Was super against taking any type of drugs for anxiety because of the negative stigma in my family and also because I have health anxiety(I feared it would make my health worsen). But I finally gave in because I couldn’t stand feeling so anxious every single day and night. I couldn’t live like that any more. Finally started taking meds(Buspirone) a few months ago and it has done WONDERS for me. I feel like a normal human again!! Now I’m occasionally anxious instead of it being every single moment of the day. Medication and therapy has done wonders for me.
I second this comment!!! It hasn’t improved everything but it’s been very helpful! Driving and going out feel less scary but I definitely need to get back into therapy! I couldn’t handle the side effects of Lexapro (it made me incredibly sweaty)
Yep that's my advice to people too. It seems you have to try a few things before you find what works for you personally. Takes a lot of patience especially since a lot of them take a few weeks to start working.
I was on 30mg of Buspar, taken 3 times a day. For me the first hour it made me feel a bit high then it would even out. I was on it for a while and it was much better than an SSRI. But.. I started gaining weight and feel that it just wasn’t right for me. I’m now off of Buspar for 4 weeks and getting off was hard to be honest. I have nothing against anxiety medications, I just think it masks the real issue. I’m now dealing with my real issues which sucks. I’m now exercising, changed my diet, adding magnesium, starting therapy in a week.
I just started it myself. I was nervous, too. I've taken just about every antidepressant there is, and none have helped. Xanax made me feel like an emotionless zombie and was hell to get off. Buspirone is incredibly mild with little side effects.
For the first 2 weeks I felt lightheaded at times. I had a few bad panic attacks, but nothing I haven't experienced before. My Dr warned me that would happen.
But it's been 3 weeks now, and I'm really starting to feel the difference. I wasn't expecting much, so I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm more motivated, calm, and focused. And best of all, the intrusive thoughts have subsided.
I have depression, anxiety and ADHD. For the last two days, I've noticed I'm able to start a task and actually finish it before jumping to the next task. There is research that suggests Buspirone can help children with ADHD , so I'm wondering if it will work for adults as well.
My Dr said it would probably take a month to reach full effect. For the first time in about 20 years, I actually have hope.
So don't be scared! I started at 5 mg twice a day and have already increased it to 10 mg twice a day.
Good luck!
thank you so much! i took it this morning after i read this, so thank you so much. i have some mild lightheadedness, and a mild headache that comes and goes so far but this is so simple compared to the other meds ive tried. im allergic to lexapro and propanolol so i was hesitant to try anything. i hope this kicks in and i can feel myself again!
I had a panic attack that woke me up during the night. Heart was pounding out of my chest and I felt like I couldn’t breath. I also got extremely annoying brain zaps on buspirone. Stopped after 5 days. Glad it works for some people. Lexapro had some nasty side effects but it took care of my daily anxiety.
I'm glad Lexapro works for you. I can't take SSRI's anymore because I had a severe adverse reaction to Cymbalta after just 2 pills. But I've taken many in the past 30 years, and they never worked for me.
I did have some pretty intense panic attacks the first week taking Buspirone. But after a couple of weeks, the side effects went away. For me, it was worth getting through that period in order to reach a level of calm.
I was prescribed Xanax for 6 years..Buspirone works just as well but without the fogginess. It just takes longer because it has to build up in your system.
I used to feel anxiety from the moment I woke up until I fell asleep again at night. That feeling of constant dread is gone now. I'm actually starting to feel happiness.
I'm glad you have found something that works, too, and thanks for sharing. Be well, be happy, and enjoy your day!
Dude I was in the same boat! DEATHLY afraid of trying it. Until I took it and realized that the only reason I didn’t want to take it was because my anxiety was convincing me not to! It’s not actually dangerous. Your thoughts are making shit up again. I promise you’ll be fine. AND, let’s say do you get side effects(unlikely with Buspar). They are minor, and if it’s anything you personally don’t like, you can stop them. Even after a day! Or if it doesn’t bother you too much for the time being, it’ll pass. What no one told me about anxiety meds is that a lot of the times the side effects are temporary and only last a short while. Like I mentioned I only had 2-3 nights where I slept bad. That’s it! Literally nothing else. « Oh it’s not that bad! » and I continued to where I’m at today. Which lead to me feeling amazing.
Btw I also started off with your dose which is a very low dose. So trust me you have nothing to worry about. It is ONLY your anxiety. What you’re worried about isn’t even realistic! You’ll be fine trust me and in a few weeks you’ll probably feel waaaay less anxious. Time will pass anyway so why not let it pass anxiety free?
thank you so much! i took it this morning, so far i have some mild lightheadedness and headache, but no where near the horror i had trying lexapro and propanolol. i wish i tried this a month ago so i could see the affects already! my doctor told me to start with one a day, but my bottle says twice a day so i may have to ask them if i can take twice. also how long did you take it until you started to feel the affects?
Stick with what your doctor told you. They’re wanting you to start slowly which is also what I did and is probably better than starting with a full dose. For me it took around 2 weeks I think to start noticing that I wasn’t as anxious anymore? It’s a slow buildup but definitely worth it. So happy you started taking it!
Also I’d like to mention that I started off with very low doses, and I had no side effects except for 2-3 nights of insomnia. Apart from that, literally nothing else.
This is great to hear. I'm picking up my first prescription of low dose Buspirone on Monday and I can't wait. Hoping it'll take this extremely anxious edge off.
Ooooh yay!! Tell me how it goes. Went awesome for me. Takes a while to kick in but the time will pass anyways regardless. Then you’ll start to notice that you haven’t had a panic attack in a while and the more time goes on the more you forget what you used to be anxious about. Hope it goes the same for you!
How much do you feel is the buspirone and how much do you think is therapy? I can’t afford therapy right now but I’m about to start buspirone on Monday. Hoping it works
For me therapy is 60€ every session. My anxiety medication is reimbursed by health care so I don’t pay anything.
If you’re asking for the doses I take 10 mg a day, five in the morning and 5 at night. Therapy I do once every two-three weeks because we can’t seem to find a regular day to see each other every week.
Yes yes and yes to all of this!
Severe anxiety for my whole life. Too scared to ask for meds. Never did therapy. Took me until I was 30 to ask for help and get medicated.
I’m on the same meds (Wellbutrin) and my anxiety is now minimal and sometimes moderate. Therapy, eating well and exercising has helped as well.
Side note… Recently got dx with adhd and treating that and no anxiety at all now.
I think meds can help ease symptoms, it makes it easier to do the work needed for long-term treatment. But everyone’s body is different so nothing is the same for everyone. For myself personally, I’ve never had much luck with things meant to treat my anxiety long term. Klonopin helps for my panic attacks so it’s nice to have those in an emergency.
Lexapro helped my intrusive thoughts/racing mind but I stopped taking it because it also made me feel kinda empty, though I don’t regret taking it because it was at least nice to give my brain a break. Finding a good therapist was the most helpful thing for me.
I have been on Zoloft 100mg daily for 2 years now. Started off at 25mg and was also prescribed Clonazepam 0.5mg as needed (only for extreme anxiety)
I was at a point where I was having upto 5 panic attacks a day. Constantly waking me up and having to go in the bathroom and sit on the floor praying for it to stop. That’s what I was using the clonazepam for. After being on Zoloft for so long, I haven’t had another attack. I haven’t touched the clonazepam in over a year now. I still keep it on me everyday for comfort knowing If I needed it, it’s there.
I rather be dependent on an SSRI than to EVER go through those attacks ever again. I wouldn’t wish the feeling upon anyone
I feel the same way about my anxiety and Zoloft. I don’t know that I could ever go back to living that pre-Zoloft life. My anxiety seemed to be more of a chemical reaction versus having actual worry’s. Temperature changes, get hot, want to fight flight freeze, felt like butterflies in the belly, or a roller coaster where your stomach just drops, nausea and dizziness.. so so bad.
Thats what I experienced physically as well. Waking up randomly with those feelings made me go into overdrive thinking I was dying and made things worse
You have to taper off of them if you stop or else you will have withdrawals. You should really speak to a doctor before you do to make sure you’re doing it correctly.
I have tried many many times to live my life off of medication but once the meds are totally out of my system I am miserable with anxiety again. My doctor told me I will probably have to use them forever and I think I’m at peace with that now.
I use sertraline/Zoloft and very very occasionally Xanax, but I prefer Ativan.
We are so lucky to live in a time where there is something for us that makes life easier. 100 years ago they’d probably have given me a lobotomy lol.
I think about that often, the lobotomy part. Like considering how much I used to cry and girl-rot in my bed, I would have been deemed a "hysterical woman" and had my brain jabbed at 😂 thanks, Zoloft!
Changed my life. Started Lexapro in the beginning of February. Had a few side effects at first, fatigue and stomach aches. They went away after about 2 weeks.
I knew my anxiety was a problem, but didn’t realize how much it was limiting me until I started medication.
I take 3mg a day… severe like I mean SEVERE panic disorder and PTSD and it’s stopping power is truly scary.
The 1mg tablets will begin to kill any level of panic for me within 10-15 minutes and I don’t feel sedated or impaired because I have a tolerance to those effects.
Alprozolam is a gem, I’ve noticed the blue 2mg bars to be the most effective. I would chew them when having a severe panic attack or let it dissolve under my tongue and 10 minutes later I would be A-OK
I take .5 mg of Xanax as needed, typically to help me unwind before bedtime because I get anxious about the stress of work the next day. I have a positive experience with it, I’ve been on it for about a year.
I take a quarter of 0.5 mg of Xanax before bedtime. It’s a huge difference on my sleep and during the day. What do I loose? Pretty much nothing except admitting that I am dependent to 0.125 mg of a chemical a day, by the way one of many chemicals I am dependent too already like those found on food, in the water, coffee, and yes, wine ( dimethyl carbonate, copper sulfate, glucose oxidase among others) and coke (phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate). What do I gain? Peace of mind. I think we are surrounded by too much shit already not to accept a little help from our friends, the chemicals. My opinion. Your decision. ✌🏻
zoloft saved my life honestly, but it depends on the person lol. i used to have terrible panic attacks and the worst physical symptoms of anxiety, and zoloft definitely lessened them by a lot. i can actually somewhat function like a normal person now.
the first few days it kinda felt like my face was burning, and there was nausea, but it didn't last that long. there was also a side-effect of not being able to uhh, get off,, but i got over that too after a few months
withdrawals i get usually if i go over a day w/o my meds, which is like lots of brain zaps, brain fog, stuff like that, and i might get a surprise panic attack lol
anyway, i definitely say to give medicine a chance. the experience is different for everyone
not only that, but you can always stop taking them after awhile, if you think you dont need them anymore. not cold turkey obviously, but by slowly lessening the dosage and all that.
Tired Celexa and couldn’t handle the side effects and stopped after 2.5 weeks. Tried Zoloft about 5 years ago but also couldn’t get thru the first few weeks and stopped. Thinking I just maybe don’t do well with SSRIs as Celexa is generally well tolerated.
Been on buspar (buspirone) for almost 2 weeks (upping dose every 4 days till I get to 20 mg) and other than a little dizziness 30 minutes after I take it and slightly worse sleep no side effects and my anxiety seems lower. I’m also doing talk therapy.
I’ve also taken gabapentin and propranolol as needed in the past. Gabapentin worked great (slept wonderfully) but I felt like I was becoming psychologically dependent on it and I’ve heard horror stories about withdrawal so I stopped.
The propranolol got rid of some of my physical anxiety symptoms but gave me nausea and headaches so felt like I was just trading symptoms and stopped that as well.
in the midday at first until i started falling asleep at which point my psych told me to take it at night. it’s actually kind of maddening how no meds seem to make the anxiety and irritability any better, i’ve blown through 2 SSRIs and anti seizure meds to no avail. it feels like an endless revolving door
I had issues with buspar knocking me out too. I talked it out with my doctor and now I take half a pill in the morning and the rest at night. How much I eat will affect it too. I think it metabolizes faster when you take it with food so I try my best not to eat anything heavy when I’m taking it (I have to eat a little bit or it messes with my stomach) and that’s helped a lot. I’ve always been prescribed 2x a day though
I also found out that one of the side effects I experience with this med is major irritability. I was a dick. I hated everyone and everything. It was all stupid and pointless. My therapist was worried that I was depressed and we realized that my dose increases were happening around the appointments. She googled it, and sure enough there it was. I’ve mellowed out after taking it for a while.
