<p>I finally got up the nerve to ask for a presription for Xanax for anxiety. The pills are 0.25 MG. One pill does nothing…absolutely nothing. Two pills make me be in a bad mood and make me sleepy - not drowsy and relaxed, but dangerously “can’t stay awake to save my life” sleepy.</p>
<p>Yes, I know I can meditate, drink warm tea, etc. But if you have any recommdations for drugs that will actually relax me, please let me know.</p>
<p>I am on Celexa for anxiety/depression. And I also have lorazapan (may be spelled wrong) for when I hate everyone in my house.</p>
<p>My doctor first suggested Lexapro. While it did wonders for some people I know, it was no help for me. Having previously gotten good results from Librium, we next tried Librax (since it also has an anti-spasmodic that seems to help with my IBS-D.) It’s worked very well, and I now use it “as needed” rather than routinely. I hope you find a solution soon.</p>
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<p>I took Citalopram a few times and it *made *me hate everyone in the house!</p>
<p>Missypie - lol.</p>
<p>Apparently I can just naturally hate them - not drug induced. Ha. Actually, it was pms/hormone crap.</p>
<p>Have you tried fish oil? It can have a big affect on mood, and many people report an anti-anxiety effect.</p>
<p>Some people have reported success with OTC supplements like sam-e or htp-5.</p>
<p>I recently was given a Xanaz prescription but I’ve been afraid to try it for the reasons you mentioned. I am sensitive to meds and did NOT need something that would make me sleepy. </p>
<p>In general, I think the antidepressants are probably the best class of meds to try.</p>
<p>This may sound lame. Bananas are supposed to help in mild cases.</p>
<p>Fish oil makes me sick, but I do take 3 g of flax seed oil a day. (Was supposed to help chronic dry eye. Doesn’t help that either.)</p>
<p>I do like bananas and eat them on occasion. I have oral allergies and bananas always make my mouth feel funny. Not bad in small quantities, but can’t do a lot.</p>
<p>How about Clonapin? Seraquel?</p>
<p>Also, have you tried vitamin D? I recall you live in the Seattle, which might not get very sunny. I know I can get pretty cranky when it’s not very sunny outside.</p>
<p>Is it a stomach issue? There are enteric-coated fish oil capsules that don’t dissolve until they leave your stomach and reach your intestines.</p>
<p>Bananas have a lot of GABA, which you can also take as a supplement, some people have reported it to help with anxiety.</p>
<p>I’ve been taking Cymbalta for anxiety for the last few years (after taking Lexapro for a few years before that), and they both have worked wonders. For “emergencies,” I have a klonipin prescription. I only take it (maybe 3 or 4 times per month) when I have trouble sleeping for anxiety-related reasons, because even half of one pill does make me sleepy. I’ve never taken Xanax or anything like it.</p>
<p>The only drawback I’ve found to Cymbalta is that I have to be very careful never to run out. On a couple of occasions, I’ve run out before the pharmacy has been able to get hold of my doctor’s office to get a refill authorization and I’ve had to go as much as a couple of days without it – with the result being that I felt truly awful and depressed and even had some suicidal ideation Which isn’t a good thing to have, and it isn’t exactly practical to dose oneself with klonipin around the clock. So I’ve just had to hold on until I get the refill.</p>
<p>This is only secondhand, so I can’t attest to it myself, but some people I know online swear by holy basil as a stress/anxiety reducer.</p>
<p>Discuss this with your doctor and consider getting an evaluation from a psychiatrist.
If needed, there are many anti-anxiety drugs out there that can make a world of difference.
Zoloft and Lexapro are two examples.</p>
<p>missypie doesn’t live in Seattle. Sunlight is not a problem for her- Texas!</p>
<p>I don’t think bananas are going to help.</p>
<p>Holy basil? as opposed to regular basil? never heard of it…what is it?</p>
<p>my family (H) thinks I need to be medicated…until he spent some time dealing with the two lovelies this past week…</p>
<p>Texas!! Hummm … who was I thinking?</p>
<p>Still vitamin D is usually too low for most of us, unless you’re a day laborer. I really notice a difference in the winter and increase my dosage in those months. I take fish oil and vitamin D regularly.</p>
<p>nysmile, Meds like Zoloft generally take a good 90 days to feel its effect. I thought missypie was looking for something to take on an as-needed basis.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what I think about the whole Vit D thing. We had a thread on this before, I believe. My levels test pretty low, even though I probably get more sun than most people (except day laborers). I take supplements and my levels are better but still low. When I tested the lowest I recorded some really strong distance running times that year, so I’m not sure what the whole issue is.</p>
<p>Strange, isn’t it, that all of a sudden, just about EVERYONE you know is LOW in vitamin D??? :eek: I’m not buying it — I think in a couple of years they will back-pedal, and say that vit. D levels were fine and the issue is something else. Just look at all the other wonderful things that turn out to be not so wonderful (shaving women and having them give birth flat on their backs, margarine, vitamin E, vitamin C, estrogen, etc. etc. etc. ad naseum!)</p>
<p>I agree, anxiousmom–not buying the whole D thing either.</p>