Anxiety medications?

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What is your experience with medications to reduce anxiety? I have had such severe anxiety the last year that I'm finally considering asking my doctor for something to chill me out, but I have had such bad reactions to so many medications (even low doses will give me an effect that's way out of proportion to what's 'normal') that I'm worried that anti-anxiety meds will turn me into a zombie.

I think high sensitivity to meds is an autism thing. I always react badly / have bad side effects to meds. I did take a med called Celexa which is similar to Prozac or Zoloft for generalized anxiety disorder. I had terrible adjustment side effects though. But it did help me get over a lot of anxiety problems in the long run. Now I just take Xanax as needed. Xanax has never given me any side effect problems that I know of.

Benzodiazapines. Prozac and the like are anti-depressants. Benzos are specific to anxiety and include Xanax and vallium. I use clonazapam, a time release benzo. I still take citalopram for depression, which doesn't dampen my sex drive like other anti-deps

I took Celexa, It worked (sort of), but once you get on any type of anxiety med, it takes a looooong time to come off.

One thing I found helpful is a device called the emWave maybe your therapist has one that you can borrow to try out or smth? I also believe they have similar apps and stuff for apple devices...

I don't trust ANY of the SSRI's at ALL. They all contain Fluoxetine (by-product of Sodium-Fluoride which is poisonous). Wish I never had any of that crap ever entering into my system.

You are better off seeing a reputable hypno-therapist for phobia/anxiety issues than you are taking "medications" that only mask symptoms rather than addressing the root-cause of problems.

Wish I knew as much about the fraudulent-scheme of psychiatry back then as I do now.

Anyway, much safer alternatives exist than psycho-actives, and be sure to read all of Dr. Carl Wickland's book for good measure: "30 Years Among the Dead"

I take Buspar & it helps my generalized anxiety & panic attacks better than any antidepressant I tried. It's specially for anxiety & not a benzodiazepine so it can be taken regularly long term. It needs to be taken regularly for awhile before it starts working fully thou. You can start off on a very low dose.

Well revelation time....no wonder I couldn't tolerate the clonazapam, I was prescribed it under the impression it was fast acting. So I'd take it not get enough relief soon enough, and take more and then before I knew it I was fiending over the crap having to refill my prescription at an alarming rate...kind of suprised the doctor didn't schedule me in for an ASAP mandatory check up it took me really over-doing it one night while drinking and feeling so bad about what an a** I made of myself I checked myself into the E.R and from there psychiatric ward where I was taken off of it. Since than I finally got a prescription of valium which does act quicker whilst leaving the system slower which makes for a smoother 'come down' and have had no issues with the valium. I mean this is why I won't try such drugs as meth or heroin...because the quick fix that wears off quick and even a bit rough seems the perfect recipe for me to develop substance abuse issues with a substance.

Speaking of that history though..it is surprising they even let me try the valium, but I explained to the psychiatrist I genuinely wanted help and was more or less past my substance abuse days as I had recognized it as an attempt at self medicating which didn't always turn out well...but was still sort of working on the habit of drinking to cope which I've not done that in a long time kinda had it with that after I made an a** of myself at a concert I had been dying to go to for months due to getting drunk, losing a couple things in the crowd and getting all worked up about it. I was a bitter at the venue and ranted to a few people about how much I hate that venue and it sucks...but really I made an a** of myself now I just want to apologize if I end up seeing a show there again and get recognized(they didn't ban me, though said if I didn't leave they would have to call the cops and potentially ban me) so I left. So mental health professionals and what not aren't all bad...at least the ones that listen and don't just assume you're making stuff up. I think I also mentioned with the clonazapam the doctor didn't adequately explain the risks or dependence potential..or even any symptoms I might notice if I was developing that kind of issue and thus gained a better understanding of it with my own experience.

I tried that my last time I was in the psych ward...and I couldn't tell if it was doing anything either way for the anxiety, but it did cause me a rather unbearable headache which of course didn't help my sensory issues, or mood for that matter...and of course was not fast acting enough to really diminish sudden anxiety which is common with PTSD since you never know when something will trigger it and cannot wait a week or two for relief from a panic attack happening at that moment.

I've had some pretty debilating anxiety and sensory issues for as long as I can remember.

I took it upon myself to try self medicating, with a benzo that is in a "grey area" legally, and available online with out a prescription. The medication is called etizolam. I had been using it daily for the last month and a half or two months. It had in many ways saved me from one of the hardest times of my life and my anxiety was gone. For once in my life I felt able and comfortable to socialize with others and was not constantly overwhelmed by sensory issues.

I should have gone to see a psychiatrist while taking it but now I'm all out and I'm back to square one.... Too crippled by anxiety to even leave the house or turn on my phone, let alone make an appointment to talk to a professional.

I've been prescribed different benzos before but never one that seemed to work so great as this one. It's a shame it's not approved in the US as a medication like it is in other countries. I think I may just require longterm benzodiazepine therapy to get by in life... They are habit forming though so that concerns me too. But being house bound isn't any better :/

I take Paxil the strongest SSRI and Klonopin together. It helped enormously for a few years now it seemed to have pooped out. I kinda hate life now.

I take Buspar too, and your right about it. I doesn't do much for the situational/triggered anxiety. For me, it seems to help a lot with the general anxiety. I got lucky with Buspar because, from all the medications I have taken, there are "almost" no side effects for me.

I took luvox (fluvoxetine) once and it worked. I cant remember any side effect. I also had anafranil (clomipramine) 2 times as a kid, no side effect that i remmember.

Does Anafranil cause weight gain?

even i had suffered from anxiety but i practiced yoga and that worked well on me i think. I started think something positive

In my case i used it for a short time, i was 8, i dont remember to be specially fat at that time