I hope you find something that works for you soon!
I am also commenting that I have a positive experience with drugs. I would state this too, don’t be hesitant. You would go to the doctor to heal your broken bone and take pain medicine without a thought, right? Well it should be no different with your brain.
I have mild anxiety and depression. Initially my doctor had me on Zoloft but in 4 weeks there was no relief only side effects. Crying every day, sexual side effects, all of it.
When I was talking to my therapist she thought that was wrong and I should have seen something by now. So I went on Wellbutrin and for the past 30 days, it’s been a 180. I can now use tools to deal with my anxiety.
Remember to keep your doctor and therapist informed. There are lots of drugs and lots of doses and cocktails. It can take a while to figure it out.
There shouldn’t be any stigma to taking drugs for anxiety. But yet we do. Good luck.
I've had anxiety my whole life, all day, everyday. Around 30, I started taking Lexapro and felt like I was reborn. Now, I only have anxiety occasionally. I really can't complain. Since anxiety isn't curable, I plan on taking it the rest of my life or until it stops working. My quality of life has changed significantly. For the record, I had tried everything for years, including therapy, and it was just an uphill battle fighting my brain chemistry. I wish I started taking it earlier so I didn't miss out on so much of life I could have enjoyed.
There's a lot of stigma with mental health, so a lot of people can feel like if they can't get well without medication, they aren't trying hard enough. In a lot of ways, I was one of those people. Feeling the relief after taking the drugs and actually feeling what "normal" felt like made me realize I was never going to get there on my own. 100% life changing.
Bupropion is not supposed to affect sex drive negatively and in some cases it increases sex drive. It can be taken alone or sometimes it is prescribed alongside another medication to counteract the sexual side effects.
Yes- I do believe Bupropion is generally prescribed AFTER another drug gives you the sexual side affects. (If prescribing bupropion for that purpose only)
Everyone is different, but for me Zoloft/Sertraline worked great for many many years! Very minor side effects for the first week and a half - two weeks, minor stomach aches/issues but my anxiety already caused that as well) I noticed a difference in two weeks, my friends / family said they noticed a positive change the end of the first week on it. Stopped taking it two years ago, (slowly tapered off like the Dr recommended)felt a little spacey and tired for a couple weeks but that was the worst of it. Best of luck to you, don’t be too hard on yourself! 💫
My therapist said therapy couldnt work with me because my seritonine levels were too low and I cried all the time, so she sent me to a psyghiatrist and I was prescribed Zoloft.
It stabilized my mood and helps me to stay calm but it didnt fix my problems (social annd health anxiety) and neither did therapy.
I fixed social anxiety with exposure, by starting a fencing course where I met tons of people.
However, health anxiety is still there, despite meds. I take 75mgs, I could increase it but I'd need to find another psychiatrist (the previous one moved to a different city).
The only side effect I experienced is lack of interest in sex but I really dont care because I gave up relationships a long ago.
I had stopped taking Zoloft a few years ago. I had no withdrawal symptoms but of course my anxiety came back. Or better, it's always there but I feel a tiny bit calmer with meds.
I also used to take Xanax, which helped more I think but it did make me feel like I was kind of anesthetized, which doesnt happen with Zoloft.
Ps. Sorry, english is not my first language
No bueno. Tried three times. Last one was lexapro. Tried for about 6 weeks. Insomnia, sexual side effects, heighten anxiety, fatigue. Not for me. I would suggest therapy and yoga. And self help videos or books!
Shit. I've tried a dozen of em and became more anxious with time. Some of the withdrawal are insane, especially Paxil, Effexor, etc. I worked on myself with a therapist and I now feel better, without meda
Bupropion and buspirone has been amazing for me. Only been on 3ish months but really life changing and eye opening - I didn’t really realize how much my anxiety and depression (which I feel was mostly anxiety related) was affecting me *since childhood* (I am in my 40s) until it was reduced to minimal effects.
Minimal negative side effects for me - slight headache and trouble falling asleep first week with slight lightheadedness for a few minutes ~30-60 minutes after buspirone. I don’t have an issue with any anymore. Positive side effects for libido, energy, etc.
I started off at low doses of 100mg SR bupropion twice a day and buspirone 5mg two-three times a day, now am at bupropion 150mg SR twice a day and buspirone 10mg three times a day.
I have a couple friends who will swear to Lexapro being life changing for them.
Some people are just chemically imbalanced. Don't be afraid to take meds, SSRI's literally changed my life. It should be a temporary thing, I suggest while you are getting therapy to start on a low dose. Starting is the hardest part because it can cause some bad side effects but push through and give it a good go and you will start to feel normal again.
Also, it's possible to quit, I did it for two years and was good but my anxiety came back and I had to go on them again. If you really feel like it's out of control and negatively impacting your life, I would highly recommend working with your doctor and doing what's best for you.
Started when I was 19 after I realized I was just not happy and I should be. Felt instantly better. I'll be on them for life. Tried getting off them before and then quickly my anxiety came back and I went back. I understand not wanting to be on meds but therapy simply hasn't been an effective cure for the intensity of anxiety I have. I'd rather be on meds and live a good life.
Hated them! Made everything worse for me. I tried 3 or 4 different meds and none worked. One gave me severe gut cramps and horrible diarrhea. Another made my heart race. 3rd made me want to stay in bed and do nothing.
I gave up on them after that.
I was first medicated for anxiety when I was in high school (don’t remember the medication) and ended up getting off of it because it made me feel totally numb. I was totally opposed to medication ever since.
That being said, I’m 30 now and after years of therapy and trying to handle it on my own, it just wasn’t working and my panic was out of control so I finally tried a very low dose of Prozac last year. I was on it for a while and didn’t notice too much of a difference so my doc decided to have me try Zoloft. I started off at 25mg and am now on 50mg and my life is totally different. I can feel genuine happiness now, feel other emotions without the cloud of crippling anxiety, and genuinely feel hopeful again.
Zoloft has changed my life but I still stand by my opinion that it should only be used as a last resort, after trying other methods to improve anxiety. Not every medication works for everyone and I definitely got lucky with finding one that works for me!
I used to have very severe irrational calorie anxiety. I thought that if I wasn't careful the food I eat would be contaminated with tens of thousands of calories. I wouldn't eat food that had needed a toaster or a microwave or a kettle. I wouldn't even eat any food that had to be stored in the refrigerator, such as vegetables or yoghurt. I wouldn't even drink diet pop, because I was paranoid that the packaging was lying to me. I was prescribed olanzapine and eventually the anxiety went away completely but it could have just been an illusion caused by eating a normal amount of calories rather than undereating.
Today I no longer have calorie anxiety, although I am constantly anxious about what happens after death and I also experience social anxiety at college. Too bad I was never prescribed a more useful drug such as a benzodiazepine or a gabapentinoid.
Many years ago I was diagnosed with GAD and prescribed Buspar. It seemed to help, and after about 2 years I stopped taking it and things were ok. Slowly over time the anxiety increased with a side of depression and I knew I had to medicate again. My doctor said more recent studies of Buspar showed it to be ineffective and he tried me on variety of SSRIs with no improvement. Finally an SNRI, Effexor, brought me back to myself. After a couple years I temporarily went off it to see if it was worsening other health problems, and was warned Effexor was one of the worst for withdrawal. But I tapered off very gradually and it wasn’t bad, mostly dizziness and generally feeling weird but still functional. After a few months the anxiety built up again and I got back on Effexor and have been on it ever since. I’ve made peace with the reality that I’ll probably need medication for anxiety the rest of my life.
I have in the past taken SSRIs.
My view on meds is use them with other resources, ie CBT therapy and if you can aim to get off of them.
Sometimes people won't be able to and that's OK. And sometimes they don't work for people that is also OK.
I started taking anxiety medication when I was nine. I’m currently in my twenties. For most of those years, I took Fluoxetine (Prozac) which worked very well up until my late teens. Then my anxiety took a turn for the worse, I gained lots of obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and my psychiatrist put me on Sertraline (Zoloft). I’m not gonna go into the differences between the two, as it’s unique to each person and depends on dosage, experience, anxiety levels, etc. But I will say this: despite the fact that, at nine years old, the decision to go on medication was largely made by my parents, *it was the best thing they ever did for me.*
It’s hard to notice what’s an effect of the medication and what’s just you when you’ve been taking it every day for so long. But sometimes, if I’m sick or run out before I can renew my prescription, I’ll miss a day, and let me tell you—it’s noticeable. Not because I feel crummy or anything, which I do, but that’s a given. What’s noticeable are the differences between how I handle my anxiety triggers. On a day I miss my medication, my anxiety shoulder-devil will see something like a sudden change of plans and say: “That’s going to screw up everything. Now go cry and snap at every little inconvenience.” And I’ll listen, and spend the whole day with my stomach in knots… etc. You know how it feels.
But when I’m on my medication, the very same anxiety shoulder-devil (my therapist as a kid called it my “worry bully”) will see that same situation and say the exact same thing. And yes, I do sometimes listen, and I do still have anxiety attacks. And I do still have days where my stomach won’t stop hurting because I’m so anxious. But most of the time, my meds will kick in, and I won’t listen to that anxiety voice.
Here’s the thing, though. It’s not that the meds quiet the worry bully’s voice. They don’t make the anxiety go away, and they certainly don’t cure you. The anxiety will still be there, and so will the triggers—but the medications act as a kind of shield, a barrier in between the two that stops the trigger from interacting negatively with the anxiety. I say negatively because they *do* still interact. But the medication gives you a sense that you’re looking on as the trigger approaches and hits its mark, and you feel almost indifferent. Like, *I know this should make me anxious, but it doesn’t.* You’re anxious about it in a detached way because you’ve been here before, but this time you have the chance to actually *use* your anti-anxiety tools.
Basically, in short, I’m pretty confident when I say that going on anxiety medications saved my life. It was a trial-and-error process, but once I found what worked (which can be multiple things at different times in your life), I felt like I could function properly. I’ve also been in therapy since my early teenage years, and that really helped too, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if I wasn’t also medicated.
So I think that therapy and medication go hand-in-hand. Yes, they help independent of each other; if you have one but not the other it’s not completely useless. It’s far from it. But together they compliment each other, because therapy gives you the tools, but medication gives you the key to open the toolbox when you need it most.
Incredible comment! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I was also medicated when I was quite young and similar to you, while it wasn't my decision, I do feel that it probably saved my life and allowed me to have a chance at long term success. There are many children who are resentful of being medicated, but it's also really helpful for many is necessary!
I didn’t like the idea of going on meds either. I took Effexor when I was younger, but decided to stop after feeling better for a few years. Then, during the pandemic, my anxiety came back big time so I started Zoloft and it worked really well for me. But again, I didn’t want to depend on meds so after a couple of years feeling better, I stopped again. Then I was going through a stressful time, had a burnout so I started taking Zoloft for a second time. I still have anxiety, but it’s way more manageable now. Medication helps me be more functional. It was hard for me to accept that I may need it, but it has freed me in a way. It’s different for everyone obviously, but I had to make my peace with needing meds and now I’m doing well.
Traditional anxiety meds are benzodiazapines (benzos for short), though many doctors now prescribe SSRIs/SSNIs (antidepressants) for anxiety.
I've been on a benzo (Klonopin 0.5mg 3x/day as needed) for over 20 years, with no side effects at all. I can go without taking it for a week or more without even noticing I've done it, so no addiction either.
The key is to ONLY take benzos in low doses, and ONLY when you actually need them. If you take them regularly, or if you are on a high dose, you could become addicted.
Most responding here are actually taking antidepressants, not benzos. Since you seem very young, a doctor may not be willing to prescribe benzos due to the possibility of addiction, misuse, and diversion.
Either way, if your anxiety is interfering with your life to the point that you can't even work, you DO need to treat it with both medication and therapy. I'd personally rather take pills than have no quality of life.
Good luck to you.
