Taking anxiety medication?

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They can help with anxiety and mood for some people. They're not a 100% solution but it's certainly worth raising/discussing with a doctor.

locster

In her interviews, Temple Grandin stated that she took Imipramine (the very first Tricyclic Antidepressant) for 3 years before switching to Desipramine (the metabolite of Imipramine) which she's still on for more than 20 years. However she's been on the same low/mini dose for the entire time and apparently that's enough to significantly reduce her panic attacks.

She recommends that some people with ASDs respond well to low/mini doses of SSRIs such as Fluoxetine (Prozac), Escitalopram (Lexapro), and Sertraline (Zoloft). Taking standard or higher doses of such antidepressants can increase the negative side effects such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction.

Keep in mind that everybody has a different physiology and low/mini doses of antidepressants may or may not work. You'll have to try it out personally to make your judgement.

I didn't want to take medication for years though two therapists recommended it. In December I got a prescription for sertraline from my psychiatrist and started taking it a few days ago (I was nervous about side effects). Anyway, because I was nervous she said I could start with even a smaller dose than what she had prescribed which was 25mg and that I could cut the pills in half.

It seems like there's already a slackening of my obsessive tendencies. It's kinda weird. I sort of don't know what to do with myself. They say it takes a month for it to really take effect, so I'm not sure if this is the medication or not. Sometimes I forget I've taken it yet I still feel different.

Yes i am taking Zoloft up to 75mg as of now and xanax 0.5mg and i have only been taking that for a few days. Most anxiety meds make me really sleepy and out of it and while i feel a little tired on xanax it isnt too bad. I am sure i will take a higher dose of Zoloft but the doctor wants to start me off with a small dose.

I took diazapam and think they are ideal for a one off day when anxiety is too much. The anti-d's are ok in small sparse doses for me. I had sleeping pills too but they are too severe.

I'm taking paxil. For depression and social anxiety.

It does seem to help some. I don't think that it affects the depression, but it does seem to make it easier for me to talk to people. Also, it seems to make it easier for me to make good decisions, but reducing some of my obsessions.

I've been looking for people who have ASD and an anxiety disorder. I'm not diagnosed with Asperger's yet, mostly because I'm 45 years old, but I've had GAD for years, and was disabled by GAD by the late '90s. I now believe that the GAD is a result of being an Aspie plus childhood abuse.

The one thing I have to say about anxiety meds is DO NOT take benzodiazepines for more than a few weeks at a time, preferably only a few days. They will make you freaking crazy. Among the side effects of long-term benzodiazepine use is agoraphobia. I've been taking clonazepam (Klonopin in USA) since 1998, and by now my anxiety is far worse than it was in 1998, except now I've got benzo-induced agoraphobia on top of it.

I would love to hear from anyone who has both an ASD and is suffering any sort of clinical anxiety disorder.

I took prozac for depression and it made my anxiety worse, so i find it interesting SSRIs would help anyone with anxiety.

I take the generic form of Paxil....Paroxetine....and i take the highest dosage of 20 ml and it works miracles.....no panic attacks, no nothing....blissfully happy......except I gain weight and if I don't take it for like 2 days I start getting withdrawal symptoms....other than that, It REALLY works.....for me.

Helps a bit. I take such for various anxiety disorders.

On Zoloft and Seroquel (200 and 150 milligrams in order), and I often have Valium around (10 milligrams as needed). Helps me function at the level I am now (which kinda sucks, but eh, a small bit is better than none in this case to me).

Anxiety disorders just add to the already overwhelmed and anxious ASD mind of mine, so stuff that helps that...just helps.

I tried Paxil, and generic Valium when I started having a lot of panic attacks at work. I stopped a couple months later, because I put on ten pounds and could not stay focused. It also made me very sleepy.
If I'm having a stressful time, I usually turn to holy basil(tulsi) now. It just tones me down a bit.

believe it Paxil saved my life.

I'm currently taking low dose olanzapine (0.6mg) and ativan (0.5mg). For sleep I take an anti-histamine. I'm managing life OK. Would like to feel peaceful and relaxed but that doesn't happen often. I have just started a group therapy for anxiety, will see if that works. If not at least I know I'm not alone. According to some stats I read more than half aspies have anxiety disorders.

My mother stayed on 2,5 mg benzodiazepine on a daily basis for years and never developed any kind of dependance. No need for stronger dosage either.
I take them now and then too, when panicy or nervous/anxious in general - also 2,5 mg because I react to very small doses of anything.

My life would not be the same without meds.

It depends on the type of anxiety that you are experiencing.

Some people have their anxiety relieved by antidepressants, that didn't work for me.

Some people use benzos which will work for the majority of people but not all.

Then there's antipsychotics/ dopamine agents like haloperidol, seroquel, etc. for those that has schizophrenia like symptoms/ are kind of delusionole.

It's even been reported that meds like adderall help with social anxiety ( adderall does the opposite of antipsychotics by flooding your brain with dopamine)

It depends on what you mean by anxiety. What's your symptoms and what's your goal?

I took sertraline (Zoloft) for anxiety/panic attacks for 5 years on and off. It helped to start with then didn't. It didn't help with any of the causes of my panic attacks so was more like a plaster. Talking about past events that caused the panic attacks to start, and learning to cope with my emotions helps more than the meds ever did.
I've been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since stopping by tapering the sertraline almost 1 year 6 months ago. I wish I'd never taken it as withdrawal is horrible and I wasn't told about the possibility of it happening when I was put on the meds.