Does anyone know a good MED to take for generalized anxiety

[Pokerguy]

Hi does anyone know a goo med for constant worying about death and going nuts, for generalzed anxiety. I want to start taking something, also do meds work or no???????

[Robbed]

This is probably not what you wanted to hear. But it is IMPOSSIBLE to recommend to you a good med. Even if someone out there has had good luck with a particular med (ie significant relief of anxiety with relatively mild and few side effects), this does NOT mean that the same will be the case for you. Antidepressants tend to be rather spotty when it comes to effectiveness, and can cause significant side effects. Benzodiazepines tend to cause fewer side effects, and are faster acting. But doctors don't like to prescribe them due to the tendency to cause dependency (although antidepressants can also cause dependency). Honestly, if you want to go the pharaceutical route, you could end up trying several different medications before you find one that works somewhat to your liking (and NO med is going to be perfect). For this reason, I think you should try to deal with your anxiety by nonpharmaceutical means (ie CBT) first. Although it may take somewhat long to experience relief, the results will be MUCH better than what you get with meds.

[punkgod94]

Hi Pokerguy,

My best suggestion to you is that you go to a therapist to talk about your problems. Use this in conjunction with medicine for the best results. I do not find that medicine alone works at all. It merely hides the root of your problems. Understanding your problems, yourself, and where the problem came from can be half the battle in feeling better about yourself. However, benzodiazepenes (Ativan, Klonopin, Valium or Xanax) will help you in times of panic. Anti-depressants are good as well, but it can often take time to feel any effectiveness from them, and they can carry a lot of side effects to them that I found actually cause me more anxiety. You start to feel helpless and that nothing will help you with your problem, so be careful because sometimes using anti-depressants to help anxiety may actually CAUSE depression in you as well!!! But if you find the right anti-depressant (and there ARE a lot) and if you're patient enough to realize that one may help you, it may be worth it to go through the 6-8 weeks to see if it works. If not, your doctor will make you go through a couple weeks to wean off of it, so you're looking at approximately 2-3 months to try ONE anti-depressant out. Keep in mind though that they can be very beneficial, just dont let them get you depressed because one WILL help you. And sometimes you may feel as though the side effects aren't worth the positive effects they give you, but when you get stressed out enough you may want relief and not care as much if you gained a little weight or if you're having sexual troubles. Good luck and give medicine a try...but only if you're seeking therapy first. Therapy alone helps a lot of people, the combination of therapy and medicine can do wonders, but just medicine often leads to a bad road where you can end up depressed, addicted, or a whole mess of other things. Good luck :)

[Robbed]

But if you find the right anti-depressant (and there ARE a lot) and if you're patient enough to realize that one may help you, it may be worth it to go through the 6-8 weeks to see if it works. If not, your doctor will make you go through a couple weeks to wean off of it, so you're looking at approximately 2-3 months to try ONE anti-depressant out. Keep in mind though that they can be very beneficial, just dont let them get you depressed because one WILL help you. And sometimes you may feel as though the side effects aren't worth the positive effects they give you, but when you get stressed out enough you may want relief and not care as much if you gained a little weight or if you're having sexual troubles.

2-3 months to see if an antidepressant is helpful? If you do the math, you will find that, if it takes five or six antidepressants to find the right one, this will take anywhere from 10-18 months! And you will likely be feeling WORSE during this time than if you just took nothing. This is one BIG reason why I don't like antidepressants, and why I think CBT would be a better idea here. You can make sustantial headway against your anxiety (if not recover completely!) in 10-18 months WITHOUT medication or side effects (which can be MUCH more disturbing than weight gain or sexual dysfunction - try confusion, unreality, loss of emotionality, poor coordination, etc). Also, you don't have to worry about withdrawal when it is all over.