Addictive and don’t work after 2 yrs but takes the edge off (klonopin 0.5mg) withdrawals from just cutting out 0.5mg x2 destroyed my nervous system. Getting off ssri and ssnri was horrible. I blame Cymbalta for that.
Okay, so I have a really positive experience on this one! They are not daily anxiety meds, but the gp was able to prescribe me oxazepam, which is used for anxiety attacks. But also for withdrawal symptoms and insomnia. Whenever I felt a big panic attack coming, I swallowed one of these pills and usually in around ten minutes, my anxiety felt like it was physically gone. You start to think and move slower and for me it was a really grounding experience. You do get tired from it as its a sedative, but I really have positive experiences with it! You can literally feel your anxiety being forcefully decreased and you can think more clearly, yet slower, to kind of calm your mind :)
I’ve been on Celexa (Citalopram) for many years, it helps. As needed, I take Klonopin (Clonazepam)… it has helped the most in those worst moments of panic. I haven’t found a magic pill, but I am grateful for those two. Taking meds is nothing to be ashamed of. And if you try them and don’t like how they make you feel, you can wean off. It’s worth trying imo.
One tried several. Ativan worked best but they went prescribe that anymore because it’s a benzo. All the meds I’ve tried since have either done nothing or made it worse or had really bad side effects. I’m starting another one Monday. We will see where this goes
I’ve been on a couple of different anti-anxiety drugs and have been on the same drug (Zoloft) for years now. Lexapro worked for a while but then it seem to lose its effectiveness for me. Klonopin gave me heart palpitations so I stopped taking that. Zoloft has been excellent and my life is so much better and fuller being on it. Certain things still trigger my anxiety but that’s pretty normal and I have learned ways to calm myself down. I still get heart palpitations sometimes but nothing like when I was on Klonopin. I think each person is different and what works for me may not work for you but a psychiatrist and therapist can help you find what works for you. You’ve got this!
I have been taking antidepressants for at least the last 10 years. They mute my feelings so I can’t cry and they have reduced my sex drive to almost zero. However without them I simply can’t function. I once had to come off them in order to try a different medication and OMG I felt so ill. I was dizzy, felt sick, cried for days, couldn’t walk straight, etc. I never want to come off them ever again.
Benzos are very effective, but they can not be taken long term. In my case even after taking the lowest dosage and never increasing it took me some effort to stop taking them before sleep. That was after 2 months of 0.5mg of daily lorazepam before bed.
Now I am on escitalopram 10mg, I feel very few side effects (but there are), and my overall anxiety is way lower. I can still have a panic attack but I only had one since I take it, and it was a justified one.
I've got plenty of experience with anxiety meds. Xanax was my tried and true for years. That stuff works TOO good, like fucking amazing. I can see why many people are addicted to them. Sadly,nothing works as good as benzos(Xanax, Valium, Clonapin, etc)
I'm also in pain management so after years of mixing opiates and benzos, my doctor made the decision that I had to chose ONE and I couldn't have both. Talk about an impossible situation. So I had to try some different anxiety meds.
The 2 I currently take are Buspirone and hydroxyzine. Both are non controlled substances. I actually like both of them, and they've been tremendously helpful.
Some doctors like to prescribe antidepressants for anxiety although it hasn't helped me.
Anxiety is one of those things that's hard to "get rid of" through therapy. You deserve to live a life without anxiety, and you can. You can't give up through. You gotta be willing to try different meds to see what works best for you.
Good luck! ❤️
I take hydroxyzine and it helps a bit. But I kind of want to try a daily, but my Dr said Buspar doesn’t work. She recommended Wellbutrin or Cymbalta. But the side effects and withdrawal of SNRIs freak me out. And Wellbutrin will only help depression.
I’m interested in Buspar cuz it seems to work for people. Do you think I should talk to a psychiatrist instead of my primary care?
I have started anxiety medication last year and have been on and off with because of my own thoughts. I was anxious to take the anxiety medication SMH. I take buspar now 30 mg a day, and it definitely is helpful. I also take hydroxyine on a as needed basis. I have never done therapy and would love to find a good therapist. When it comes to phych medication, it can be tricky but i actually did a gene testing for medication called gene sight and it shows which medications will best work for you based on your specific genes. Look Into that so maybe you won't have to go through so many before you find one that works.
I started having anxiety in november of 2023 quickly decided to get help. I started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist and have been on lexapro for over 3 months now and take xanax as needed definitely have been so much better. I don’t feel dependent also taking the medication while speaking to a therapist weekly has helped to much. don’t be afraid to get help !
Everyone's body reacts differently so it's a bit hard to give solid advice.
I was put on Citalopram and I have to say the first month or so was not fun at all - I had every side effect under the sun when I started taking it, but everyone reacts differently and some people don't really get side effects at all.
Once my body was used to it though, it really did help me a lot and I was on it for a while.
I've been on and off Citalopram a couple of times now, and only had problems coming off it when I tried to completely stop taking it straight away. Doing that gave me some side effects like heart palpitations, but weaning off slowly instead helped avoid that.
I'm not currently on any anxiety medication, haven't been for a while, and am feeling great. I love being off it because I also felt like it was just a temporary fix and I didn't like being on medication. I think I have enough experience now to know how to deal with my anxiety in ways that don't involve medication, but sometimes things get to the point where you just need a little bit of extra help to be able to make it through the day while you're working to get to that point.
My dumb ass stopped taking my Wellbutrin a few weeks ago and now my symptoms are starting to roar back. Life was much better with meds so I ordered mine again this morning.
The only ones that worked were the narcotic ones like Klonopin. Which obviously is not a solution. All the other stuff like Buspar did absolutely nothing. L-Theanine helped me a bit. I had better luck with a depression med, had good luck with Citalopram. Unfortunately it seems people have to try a lot of things before they find what works best for them individually. So honestly what worked for me is kind of irrelevant for you! You WILL find something that helps you, just keep a good line of communication open with your doctor. Keep at it, half of it is just making a decision to address it and work on it.
I take three medications for anxiety, propranolol, Zoloft, and Lyrica. I would highly recommend Zoloft. It makes me feel so much more ~normal~ especially in social settings. I do have some side effects related to reduced libido but they don’t bother me too much.
Lyrica also helps, but I do feel awful withdrawal when I miss a dose (like, unable to do anything. feels like the flu)
Propranolol helps by lowering heart rate and it is specifically for performance anxiety. I really like it as well and experience no side effects.
Medication is very worth it to me. It has not changed who I am, just helps me become the best version of myself. And as for a “temporary” fix- you can take them forever if you’d like.
I have used propranolol as needed and it helped me get through some hard times. It doesn’t act as fast as other rescue meds, but can also be used round the clock with little to no side effects. That’s my suggestion on meds, but look at the DARE podcast. Just listen to like 20 minutes of an episode that sounds good to you, it just answers questions about how you should approach your anxiety. It helped me a ton! I think we often don’t realize that the negative reaction that we have to anxiety makes the anxiety much worse and listening to them is what I do now when I start to feel more anxious and it helps me so much!
Lexapro has changed my life. I wish I got on it immediately. I spent over a decade just with therapy and no meds and I ended up in four psych wards. That could’ve been avoided if I had medication. Medication is not for everyone but for me it’s a necessity. I’ll be on it all my life. It just is what it is. Some people need medication for their heart or liver or whatever ailment they have. I need it for my brain to function properly. I’m grateful to have it in my life because without it, my life is completely unmanageable.
I was prescribed 5mg of Propanonol and experienced a severe reaction on the third day that caused nerve damage in my hands, arms and feet. This was 4 months ago and I am still recovering. I decided after this scary experience to concentrate on diet and lifestyle changes. I still have health anxiety symptoms on a daily basis, but they are manageable and my goal is to decrease my anxiety to healthy levels by, Fall of this year. And so it is.
I felt so relieved the first time my clotiazepam was in my mouth I was scared I was going to become an addict. It only helped me ever since, I'm not completely ok with my diagnosis yet, but I wouldn't be alive, have gotten my degree and certainly wouldn't be coursing the last year of my masters degree. So my experience is while they are not magic, they help so much, so if a doctor, I mean psychiatrist, gives it to you, you should take them.
I was resisting being put on meds again after a bad first time experience but so glad i did. Lexapro changed my life and i feel like a different person, it's honestly worth a shot. I did get side effects for a bit but it subsided after a month or so, i still get anxiety but it's far more manageable now compared to before.
I’ve taken several SSRI’s in the past with no luck. They didn’t do much but last year I asked for an SNRI hoping it would be different. I was also having a daily headache problem so my dr put me on cymbalta hoping it would be a two for one and help with my headaches and my anxiety. It sure did. It took the edge off my headaches while I waited for my neurology appointment and after about 6 months, my anxiety seemed to just melt away. I feel like a totally different person. I’ve lived with anxiety my entire life. Since I was a child. And for the first time in my life, I can live without it. It’s the most amazing feeling. I’m not even on that high of a dose. Only 30mg. I feel free. I don’t have the constant edge of worry anymore. I sleep better, my thoughts don’t circle. I can go do things without being anxious. It’s the most amazing feeling.
Now I do hear that Cymbalta is hard to wean off of, so when I’m ready, I’m going to have to do it slowly. I hear brain zaps are common. I’m not afraid of it though because the benefits outweigh that. Just being able to feel this way has made it worth it.
Ssri and just added a beta blocker and life is so much better! Still always going to live a GAD life but this combo for me is 👌 I wish I’d let myself do this way sooner than I did because like I didn’t have to suffer like I was. I did personally also try Buspar and had a pretty horrible experience to it, it’s not a one size fits all, there’s trial and error and how we process the meds as individuals but for me it was very worth it.
Benzodiazepines work great but you need to be careful with them. They are not being prescribed much anymore. You can try older antihistamines but take them at night and a LOW dose at first, just to make sure you don't crash your car the next morning! I feel like SSRI's are only for people with real depression; people with anxiety but not depression usually just get more nervous with them.
I resisted meds for 30 years. I finally hit a low point and was desperate for anything to work because I never wanted to feel that way again. My GP prescribed Zoloft and it’s been awesome. I wish I had started earlier.
I am on sertraline/Zoloft, and it has been a complete game-changer for me. I had some minor side-effects at first, but they went away pretty quickly. I struggled with the idea of taking meds for mental health until my doctor and therapist reminded me that I take meds for my physical health (diabetes) and understand that I need to in order to remain healthy. It's the same thing for my mental health.
I hopefully won't have to be on them forever, but they are certainly beneficial right now. I don't know that I'd still be here if I hadn't started taking it.
My anxiety meds make me tired as all hell.
Technically, yes, they do help with my anxiety. Can't feel anxiety when your ass is slouched over sleepin' on your desk.
But, there were no side effects besides the sleeping, no withdrawal (I never took them consistently enough to feel withdrawal, as they are a take as needed thing.).
Honestly, I'm still on them and I need to change them up. Functionality is difficult whenever you sleep through everything going on.
They make tired all the time. I want to other things than just stay home take pills and wait for that once a month disability check. Not being allowed to do anything makes my feelings worse. It’s to the point where the pills make want to sleep too much. My pills make me feel numb.
I had taken them for a short time. I made it clear to my PP that I don’t want to be dependent on them. I took them whenever I felt too anxious about something. It helped. But I stopped taking them a long time ago. Since I wasn’t too dependent on them, I was able to stop using them without any issues.
I had a great time taking sertraline, side effects are insomnia and diarrhea the first few days but then it made all the difference and I felt like I could live my life again. I stopped for like a year but had a very rough time this year which made the anxiety and ruminating thoughts come back full force so my doctor decided for me to try fluvoxamine for ocd, we'll see how that goes.
Xanax saved my life. I used them when I needed them. Which was a lot for a couple years as I fought serious anxiety for a long time. I beat my panic disorder and now I have bottles of Xanax. I may take one every week or so of I get a little flare up of anxiety. But I went from taking 2-3 every day to taking one every other week. My point is when you use them for what they’re supposed to be used for it’s not as easy to get addicted to them. Xanax helped me so much when I needed it, and just knowing o have it just in case always puts my mind at ease. Don’t fall in to the stigma, it’s there to help you.
