Medication question

[JBaus]

Been hearing good stuff from SSRI's and a lot of other meds...
I get pretty much daily discomfort and sometimes anxiety, but mainly its just mild panic especially at night time.
What type of side effects do some good meds have?
Ive heard some clear up the attacks, but they can also make you quite numb/not as excitable..
Im a very social and outgoing person and i love going out on the weekends so what (if any) advice can people offer me?

[Mikke]

SSRI's won't make your anxiety go away, but they will make your attacks come less frequent, and make the attacks that come a bit less intense.
There is in reality little to gain from just takong medications, you should consider seeing a therapist alongside with taking them.
They can be a real life saver, but you should consider especially the long term sideeffects before deciding.

The first week or so some people experience dizziness, headache, nausea, electrical shock sensations or chills in your head, and stomach ache/diarreah. All of these symptoms goes away in a few days, two weeks max.

Longterm sideeffects that most of the SSRIs produce, are

1. weightgain (considerable if you don't pay attention to the increased appetite, but you can limit your weightgain to perhaps 10 pounds if you keep a strict diet, exercise, and stay away from complex carbs). Doctors will often tell you that the SSRIs will work better if you gain weight, because of fluid retention etc, but it's not always good for your overall self esteem to gain 45 pounds)-

2. Many people also experience reduced sexdrive or difficulties reaching orgasm.

But it's individual differences, not everyone experience these, and like I said, SSRIs can be a great relief.

Some people also say you experience a "flattened" personality on these drugs. In my own experience, this is mostly due to me beeing more calm and less agitated or anxious when I'm on medication, and not really changes in my personality.