What medications for GAD advice?

[Avm]

Hi everyone wondering if anyone could help with what meds they take for generalised anxiety disorder, I have been told by my gp this is what I have but my therapist says she doesn't know if I have depression and anxiety.

I am on 20mg fluoxetine and 80mg propranolol and wondered in general what medication gets prescribed for GAD. Iv just gone over 8 weeks on the medication and still hoping for more improvement.

What meds is everyone else on for GAD?

Has anyone found fluoxetine helpful for GAD?

How will the meds actually stop my worries/negative thoughts?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

[Sylver1975]

I'm on 30mg Mirtazapine and find that it has helped. I've tried reducing the dose a few times and had to go back on it so it's obviously the dose that works for me. Not that it's a "Cure", I'm not sure one exists but it definitely dials down the severity of my anxiety.

All medication takes time to work so you have to be patient and like I said, no medication is gonna automatically fix things, it's a tool along with others (meditation, CBT, etc) that you use to get you through the anxiety.

I hope this helps,
Sylver.

[Avm]

Do you find that helps with your worries and negative thoughts.

Iv been having therapy that I pay for and I have had around 8 sessions mostly been talking sessions but my last session she done some work with me which was like hypnotherapy which relaxed me but unsure if it will work but she said she does cbt as well, guessing it's a slow journey to recovery but hopefully the combination of meds and therapy will work.

This is the first medications I have been on so hoping the fluoxetine helps but I just feel it's been a long time already and iv not felt my old self for a whole day yet just parts of the day.
Thanks for your message.

[Annalise]

It's not a drug specifically for anxiety, but I have used beta blockers when my anxiety gets particularly bad. It reduces the physical symptoms, so taken in conjunction with whatever other therapy you do (I prefer CBT) it works well for me.

[AntsyVee]

I take 15 mg Lexapro daily along with 20 mg of a beta blocker. It really helps me not dwell on the negative thoughts, what ifs and worries. It also takes care of the vast majority of the physical symptoms as well.

[Sylver1975]

Do you find that helps with your worries and negative thoughts.

It doesn't eradicate the worries but does lessen the extent of my physical reaction to stress. And helps me sleep better (I take it at night before bed).

I also had CBT when I first started to experience panic attacks and extreme anxiety and found it very helpful in teaching me tools to control my reaction to panic/anxiety. It's all about learning to live with rather than get rid of the anxiety.

[Avm]

Does it ever just go or will I be anxious forever now. I feel like when I didn't know I had anxiety I could do anything I wanted to do now I feel like I can't even see friends or go out the house really only for work... I have always been a worrier but it's never made me ill or stopped me doing anything now I feel scared to even worry about anything in case it sets me off

[WiredIncorrectly]

I've tried fluxotine. They did nothing. Most of my life I've been on and off citalopram. They seem to work for a while. The best drug I ever had was Lorazepam. In 30 minutes your anxiety is cured. But, it's a benzo and very addictive. Withdrawal side effects of long term use is real. Doctors don't like giving these out willy nilly.

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Does it ever just go or will I be anxious forever now.

This depends on what's causing the anxiety in the first place, and the person.

Some people have it in their genes. A lot of my family members have anxiety so it runs in the bloodline. I also have Aspergers which causes anxiety. For me there will never be a "cure". But there are coping mechanisms that help deal with it.

Some people get anxiety after moving house, a new job, or the loss of a loved one. Some anxiety issues are related to an emotional imbalance. This anxiety is known to be temporary. Everyone suffers some sort of anxiety at some point in life.

But there's no straight answer here.

[Mojo61]

I take citalopram 20mg and have been taking it for just under a year now. I'm still not 100% but compared to how I was this time last year the difference is enormous. I can now go to work, go on holiday, socialise etc without the all consuming fear and feelings of despair. You will get better but it takes time, much more time than you think, and there's no overnight magical cure. And it is a lot of work, really hard work, but yes there is light at the end of the tunnel and you can get your life back so please remember that.