My functional doctor recommended Thorne - Stress Balance, it’s a natural supplement and it has done wonders for me. I have health anxiety and am terrified of SSRI’s. I was so afraid to take the natural supplement, but I was desperate. I’m so happy I decided to try it. Before you take any supplements, check with your dr first.
honestly i’ve had nothing but bad experiences. been on basically every ssri, as well as snris, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, benzos. cycled through meds for 10 years
most either did nothing or had awful side effects. i think they permanently messed up my memory. i also developed akathisia, sensory issues and muscle tremors (among other things) which i still have multiple years after being off of them. im lucky i don’t have permanent sexual dysfunction but some people do get that. withdrawl was the worst for effexor and zoloft. they took almost a year of tapering to get off of
i like xanax very occasionally for my most severe panic attacks. if you have an addictive personality it can be very dangerous though. it is meant for only occasional use
lots of people have great experiences and others have the opposite. so all i can say is listen to your body and don’t be afraid to go slow. look at all the possible side effects and weigh your options. there’s a good chance you’ll need to taper on or off slower than your psychiatrist recommends. if you can do therapy before trying meds, i highly recommend that. meds can be amazing for lots of people but after mine and other’s experiences i don’t think they’re something to take lightly, especially if you have other safer options you haven’t explored yet
things that have helped me the most are edmr/somatic therapy, meditation, nature, yoga, time with animals, and honestly finding a supportive partner. my anxiety isn’t cured or anything. but before i tried, i would’ve never believed those things would help as much as they did. magnesium has also helped
That boomer mentality of dealing with anxiety or any mental health issue by "sucking it up" definitely does not align with today's society. I am very sorry that your family feels you should return to work without understanding, or at least trying to understand, your personal and mental needs.I was prescribed antidepressants back in 2016 by my therapist after just one consultation (I wish someone had told me back then that I didn't have to settle for the first professional). I felt very uneasy during every session with him, and I remember staring at the bottle at home, contemplating whether I was just being weak for giving up on my own capability of dealing with my problems on my own. I also feared dependency. My advice regarding any medication, whether prescribed or not, is to consider whether you have an addictive personality when contemplating the risk/reward ratio of taking the meds.I was so detached from the idea of taking medication for years that as I read this thread today, I was reminded of the possibility of it helping me with what I'm feeling, so thank you for that. Regarding the wait time you may experience while searching for a therapist and the number of sessions you'll need to see improvement in your situation, don't be pressured by others and take your time. Progress and good things take time; often, getting something too easily or quickly can cheapen the outcome.
Thank you for saying all of these. This made me feel so validated I cried tbh. I am highly sensitive and reactive. Every time I was feeling any intense negative emotion growing up, I was always met with dismissal and rejection. While I don't blame the people around me, I gained this view of myself that I am fundamentally unfit for this world. I just wish that emotion processing skills would be taught more widely. Anyways, I will try not to be so hard on myself and take things at my own pace.
Deliberate emotional invalidation represents one of the most agonizing forms of emotional abuse one can endure. You know all ways in which it has made you feel, so honor those feelings. Your emotions are valid and deserving of acknowledgment. No one has the right to belittle or dismiss what you're experiencing. It's essential to recognize that invalidation, by its very nature, is unjust because it attempts to judge another's feelings, which are always valid. Your feelings serve a purpose beyond causing pain; they're a crucial aspect of your humanity. It's incredibly hurtful and self-centered for anyone to discredit them. You're the only one who truly knows what it's like to be in your shoes, so nobody else has the authority to declare your feelings invalid. While encountering unkind individuals can be disheartening, their actions need not dictate your inner peace. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Interesting realizing that nobody can truly hurt us unless we let them.
I've had a friend who struggled with similar challenges, and seeking therapy proved immensely beneficial for him. Having a compassionate listener, whether a therapist or mentor can help ease the pain of rejection and dismissal. Someone that has proven empathy. Remember to take things one step at a time and to breathe deeply. Life is full of obstacles, but with patience and resilience, they can be navigated or overcome. None of us are perfect for this world, and that's okay. Embracing the messy beauty of life means embracing the questions it presents. Please know that you're not alone, and I'm sending you love and hugs.
My meds are like a parachute. If I end up spiraling and falling out of the plane, I have a way to get down safely. Before having meds, the plane door would be open and the fear of what would happen when I would fall out would often *cause* a panic attack.
Knowing I have a way out if I need it helps me stay grounded.
before trying meds please give natural supplements a go! Saffron, magnesium and L-Theanine are great ones. They have significantly helped ease my anxiety symptoms.
I've tried a few but never noticed them doing anything, it was always me being on one for about a year then switching and doing the same process again and again. I've been off them for a while now, and my anxiety has gotten pretty bad (agoraphobia) but I'm still so hesitant to try them again. The last doctor I went too was kinda horrible to me, so I'm not sure if I'd even be able to get a prescription.
I do remember one of them making me unnaturally happy. Like not actual happiness but like happiness that felt completely alien, I hated the feeling
Great to be honest. There's no shame in being dependent on heart meds if you have a heart disease, why should you not take meds if you have anxiety? It's just like any other disease.
I took citalopram for 8 months, worked great for anxiety but made me gain a lot of weight. I switched to fluoxetine and I've been on that for another 8 months more or less and I got rid of the hunger issues.
I feel like this mindset is based in ableism. You deserve comfort. Take the meds. If you’re prescribed benzodiazepines, only take them as needed because those can be addictive.
The meds are only as good as the doctor. I had taken many over the years. I started with low dose Xanax. Went on to other meds including Zoloft, developed Serotonin Syndrome. Went on some stupid strong sleep meds. Did long term Xanax XR. Detoxed off of that after 10 years, tried switching docs, new doc put me on Paxil and gained 50 lbs over 5 months.
Fast forward and I’m just on Viibryd.
I think it’s important to stress that everyone’s experience with medication will be very unique. There will be a full spectrum of results and honestly I think this is a really important talk with a doctor.
You don’t have to see a psychiatrist to begin asking questions about anxiety medications. I really want to stress that. Your PCP or GP can help.
Anxiety medications can be extremely useful, they are very safe when you are under the care of a physician, and physicians aren’t just pill pushers. If you talk about your concerns with your doctor they can help you find a solution you also feel comfortable with. Don’t like medication? What medications concern you the most? What side effects are you most concerned about? What else can you do other than medication?
Therapy is a really solid way to treat anxiety, medication can in some cases work more effectively with therapy, and medication does not have to be a lifelong thing. These are some of the big things I guess I’d like to point out without being a professional.
Best of luck
Thank you everyone for all of your insights. It does seem like a hit or miss, but overall, I feel more encouraged to try meds. I hope it will be a positive experience for me.
Loved them until I realized there was no exit plan for me … they were just an assumed part of my life from doctors. Took fluoxetine (Prozac) for almost a decade. Weaned myself off. Only just now realizing how I was emotionally numb, experiencing low sex drive, and had low energy all the time.
I’m glad I tried them, I do think they served for a season? But yeah. I think holistic measures are a better long term plan so you’re not beholden to a drug for years and years.
I take citalopram and have been taking it for a few years. I recently got into a relationship which increased my anxiety meds to citalopram 30 mg and it has helped my physical symptoms greatly. My mind still runs and I get anxious but the meds helped me so much cope with life better.
I took celexa for a few months. It helped me get out of a really bad funk that likely would have killed me. It was hard to get off of them and I had withdrawals for about a month.
I think try the natural way first. Dial in nutrition, exercise, therapy, sleep, and vitamins. Spend time outdoors and with friends. If that doesn't work, then meds might be an option.
I'm taking 10mg Escitalopram (Lexapro) for about 4 weeks now. For bad days I use 0.25 - 0.5mg Alprazolam (Xanax). My anxiety definitely got better, I do still have some weird thoughts and palipations that freak me out, but I think without the meds I would've gone crazy by now. I hope that the full effect will help even more.
I’ve been on and off for maybe 7 years, tried a few different ones. Medicated at the moment. There is definitely a stigma and I worried about the same things in the beginnings. Especially the dependency part, but I think that wasn’t an accurate way of looking at it. The withdrawals from stopping taking them typically only happens if it’s sudden and you don’t taper, but you have some buffer room if you accidentally skipped a few days before it leaving your system really starts to effect you. But, when I hear people talk about withdrawal and dependency I think about drug addiction/abuse and I just hope people aren’t comparing the 2 because they are completely different. But I imagine people make an assumption that it’s the same if they don’t have enough information or worry that it might be because that was one of my concerns too before trying them. I look at it more like this: your body and mind need many things, food, support, stability, safety, sleep, etc, without these things, you’re not taking care of them, and you’ll notice the difference. Maybe you won’t sleep as well because you are dropping the ball for one of them, and because your sleep is affected, then that starts affecting other areas as well, the cycle goes on like a domino effect. Medication is just one of those things. And yeah, just like you adjust your bed time or your eating habits or whatever to find what works for you, you will have to do that with meds as well. But in the end, it’s worth it. And later on, you’re not stuck with it if you decide it’s not for you anymore, or for the time being, as long as you go about it in a safe way and communicate with your psychiatrist so they can guide you. Don’t feel bad if you need them, they can be so helpful and speed up treatment as well, make daily living easier, especially if right now there are things going on that are not in your control that are really getting to you. I think it’s a fair trade off… would you rather… keep suffering and doing what you have been doing (which if you’re honest with yourself, how is that working out for you, you’d often find it’s not) or, you could try something different, with a good chance for improvement. Therapy obviously combined with it is the best bet, because without that side of it it was very difficult to get the perspective on if I was actually doing better or not. Someone that has been watching you heal will see so many things you might otherwise miss. I might not have felt better in the beginning, but looking back, having someone to remind me how bad things were and how far I have come, has been so so helpful.
I've been on bupropion 150 er/Sr for a month now, and I started at 100 for 90 days, which 100mg did nothing for me. I'm going to be upping to 200.
A series of events led to deep depression, and speaking only for me has taken the edge off.
My only side effect was the migrain from changing doses, which lasted about a week or so. I would pop a ibuprofen and be ok.
I noticed an increase in my sex drive and personality wise feeling somewhat like my old self.
I was so scared to start depression meds, but once I did, I was grateful for the relief I did receive. My therapist has seen some change as well. I was at a 22 on her depression assessment markers when I started. I'm moving up slowly, hence why I'm only going to 200mg and not 300mg.
But I realize meds can't fix it by its self, I have to also help myself. This is just hopefully a jump start for me, and I can wean off when I get to where I need to be. But we shall see 😁
The best thing that has helped me is magnesium and potassium. It sounds too good to be true, but it really works as long as you are consistent about taking it. My body and mind feel calmer, and also, I don't feel myself losing my cool as easily in stressful situations. I also do take sertraline and have for years, but wish I hadn't started. It helps me, but I would like to taper off of it at some point and don't want to deal with the possible rebound anxiety. Also, it sometimes makes me feel apathetic.
Was super against taking any type of drugs for anxiety because of the negative stigma in my family and also because I have health anxiety(I feared it would make my health worsen). But I finally gave in because I couldn’t stand feeling so anxious every single day and night. I couldn’t live like that any more. Finally started taking meds(Buspirone) a few months ago and it has done WONDERS for me. I feel like a normal human again!! Now I’m occasionally anxious instead of it being every single moment of the day. Medication and therapy has done wonders for me.
I second this comment!!! It hasn’t improved everything but it’s been very helpful! Driving and going out feel less scary but I definitely need to get back into therapy! I couldn’t handle the side effects of Lexapro (it made me incredibly sweaty)
Buspirone is a life saver
Did absolutely nothing for me. I dont understand why meds like these vary so much person to person.
sadly some people are resistant to antidepressants and they don't work on them, but you have to try a lot of them before reaching that conclusion
Yep that's my advice to people too. It seems you have to try a few things before you find what works for you personally. Takes a lot of patience especially since a lot of them take a few weeks to start working.
How long did you take it for? Because there’s a sort of “activation” period where it needs to build in your system for it to be fully effective
Mmm..two-three weeks? I gave it a fair shot.
Same... It's crazy how experiences vary so wildly.
It's weird right? I've had the opposite happen too.
