<p>I second giving Lexapro a try. I experienced a period of what my doctor called “situational anxiety” at one point and she put me on that. I had to commit to taking it for one year, though. It worked for me and I stopped it after that one year. </p>
<p>@garland: Holy basil, really? I’ve got a pot of it growing at the house right now.</p>
<p>As other folks have mentioned, if one med doesn’t work, tell your doc and ask them to help you try something else. It’s also pretty common for you to take something else at first, to give the longer-term med time to work.</p>
<p>When my anxiety disorder was diagnosed, they started me on Zoloft immediately, but I also had a prescription for Klonapin to deal with the immediate panic attacks and sort of “let me get out of my own way” to see whether the Zoloft would really work. Which it does, thank goodness.</p>
<p>I don’t know, just passing it on as I’ve read others extollling it’s powers. I don’t think it’s the same thing as regular basil (which is the only kind i’ve grown.) I dn’t want to recommend sites, as I have no personal knowledge, but googling shows a lot of discussion of it for anxiety and stress.</p>
<p>One of my dear friends lost several close family members within a very short time and spiraled into depression. her family (mother, sister, daughter) has a history of depression and she’s had earlier depression issues. </p>
<p>She was given: </p>
<p>Venlafaxine -
Venlafaxine (brand name: Effexor or Efexor) is an antidepressant of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class.</p>
<p>She swears that she felt improvement very quickly. Supposedly it is used to treat BOTH anxiety and depression. She began taking it around Dec, and she feels that the improvement has been like a miracle. </p>
<p>Her Dr also prescribed some kind of sleep aid as well. Don’t remember the name.</p>
<p>LOL, my dermatologist would NOT like the amount of sun exposure I get. I have tried various meds…on my 4th right now.</p>
<p>I have had bouts of sleeplessness and a higher level of anxiety than my usual ‘base’ dose. There was a period of several weeks where every time I went to bed my heart rate increased and the fight and flight reflex seemed to kick in. My chiro suggested the anxiety may be nutritionally related. I stopped all the different vitamins which I swallowed on a daily bases and began taking Intra Max (liquid full spectrum vitamin) and Calm (a highly bio-available form of Magnesium). After the first dosage, I slept like a baby! Magnesium and Calcium deficiencies can be underlying causes of anxiety.</p>
<p>Prozac has helped some people with anxiety.</p>
<p>So they tell me. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I think the reason so many people are now being diagnosed with low levels of vitamin D is due to our awareness of damage from the sun, leading to more widespread use of sunscreens. When weren’t such a diligent sunscreen culture, we got more vitamin D.</p>
<p>As for anxiety, worth looking into is: buspar
[Buspirone</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone]Buspirone”>Buspirone - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>It’s not used very frequently, but during a particularly stressful time in my life (dealing with some unknown thyroid issues that eventually required surgery) I lost my appetite due to anxiety and got down to 100 lbs. I was started on the buspar and got nice relief. Once the thyroid surgery was over, and I was not anxious about harboring thyroid cancer, I was able to discontinue the buspar with no problems.</p>
<p>I have a male friend who used buspar with good success, too. One of my cats is on Prozac and she MAY have stopped peeing on the couch as a result!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Does it work when you’re 85 years old and senile?</p>
<p>^^ Diapers!!</p>
<p>Cymbalta is great. i cannot tell I am taking it. If I get a little anxious, I take a second tablet a day or two. It changed my life. Welbutrin gave me dry mouth. Also, I could tell I was taking Paxil.</p>
<p>Bottom line; everybody’s chemistry is different. What works for one person may not for another. I have an extremely anxious family tree. For some of us, Lexapro works. As I understand it Lexapro acts upon our serotonin levels primarily. Cymbalta and that class of SRIs act on dopamine and norepinephrine. Other drugs work on other chemicals or a combination. These are SRIs. They need to be taken daily and they take a while to work but when they do they work for anxiety as well as depression. Xanax treats the symptoms but not the chemical imbalance. Buspar also treats the symptoms. Doctors will often prescribe both types. </p>
<p>You really need to talk to a Psychiatric professional and be evaluated as to the type of anxiety you have. They will work with you to find a drug or combination of drugs that fit you and work for you.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That has always been my measure of whether it is them or me. If I hate one or two members of my family - they are the problem. If it is everyone, I guess it must be me :)</p>
<p>My dad has had nice success with lexapro. Of course, he doesn’t think he needs it.</p>
<p>If you are going the prescription route, try the cheapest and simplest thing first which is generic Prozac. They have done a lot of testing on it and know it better than a lot of these other drugs.</p>
<p>I take Lexapro, an SSRI, and it’s great. A family member takes Zoloft, also an SSRI, and is happy with it. Neither of these is a “take as needed” drug; you do need to take it every day, and it might take a couple weeks before you really feel the effect. </p>
<p>My primary care physician prescribes Lexapro for me. The family member who is on Zoloft gets his prescription from a psychiatrist.</p>
<p>Please keep in mind, if it’s something you care about, that quite a few people find that certain of these medications have a tendency to reduce their libido, sometimes to zero. But many decide that’s a price they’re willing to pay for being relieved from crippling anxiety and/or depression.</p>
<p>Well this is difficult to answer appropriately. Often times anxiety is a symptom of depression so a ssri like paxil/celexa/zoloft is prescribed. The problem here though is we do not know what is causing your anxiety. Could it be situational (acute/short term due to upheaval in your life)? Do you have panic attacks? Social anxiety disorder or even physical ailments can produce anxiety. Anxiety is a common symptom of lots of illnesses. The best thing to do is see a psychiatrist.</p>
<p>Xanax 0.25 mg is a very small dose. The problem with xanax is that it is a benzodiazepine and can easily become physically and psychologically addicting. If you do have an anxiety disorder or depresssion there are many drugs out there that can help. Remeron is good for anxious people many times but again, you need to talk to your Dr. further.</p>
<p>Also, xanax is short acting. You may want to ask for a small dose of ativan, klonopin or valium as these act longer in the body…especially klonopin. I wouldn’t recommend taking a benzodiazepine on a routine basis due to the addiction/dependency issue but having it on hand for severe anxiety, panic attacks is perfectly fine.</p>
<p>I am a Registered Nurse for 12 years. 
Good luck!</p>
<p>Bookmarked.</p>
<p>Agree that xanax is not an appropriate drug for anxiety/depression for the long term. Benzodiazepenes have fallen out of favor for treatment of chronic depression/anxiety. They are mostly prescribed for PRN(as needed) use, such as an acute episode such as air travel, death in family, etc. They are short acting and become less effective over time, highly addictive and are a widely abused drug. The other classes of medications such as the SSRIs,et al, are better suited for managing day to day anxiety, depression in the long term.
RN here.</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC App</p>