Medication advice

[anxietyrecovery]

Hi I have been suffering with gad now for 4 months without meds and no success to date. I am considering meds an wanted advice on meds for gad that are effective, low side effects and for short term use.

Any suggestions?

[Chem]

Hello. There are many GAD sufferers on nmp, but none are qualified to advise which medication you should try. That's something only your doctor, who knows your full medical history, can advise you on. Have you seen him?

[Vixxy]

Anti depressants work in different ways on different people, so noone can really give you a good guide im afraid. Im currently taking mirtazapine which has given me very few side effects, but I developed gad whilst on it and now I also take seroxat. I doubt your doctor will prescribe seroxat as its got a bad reputation for withdrawl and the risk of suicide.
I suggest you ask your doctor about propranalol. Its not an anti depressant. It works on a physical level by stopping your body from reacting to all the adrenaline in your blood. It can help with palpitations, shaking/tremors and a fast heart beat.
Your doctor will know which is the best one to start you on. :)

[anxietyrecovery]

Hello

I just want a feel for what doctors will offer. My main symptoms relate to head tension and sensations. Then I have problems with panic attacks.

I just want to feel normal again ;(

[Vixxy]

If the tension/headaches are stress related then an anti depressant to reduce your overall stress levels will help you.
Ive found that anti depressants give me a bit of stability. Without ADs i feel like im standing in the middle of a board thats balanced on ball. It takes a lot of effort to keep the board from tipping over and me falling off. When im on ADs i feel like the ball has been replaced with a cube and i dont have to worry about steadying myself anymore.
Does that make sense?

[JaneC]

Propranalol (it's a beta-blocker) stopped the raging headaches I used to get but has never really helped with panic for me (I can only take a very small dose). At my surgery as least, the docs seem to each have a favourite SSRI AD - mine is a fluoxetine fan, citalopram for the one my husband's been seeing. Both of those can take a bit of time to work and can produce side effects early on. Then there's benzodiazapines like diazepam which are supposed to only be given in the short term because they are addictive. I have no experience of them and tbh wouldn't want to have.

I think those are the main options your doc is likely to look at - good luck!