# Best Drugs to calm anxiety?



## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

I believe all of my hell in the last two years is related to severe anxiety (not really the 'stress' of life... cause my lfie has acutally been pretty good and i see no particular reason for me to be anxious?) and I am in CBT to try and learn how to relax, but can anyoen suggest the best types of meds to rid of anxiety??? Do SSRI's actually work to stop anxiety or are they really only good for pure depression? I know benzos can be very effective but they are addictive:S (although i am willing to try them if they acutally work at this point to get out of this hell!) Any suggestions for meds that are good for just stopping pure anxiety???


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Well benzos are the best meds hands down for stopping anxiety. They work much faster then ssri's which often cause more anxiety when you first start taking them.

The addictiveness of benzos is somewhat overblown in my books. They do produce physical dependence if taken for a long time but so do the ssri's. You cant go off either group of drugs cold turkey.

Physical dependence is not the same as addiction. Most people that use benzos never really abuse them. Plus they have alot less side effects then the ssri's.


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

really? i gues i have always been a bit scared of benzos cause ppl have always talked about how addictive they were! I think taht is exactly what i need then... anyting or osmething to take an edge of this constant anxiety!:S:S Does the efect of a benzo last all day (so u arent going up and down all down?) or is it only a few hour effect?


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Well how long the effects of the benzo lasts depends on what benzo you are on. There are short acting ones such as alprazolam(xanax) and lorazepam(ativan). Then there are the long acting ones such as clonazepam(klonopin, rivotril) and valium.

If you have constant all day anxiety id suggest going with a long acting one. You usually only have to dose twice a day with these.

I take clonazepam and my dose is 1mg in the morning and 1mg in the evening. It keeps the anxiety at bay pretty good.


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## just breathe (Nov 21, 2005)

Take the benzo over the ssri(just advice, I am not a pharmacist). I took 1mg of xanax a day for 2 years and quit cold turkey and the worst withdrawls I had was a headache or two for about 2 weeks afterwards.

SSRI's are probably the more effective in long term treatment as serotonin fluctuation is usually the cause of anxiety, but the problem is the trial and error stage of finding the one that works for you with the lowest amount of side effects.Because generally each one takes about a month to act and as long as 3 months to clear you can be in misery while testing the drugs. Not to mention SSRI's are very hard to adapt to during the first 2 weeks or so.

I would be cautious when approaching a doctor about a benzo especially valium as it is one of the most heavily abused pharms. I would suggest asking your doctors about benzo's in general and not a specific drug. He will probably start you out with .25 of xanax; which is a very low dose. Benzo's are very fast acting; as quick as 5 minutes if you take the liquid solution. Just be sure to do your reasearch and do not adjust doses w/o consulting your doctor.


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## Pancthulhu (May 27, 2006)

Propanolol has completely stopped the physical symptoms of my anxiety - I no longer shake or feel as if I need to run out of the room.

It hasn't stopped my DP at all though.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Actually xanax is probley the most abused benzo now. Its much stronger on a milligram for milligram basis and its more addictive then xanax.

Most people i know seem to prefer xanax over valium but i hate the feeling of xanax. Its got a real dirty feel to it.


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

which benzo is the best start off on?> I hear alot of ppl talking about klopomine... i want a long acting one. Are there any SSRI's that are good for anxity or not really??? My mood is always really low too I have noticed now that my CBT has started to help my anxiety is a bit mroe under cotnrol, but i still find it near impossibel to feel heappy or excited about anything


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

^^^^ I think that the drug your thinking on is klonopin. Its the US brand name for clonazepam. Ive been on 2mg a day of clonazepam for the past 5 months or so and it has changed my life. It has pretty much gotten rid of most of my anxiety and dp/dr.

One of the benefits of this med is that it lasts a long time. I take 1mg in the morning and 1mg in the evening and i find that to work perfect.

As for the ssri's there usefulness in treating anxiety is somewhat debatable. No doubt the benzodiazepines work better for anxiety.

However if you are also suffering from depression a ssri or another anti-depressant might not be a bad idea. Benzo's do help your mood somewhat but there not anti-depressants. There often used to augment anti-depressants though.

If your going with an anti-depressant you might want to start off on a milder one that would be easier to get off if it didnt work. Remeron might be a good choice. Its not an ssri but it has shown to work good on depression and anxiety as well i think. It also has very little in the way of withdrawal symptoms.


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## Synapse (Aug 15, 2004)

I agree all with the above post. Taking a benzo on its own won't help with the depression. If you are in the UK you are unlikely to get them long term so you need to think what's going to help in the long run.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Benzos are not medicine any more than alcohol is. The mechanism of action is very similar. Like alcohol, benzos produce physical tolerance. They are powerfully addicitive, both physically and mentally. Depending on the person, they can produce one of the worst and most painful withdrawal syndromes of ANY drug. Benzos are cns depressants and slow the output of nts that help keep us calm and happy. Long term use of these drugs only aggravate anxiety and depressive disorders. Dont let anybody fool you, taking these drugs long term is wrong.


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## kdogg1976 (Mar 15, 2006)

I think if you are suffering from anxiety and depression Lexapro/cypralex is great is has a quik acting release and has a sterting ratio of 1-2 weeks on anxiety and depressive symptoms i am on it for 6 days nowand it is starting to help a little but im not giving up on it so i suggest this one...

Dogg


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

dakotajo said:


> Benzos are not medicine any more than alcohol is. The mechanism of action is very similar. Like alcohol, benzos produce physical tolerance. They are powerfully addicitive, both physically and mentally. Depending on the person, they can produce one of the worst and most painful withdrawal syndromes of ANY drug. Benzos are cns depressants and slow the output of nts that help keep us calm and happy. Long term use of these drugs only aggravate anxiety and depressive disorders. Dont let anybody fool you, taking these drugs long term is wrong.


 Benzos do share some of the same effects as alcohol but they are not one and the same. Benzos only act on the gaba receptor(some of them may have effects on serotonin) but alcohol is a gaba agonist, a dopamine agonist and a nmda receptor antagonist.

Benzos are most certainly good medicines for anxiety although they do have risks. The main one being physical dependence. They rarely produce addiction because they produce very little euphoria. Alcohol produces it's euphoria by boosting dopamine. This is why some people say benzos are like booze without the high.

Benzos can actually kill you or cause a seizure if you withdraw to quickly, but this usually only happens if youve been taking high doses for years. You can taper off low dose benzo use fairly painlessly. Benzo withdrawal is usually no worse then ssri withdrawal or withdrawal from any other anti-depressant. I went cold turkey off effexor and id put up with benzo withdrawal any day over that.

Saying that benzos are not medicines or that taking them long term is wrong is simply foolish. Lots of people take these drugs long term and are none the worse for it. Ive been on clonazepam for about 7 months now and i can honestly say this med has been a wonder drug for me. Without it i would still be in bed to anxious to do anything and suffering from extreme dp/dr.


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