Severe Anxiety

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I have always been a very anxious person, even as a little kid, but as time progresses I just seem to get worse and worse. I'm only 20 years old and am not able to do anything because of this crippling anxiety. I finished high school and have taken a few online college courses, as well as having a part time job for a little over a year. But for the past year and a half, everything in my life has been extinguished because of the anxiety. I've been on so many different meds, with only Anafranil and antipsychotics doing anything at all. Benzodiazepines do nothing for me at all. I am currently on the max dose of Zyprexa and Abilify, along with many other drugs, which is just barely keeping me "stable". I've been hospitalized twice in the past year and have been to half of the psychologists and therapists in Las Vegas with very little to show for it. I know all of the coping strategies for anxiety, they just don't work for me. I have no idea what needs to be done next and would appreciate any advice.

a combo of vigorous exercise and beta blockers worked for me. plus living out in the sticks away from most people.

Inderal makes me very depressed, is there another that you would recommend?

I use atenolol.

What kind of anxiety?
What kind of psychotherapy have you tried and why do you think it didn't help?

Exercise is good and medication may help stabilize you to work on a solution, but is typically not a solution in itself.

All different kinds of anxiety, such as a huge feeling of unease, feeling of blood running cold, racing thoughts, pounding heart, sweating, etc. Basically most symptoms of anxiety plus some. Sorry that I can't explain how I feel very well, that is another obstacle on the road to peace of mind. I have tried CBT, talk therapy, religious, forcing my way through what's hard, and what ever other kind they may have tried. When I say that therapy was unsuccessful, I am just saying that, although they have good points, most everything they have to say I have already tried, such as breathing, meditating, progressive relaxation, talking out feelings, forcing my way tough situations, confronting my fears head-on (which is what I always do), and I have still not experienced much relief.

Well, you'd need to figure out why the things you've tried haven't worked, which would include looking at concrete examples of things you're afraid of, then figuring out where exactly things like CBT or exposure therapy have failed.

Since you've tried a lot, I don't think there are simple answers now.

Possible angles:

Exposure therapy only works if it is done correctly, e.g. you need to start with situations that are hardly threatening and progress from there. If you start with things that are too difficult for you, it won't be effective. You need to give yourself enough time, i.e. ideally go through a lot of repetition.
It also has to be combined with a careful analysis of how you reacted to triggers in situations and how you might address them (which is where things like breathing / slowing down in general or CBT might come into play).

What do you mean when you say CBT, drugs and other stuff you've tried "just don't work for me"? Do you mean you've tried literally everything and absolutely nothing reduces or helps to control your anxiety in any way?

It sounds like you have a very serious anxiety disorder, but if you're expectations are there is something out there that will just solve everything for you I think your expectations are unrealistic.

I doubt anyone has a 'magic bullet' for you, given that you've said you've tried almost everything. You need to focus less on finding something that will make everything go away and focus more on the things that you admit, in your original post, help you cope.

For example, CBT doesn't make everything go away, and you have to use its techniques on a daily basis, over and over and over and over and over and over again. I'm not saying blindly do things that don't work for you. Maybe CBT is absolutely useless for you, but focus on the things that have helped you manage until this point. You're 20 something. You've had this problem for a long time. Clearly, you have coping mechanisms or drugs that work.

Do you notice that you use very extreme words?
...you can't do "anything"...Benzos do "nothing"..."everything" in your life has been...I don't doubt your sincerity. You're just using very extreme language which only serves to ramp up your anxiety.

When I haven't slept in a couple of days there's absolutely nothing worse for my anxiety than to start convincing myself that I'll never sleep again. That I'll never be able to sleep without sleeping pills. That I'll eventually become immune to sleeping pills at which point I won't be able to sleep and I'll die form lack of sleep. I realize talking yourself down is easier said than done, but it's a self-perpetuating cycle.

Anxiety and depression are related to how we process the world, and they are also side effects of all our negative and difficult experiences. I would always recommend CBT as a starting point, NOT counselling, and you should build a support network to help you with what you're going through.

Medication should only be considered if your anxiety is very severe, as in it's interfering with your life. Be aware that the first two weeks after starting medication will make your current anxiety look like a fun trip to Alton Towers, so hold your nerve and see them through. You'll probably be prescribed citalopram or escitalopram, but sertraline is known for having fewer side effects so it might be worth asking to start on that as your doctor will want to put you on the cheapest meds, which are not necessarily the best.

I'm on mirtazapine. I was originally put on citalopram for anxiety and depression before my aspergers was diagnosed, and went through side effect hell. I was changed to mirt after 2 horrible years. Mirtazapine is MUCH more gentle with almost no side effects other than increased (and highly improved) sleep, but the weight gain is a problem. Basically before you start mirt, blow a balloon up, look at it and think, "That will be me in 6 months". Also you might want to be within running distance of your bed before you take the dose, because you won't be able to do anything except sleep for hours.

Diet does play a role in anxiety. Those with panic attacks should avoid caffeine, because they seem to be a trigger of panic. Fattening foods, refined sugars, alcohol, and fried foods also exacerbate anxiety symptoms. Eating habits don’t usually "cause" anxiety, but they make it worse, and the worse your anxiety symptoms are the more your anxiety will bother you.

welcome to WP, Myjade
it should be noted, that the foods you mentioned also have been known to alleviate anxiety as well.

If you're looking for chemical-based treatment for anxiety (drugs or otherwise), keep in mind that the chemical imbalance causing depression or anxiety in you isn't necessarily the same as someone else. Doctors have no way of seeing into your brain's chemical composition to the extent it would take to clearly see what type or dose of chemical would work. What this means is that it's basically trial and error to find the right drug and dose for you that works. Don't get too worried if you've tried a few or even a lot of prescribed medications that haven't worked. It's basically a process of elimination to find the one that could work for you.

some folks have found some relief from anxiety, by taking kava.