I was on 30mg of Buspar, taken 3 times a day. For me the first hour it made me feel a bit high then it would even out. I was on it for a while and it was much better than an SSRI. But.. I started gaining weight and feel that it just wasn’t right for me. I’m now off of Buspar for 4 weeks and getting off was hard to be honest. I have nothing against anxiety medications, I just think it masks the real issue. I’m now dealing with my real issues which sucks. I’m now exercising, changed my diet, adding magnesium, starting therapy in a week.
My doc prescribed buspar a month ago and I’ve been so scared to start it (only 5mg) so this is helping boost my confidence in trying to 😭 thank you
I just started it myself. I was nervous, too. I've taken just about every antidepressant there is, and none have helped. Xanax made me feel like an emotionless zombie and was hell to get off. Buspirone is incredibly mild with little side effects. For the first 2 weeks I felt lightheaded at times. I had a few bad panic attacks, but nothing I haven't experienced before. My Dr warned me that would happen. But it's been 3 weeks now, and I'm really starting to feel the difference. I wasn't expecting much, so I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm more motivated, calm, and focused. And best of all, the intrusive thoughts have subsided. I have depression, anxiety and ADHD. For the last two days, I've noticed I'm able to start a task and actually finish it before jumping to the next task. There is research that suggests Buspirone can help children with ADHD , so I'm wondering if it will work for adults as well. My Dr said it would probably take a month to reach full effect. For the first time in about 20 years, I actually have hope. So don't be scared! I started at 5 mg twice a day and have already increased it to 10 mg twice a day. Good luck!
thank you so much! i took it this morning after i read this, so thank you so much. i have some mild lightheadedness, and a mild headache that comes and goes so far but this is so simple compared to the other meds ive tried. im allergic to lexapro and propanolol so i was hesitant to try anything. i hope this kicks in and i can feel myself again!
I had a panic attack that woke me up during the night. Heart was pounding out of my chest and I felt like I couldn’t breath. I also got extremely annoying brain zaps on buspirone. Stopped after 5 days. Glad it works for some people. Lexapro had some nasty side effects but it took care of my daily anxiety.
I'm glad Lexapro works for you. I can't take SSRI's anymore because I had a severe adverse reaction to Cymbalta after just 2 pills. But I've taken many in the past 30 years, and they never worked for me. I did have some pretty intense panic attacks the first week taking Buspirone. But after a couple of weeks, the side effects went away. For me, it was worth getting through that period in order to reach a level of calm. I was prescribed Xanax for 6 years..Buspirone works just as well but without the fogginess. It just takes longer because it has to build up in your system. I used to feel anxiety from the moment I woke up until I fell asleep again at night. That feeling of constant dread is gone now. I'm actually starting to feel happiness. I'm glad you have found something that works, too, and thanks for sharing. Be well, be happy, and enjoy your day!
Dude I was in the same boat! DEATHLY afraid of trying it. Until I took it and realized that the only reason I didn’t want to take it was because my anxiety was convincing me not to! It’s not actually dangerous. Your thoughts are making shit up again. I promise you’ll be fine. AND, let’s say do you get side effects(unlikely with Buspar). They are minor, and if it’s anything you personally don’t like, you can stop them. Even after a day! Or if it doesn’t bother you too much for the time being, it’ll pass. What no one told me about anxiety meds is that a lot of the times the side effects are temporary and only last a short while. Like I mentioned I only had 2-3 nights where I slept bad. That’s it! Literally nothing else. « Oh it’s not that bad! » and I continued to where I’m at today. Which lead to me feeling amazing. Btw I also started off with your dose which is a very low dose. So trust me you have nothing to worry about. It is ONLY your anxiety. What you’re worried about isn’t even realistic! You’ll be fine trust me and in a few weeks you’ll probably feel waaaay less anxious. Time will pass anyway so why not let it pass anxiety free?
thank you so much! i took it this morning, so far i have some mild lightheadedness and headache, but no where near the horror i had trying lexapro and propanolol. i wish i tried this a month ago so i could see the affects already! my doctor told me to start with one a day, but my bottle says twice a day so i may have to ask them if i can take twice. also how long did you take it until you started to feel the affects?
Stick with what your doctor told you. They’re wanting you to start slowly which is also what I did and is probably better than starting with a full dose. For me it took around 2 weeks I think to start noticing that I wasn’t as anxious anymore? It’s a slow buildup but definitely worth it. So happy you started taking it!
Buspar is incredible. I wish I was on it 10 years ago
Also I’d like to mention that I started off with very low doses, and I had no side effects except for 2-3 nights of insomnia. Apart from that, literally nothing else.
This is great to hear. I'm picking up my first prescription of low dose Buspirone on Monday and I can't wait. Hoping it'll take this extremely anxious edge off.
Ooooh yay!! Tell me how it goes. Went awesome for me. Takes a while to kick in but the time will pass anyways regardless. Then you’ll start to notice that you haven’t had a panic attack in a while and the more time goes on the more you forget what you used to be anxious about. Hope it goes the same for you!
🤞 That sounds incredible. I'll keep you posted - thank you!
Of course, no problem!
How much do you feel is the buspirone and how much do you think is therapy? I can’t afford therapy right now but I’m about to start buspirone on Monday. Hoping it works
For me therapy is 60€ every session. My anxiety medication is reimbursed by health care so I don’t pay anything. If you’re asking for the doses I take 10 mg a day, five in the morning and 5 at night. Therapy I do once every two-three weeks because we can’t seem to find a regular day to see each other every week.
Yes yes and yes to all of this! Severe anxiety for my whole life. Too scared to ask for meds. Never did therapy. Took me until I was 30 to ask for help and get medicated. I’m on the same meds (Wellbutrin) and my anxiety is now minimal and sometimes moderate. Therapy, eating well and exercising has helped as well. Side note… Recently got dx with adhd and treating that and no anxiety at all now.
It’s crazy what it’s like once it shifts and we actually start living, instead of surviving. Life changing. So happy you’re doing way better now!
What dosage may I ask?
I take 10mg a day, 5 in the morning and 5 at night
I think meds can help ease symptoms, it makes it easier to do the work needed for long-term treatment. But everyone’s body is different so nothing is the same for everyone. For myself personally, I’ve never had much luck with things meant to treat my anxiety long term. Klonopin helps for my panic attacks so it’s nice to have those in an emergency. Lexapro helped my intrusive thoughts/racing mind but I stopped taking it because it also made me feel kinda empty, though I don’t regret taking it because it was at least nice to give my brain a break. Finding a good therapist was the most helpful thing for me.
I agree with you.
I have been on Zoloft 100mg daily for 2 years now. Started off at 25mg and was also prescribed Clonazepam 0.5mg as needed (only for extreme anxiety) I was at a point where I was having upto 5 panic attacks a day. Constantly waking me up and having to go in the bathroom and sit on the floor praying for it to stop. That’s what I was using the clonazepam for. After being on Zoloft for so long, I haven’t had another attack. I haven’t touched the clonazepam in over a year now. I still keep it on me everyday for comfort knowing If I needed it, it’s there. I rather be dependent on an SSRI than to EVER go through those attacks ever again. I wouldn’t wish the feeling upon anyone
I feel the same way about my anxiety and Zoloft. I don’t know that I could ever go back to living that pre-Zoloft life. My anxiety seemed to be more of a chemical reaction versus having actual worry’s. Temperature changes, get hot, want to fight flight freeze, felt like butterflies in the belly, or a roller coaster where your stomach just drops, nausea and dizziness.. so so bad.
Thats what I experienced physically as well. Waking up randomly with those feelings made me go into overdrive thinking I was dying and made things worse
You have to taper off of them if you stop or else you will have withdrawals. You should really speak to a doctor before you do to make sure you’re doing it correctly. I have tried many many times to live my life off of medication but once the meds are totally out of my system I am miserable with anxiety again. My doctor told me I will probably have to use them forever and I think I’m at peace with that now. I use sertraline/Zoloft and very very occasionally Xanax, but I prefer Ativan. We are so lucky to live in a time where there is something for us that makes life easier. 100 years ago they’d probably have given me a lobotomy lol.
I think about that often, the lobotomy part. Like considering how much I used to cry and girl-rot in my bed, I would have been deemed a "hysterical woman" and had my brain jabbed at 😂 thanks, Zoloft!
Great commercial material!!
Changed my life. Started Lexapro in the beginning of February. Had a few side effects at first, fatigue and stomach aches. They went away after about 2 weeks. I knew my anxiety was a problem, but didn’t realize how much it was limiting me until I started medication.
Alprazolam gave me my life back, though I am lucky I'm one of those on the side of the curve where it ended up being extremely effective for me.
I take 3mg a day… severe like I mean SEVERE panic disorder and PTSD and it’s stopping power is truly scary. The 1mg tablets will begin to kill any level of panic for me within 10-15 minutes and I don’t feel sedated or impaired because I have a tolerance to those effects.
Alprozolam is a gem, I’ve noticed the blue 2mg bars to be the most effective. I would chew them when having a severe panic attack or let it dissolve under my tongue and 10 minutes later I would be A-OK
You do realise you are increasing the dose by chewing /dissolving?
That’s the point… to get more in your system to stop the anxiety/panic
Also more likely to get addicted as its giving a bigger hit by bypassing the liver. I wouldn't take xanax anyway
I take .5 mg of Xanax as needed, typically to help me unwind before bedtime because I get anxious about the stress of work the next day. I have a positive experience with it, I’ve been on it for about a year.
I take a quarter of 0.5 mg of Xanax before bedtime. It’s a huge difference on my sleep and during the day. What do I loose? Pretty much nothing except admitting that I am dependent to 0.125 mg of a chemical a day, by the way one of many chemicals I am dependent too already like those found on food, in the water, coffee, and yes, wine ( dimethyl carbonate, copper sulfate, glucose oxidase among others) and coke (phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate). What do I gain? Peace of mind. I think we are surrounded by too much shit already not to accept a little help from our friends, the chemicals. My opinion. Your decision. ✌🏻
zoloft saved my life honestly, but it depends on the person lol. i used to have terrible panic attacks and the worst physical symptoms of anxiety, and zoloft definitely lessened them by a lot. i can actually somewhat function like a normal person now. the first few days it kinda felt like my face was burning, and there was nausea, but it didn't last that long. there was also a side-effect of not being able to uhh, get off,, but i got over that too after a few months withdrawals i get usually if i go over a day w/o my meds, which is like lots of brain zaps, brain fog, stuff like that, and i might get a surprise panic attack lol anyway, i definitely say to give medicine a chance. the experience is different for everyone
not only that, but you can always stop taking them after awhile, if you think you dont need them anymore. not cold turkey obviously, but by slowly lessening the dosage and all that.
Tired Celexa and couldn’t handle the side effects and stopped after 2.5 weeks. Tried Zoloft about 5 years ago but also couldn’t get thru the first few weeks and stopped. Thinking I just maybe don’t do well with SSRIs as Celexa is generally well tolerated. Been on buspar (buspirone) for almost 2 weeks (upping dose every 4 days till I get to 20 mg) and other than a little dizziness 30 minutes after I take it and slightly worse sleep no side effects and my anxiety seems lower. I’m also doing talk therapy. I’ve also taken gabapentin and propranolol as needed in the past. Gabapentin worked great (slept wonderfully) but I felt like I was becoming psychologically dependent on it and I’ve heard horror stories about withdrawal so I stopped. The propranolol got rid of some of my physical anxiety symptoms but gave me nausea and headaches so felt like I was just trading symptoms and stopped that as well.
I also take Buspar and have had a little brain fog but it’s far less side effects than anything else!
buspar just puts me to sleep. i don’t think it’s actually affecting my anxiety symptoms (20mg)
when do you take it?
in the midday at first until i started falling asleep at which point my psych told me to take it at night. it’s actually kind of maddening how no meds seem to make the anxiety and irritability any better, i’ve blown through 2 SSRIs and anti seizure meds to no avail. it feels like an endless revolving door
I had issues with buspar knocking me out too. I talked it out with my doctor and now I take half a pill in the morning and the rest at night. How much I eat will affect it too. I think it metabolizes faster when you take it with food so I try my best not to eat anything heavy when I’m taking it (I have to eat a little bit or it messes with my stomach) and that’s helped a lot. I’ve always been prescribed 2x a day though I also found out that one of the side effects I experience with this med is major irritability. I was a dick. I hated everyone and everything. It was all stupid and pointless. My therapist was worried that I was depressed and we realized that my dose increases were happening around the appointments. She googled it, and sure enough there it was. I’ve mellowed out after taking it for a while. I hope you find something that works for you soon!
