med suggestions? help!!

[peach]

hi

ive been prescribed xanax for times when i feel it getting bad. thing is, im too scared of what it might to do me, ie: make me go mad....
so i havent taken any. ive been trying to get through my anxiety disorder naturally for the last year and a half, since this all started. prob is, this hasnt worked, im still anxious, dizzy at times, and last few days eye headaches (mild)...im starting to think i need something full time to go on, maybe sedatives or pills that will make me not anxious anymore. im just so scared of the side effects...some ppl said with xanax (which i cant take full time cause of its adictiveness) that it made them much worse- this i fear grately. can anyone suggest meds that seem fairly safe, and will either calm me down, so i can live a mostly normal life....any suggestions would be really appreciated. im feeling at the end of my teather here.....
thankyou for reading...

[Crystal26]

I've heard that Buspirone is good, the thing is you have to take it before you ever take benzos or it won't work good. But I think it is't addictive or at least as addictive. I just found out that I am preg. and I have taken xanax everyday for two years-I WISH I NEVER TOOK IT!!! I wish I would of known what I know now-I never would of taken it so long or maybe not at all....it has been so rough. I have noticed that therapy has helped me the MOST. CBT Therapy where they change your thinking patterns from negative to positive-I went two days ago and am really doing great! Still want to get nervous at times but, I am able to deal with it.

[Jimbo]

Hi Peach,

The best thing to do would be to go and have a chat with your GP about he different options. There are alternatives to meds that you can choose, for example CBT (Cognatiive Behavioural Therapy) can be very effective dealing with anxiety.

If you choose the meds route there are other options to taking benzodiazapine tranquilizers like Xanax. As has been said, the main prroblem with tranquilizers is that they are so addictive, if you take them for a long period of time they stop working as you become tolerant and dependant on them and will actually make things worse. However, they are very effective when used as a one off for a very short time.

The other main option to tranquilizers are anti-depressants, some of the newer SSRI type ones are liscensed for use for anxiety and panic. But, the main problem with AD's is that they often have a lot of unpeasant side effects and will take several weeks before your body gets used to them and you overcome the side effects and get a positive benefit from them.

The best thing is to go have a chat with a doctor, as they will be able to talk through the pro's and con's of all the options. If they are not experienced they can refer you to a specialist like a psychiatrist or therapist.

Good luck,

Jim :hugs: