Anxiety

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I can get pretty bad anxiety everyday, I can breathe too fast. What kind of medicine is the best?

I don't hyperventilate myself. Instead, I get a tight chest and I can't breathe. I don't have any medication, for years I lived a very isolated life so I had few situations that caused panic. These days I get it a lot, and I'm still waiting on professional help. In the meantime, I've been having to rely on alcohol to get some relief from the physical effects of the panic. Just a little bit to get loosened up, no need to get drunk. I'm not saying that's a good long-term solution. Just a measure when nothing else is on hand.

I too would like to know what medications people take for anxiety management, I'll need to be on that once I get set up with professional help.

Benzodiazepines. Just make sure you get one that's sufficiently strong.

Try to quit alcohol asap if you start them. Benzo + alcohol = not good. But it's the medicine that had the best effect for me while I took them. Been a couple of years now, so it's definitely possible to quit once you get treatment for your main issues into place.

Becoming completely free from anxiety takes a long time of focus on life-style improvements and mental health care. It may take years, not weeks or months.

Deep (slow) breathing is a good suggestion. What is needed in an anxiety attack is the feeling of taking control. Rubbing your fingers together or using something like Greek "worry beads" can also give a physical sensation that helps instill a sense of control.

The way my anxiety plays on my mind is that everyone seems like a threat to me. The world seems like a social minefield. People seem like a threat and the older or more traditional they are, the more of a threat they seem to be.

I like the deep breathing and the tagline, "Do it like a Navy Seal."

All prescription medications for anxiety come with risks, side effects and potential withdrawal problems if you stop taking them. Taken long term, they can cause harm to other aspects of your health.

My opinion on this comes from my own experience and heaps of research. I've been medication free for almost 8 years and feel better than I have in years. But getting free was very difficult after having been on various psyche meds for over 13 years.

Someone in this thread mentioned benzos. Be very careful if you decide to go this route. If you take them regularly for over 2 weeks, you can become physically dependent on them, and will need to taper slowly if you want to stop. Some people have a very difficult time coming off benzos. In rare cases, benzos can cause extreme and dangerous side effects, I have known 2 people who have experienced this.

There are safer, more natural supplements which can help with mild to moderate anxiety. Something I found helpful was L Theanine. But there are several other herbs and supplements which have been shown to reduce anxiety, with none of the risks associated with psychiatric drugs. Search supplements for anxiety.

Yoga, meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises can be helpful. Some people find EFT/tapping works. Many people have been cured of anxiety and panic through the work of Dr. Claire Weekes. She is no longer with us, but there are books and audio of her work available over the internet.

The only med I've ever found useful was Buspar (or Buspirone).

This is non-addictive and has very mild or even no side effects, depending on the person and the dose.

BUT it is only for short term use when you are feeling particularly anxious, it should not be taken for months on end. So it's only really helpful for ups and downs, rather than permanent anxiety. Also relies on you having sufficient self-awareness to know at the time when you're starting an anxious phase, rather than only realising afterwards when the tablets will be useless.

As others have said, lifestyle changes are the key to longer term success.

Benzodiazepines are schedule IV drugs and very addictive. They can also increase anxiety. You would want a doctor to prescribe them and they are a short-term solution (counted in days). Over the long term, they lose their potency and, as I said, you get addicted with serious side effects.

This would not be my first go-to drug for anxiety.

I would start with simple herb tea. You could also drink St. John's Wart.

But anxiety is a symptom. I would look at ways of addressing the cause, and I know that is complex: I am not trying to be flippant.

Benzos are a big group of medicines with many substances. They are widespread and side effects are well-known. I've used three: diazepam, oxazepam, and etizolam. I tapered off and quit about 2 years ago, after 8 years of use. Personally, benzos had a positive impact in my treatment and were helpful in bringing things under control, and would therefore recommend them.

Not all benzos are strong, especially on low dose. Diazepam is, however, and is best used on case-by-case basis. Oxazepam is medium, and can be used more regularly. Etizolam is weaker and can be used daily as part of a long-time treatment plan (e.g. one for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner).

It also depends on how severe OP's anxiety problems are. Being able to handle mild to moderate anxiety without medicines is great if you're able to, and many of the advice in this thread are also great. However, if anxiety is having a significant impact on your life, there's nothing wrong with being under supervised medical care for some time.

As for side effects, it's a question of risk/reward. You have to evaluate each patient individually and try to weigh the potential positives against the negatives.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and you should always consult one for proper medical advice.

Benzodiazepines have their legitimate medical uses. I would be concerned about going straight to them on a post about anxiety. They need to be prescribed and monitored by a doctor.