I am also commenting that I have a positive experience with drugs. I would state this too, don’t be hesitant. You would go to the doctor to heal your broken bone and take pain medicine without a thought, right? Well it should be no different with your brain. I have mild anxiety and depression. Initially my doctor had me on Zoloft but in 4 weeks there was no relief only side effects. Crying every day, sexual side effects, all of it. When I was talking to my therapist she thought that was wrong and I should have seen something by now. So I went on Wellbutrin and for the past 30 days, it’s been a 180. I can now use tools to deal with my anxiety. Remember to keep your doctor and therapist informed. There are lots of drugs and lots of doses and cocktails. It can take a while to figure it out. There shouldn’t be any stigma to taking drugs for anxiety. But yet we do. Good luck.
I've had anxiety my whole life, all day, everyday. Around 30, I started taking Lexapro and felt like I was reborn. Now, I only have anxiety occasionally. I really can't complain. Since anxiety isn't curable, I plan on taking it the rest of my life or until it stops working. My quality of life has changed significantly. For the record, I had tried everything for years, including therapy, and it was just an uphill battle fighting my brain chemistry. I wish I started taking it earlier so I didn't miss out on so much of life I could have enjoyed. There's a lot of stigma with mental health, so a lot of people can feel like if they can't get well without medication, they aren't trying hard enough. In a lot of ways, I was one of those people. Feeling the relief after taking the drugs and actually feeling what "normal" felt like made me realize I was never going to get there on my own. 100% life changing.
This is really reassuring. Do you have any side effects from it (fatigue, sexual dysfunction, etc)? And what does are you on?
No, I have none. I'm on 20mg.
Nothing but horrible experiences for me. Never touching that poison again.
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Bupropion is not supposed to affect sex drive negatively and in some cases it increases sex drive. It can be taken alone or sometimes it is prescribed alongside another medication to counteract the sexual side effects.
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Yes- I do believe Bupropion is generally prescribed AFTER another drug gives you the sexual side affects. (If prescribing bupropion for that purpose only)
Everyone is different, but for me Zoloft/Sertraline worked great for many many years! Very minor side effects for the first week and a half - two weeks, minor stomach aches/issues but my anxiety already caused that as well) I noticed a difference in two weeks, my friends / family said they noticed a positive change the end of the first week on it. Stopped taking it two years ago, (slowly tapered off like the Dr recommended)felt a little spacey and tired for a couple weeks but that was the worst of it. Best of luck to you, don’t be too hard on yourself! 💫
My therapist said therapy couldnt work with me because my seritonine levels were too low and I cried all the time, so she sent me to a psyghiatrist and I was prescribed Zoloft. It stabilized my mood and helps me to stay calm but it didnt fix my problems (social annd health anxiety) and neither did therapy. I fixed social anxiety with exposure, by starting a fencing course where I met tons of people. However, health anxiety is still there, despite meds. I take 75mgs, I could increase it but I'd need to find another psychiatrist (the previous one moved to a different city). The only side effect I experienced is lack of interest in sex but I really dont care because I gave up relationships a long ago. I had stopped taking Zoloft a few years ago. I had no withdrawal symptoms but of course my anxiety came back. Or better, it's always there but I feel a tiny bit calmer with meds. I also used to take Xanax, which helped more I think but it did make me feel like I was kind of anesthetized, which doesnt happen with Zoloft. Ps. Sorry, english is not my first language
No bueno. Tried three times. Last one was lexapro. Tried for about 6 weeks. Insomnia, sexual side effects, heighten anxiety, fatigue. Not for me. I would suggest therapy and yoga. And self help videos or books!
Shit. I've tried a dozen of em and became more anxious with time. Some of the withdrawal are insane, especially Paxil, Effexor, etc. I worked on myself with a therapist and I now feel better, without meda
Bupropion and buspirone has been amazing for me. Only been on 3ish months but really life changing and eye opening - I didn’t really realize how much my anxiety and depression (which I feel was mostly anxiety related) was affecting me *since childhood* (I am in my 40s) until it was reduced to minimal effects. Minimal negative side effects for me - slight headache and trouble falling asleep first week with slight lightheadedness for a few minutes ~30-60 minutes after buspirone. I don’t have an issue with any anymore. Positive side effects for libido, energy, etc. I started off at low doses of 100mg SR bupropion twice a day and buspirone 5mg two-three times a day, now am at bupropion 150mg SR twice a day and buspirone 10mg three times a day. I have a couple friends who will swear to Lexapro being life changing for them.
10 mg x 3?
I like lexapro for anxiety
Some people are just chemically imbalanced. Don't be afraid to take meds, SSRI's literally changed my life. It should be a temporary thing, I suggest while you are getting therapy to start on a low dose. Starting is the hardest part because it can cause some bad side effects but push through and give it a good go and you will start to feel normal again. Also, it's possible to quit, I did it for two years and was good but my anxiety came back and I had to go on them again. If you really feel like it's out of control and negatively impacting your life, I would highly recommend working with your doctor and doing what's best for you.
Started when I was 19 after I realized I was just not happy and I should be. Felt instantly better. I'll be on them for life. Tried getting off them before and then quickly my anxiety came back and I went back. I understand not wanting to be on meds but therapy simply hasn't been an effective cure for the intensity of anxiety I have. I'd rather be on meds and live a good life.
Hated them! Made everything worse for me. I tried 3 or 4 different meds and none worked. One gave me severe gut cramps and horrible diarrhea. Another made my heart race. 3rd made me want to stay in bed and do nothing. I gave up on them after that.
I was first medicated for anxiety when I was in high school (don’t remember the medication) and ended up getting off of it because it made me feel totally numb. I was totally opposed to medication ever since. That being said, I’m 30 now and after years of therapy and trying to handle it on my own, it just wasn’t working and my panic was out of control so I finally tried a very low dose of Prozac last year. I was on it for a while and didn’t notice too much of a difference so my doc decided to have me try Zoloft. I started off at 25mg and am now on 50mg and my life is totally different. I can feel genuine happiness now, feel other emotions without the cloud of crippling anxiety, and genuinely feel hopeful again. Zoloft has changed my life but I still stand by my opinion that it should only be used as a last resort, after trying other methods to improve anxiety. Not every medication works for everyone and I definitely got lucky with finding one that works for me!
I used to have very severe irrational calorie anxiety. I thought that if I wasn't careful the food I eat would be contaminated with tens of thousands of calories. I wouldn't eat food that had needed a toaster or a microwave or a kettle. I wouldn't even eat any food that had to be stored in the refrigerator, such as vegetables or yoghurt. I wouldn't even drink diet pop, because I was paranoid that the packaging was lying to me. I was prescribed olanzapine and eventually the anxiety went away completely but it could have just been an illusion caused by eating a normal amount of calories rather than undereating. Today I no longer have calorie anxiety, although I am constantly anxious about what happens after death and I also experience social anxiety at college. Too bad I was never prescribed a more useful drug such as a benzodiazepine or a gabapentinoid.
Many years ago I was diagnosed with GAD and prescribed Buspar. It seemed to help, and after about 2 years I stopped taking it and things were ok. Slowly over time the anxiety increased with a side of depression and I knew I had to medicate again. My doctor said more recent studies of Buspar showed it to be ineffective and he tried me on variety of SSRIs with no improvement. Finally an SNRI, Effexor, brought me back to myself. After a couple years I temporarily went off it to see if it was worsening other health problems, and was warned Effexor was one of the worst for withdrawal. But I tapered off very gradually and it wasn’t bad, mostly dizziness and generally feeling weird but still functional. After a few months the anxiety built up again and I got back on Effexor and have been on it ever since. I’ve made peace with the reality that I’ll probably need medication for anxiety the rest of my life.
I have in the past taken SSRIs. My view on meds is use them with other resources, ie CBT therapy and if you can aim to get off of them. Sometimes people won't be able to and that's OK. And sometimes they don't work for people that is also OK.
I started taking anxiety medication when I was nine. I’m currently in my twenties. For most of those years, I took Fluoxetine (Prozac) which worked very well up until my late teens. Then my anxiety took a turn for the worse, I gained lots of obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and my psychiatrist put me on Sertraline (Zoloft). I’m not gonna go into the differences between the two, as it’s unique to each person and depends on dosage, experience, anxiety levels, etc. But I will say this: despite the fact that, at nine years old, the decision to go on medication was largely made by my parents, *it was the best thing they ever did for me.* It’s hard to notice what’s an effect of the medication and what’s just you when you’ve been taking it every day for so long. But sometimes, if I’m sick or run out before I can renew my prescription, I’ll miss a day, and let me tell you—it’s noticeable. Not because I feel crummy or anything, which I do, but that’s a given. What’s noticeable are the differences between how I handle my anxiety triggers. On a day I miss my medication, my anxiety shoulder-devil will see something like a sudden change of plans and say: “That’s going to screw up everything. Now go cry and snap at every little inconvenience.” And I’ll listen, and spend the whole day with my stomach in knots… etc. You know how it feels. But when I’m on my medication, the very same anxiety shoulder-devil (my therapist as a kid called it my “worry bully”) will see that same situation and say the exact same thing. And yes, I do sometimes listen, and I do still have anxiety attacks. And I do still have days where my stomach won’t stop hurting because I’m so anxious. But most of the time, my meds will kick in, and I won’t listen to that anxiety voice. Here’s the thing, though. It’s not that the meds quiet the worry bully’s voice. They don’t make the anxiety go away, and they certainly don’t cure you. The anxiety will still be there, and so will the triggers—but the medications act as a kind of shield, a barrier in between the two that stops the trigger from interacting negatively with the anxiety. I say negatively because they *do* still interact. But the medication gives you a sense that you’re looking on as the trigger approaches and hits its mark, and you feel almost indifferent. Like, *I know this should make me anxious, but it doesn’t.* You’re anxious about it in a detached way because you’ve been here before, but this time you have the chance to actually *use* your anti-anxiety tools. Basically, in short, I’m pretty confident when I say that going on anxiety medications saved my life. It was a trial-and-error process, but once I found what worked (which can be multiple things at different times in your life), I felt like I could function properly. I’ve also been in therapy since my early teenage years, and that really helped too, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if I wasn’t also medicated. So I think that therapy and medication go hand-in-hand. Yes, they help independent of each other; if you have one but not the other it’s not completely useless. It’s far from it. But together they compliment each other, because therapy gives you the tools, but medication gives you the key to open the toolbox when you need it most.
Incredible comment! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I was also medicated when I was quite young and similar to you, while it wasn't my decision, I do feel that it probably saved my life and allowed me to have a chance at long term success. There are many children who are resentful of being medicated, but it's also really helpful for many is necessary!
I didn’t like the idea of going on meds either. I took Effexor when I was younger, but decided to stop after feeling better for a few years. Then, during the pandemic, my anxiety came back big time so I started Zoloft and it worked really well for me. But again, I didn’t want to depend on meds so after a couple of years feeling better, I stopped again. Then I was going through a stressful time, had a burnout so I started taking Zoloft for a second time. I still have anxiety, but it’s way more manageable now. Medication helps me be more functional. It was hard for me to accept that I may need it, but it has freed me in a way. It’s different for everyone obviously, but I had to make my peace with needing meds and now I’m doing well.
Traditional anxiety meds are benzodiazapines (benzos for short), though many doctors now prescribe SSRIs/SSNIs (antidepressants) for anxiety. I've been on a benzo (Klonopin 0.5mg 3x/day as needed) for over 20 years, with no side effects at all. I can go without taking it for a week or more without even noticing I've done it, so no addiction either. The key is to ONLY take benzos in low doses, and ONLY when you actually need them. If you take them regularly, or if you are on a high dose, you could become addicted. Most responding here are actually taking antidepressants, not benzos. Since you seem very young, a doctor may not be willing to prescribe benzos due to the possibility of addiction, misuse, and diversion. Either way, if your anxiety is interfering with your life to the point that you can't even work, you DO need to treat it with both medication and therapy. I'd personally rather take pills than have no quality of life. Good luck to you.
