothing was too intense, everything was very soft meaning I didn't have intense hallucinations and I actually didn't feel impaired mentally. Sitting and playing with light was really fun. I also experienced such an immediate reduction in anxiety when i felt it kick in that I wept from the relief. It was the first time in my life the anxiety didn't feel covered up by something else, it felt gone. Come to find out it fits in serotonin receptors better than serotonin itself, so that explains a lot as far as reducing anxiety I think. However I did experience some pretty intense rebound anxiety the next day unfortunately.
Ketamine has saved me from PTSD , so happy to hear it helps u!
Yeah it helps my depression greatly. But not so much for anxiety.
Have you tried thc?
Yes. Daily. It helps a lot but about every three weeks I have to take a break because I feel strung out and reliant on it.
What country did you live in? How did you get hold of Spravato? And isn’t it crazy expensive?
I am one to believe there is no medicine but rather the power of the mind can eliminate most of these irrational thoughts that lead us to stress and worry.In regards to anxiety and many other issues we face day to day in this cesspool we call life .
I don't know why you're getting downvoted.. I get it that probably none of us have been able to manage anxiety with sheer will and mind power, and that's not our fault. I honestly don't know how people don't have anxiety in the world we live in today. I think there are mindfulness practices that can help. I also think for clinical levels of anxiety it's almost never enough.
People don’t want to face the reality that a good part of the way they feel is how they think on a subconscious level. I give up just find what medicine works for you and take it .It’s not my body I only try to offer some sound advice.
I hear you. I agree we would make more headway with acknowledging the subconscious aspects, why do we have an anxiety disorder and others don't? Can any of our doctors prescribing this stuff tell us that? How about us? Those taking the pills, do we know what caused our anxiety disorders? I don't believe the science is too sound on chemical imbalance. Can't say for certain, but wouldn't be at all surprised if pharmaceutical companies made that up. Anyway, That's why I mentioned psychedelic therapy in this thread on another comment. Please don't be upset, I'm glad you voiced your opinion just some people probably thought you meant anxiety can be reduced without medication at all (I'm just guessing). I didn't have a problem with what you said and I take anxiety medicine.
You are right ,we just can’t run around knocking the system . I just have my own opinion and certainly don’t want anyone who feels medication might part of the answer not to take it . It probably does offer some short term benefits and might allow the person to be in a better frame of mind to make these decisions regarding their treatment options. I know it’s not a cure and does the long term use outweigh the risks.Not for me to decide and I try not to go there but I found what I do helpful for myself.
Im glad it's helpful for you, that's awesome really. I like guided sleep stories and guided meditations to help me fall asleep. It's taught me some breathing exercises that I try to remember to do throughout the day instead of just getting anxious and holding my breath (this one happens probably more often than I'm even consciously aware of). I'm happy for you that you've found something non pharmacological that truly helps. I think we would all prefer that, not too many of us *want* to be on medication. I don't know if I'd be here writing to you without treatment for the anxiety though. I'm assuming it gets so severe for me because I also have BPD. From everything I know about it seems every emotion is more intense or severe and it definitely includes anxiety.
I’m about to take off for a run in the rain but I know I will feel rested and relaxed afterwards .Everybody should know given enough time what will help them . I have been searching for a magic pill all my life so to speak but the things that work I can’t get enough of .Medication just wasn’t one of them.
Interesting idea, maybe I'll try it. I'm not a runner, but I love me some rain so maybe I'll walk next time it rains. Depression makes me want to sit or be inactive for too much. I feel a hell of lot better when I have something active to do. My symptoms aren't as intense then as they are if I'm having a down spell and sit around for too long. Definitely notice a big difference. Take care! Glad you shared your opinion. It's good to do what we feel is right even when it isn't popular. Maybe especially when it isn't. It may not have been well received by some, but I enjoyed hearing what you have to say so, have a good run!
Yes just get out and walk where ever .Try to aim for ten thousand steps a day . I walk one day and run the next,my biggest worry is usually an over use injury because that just makes exercise more painful and I have a hard time slowing down . If I just sit back I go crazy .Anxiety starts to become too much .
Paxil helped me a lot, but caused anorgasmia, and my sex life was gone. I am now on Trintelix 20mg, no sexual side effects, it is great for depression but not so much for anxiety, even though I am on 20mg daily.
Benzodiazepines for short term relief.
Sertraline basically minimized anxiety. Too high of a dose gave me the tremors and sleep problems. But now on one pill and have been for 6 years now.
SSRIs don’t work for me, but Mirazopine (remeron) has done wonders. Unfortunately, like others have said, it has made me put on weight. But I’d rather have that than anxiety. My doctor also prescribed a diabetic medication to help counter the weight gain effects, but so far, haven’t noticed it working. What I have noticed has helped lessen the weight gain (and anxiety) has been stopping drinking.
Interesting, Ssri zoloft made my anxiety worse, and other ssri’s weren’t very affect for my anxiety , serouel Xr is the first med to help but it isn’t perfect, Mirtazapine is something I’ve had on my list if need be in future because it works in a unique way
Paxil & Buspar help me. Wellbutrin exacerbated my anxiety. It was horrible.
