Medication?

[Beemo3780]

My therapist wants me to try taking an as needed anxiety medication to be able to manage my panic attacks better. I have tried almost every OTC/Herbal/Holistic option there is and nothing has helped me when I'm in panic mode.

I've tried buspar in the past with very negative results. Also xanax makes me really sleepy. My therapist suggested xanax.

I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, are there any other medications that I can run by her that other people have had success with?

 

[Justmehere]

Vistaril has helped me a lot.

 

[loui50]

Ativan and valium have helped me

 

[ShodokanJenn]

Ativan (Lorazepam) has helped me, and it doesn't make me sleepy like xanax (alprazolam). I take two 5 mg pills of olanzapine during the day to help with anxiety. I need to come off the olanzapine, though, so we're going to have to figure something else out.

 

[Fiadh]

I take propranolol and that has helped so much with the physical symptoms of anxiety, I think it's more of a daily medication though

 

[Beemo3780]

That's what my doctor put me on, propranolol in addition to prozac. I am a little uneasy about the prozac but I'm on a really low dose and she said once I get the anxiety under control we can talk about weaning me off. My anxiety may be situational at the moment. I'm going to try taking the propranolol later to test it out before I try taking it around people.

 

[ttls]

Did you find anything that helped? I started on Effexor once a day with hydroxyzine up to three times a day as needed and that just made me a walking zombie and effected sex drive horribly. Literally felt like a drooling zombie most days. Doctor doesn't want to try Xanax or those kind of drugs because I have a high use of Alcohol for self medication in public functioning and he said the combo could really mess me up or kill me. So he put me on Buspar which I start tomorrow. He said it would take 2-3 weeks to feel the benefits. Reading your note above sounds like it didn't do well for you.

They call it anxiety and my therapist has me do breathing, grounding, and putting things in my "lock box" in my brain but that only helps in the moment. I really can't stand dealing with people at all. I fake it most times but having to fake it all the time even around my wife and kids sometimes is just too much.

I am hoping I find a medication combo I can use. So far the only medication that makes me feel better is Alcohol and I can't drink at work so just trying to find a pill that does the same thing but doesn't impair me to the point I am a zombie or impaired.

Anyone else have any good experiences on certain types of medication they can recommend? At this point I am all but checked out at work, my hair is getting long, I hate shaving, I hate being at work, I hate dealing with anyone, I have severe anxiety around medium to large crowds, I am angry all the time and feel like I am going to slam my breaks and let the tailgater behind me run into my car and then get out and beat them to a pulp. I get rapid breathing, throbbing head, and even blurred vision in some cases.

I know there is no "cure" for PTSD or whatever disorder they want to label us with, Axiety disorder, depressive disorder, ext. However I hope one day I can find a good combo of therapy and drugs to at least help me be somewhat normal again.

New member here so sorry for the rant. I type a "journal" daily and I read forums but this is the first time I have actually interacted on a forum.

 

[Beemo3780]

Not for me personally. I took Buspar when I was in my early 20s, and it wasn't good for me. Made me feel trippy. Zoloft was the worst, and I had a suicide attempt on that one. I only took the Prozac for 2 months, because even at the lowest dose, I felt like a zombie. I had no emotions about anything. I hated it.

The propranolol worked, but it had a big side effect that outweighed its positives... I would take it, and sorry to sound gross, but like an hour later would get diarrhea, every single time.

Now, I'm off everything but am trying CBD oil, but also to try and help ease symptoms of autoimmune diseases.

 

[ttls]

So not the greatest experiences on Meds I see. I have read that a lot in the forums. It works for some but not all. I hope I find one that works and doesn't induce the zombie effect. I think I could deal with the darrhea part at this point but not the zombie. At least not until I can retire. I may ask my doctor about the propranolol if the Buspar has similar effects on me as it did for you.

Thanks for responding. I will keep going down the list and once I hit the bottom I will see what other routes there are out there.

I do the normal breathing, grounding, ext. and now my doc wants me to start yoga. Not a yoga guy but Ill give it a shot.

 

[ttls]

Started Buspar (busPIRone) yesterday and I agree with the trippy thing. I am going to give it a bit; however I took a pill yesterday morning and 1 in the evening as prescribed and I felt dizzy/light headed and trippy for an extended period of time. No way that is a solution unless you don't work or leave your house. I wouldn't be able to drive or work well taking that. I am going to give it a couple weeks but if the side effects don't improve I am not staying on it. And I had the experience you had when you used propranolol on this one. Is messing my stomach up.

 

[KerriJ]

Vistaril helped/helps me a lot.
It's actually an antihistamine based medication instead of the usual benzodiazipine. It's non-habiting forming too.
It calms the nerves. I take two and within 20 minutes my heart rate goes back to normal and I feel less shaky.
It can be taken every day, or as needed.