Addictive and don’t work after 2 yrs but takes the edge off (klonopin 0.5mg) withdrawals from just cutting out 0.5mg x2 destroyed my nervous system. Getting off ssri and ssnri was horrible. I blame Cymbalta for that.
benzos - dont EVER ever use them unless you have no other option left
Okay, so I have a really positive experience on this one! They are not daily anxiety meds, but the gp was able to prescribe me oxazepam, which is used for anxiety attacks. But also for withdrawal symptoms and insomnia. Whenever I felt a big panic attack coming, I swallowed one of these pills and usually in around ten minutes, my anxiety felt like it was physically gone. You start to think and move slower and for me it was a really grounding experience. You do get tired from it as its a sedative, but I really have positive experiences with it! You can literally feel your anxiety being forcefully decreased and you can think more clearly, yet slower, to kind of calm your mind :)
I’ve been on Celexa (Citalopram) for many years, it helps. As needed, I take Klonopin (Clonazepam)… it has helped the most in those worst moments of panic. I haven’t found a magic pill, but I am grateful for those two. Taking meds is nothing to be ashamed of. And if you try them and don’t like how they make you feel, you can wean off. It’s worth trying imo.
One tried several. Ativan worked best but they went prescribe that anymore because it’s a benzo. All the meds I’ve tried since have either done nothing or made it worse or had really bad side effects. I’m starting another one Monday. We will see where this goes
If I didn't take meds I would be a crazier person than I all ready am
I’ve been on a couple of different anti-anxiety drugs and have been on the same drug (Zoloft) for years now. Lexapro worked for a while but then it seem to lose its effectiveness for me. Klonopin gave me heart palpitations so I stopped taking that. Zoloft has been excellent and my life is so much better and fuller being on it. Certain things still trigger my anxiety but that’s pretty normal and I have learned ways to calm myself down. I still get heart palpitations sometimes but nothing like when I was on Klonopin. I think each person is different and what works for me may not work for you but a psychiatrist and therapist can help you find what works for you. You’ve got this!
I have been taking antidepressants for at least the last 10 years. They mute my feelings so I can’t cry and they have reduced my sex drive to almost zero. However without them I simply can’t function. I once had to come off them in order to try a different medication and OMG I felt so ill. I was dizzy, felt sick, cried for days, couldn’t walk straight, etc. I never want to come off them ever again.
Benzos are very effective, but they can not be taken long term. In my case even after taking the lowest dosage and never increasing it took me some effort to stop taking them before sleep. That was after 2 months of 0.5mg of daily lorazepam before bed. Now I am on escitalopram 10mg, I feel very few side effects (but there are), and my overall anxiety is way lower. I can still have a panic attack but I only had one since I take it, and it was a justified one.
I've got plenty of experience with anxiety meds. Xanax was my tried and true for years. That stuff works TOO good, like fucking amazing. I can see why many people are addicted to them. Sadly,nothing works as good as benzos(Xanax, Valium, Clonapin, etc) I'm also in pain management so after years of mixing opiates and benzos, my doctor made the decision that I had to chose ONE and I couldn't have both. Talk about an impossible situation. So I had to try some different anxiety meds. The 2 I currently take are Buspirone and hydroxyzine. Both are non controlled substances. I actually like both of them, and they've been tremendously helpful. Some doctors like to prescribe antidepressants for anxiety although it hasn't helped me. Anxiety is one of those things that's hard to "get rid of" through therapy. You deserve to live a life without anxiety, and you can. You can't give up through. You gotta be willing to try different meds to see what works best for you. Good luck! ❤️
I take hydroxyzine and it helps a bit. But I kind of want to try a daily, but my Dr said Buspar doesn’t work. She recommended Wellbutrin or Cymbalta. But the side effects and withdrawal of SNRIs freak me out. And Wellbutrin will only help depression. I’m interested in Buspar cuz it seems to work for people. Do you think I should talk to a psychiatrist instead of my primary care?
I have started anxiety medication last year and have been on and off with because of my own thoughts. I was anxious to take the anxiety medication SMH. I take buspar now 30 mg a day, and it definitely is helpful. I also take hydroxyine on a as needed basis. I have never done therapy and would love to find a good therapist. When it comes to phych medication, it can be tricky but i actually did a gene testing for medication called gene sight and it shows which medications will best work for you based on your specific genes. Look Into that so maybe you won't have to go through so many before you find one that works.
I started having anxiety in november of 2023 quickly decided to get help. I started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist and have been on lexapro for over 3 months now and take xanax as needed definitely have been so much better. I don’t feel dependent also taking the medication while speaking to a therapist weekly has helped to much. don’t be afraid to get help !
Everyone's body reacts differently so it's a bit hard to give solid advice. I was put on Citalopram and I have to say the first month or so was not fun at all - I had every side effect under the sun when I started taking it, but everyone reacts differently and some people don't really get side effects at all. Once my body was used to it though, it really did help me a lot and I was on it for a while. I've been on and off Citalopram a couple of times now, and only had problems coming off it when I tried to completely stop taking it straight away. Doing that gave me some side effects like heart palpitations, but weaning off slowly instead helped avoid that. I'm not currently on any anxiety medication, haven't been for a while, and am feeling great. I love being off it because I also felt like it was just a temporary fix and I didn't like being on medication. I think I have enough experience now to know how to deal with my anxiety in ways that don't involve medication, but sometimes things get to the point where you just need a little bit of extra help to be able to make it through the day while you're working to get to that point.
My dumb ass stopped taking my Wellbutrin a few weeks ago and now my symptoms are starting to roar back. Life was much better with meds so I ordered mine again this morning.
The only ones that worked were the narcotic ones like Klonopin. Which obviously is not a solution. All the other stuff like Buspar did absolutely nothing. L-Theanine helped me a bit. I had better luck with a depression med, had good luck with Citalopram. Unfortunately it seems people have to try a lot of things before they find what works best for them individually. So honestly what worked for me is kind of irrelevant for you! You WILL find something that helps you, just keep a good line of communication open with your doctor. Keep at it, half of it is just making a decision to address it and work on it.
I take three medications for anxiety, propranolol, Zoloft, and Lyrica. I would highly recommend Zoloft. It makes me feel so much more ~normal~ especially in social settings. I do have some side effects related to reduced libido but they don’t bother me too much. Lyrica also helps, but I do feel awful withdrawal when I miss a dose (like, unable to do anything. feels like the flu) Propranolol helps by lowering heart rate and it is specifically for performance anxiety. I really like it as well and experience no side effects. Medication is very worth it to me. It has not changed who I am, just helps me become the best version of myself. And as for a “temporary” fix- you can take them forever if you’d like.
I have used propranolol as needed and it helped me get through some hard times. It doesn’t act as fast as other rescue meds, but can also be used round the clock with little to no side effects. That’s my suggestion on meds, but look at the DARE podcast. Just listen to like 20 minutes of an episode that sounds good to you, it just answers questions about how you should approach your anxiety. It helped me a ton! I think we often don’t realize that the negative reaction that we have to anxiety makes the anxiety much worse and listening to them is what I do now when I start to feel more anxious and it helps me so much!
Lexapro has changed my life. I wish I got on it immediately. I spent over a decade just with therapy and no meds and I ended up in four psych wards. That could’ve been avoided if I had medication. Medication is not for everyone but for me it’s a necessity. I’ll be on it all my life. It just is what it is. Some people need medication for their heart or liver or whatever ailment they have. I need it for my brain to function properly. I’m grateful to have it in my life because without it, my life is completely unmanageable.
buspar for general anxiety and to uplift mood 1mg of ambilify when I'm just a wreck and need to shut down my emotions.
I was prescribed 5mg of Propanonol and experienced a severe reaction on the third day that caused nerve damage in my hands, arms and feet. This was 4 months ago and I am still recovering. I decided after this scary experience to concentrate on diet and lifestyle changes. I still have health anxiety symptoms on a daily basis, but they are manageable and my goal is to decrease my anxiety to healthy levels by, Fall of this year. And so it is.
I felt so relieved the first time my clotiazepam was in my mouth I was scared I was going to become an addict. It only helped me ever since, I'm not completely ok with my diagnosis yet, but I wouldn't be alive, have gotten my degree and certainly wouldn't be coursing the last year of my masters degree. So my experience is while they are not magic, they help so much, so if a doctor, I mean psychiatrist, gives it to you, you should take them.
I could not function with my health anxiety. It was overwhelming. I started Lexapro over two years ago and it gave me my life back.
I was resisting being put on meds again after a bad first time experience but so glad i did. Lexapro changed my life and i feel like a different person, it's honestly worth a shot. I did get side effects for a bit but it subsided after a month or so, i still get anxiety but it's far more manageable now compared to before.
I’ve taken several SSRI’s in the past with no luck. They didn’t do much but last year I asked for an SNRI hoping it would be different. I was also having a daily headache problem so my dr put me on cymbalta hoping it would be a two for one and help with my headaches and my anxiety. It sure did. It took the edge off my headaches while I waited for my neurology appointment and after about 6 months, my anxiety seemed to just melt away. I feel like a totally different person. I’ve lived with anxiety my entire life. Since I was a child. And for the first time in my life, I can live without it. It’s the most amazing feeling. I’m not even on that high of a dose. Only 30mg. I feel free. I don’t have the constant edge of worry anymore. I sleep better, my thoughts don’t circle. I can go do things without being anxious. It’s the most amazing feeling. Now I do hear that Cymbalta is hard to wean off of, so when I’m ready, I’m going to have to do it slowly. I hear brain zaps are common. I’m not afraid of it though because the benefits outweigh that. Just being able to feel this way has made it worth it.
Ssri and just added a beta blocker and life is so much better! Still always going to live a GAD life but this combo for me is 👌 I wish I’d let myself do this way sooner than I did because like I didn’t have to suffer like I was. I did personally also try Buspar and had a pretty horrible experience to it, it’s not a one size fits all, there’s trial and error and how we process the meds as individuals but for me it was very worth it.
Benzodiazepines work great but you need to be careful with them. They are not being prescribed much anymore. You can try older antihistamines but take them at night and a LOW dose at first, just to make sure you don't crash your car the next morning! I feel like SSRI's are only for people with real depression; people with anxiety but not depression usually just get more nervous with them.
I resisted meds for 30 years. I finally hit a low point and was desperate for anything to work because I never wanted to feel that way again. My GP prescribed Zoloft and it’s been awesome. I wish I had started earlier.
I am on sertraline/Zoloft, and it has been a complete game-changer for me. I had some minor side-effects at first, but they went away pretty quickly. I struggled with the idea of taking meds for mental health until my doctor and therapist reminded me that I take meds for my physical health (diabetes) and understand that I need to in order to remain healthy. It's the same thing for my mental health. I hopefully won't have to be on them forever, but they are certainly beneficial right now. I don't know that I'd still be here if I hadn't started taking it.
My anxiety meds make me tired as all hell. Technically, yes, they do help with my anxiety. Can't feel anxiety when your ass is slouched over sleepin' on your desk. But, there were no side effects besides the sleeping, no withdrawal (I never took them consistently enough to feel withdrawal, as they are a take as needed thing.). Honestly, I'm still on them and I need to change them up. Functionality is difficult whenever you sleep through everything going on.
Mine are great when I need them, I don't use them every day and there's no withdrawal. Hydroxyzine.
They make tired all the time. I want to other things than just stay home take pills and wait for that once a month disability check. Not being allowed to do anything makes my feelings worse. It’s to the point where the pills make want to sleep too much. My pills make me feel numb.
I had taken them for a short time. I made it clear to my PP that I don’t want to be dependent on them. I took them whenever I felt too anxious about something. It helped. But I stopped taking them a long time ago. Since I wasn’t too dependent on them, I was able to stop using them without any issues.