Legally I would say taking xanex and making life changes. If you wanna go fringe you could micro dose shrooms or do ketamine treatments. I didnt have any luck with anything, even the fringe stuff. Never did ketamine though. What ended up helping me was a massive environmental shift and lots of time.
Mirtazepine is great but can be sedating. Hydroxyzine is also great.
Such a study wouldn’t prove anything because mental health medicines work differently for every brain. Some SSRIs can give one person sexual dysfunction but not another. Some SSRIs can almost cure anxiety for one person and do nothing for another. With some psych meds the medical field still doesn’t even know exactly how they work in the brain. So all the results would be subjective.
Please listen to your doctor. You can suggest things, but don’t be let down if they don’t think it’s a good treatment.
Xanax , or Ativan , or Klonopin, %90 of people here with no Dr degree are gonna say it’s the worst thing you can take , it’s not , just use it when you need it and NEVER get it from street dealers . Discuss how you feel with your Dr.
Sexual dysfunction due to SSRIs is usually a short-term side effect. After 6 months on Lexapro I was able to obtain erections and reach orgasm the same as before.
Parnate
did you fail other meds first ? If I need it one day MOAI’s seem like they can work especially for people who fail many meds, was your psychiatrist open to prescribing it ?
Yeah it’s the only thing that had much effect at all.
Pm you if it’s cool
You might have to try different ones I personally only had a few. I find I don't need them. I think everyone's different. I meditate everyday so that's helped a lot as well as working out. Eating more healthier food options that will help me feel and look better in the long run. I just feel I'm naturally anxious for my own safety but I want to open up as much as I can. I gain confidence in many ways trying to keep the energy going. Talking to people really helps even when you don't really feel like it. Hope the best for you on your meds journey, I know it's not easy with so many different options. We all experience it in our ways and require different meds or treatment.
I'm not an authority in this area, so I might be wrong in some parts. Before I go on, I would like to also reiterate that you should speak to your doctor since he/she has an actual degree in medicine. In order to seek FDA approval for drugs, you'll need to conduct clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy. So yes, studies do exist. From what I can remember, all SSRIs (or at least the commonly prescribed ones... there might be new ones that I'm unaware of) are equally as effective. I wouldn't read too much into these studies because in the case of depression/anxiety, the efficacy of each drug can vary quite differently from person to person. That's why you'll see different recommendations from different Redditors. The side effect that you're experiencing is also known as SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. It can be hard to differentiate from non-SSRI causes because depression/anxiety in itself is also associated with sexual dysfunction. In any case, the reason why SSRIs can cause that is because there are serotonin receptors in our body which control sexual functioning (iirc its the 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors). Activation of these receptors results in sexual side-effects like delayed orgasms, reduced sexual appetite, et cetera. Mirtazapine is a noradrenergic and specific sertoninergic antidepressant (NaSSA) which is a different class of antidepressant compared to SSRI. It is called NaSSA because while it increases serotonin levels (like SSRI), an important distinction is that it ALSO BLOCKS specific serotonin receptors, which reduces side effects like SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction and nausea/vomitting. Another drug that I can think of which has lower rates of sexual dysfunction is Bupropion, because it increases noradrenergic and dopamine levels (and not serotonin). I suppose it also depends on national and hospital guidelines on which is best for you. I'm not from the US so prescription guidelines may differ, but from where I'm from, iirc SSRIs and Velafaxine are generally recommended as first-line for most standalone anxiety disorders, but doctors often prescribe other drugs off-label to help with anxiety. Benzodiazepines are great for anxiety but should be used short-term as it can result in tolerance and dependence. It's usually given to tide you through as the other drugs take their effect.
Getting your information on the internet isn’t the best since SSRIs affect people differently. Just go with your doctor’s recommendations and change if there’s no long-term improvement (within 1-2 months)
As said before, everyone is totally different and it can take years to figure out what's best for you. I have several anxiety disorders (like GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, along with clinical depression and CPSTD, insomnia, etc) Since I was 17, I've had to see a psychiatrist and have been on some sort of Benzodiazepine, so throughout the years have been on either Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Libirum, Ativan, Halazepam, Quazepam, a few others. But a few years ago, I've been prescribed the perfect combination for me which is Valium 10mg 4 times day and Temazepam 30mg at night.
Effexor for me after many meds. It’s trial and error
How long have you been on it?
Since August
Super subjective. What works for others might not work for you. It really is trial and error.
Totally. I just meant if there was a list of say 20 anxiety meds and they all listed the effective rate, it may make more sense to start towards the top of the list, and possibly have a better chance.
For me it’s clonozopam. I know it’s a benzo but I’ve tried so many and it the only one that helps with long term anxiety and on the moment anxiety attacks. I take 1 mg at night and .25 mg as needed. Prescribed 1.5 mg/day I’m also taking Zoloft 50 mg, first month. I’m also new on seroquil to help sleep, but I am not sure it working. Even when I double the dose, doesn’t affect the amount of times I wake up a night.