Treatment for Anxiety

  • Thread starter Thread starter Leocat
  • Start date Start date
L

Leocat

Guest
Hi all,
I have been suffering with severe stress and anxiety for the last 3 years, but the last few months the anxiety has got really worse, racing heartbeat, tightness in stomach , difficulty breathing and sleeping etc.

Things have got so bad I have decided to go to the doctors , I just wondered if anyone could advise me what to expect and what sort of treatment there is for anxiety. I have tried various alternative things but they dont work.

any advice would be very helpful
 
i was first put on xanax, a benzo, which calms you down with in minutes. the downside to these is they can make you drowsy and you can become addicted.When i started taking them though they helped me alot because at that point my anxiety had gotten so bad i was in a constant state of panic. I would shake and my muscles would ache,it was bad!!! there are also antidepressants. They can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks to work and sometimes you have to try a couple before you find the right one for you. They also have a list of side effects. I was also told to seek counseling which some people swear by.
 
Sorry to hear you're at the bottom..that's when I reached for help too.

I went with Buspar (non-addictive) and Lexapro (an SSRI) to help with mine. Buspar had only a few days of getting used to it. Lexapro not so much, but all SSRI's have horrible side effects for the first several weeks.

You do need to corabine medications with therapy. I went from not able to leave my house to back to work in less than 3 months. Without therapy I couldn't have done that.

Best wishes to you!
 
thanks both for your responses.
I went to the doctors this morning and he was pretty understanding, he gave me some citalopram & propranolol. I was not expecting 2 medications.

I am not sure what to do, I am scared to take anything as I dont want to suffer side effects and feel worse and create new problems.

My nerves are shot to bits! even just sitting here I can feel my heart racing and my stomach is in knots.

:(
 
Anxiety can be tough, as anyone here can tell you.

I have GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) Last year I started getting panic attacks, and it was only before I went to bed. I would just curl up and shake and cry. No one could touch me. It was awful.
I was prescribed alprazolam and it helped a lot with those nights. That has passed now. I used to take Lexapro and then switched to Prozac just this week.
I was also in therapy for about 8 months.

Side effects can be scary, but I think it's definitely worth it, considering the alternative (panic, shaking, crying, stress, etc) It may take a while to get used to it. I remeraber when I started my Lexapro I got a migraine. I had never had one before and it was AWFUL. But I adjusted and went on fairly normally.
Side effects will vary from person to person. I mainly had weight and sex drive issues. Some don't. You won't know until you try and give yourself time to adjust! That's the most important thing. You may not feel anything for a few weeks, or you may feel really crappy. But be patient!

I really do recommend some form of therapy. It really does help. It's nice to talk to someone who is unbiased and just listens to what you have to say.

So really, just give things time. Believe me, doing something about it is WAY better than just trying to "deal with it".

Good luck!
 
Back
Top