Best medication for an over active mind?

[jiffnon]

I've had an anxiety disorder for around four months now, and the thing that bothers me most is my mind's complete inability to shut off. It was never like this before. I always have a song looping in my head now, and I also experience random mind chatter that seems to run away with itself, particularly when I'm trying to get to sleep. I actually need to listen to music or podcasts when I go to bed now so I have something to focus on as I'm drifting off. On top of this, I also experience horrid intrusive thoughts that often feel very loud and distress me greatly.

I'm on my fourth week of Zoloft (50mg). It seemed to keep everything at bay for the first two weeks but the negative things I feared seem to be making a return. If you had any of these symptoms, what did you find to be the best medication? I've heard good things about Seroquel (aka Quetiapine) for this sort of thing, even though it's an antipsychotic not primarily used to treat anxiety.

[RealisticTrain]

Hi there,

Generally speaking, Luvox is number one for OCD, while zoloft is a close second. Both are older generation SSRI's. Let me know if you have any other concerns.
Source: I am a psychiatrist resident

[willheal]

Agree with above. From the other side of the table the SSRIs were good for intrusive thoughts from OCD but they were highly ineffective for anxiety so I turned to cognitive therapy. worked well for me

The burst of creativity and mental activity though, I have no idea. I have that too and particularly energetic episodes will keep me up for hours. I have to ramp down hours before bed with non-stimulating activities some months. And no caffeine or alcohol. I will be asking my new therapist about this for sure because I've had no breakthroughs. Been like this since day one for me, it feels like

[gypsylee]

Ugh I'd stay away from Seroquel. It might help you shut off but it does so by knocking you out. It also gave me a rapid pulse which felt exactly like anxiety (but I didn't know it was the Seroquel at the time). On top of this it puts on weight like nothing else.

I'm on Lexapro atm (have been on various SSRIs) and it's okay but I agree with what someone said above - that other things work better than medication. Perhaps physical exercise. Also deep breathing exercises helped me a lot when my mind was racing out of control, but not straight away.

Good luck :)