Anxiety meds - experiences/opinions?

[Kassia]

I've always been anxious and never took meds for it but recently my anxiety has increased to where it is severely affecting my quality of life and I need something to help control it because I am absolutely miserable.  

I'm just wondering what has worked for others in this situation - long-term meds like Zoloft, short term meds like Xanax,, a combination?  What about side effects of these meds?  Have you found relief with the long-term meds?  

Thanks for any help you can provide.  

ETA  I'm also depressed

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Kassia

[EKS]

I know a number of people who have been helped by Celexa for anxiety.  I would not take Xanax before first educating yourself on the problems with getting off of it.

[Pawz4me]

I've taken Lexapro (generic) twice over the years, each time for a year or so before weaning off. It was totally helpful for me both times. The only issues I ever had were a bit of a headache for the first week the first time I took it, and both times it caused a tendency to yawn a lot.

[kristin0713]

My 16yo DD started Zoloft over the summer. She actually started with Luvox but switched right away because the initial low dose significantly increased her anxiety/OCD. Zoloft, however, has been a game changer for her. She started at 12.5mg, increased in 12.5mg increments, and is currently at 100mg. I cannot even express how much it has helped her. Her distress level has been reduced drastically. She is now no longer crying herself to sleep at night saying "I don't think I'm going to live through the night, are there bugs in my bed, what if you die, what if someone breaks into the house, what if the dog dies" and every other fear under the sun. She goes places without me, she goes to sleep at night her own, she applied for a job on her own at a local store, she gets up on stage and performs monologues in front of an audience. She's happy and thriving. I would not have thought any of this was possible a year ago. 

Re: Xanax, I personally had a bad reaction to that. I asked for "something" to help me when I had LASIK a few years ago. They gave me xanax and I think it put me into a panic attack. I think that I really didn't need medicine at the time, i was just worried and wanted to prevent myself from freaking out. But since I was not in a panicked state, it had the opposite effect. I started shaking and crying during the surgery and I had a very out of control feeling. 

Not sure if any of that helps you. I have seen firsthand the difference that Zoloft has made in my daughter's life and my only regret is that I did not investigate it sooner for her. It took her being at the point of really suffering for me to say, we have to try this. 

[Kassia]

49 minutes ago, EKS said:

 I would not take Xanax before first educating yourself on the problems with getting off of it.

Thanks, I was just thinking of if it was something I could take occasionally for when the anxiety is unbearable but not regularly.

 

17 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

Zoloft, however, has been a game changer for her. She started at 12.5mg, increased in 12.5mg increments, and is currently at 100mg. I cannot even express how much it has helped her. Her distress level has been reduced drastically. ..She's happy and thriving. I would not have thought any of this was possible a year ago. 

 

Not sure if any of that helps you. I have seen firsthand the difference that Zoloft has made in my daughter's life and my only regret is that I did not investigate it sooner for her. It took her being at the point of really suffering for me to say, we have to try this. 

I'm so very happy that the Zoloft helped your dd so much!  What a relief for you and a life-changer for her.  ❤️  

[whitestavern]

47 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I've taken Lexapro (generic) twice over the years, each time for a year or so before weaning off. It was totally helpful for me both times. The only issues I ever had were a bit of a headache for the first week the first time I took it, and both times it caused a tendency to yawn a lot.

That’s interesting. Dh and myself have been commenting (to each other only) that S has been yawning a lot. Never connected it to Lexapro!

[Terabith]

We are a family where everyone has severe anxiety. 

3/4 of us are on SSRIs....zoloft for the kids, celexa for my husband.  I am on a tricylic antidepressant (nortriptyline).  

4/4 of us are on buspar as well.  Buspar is kind of an intermediate med....it has an immediate impact, but it's not addictive like benzos.  

My oldest kid is also on wellbutrin along with the SSRI.  

My husband and I have a prescription for klonopin, but I absolutely would never take it every day.  It's an emergency med only.  

I also take gabapentin, but it was prescribed 20+ years ago as a theoretical mood stabilizer, but then studies came out that it didn't really work as a mood stabilizer, but it had been immediately and dramatically helpful for me, for reasons that nobody really understands.  My psychiatrist says he has a class of patients for whom it works really well, despite it not being evidence based.  The assumption is that it works on anxiety, but I honestly don't know, but I hope I never have to go off of it.  It would certainly not be a first line treatment though.  

