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Otc, Cheap, Low-risk Anxiety Drug - I Found One That Works For Me

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WillThereBeCake

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First, I have to give a little history so that no one thinks my recommendation is totally wazoo. During WWII, one of the biggest complaints from soldiers were allergies. Up to that point, there weren't a lot of allergy meds on the market. The military and civilian researchers set out to change this, creating many of the allergy treatments that are still in use today. One of the other things that their patients reported after taking the allergy meds, was a noticeable decrease in anxiety. A lot of these patients also had "Shell Shock" (PTSD) so this was a win/win for them.

While reading about this, one particular med was mentioned, that I had no idea had been around for that long, Chlor-Trimeton (Chlorpheniramine Maleate). I have year round allergies, and had heard of it, but had never tried it. I was taking Zyrtec, but decided I'd give the CT a try and if it controlled my allergies, and had no bad side effect, who knew - maybe I'd see a decrease in my anxiety.

Wow! I can not convey how much this little pill has changed my life. It is not strong, I don't feel drowsy or out-of-it, but it has taken the edge off just enough that things don't trigger me as easily and I have a much more overall feeling of calm now. I have been taking this for three months, so this is not an impulsive recommendation. I used myself as a guinea pig first. I have had a few incidents that would have made me completely crumble before, that I have been able to take in stride. My husband has observed that the transformation is nothing short of miraculous.

I don't know if this would work for others, but as long as you check that it doesn't interfere with other meds you may be on, it's a pretty low risk drug to experiment with. I take a 4 mg tablet every four hours. Even when I forget a tab, I still feel much calmer than before starting with this med. Even better, I was able to get 1000 of the generic pills for only $8 on Amazon, so it's a pretty cheap thing to try as well.

Just wanted to share the outstanding success I have had with it in hopes it might help someone else. As with all things medical, please consult with your doctor or therapist before starting any medication.
 
The NHS crisis teams love to give out antihistamines as replacements for Benzodiazepines. They like Promethazine a lot for it as it has anxiolytic,antipsyschotic and sedating (though not for me) properties. I can get it over the counter or for free on the NHS but I use it more for motion sickness than anxiety as I don't find it helps me too much.
 
@Kas_Can_Fly - you can get Promethazine over the counter in the UK?!

Here, in the US, it is a strictly prescription, anti-nausea drug! Interesting how different the US and the UK are.
 
Yep, branded (as phenergan) and unbranded but then usually they just take them out of the normal packaging and give you them in a plain white box - some genuine cost cutting there :rolleyes:. Apparently they won't give it to you if you say it's for anxiety/sleep, but will if it's for allergies and sickness, though they do run through some questions with you because it's an unusual one for them to give. Which the crisis team warned me about before they gave me a prescription for it and also said they had a lot of experience with people taking it.
 
I will look into it! My current anti-anxiety is an antihistamine. I don't do well with anything thing that makes me drowsy or loopy, because I then become hyper-vigilant and paranoid because I have a fear being more vulnerable if I am in that state.

I just need to call my Dr. first to make sure it doesn't interfere with what I am already on, but if it helps with my sinus congestion and anxiety and is cheaper than what I am currently on, that would be wonderful.
 
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