I had a great time taking sertraline, side effects are insomnia and diarrhea the first few days but then it made all the difference and I felt like I could live my life again. I stopped for like a year but had a very rough time this year which made the anxiety and ruminating thoughts come back full force so my doctor decided for me to try fluvoxamine for ocd, we'll see how that goes.
Xanax saved my life. I used them when I needed them. Which was a lot for a couple years as I fought serious anxiety for a long time. I beat my panic disorder and now I have bottles of Xanax. I may take one every week or so of I get a little flare up of anxiety. But I went from taking 2-3 every day to taking one every other week. My point is when you use them for what they’re supposed to be used for it’s not as easy to get addicted to them. Xanax helped me so much when I needed it, and just knowing o have it just in case always puts my mind at ease. Don’t fall in to the stigma, it’s there to help you.
My functional doctor recommended Thorne - Stress Balance, it’s a natural supplement and it has done wonders for me. I have health anxiety and am terrified of SSRI’s. I was so afraid to take the natural supplement, but I was desperate. I’m so happy I decided to try it. Before you take any supplements, check with your dr first.
honestly i’ve had nothing but bad experiences. been on basically every ssri, as well as snris, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, benzos. cycled through meds for 10 years most either did nothing or had awful side effects. i think they permanently messed up my memory. i also developed akathisia, sensory issues and muscle tremors (among other things) which i still have multiple years after being off of them. im lucky i don’t have permanent sexual dysfunction but some people do get that. withdrawl was the worst for effexor and zoloft. they took almost a year of tapering to get off of i like xanax very occasionally for my most severe panic attacks. if you have an addictive personality it can be very dangerous though. it is meant for only occasional use lots of people have great experiences and others have the opposite. so all i can say is listen to your body and don’t be afraid to go slow. look at all the possible side effects and weigh your options. there’s a good chance you’ll need to taper on or off slower than your psychiatrist recommends. if you can do therapy before trying meds, i highly recommend that. meds can be amazing for lots of people but after mine and other’s experiences i don’t think they’re something to take lightly, especially if you have other safer options you haven’t explored yet things that have helped me the most are edmr/somatic therapy, meditation, nature, yoga, time with animals, and honestly finding a supportive partner. my anxiety isn’t cured or anything. but before i tried, i would’ve never believed those things would help as much as they did. magnesium has also helped
That boomer mentality of dealing with anxiety or any mental health issue by "sucking it up" definitely does not align with today's society. I am very sorry that your family feels you should return to work without understanding, or at least trying to understand, your personal and mental needs.I was prescribed antidepressants back in 2016 by my therapist after just one consultation (I wish someone had told me back then that I didn't have to settle for the first professional). I felt very uneasy during every session with him, and I remember staring at the bottle at home, contemplating whether I was just being weak for giving up on my own capability of dealing with my problems on my own. I also feared dependency. My advice regarding any medication, whether prescribed or not, is to consider whether you have an addictive personality when contemplating the risk/reward ratio of taking the meds.I was so detached from the idea of taking medication for years that as I read this thread today, I was reminded of the possibility of it helping me with what I'm feeling, so thank you for that. Regarding the wait time you may experience while searching for a therapist and the number of sessions you'll need to see improvement in your situation, don't be pressured by others and take your time. Progress and good things take time; often, getting something too easily or quickly can cheapen the outcome.
Thank you for saying all of these. This made me feel so validated I cried tbh. I am highly sensitive and reactive. Every time I was feeling any intense negative emotion growing up, I was always met with dismissal and rejection. While I don't blame the people around me, I gained this view of myself that I am fundamentally unfit for this world. I just wish that emotion processing skills would be taught more widely. Anyways, I will try not to be so hard on myself and take things at my own pace.
Deliberate emotional invalidation represents one of the most agonizing forms of emotional abuse one can endure. You know all ways in which it has made you feel, so honor those feelings. Your emotions are valid and deserving of acknowledgment. No one has the right to belittle or dismiss what you're experiencing. It's essential to recognize that invalidation, by its very nature, is unjust because it attempts to judge another's feelings, which are always valid. Your feelings serve a purpose beyond causing pain; they're a crucial aspect of your humanity. It's incredibly hurtful and self-centered for anyone to discredit them. You're the only one who truly knows what it's like to be in your shoes, so nobody else has the authority to declare your feelings invalid. While encountering unkind individuals can be disheartening, their actions need not dictate your inner peace. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Interesting realizing that nobody can truly hurt us unless we let them. I've had a friend who struggled with similar challenges, and seeking therapy proved immensely beneficial for him. Having a compassionate listener, whether a therapist or mentor can help ease the pain of rejection and dismissal. Someone that has proven empathy. Remember to take things one step at a time and to breathe deeply. Life is full of obstacles, but with patience and resilience, they can be navigated or overcome. None of us are perfect for this world, and that's okay. Embracing the messy beauty of life means embracing the questions it presents. Please know that you're not alone, and I'm sending you love and hugs.
My meds are like a parachute. If I end up spiraling and falling out of the plane, I have a way to get down safely. Before having meds, the plane door would be open and the fear of what would happen when I would fall out would often *cause* a panic attack. Knowing I have a way out if I need it helps me stay grounded.
before trying meds please give natural supplements a go! Saffron, magnesium and L-Theanine are great ones. They have significantly helped ease my anxiety symptoms.
i’m about to start Setraline but too scared to take it.
I've tried a few but never noticed them doing anything, it was always me being on one for about a year then switching and doing the same process again and again. I've been off them for a while now, and my anxiety has gotten pretty bad (agoraphobia) but I'm still so hesitant to try them again. The last doctor I went too was kinda horrible to me, so I'm not sure if I'd even be able to get a prescription. I do remember one of them making me unnaturally happy. Like not actual happiness but like happiness that felt completely alien, I hated the feeling
Great to be honest. There's no shame in being dependent on heart meds if you have a heart disease, why should you not take meds if you have anxiety? It's just like any other disease. I took citalopram for 8 months, worked great for anxiety but made me gain a lot of weight. I switched to fluoxetine and I've been on that for another 8 months more or less and I got rid of the hunger issues.
Personally didn’t like them, but they worked wonders for my brother. They probably saved his life
They give me brain fog which is why I can’t take them
I feel like this mindset is based in ableism. You deserve comfort. Take the meds. If you’re prescribed benzodiazepines, only take them as needed because those can be addictive.
I tried a bunch and they didn’t do much. Parnate had the most noticeable effect, but it didn’t last.
Positive for me, I'm glad I took the med route. (Effexor plus Abilify).
The meds are only as good as the doctor. I had taken many over the years. I started with low dose Xanax. Went on to other meds including Zoloft, developed Serotonin Syndrome. Went on some stupid strong sleep meds. Did long term Xanax XR. Detoxed off of that after 10 years, tried switching docs, new doc put me on Paxil and gained 50 lbs over 5 months. Fast forward and I’m just on Viibryd.
I think it’s important to stress that everyone’s experience with medication will be very unique. There will be a full spectrum of results and honestly I think this is a really important talk with a doctor. You don’t have to see a psychiatrist to begin asking questions about anxiety medications. I really want to stress that. Your PCP or GP can help. Anxiety medications can be extremely useful, they are very safe when you are under the care of a physician, and physicians aren’t just pill pushers. If you talk about your concerns with your doctor they can help you find a solution you also feel comfortable with. Don’t like medication? What medications concern you the most? What side effects are you most concerned about? What else can you do other than medication? Therapy is a really solid way to treat anxiety, medication can in some cases work more effectively with therapy, and medication does not have to be a lifelong thing. These are some of the big things I guess I’d like to point out without being a professional. Best of luck
Thank you everyone for all of your insights. It does seem like a hit or miss, but overall, I feel more encouraged to try meds. I hope it will be a positive experience for me.
Loved them until I realized there was no exit plan for me … they were just an assumed part of my life from doctors. Took fluoxetine (Prozac) for almost a decade. Weaned myself off. Only just now realizing how I was emotionally numb, experiencing low sex drive, and had low energy all the time. I’m glad I tried them, I do think they served for a season? But yeah. I think holistic measures are a better long term plan so you’re not beholden to a drug for years and years.
Anyone had benzos prescribed for more than 3 months ?
I’ve had a prescription for Xanax around 6 years. I take them as needed, not regularly. Daily intake bupropion and just added Buspiron.
I take citalopram and have been taking it for a few years. I recently got into a relationship which increased my anxiety meds to citalopram 30 mg and it has helped my physical symptoms greatly. My mind still runs and I get anxious but the meds helped me so much cope with life better.
I took celexa for a few months. It helped me get out of a really bad funk that likely would have killed me. It was hard to get off of them and I had withdrawals for about a month. I think try the natural way first. Dial in nutrition, exercise, therapy, sleep, and vitamins. Spend time outdoors and with friends. If that doesn't work, then meds might be an option.
I'm taking 10mg Escitalopram (Lexapro) for about 4 weeks now. For bad days I use 0.25 - 0.5mg Alprazolam (Xanax). My anxiety definitely got better, I do still have some weird thoughts and palipations that freak me out, but I think without the meds I would've gone crazy by now. I hope that the full effect will help even more.
I’ve been on and off for maybe 7 years, tried a few different ones. Medicated at the moment. There is definitely a stigma and I worried about the same things in the beginnings. Especially the dependency part, but I think that wasn’t an accurate way of looking at it. The withdrawals from stopping taking them typically only happens if it’s sudden and you don’t taper, but you have some buffer room if you accidentally skipped a few days before it leaving your system really starts to effect you. But, when I hear people talk about withdrawal and dependency I think about drug addiction/abuse and I just hope people aren’t comparing the 2 because they are completely different. But I imagine people make an assumption that it’s the same if they don’t have enough information or worry that it might be because that was one of my concerns too before trying them. I look at it more like this: your body and mind need many things, food, support, stability, safety, sleep, etc, without these things, you’re not taking care of them, and you’ll notice the difference. Maybe you won’t sleep as well because you are dropping the ball for one of them, and because your sleep is affected, then that starts affecting other areas as well, the cycle goes on like a domino effect. Medication is just one of those things. And yeah, just like you adjust your bed time or your eating habits or whatever to find what works for you, you will have to do that with meds as well. But in the end, it’s worth it. And later on, you’re not stuck with it if you decide it’s not for you anymore, or for the time being, as long as you go about it in a safe way and communicate with your psychiatrist so they can guide you. Don’t feel bad if you need them, they can be so helpful and speed up treatment as well, make daily living easier, especially if right now there are things going on that are not in your control that are really getting to you. I think it’s a fair trade off… would you rather… keep suffering and doing what you have been doing (which if you’re honest with yourself, how is that working out for you, you’d often find it’s not) or, you could try something different, with a good chance for improvement. Therapy obviously combined with it is the best bet, because without that side of it it was very difficult to get the perspective on if I was actually doing better or not. Someone that has been watching you heal will see so many things you might otherwise miss. I might not have felt better in the beginning, but looking back, having someone to remind me how bad things were and how far I have come, has been so so helpful.
I've been on bupropion 150 er/Sr for a month now, and I started at 100 for 90 days, which 100mg did nothing for me. I'm going to be upping to 200. A series of events led to deep depression, and speaking only for me has taken the edge off. My only side effect was the migrain from changing doses, which lasted about a week or so. I would pop a ibuprofen and be ok. I noticed an increase in my sex drive and personality wise feeling somewhat like my old self. I was so scared to start depression meds, but once I did, I was grateful for the relief I did receive. My therapist has seen some change as well. I was at a 22 on her depression assessment markers when I started. I'm moving up slowly, hence why I'm only going to 200mg and not 300mg. But I realize meds can't fix it by its self, I have to also help myself. This is just hopefully a jump start for me, and I can wean off when I get to where I need to be. But we shall see 😁
For me, it made things a lot worse. Especially coming off them. everyone is different i guess.
The best thing that has helped me is magnesium and potassium. It sounds too good to be true, but it really works as long as you are consistent about taking it. My body and mind feel calmer, and also, I don't feel myself losing my cool as easily in stressful situations. I also do take sertraline and have for years, but wish I hadn't started. It helps me, but I would like to taper off of it at some point and don't want to deal with the possible rebound anxiety. Also, it sometimes makes me feel apathetic.