[Pawz4me]

34 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

That’s interesting. Dh and myself have been commenting (to each other only) that S has been yawning a lot. Never connected it to Lexapro!

It's definitely a thing. You can Google something like "Lexapro yawning" and read about it. Supposedly it's relatively uncommon, but I've read of other people experiencing it. I think it can happen with several of the SSRIs.

[MercyA]

My mom and I both take an SSRI, Luvox, and she takes a tranquilizer as well. I have OCD (classified as an anxiety disorder) and she has generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, and depression. 

As I've shared many times, Luvox has been life-changing for me. I never, ever thought I could be this free of OCD thoughts and behaviors, ever. I've taken it for, IDK, four or five years now?

Any SSRI will take time to work and the side-effects tend to be worse at first and often taper off or go away completely. Generally you have to be on an SSRI three or four weeks or more to see a difference, and they often have to be slowly amped up. For me I started noticing the benefits about a week and a half in. I had to increase the dose several times and there was a big jump for me in effectiveness when I went from 125 mg. to 150 mg. 

Luvox initially caused insomnia and some stomach upset for me, but that went away. (Although the insomnia came back with perimenopause!) Most people gain some weight if they stay on SSRI's long term. After about two years I had gained 15 lb. Still worth it IMO. My mom also gained weight on it.

The most bothersome side effects for me are sleepiness (I take a nap every day) and tea-related effects. Less interested in making tea and more difficult to get the pot to a full boil when I do. (DON'T QUOTE this part.) 

In addition to a huge improvement in my OCD, my SSRI has made me generally more mellow and less irritable. 

Luvox has been less effective for my mom. She tried another SSRI first but it made her hair fall out so she quit that one. Luvox works enough that whenever she has tried to go off it she feels MUCH worse, so she stays on it. Personally I think she needs a higher dose. Normal doses can be up to 300 mg. and she only takes 150 mg. She is reluctant to take more because the weight gain.

She takes a tranquilizer as needed and it helps her a lot, but it makes her very sleepy and honestly I can tell when she has taken it because her speech slurs the tiniest bit. Most people would not notice. My grandmother took tranquilizers for years for her agoraphobia and they helped a lot. Doctors are much less likely to want to prescribe them now than in the past. We see an elderly doctor. He has told us that most doctors don't want to deal with the extra paperwork and hassle of controlled substances. She has to call in for a refill every month and also has to get drug tests every (6?) months. 

Happy to answer any questions you might have! I hope you find something that works well for you.

ETA: I have taken Valium for medical anxiety and it did nothing for me. Made me giggle a little but I was still super anxious. Everyone is different.

Edited April 3, 2022 by MercyA

[Melissa Louise]

Lexapro for anxiety = 👍

No yawning etc. 

[happi duck]

I take something as needed for panic attacks I can't get out of using my normal means.

At first it was Xanax.  It worked great for me but I was reading that one needs to take a higher and higher dose.

I switched to hydroxyzine which if I understand correctly is an antihistamine.  I like it even better than the Xanax.

I haven't done great with daily meds so just stick to the as needed stuff.  A loved one eventually landed on a daily med that works great but it took trying some that made them way more anxious.  The process of trying and weaning off several was hard.

(hugs) 

[madteaparty]

Nm

Edited April 3, 2022 by madteaparty

[popmom]

I didn’t read all the above comments.

Zoloft changed my world. I don’t think I’ll need it forever, but I’m ETERNALLY grateful for this medicine. I was miserable with anxiety—including the occasional full blown panic attack. Benzodiazepines do little for my anxiety unless I take a higher dose—which I only do out of desperation*.  I have been given Ativan in the ER for a panic attack, and it definitely helped. But my usual dosage—.5mg Klonopin (taken at night) does nothing other than to keep me from going into withdrawal. 
 

*I do have Xanax on hand for really bad moments. I only take it when I’m having physical symptoms of anxiety—my heart rate and/or blood pressure is high. Or if I absolutely cannot fall asleep. 
 

my husband does get significant relief from Klonopin. It’s very individual. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by popmom

[Kassia]

Thanks you so much to everyone for sharing!  I appreciate it very much.   Lots of information to process here as I figure out what to do next.  

