GAD - Medication

[nik8876]

Hi All
I am 33yrs old & have been suffering from GAD & panic attacks since 17yrs, although my anxiety was not much of a concern earlier & i used to manage it somehow but for the past 1year my anxiety has become worse. I am going for CBT but still my anxiety levels have not reduced. Ive tried homeopathic medicine but the results were unnoticeable. Now the doctors have given me 3 options to choose from Escitalopram or buspirone or pregabalin. They have asked me to research about all three and start taking any one of them (although they have told me Escitalopram will be best).
I am very confused to start with medication as they are very addictive & im afraid that i will have to take them for rest of my life. Can anyone help me on this ?

Also has anyone used any herbal medication to treat Anxiety or GAD, if yes then please help with details.

Thanks in advance

[gadguy]

Hi All
I am 33yrs old & have been suffering from GAD & panic attacks since 17yrs, although my anxiety was not much of a concern earlier & i used to manage it somehow but for the past 1year my anxiety has become worse. I am going for CBT but still my anxiety levels have not reduced. Ive tried homeopathic medicine but the results were unnoticeable. Now the doctors have given me 3 options to choose from Escitalopram or buspirone or pregabalin. They have asked me to research about all three and start taking any one of them (although they have told me Escitalopram will be best).
I am very confused to start with medication as they are very addictive & im afraid that i will have to take them for rest of my life. Can anyone help me on this ?

Also has anyone used any herbal medication to treat Anxiety or GAD, if yes then please help with details.

Thanks in advance

Sorry I can't help with any herbal or natural suggestions...but meds are not all bad IF you use it as a tool instead of relying on it. What I mean is use it so you can get to a place were you can start dealing with your anxiety and it root causes. The meds will help to keep you more focused and able to start rationally dealing with the anxiety...Its what I did sort of, I just should have done it sooner, rather than rely on them for so long.

I can't say I am going to always be med free...but I'm dealing with it for now.

[nik8876]

Sorry I can't help with any herbal or natural suggestions...but meds are not all bad IF you use it as a tool instead of relying on it. What I mean is use it so you can get to a place were you can start dealing with your anxiety and it root causes. The meds will help to keep you more focused and able to start rationally dealing with the anxiety...Its what I did sort of, I just should have done it sooner, rather than rely on them for so long.

I can't say I am going to always be med free...but I'm dealing with it for now.


Thanks for your reply.
Can you please tell me how long have you taken the medication & are you on medication since then or you go off/on with meds ?
Which medicine are you taking ? Any side effects you've noticed ?

Thanks

[Anne1221]

I would recommend you go with the escitalopram. It has been approved by the FDA for both anxiety and depression and is one of the most widely prescribed medications for anxiety/depression out there. Buspirone is very mild, you have to take it several times a day and it only makes a very small dent in your anxiety. It wears off quickly. I take it along with escitalopram because it's not strong at all. Pregabalin is used "off label" for anxiety which means it has never been FDA approved for anxiety. In reading about it I have learned it can be helpful for anxiety but maybe no so much with depression. As for me, I do have depression which is secondary to my anxiety which is why I have taken the escitalopram for 10 years. Antidepressants are not addictive but you do have to taper off them rather than abruptly stop.

[gadguy]

Thanks for your reply.
Can you please tell me how long have you taken the medication & are you on medication since then or you go off/on with meds ?
Which medicine are you taking ? Any side effects you've noticed ?

Thanks

Currently I am on no meds, I guess its been a couple of moths that I have been off of them. I was on Lexapro and Clonazipam for the last 7 years for anxiety and insomnia. Side effects..I really had none of the major ones that are often discussed with these med. The biggest issue I did have is I lost my OCD when it came to cleaning and really let things slide and did not care. I am playing catch up now with a lot of projects, some of the OCD has come back. The anxiety is still there, but for now I am controlling it instead of it controlling me for the most part.

The real big side effects came when I started weening off the meds...your body gets addicted to it even though you are not addicted to it ...clear as mud right.?

Doctor does not think I will be able to stay med free and that is possible...but we shall see.