What treatment for anxiety/panic has worked well for you?

Question

I am a long-time sufferer who has tried different combos of antidepressnats (zoloft, lexapro) and benzodiazepines (ativan, xanax). i found only that the benzo's were more effective.

what treatments have you tried? are they effective? i'm going to my doctor thursday to discuss options, and i wanted to see what has worked for others.

Answer 1

I too have been a long-time sufferer of acute panic and anxiety. I was on Zoloft for years, but then it was not giving me the optimum results any more. There were several others that I tried, but what i take now has been the most productive. I agree about the benzo"s. Have you ever tried klonopin?, generic name Clonazepam? It is comprised of the same chemical make-up as xanax. I take 4mg a day(clonazepam)2in am, 2in pm. I take these as an everyday med. The xanax, I take as needed, short term fix. The clonazepam stays in the system, keeping me on an even keel(for the lack of a better phrase)The xanax has a tendency to have a window, of where there is a bit of a fluctuation effect. That is why I feel the clonazepam is a great long-term med. I would never discontinue the xanax, life saver in a pinch. I also take wellbutrin. I am doing well and no side effects. Good Luck, I hope you find the right meds. It is a nuisance trying different combinations.

Answer 2

I suffer from anxiety too. I take Klonapin at night but have tried not to during the day. Have you ever heard of Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy? That has helped me more than anything. If you can find a therapist who does it, then go for it!
Otherwise, if you are good at reading & doing exercises from a book, I found a good one: Thoughts & Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life by Mathew McKay PhD, Martha Davis PhD and Patrick Fanning. You may find a copy at a good price somewhere like amazon or half.com. Good luck. Anxiety is a real bummer to deal with. (I feel for you.) Afterthought: there are herbs that help you deal w/anxiety if you want to go that route. You would have to do some research (they have side effects too.)

Answer 3

I have tried zoloft and prozac, both of which has left me sick and lying on the couch. I use Xanax now and that helps a bit for me but there are always other things. I found that meditation works along with doing something as simple as watching a comedy. If your mind is fully overloaded and constantly running, listening to some calming music always helps especially while working on a hobby you enjoy. There are certain herbs too, like St. Johns Wort (I think) and supposable certain B vitamins as well (I believe it's B12). If you are in serious need I would really recommend reading The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook (I have the 4th edition) by Edmund J. Bourne, PH.D. My shrink recommended reading it and I found it pretty invaluable. There's always the alternative of getting more religion in your life too. Sounds odd but studies have show that people have actually gotten better by just having something to believe in. Also, don't negative talk yourself when you have an attack. Sometimes just saying to yourself "I own this thing" and "It's going to happen but I'm just going to ride it out" really does help instead of getting more anxious whenever you feel another one come on. It's hard but with practice it help. Wish you luck. Oh and here's a link to some other reading on the condition. http://depression.about.com/od/seekinghelp/tp/bookrecommend.htm

Answer 4

The only thing that has helped me is Xanax and even that has had it's problems. I find that the longer I am on it, I have built up more of a tolerance to it. I am on the highest dosage possible and I am now finding that I am having spells of severe depression accompanied by horrible anxiety. I don't know what to tell you. I have tried alot of benzo's and SSRI's...have you tried Klonopin? It can be helpful for some people. Try to avoid caffeine products too. They can make you feel like you are jumping out of your skin...trust me I've noticed that after having diet soda with caffeine in it...

Good luck...

Answer 5

Prozac in conjunction with talking to a therapist my doctor refered me too.
Through the therapist, I was able to uncover my lifelong case of ADD...which answered a lot of questions I've wondered about all my life. Between him and my doctor's ultimate diagnosis of the ADD, I've been prescribed a med called Concerta.
The depression/anxiety you experience could be rooted in another condition, so the talk-therapy can be invaluable for diagnosing problems that couldn't be uncovered any other way.

Answer 6

Hey, why not check out this site:

http://www.cureanxietydisorder.com/cure.html

It has helped many people stop panic/anxiety attacks....

All the best...

Answer 7

Meds, therapy (group and individual), positive support and feedback, journaling and testing myself. I used to get panicked about social situations. So to test myself, I would go to the corner store alone, then with someone. Then maybe another place with more people, then more and more. I eventually got all the way to going to the mall with friends, which is awesome.

Answer 8

Paxil might help. unfortunately the benzo's reign supreme, at least in the short term department. Kloopin works great for me. Exercise has a HUGE benefit!

Answer 9

Medical marijuana. Works like a charm, but occasionally can cause anxiety or paranoia if you take too much at once.

Answer 10

Valium has worked wonders for me, but i was getting addicted to it so my Dr took me off it, now i have increased doses of antidepressants, i take 300mg of Effexor XR & 150mg of Prothiaden, & i dont feel as panicky or anxious as i normally would, but going out in public will be the real test. best of luck.