Thank you!  🙂  ❤️

 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

My pre-teen son’s life has been changed by Prozac.  So many behaviors we attributed to autism over the years turned out to be rooted in anxiety.  I took Prozac a few years ago myself and it drastically reduced my own anxiety.

[Kassia]

48 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

My pre-teen son’s life has been changed by Prozac.  So many behaviors we attributed to autism over the years turned out to be rooted in anxiety.  I took Prozac a few years ago myself and it drastically reduced my own anxiety.

That's wonderful about your son!  It's so sad that kids suffer with this - it's hard enough as an adult.  

I took Prozac many years ago for my eating disorders.  I had great results quickly but they wore off.  I was switched to Paxil but that did nothing for me and I had a terrible time going off of it.  

 

[happi duck]

I haven't used it but I think there's a company that will run your DNA specifically to determine which meds would work.  Maybe another boardie has btdt?

[Lecka]

My husband took buspar for anxiety and had stomach issues.  My impression is this is a rare side effect!

Then switched to Lexapro.

It’s great!!!!!!!!

[Lecka]

My husband also tried a second medicine that he took about 3 days and hated.  I don’t know the name.

He also was prescribed a sleeping pill that he has given up on.  He is way too groggy the next day.  He tried taking a smaller amount.  Still too groggy.  He won’t take it anymore.  He took it maybe 5 or 6 times total with either dose.  It is just not something he can see working with him at this point.  
 

But guess what!  He is sleeping better anyway since he has been taking Lexapro, so it’s not even an issue!!!!!!!!

[Lecka]

Taking buspar was better than not taking it, and then that made him feel more open to trying other things.  He was reluctant to try anything and they said buspar is pretty low-risk so he was willing to try it.  
 

But really Lexapro is better than buspar for him.

 

At the same time I think buspar works for many people!  
 

I have not seen (myself) or heard (from my husband) about any side effects from Lexapro.

 

And his sleep is better.  His sleep was pretty messed up.  I am glad he doesn’t need to take a sleeping pill, even though I was glad a sleeping pill was prescribed and thought it was appropriate to try it.  

Edited April 3, 2022 by Lecka

[Lisa]

I take citalopram, which is an SSRI. Its works for depression and anxiety. I take a low dose and it really helps for me.

[mom2scouts]

I was on Celexa/citalopram for years for depression. I didn't realize how much it helped with my anxiety until I tapered off of it. Now anxiety, especially related to driving, is really affecting my life negatively because I can't go very far from home. It worked long term for me with few side effects.

[AngelaR]

Buspar works nearly instantly.  
 

I had been on Prozac for 10 years, and then went off it after my thyroid issue was taken care of. (I’ve previously seen some correlation between malfunctioning thyroid and depression.) I did well till my mid -40s (so perimenonausal), and hubby was stationed in Korea for a year, leaving me with a 18 month old and a 3 year old.  We moved to be close to “family” (his side, as my parents have passed), ostensibly to help out but it ended up not so much.   I was so stressed that my OCD kicked in REALLY bad, accompanied by panic attacks, anxiety, crazy cleansing cycles…etc., etc. I begged my lupus doctor for help and the best she could do was put me on Prozac to help with my Raynauds. Well, in my experience, Prozac works great for depression but it didn’t EVEN touch my anxiety. I was on Prozac for about 6 months till my hubby came back and was able to get me in to see a mental health specialist at our new base. I was able to pick up my Buspar that day, and WOW!  Within 2 hours I was feeling so much more calm!  It was so wonderful!  
 

Now, in the years since, I’ve had to tweak various things to help Buspar reach total effectiveness:  I noticed my anxiety increased exponentially around ovulation, so I went on the mini pill to prevent ovulation.  I also noticed that taking bio active forms of B6, B12 and folate was necessary to keep the anxiety at bay completely.  And I’m still on Prozac. 
 

I hope my experience can help you figure out an appropriate treatment plan for you also!

[Kassia]

Thank you again to everyone for your very helpful responses!  I'm sorry for all who have experienced depression/anxiety (or still do) but am very grateful for all you have shared.