[Toaster]

Mirtazapine has worked amazingly for me. Only issue is I cannot stop eating when I take it.

[snowghost57]

I have just started on 25mg of Zoloft. I'm very sensitive to medication. On day two and I feel better. No crying or excess worrying. I was against medication, however, my negative thoughts, not sleeping or eating was getting to me. I couldn't stand myself and had to try something. I'm glad I found this site. It's a comfort to know I'm not alone with these types of feelings.

[Avm]

Thanks everyone I just feel like fluoxetine is keeping me from being suicidal (which I was) but not helped with the anxiety as much I feel like the propranolol doesn't really help either except makes me feel tired.

This anxiety has been caused by me and my partner buying out first house and moving out of my parents for the first time. My grandma and grandad both had anxiety so maybe it's in my genes but it's never stopped me from doing anything until I had this breakdown and now I feel useless and disabled almost.

[snowghost57]

I just started on Zoloft. I'm very sensitive to medication, even over the counter medication and even caffeine. Trust me, I hate it. Well, I'm on day two and I'm not crying, or worrying. This has been amazing for me. I have been this way all my life. For the first time I'm not stressed out about the future or dwelling on the pass. What lead me to the medication was I had upsetting event in my life two weeks ago, I literally fell apart. I started with CBT but I couldn't keep from crying and I couldn't stop the stinkin thinkin from intruding my thoughts. I would wake up crying and sit around the house in my PJ's, cry on the way to therapy, when I was crying in the shower and I couldn't stand it any longer, I knew it was time to try something. I have a dry mouth but I can cope with that. So far so good. I just hope it keeps working.

[Avm]

That's amazing if you see improvements already 8 weeks on fluoxetine has been such a roller coaster and so hard. That's why I have so many doubts if it is the right med for me. I have a very sensitive stomach I have a hiatus hernia so get bad acid reflux one of my anxiety symptoms is feeling sick and being sick it's horrible

[AntsyVee]

Lexapro has been the third med I've tried. Paroxetine could calm down a horse in a burning building IMO, but I had a lot of sexual side effects and it made me lazy. I also tried Wellbutrin, but that drove me crazy.

Like any medical condition, it is trial and error. My friend went through three or four inhalers before she found the one that worked best for her asthma. I don't know why people think that psych meds would be any different.

[Avm]

It's such hard work isn't it especially when you just want it all to be over and end it all so you can be in peace. I just want to be happy and get on with my life

[AntsyVee]

Well the work you put in now finding the right med will pay off long after you do.

The top mistakes I see people make on this forum is 1) They try one thing, assume meds aren't for them, and then stop or 2) They don't get a med long enough time to see if it actually works for them.

[Avm]

Well these are the first meds iv been on so I understand they might not be the right ones for me iv read that it can be trial and error. It's been over 8 weeks now since i started the meds and I want to give it longer before I change or up the dosage

[Amylou0101]

Hello,

I have a stash of propanalol (40mg) and a low dosage (2mg) of diazepam which I take as needed.

I can honestly say that for me the combination of those and CBT have been the most helpful thing. The meds are not an out and out cure (I don't even think there is such a thing) but they take the edge off that sick-with-panic feeling enough to allow me to think straight and practice some CBT/anxiety-busting exercises.

I tried Sertraline once before - an SSRI drug - but I didn't get on with it at all. My anxiety became so severe in the first week of taking it that I ended up taking myself to A&E.

My best advice to you would be to try the combination of CBT techniques (there's plenty of good books and advice online if actual therapy isn't an option) and meds to control the symptoms.

Best of luck - it will get better.

[Avm]

I actually be sick with my anxiety and when it's really bad I just constantly feel like being sick sometime I can't move because it makes me be sick it's horrrible I just want it to go.

I do pay for therapy I see her once a week and had about 8 sessions so far we've not done any cbt yet though she's doing hypnotherapy with me at the moment and talking to my subconscious mind and trying to find out where this stems from.

I feel like I can't do anything normal at the min and it's been like this since December I thought it would take a few weeks and I would be back to normal how stupid was that.

Thanks