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+--- Thread: Non benzo meds for anxiety (/showthread.php?tid=980)
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - bry686 - 04-03-2016
Ive been taking effexor for the last year and a half. At low doses in works for generalized anxiety at high doses it works for depression. I take low doses and I can tell you its significantly changed my life for the better. Anyone with severe anxiety knows how hard it is to cope day in and day out. I slowly was starting to retreat into myself and would avoid many situations such as going out with friends, job interviews, meeting new people. I never even realized I was living in such a prison until I began taking this medication. BUT it was my last resort, I tried everything, from meditation, to work outs, to healthy eating. I seen counsellors and read the entire anxiety work book cover to cover. I bought uv lights for my house in the winter and tried natural herbs such as kava kava and st johns wort.
Nothing really seemed to work so i eventually turned to medication. Sometimes its just warranted for the right person. Effexor is really mild stuff though. It helped with my general anxiety but not my acute attacks. Thats where apls and diaz came in. I study everything before I take it and also know that you can become extremely addicted to it and the withdraws are worse than herion. So what works for myself is taking the effexor on a day to day basis, but I have alps around at all time in case I feel bad anxiety coming up. I only try to take it around once or twice a week and only .5 to 1mg each time.
I do think alot of people over use meds or use it as a first step easy fix. But for some including myself, it has truly changed my life and given me enough confidence to become the person i want to be. Hopefully people wont need that like I did. But the main advice I could give for anxiety without using medication is to see someone qualified for it. Whether that be a counselor, therapist, psychologist or just a close friend, reaching out to someone is probably the best thing you could do
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - iNsom - 04-04-2016
I have posted this in 1 or 2 other areas on this site, but it can be missed so here goes anyway.
Besides my 10mg diazepam per day, I have found the following helpful with anxiety:
Coconut water, circa 300ml each morning (Which gives you about 40% of your potassium RDA)
1 x 200mg Magnesium suppliment each morning (Which is 50% of your RDA) - sometimes I take 300mg (Which is 75% of your RDA)
1 x 15mg Zinc Sulfate suppliment each day, usually half in morning, half at night (Which is 100% of your Zinc RDA) - ive not mentioned Zinc before actually
1 x Multi Vit with Iron each morning (a Multi Vit which contain none of the above)
I have read over the years that the above help with anxiety and I honestly believe they do. Especially magnesium.
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - TheWalkinDude - 04-05-2016
yo insomnia sucks, i take 5-htp, melotonin, magnesium, and gaba (some shit i found on amazon) all that stuff puts me out like a light. don't have any problem sleeping anymore. even when i run out of my meds.
bry686 yes you are right key is to take it every day for a long time. then it really starts working. don't expect it to work after just one day.
bry686 yes you are right key is to take it every day for a long time. then it really starts working. don't expect it to work after just one day.
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - Chickenzilla - 04-24-2016
I've used Propranolol for my anxiety and its actually really helped. I suggest it if one hasn't tried it. It stops the jittering very well..
Besides that, walking has helped be very well..
Anyone else tried propranolol?
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - Slick - 04-27-2016
Hi Chickenzilla. I use Propranolol. It does help! Mine is the ER - Extended Release - works great throughout the day.
Slick
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - Chickenzilla - 04-29-2016
(04-27-2016, 12:51 PM)Slick Wrote: Hi Chickenzilla. I use Propranolol. It does help! Mine is the ER - Extended Release - works great throughout the day.
Slick
Had no idea it came in ER form.. What dose do you take?? I usually take 120 to 80 mg.. Depending..
Its very calming physically.. And that's half the battle alone.
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - Slick - 04-29-2016
(04-29-2016, 02:55 PM)Chickenzilla Wrote:Hi Chickenzilla! I take 80 mg in the AM and thanks to the ER, it really does help me ALL day! It was somewhat by accident that I came by the ER. My doctor originally started me on 20 mg (no ER) x 3 a day for blood pressure regulation. High stress job ;0 The doc is a cardiologist - after several very stressful incidents (to say the least) happened in my life, I was having continual incidents of what felt to me like 'skipped heart beats' - that was not the case, however the cardio doc put me on the ER. And my family doc started me on the path of Xanax - where I currently find myself! As fate would have it, my family doc retired (he was fairly old school - hence the Xanax) and with the introduction of 'younger, more educated' doctors to replace him - I was all at once plunged into the world of "OH MY, YOU CAN'T TAKE XANAX AT THAT DOSE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!! Since I know myself and my circumstances better than these doctors and have been thru sooo much in my life - I took it upon myself to find the medication that works! I have been on Xanax for 18 years. After, of course, I ran the thru the extensive list of antidepressants and found no relief!!! Sorry so long winded - haha!(04-27-2016, 12:51 PM)Slick Wrote: Hi Chickenzilla. I use Propranolol. It does help! Mine is the ER - Extended Release - works great throughout the day.
Slick
Had no idea it came in ER form.. What dose do you take?? I usually take 120 to 80 mg.. Depending..
Its very calming physically.. And that's half the battle alone.
Slick
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - iNsom - 05-02-2016
Hey Slick.
How much mg Xanax do you take daily (if you don't mind me asking - feel free to not answer) I'm literally just being nosey.
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - Slick - 05-02-2016
(05-02-2016, 06:58 PM)Insomnia_Sucks Wrote: Hey Slick.
How much mg Xanax do you take daily (if you don't mind me asking - feel free to not answer) I'm literally just being nosey.
Hi! I don't mind 'nosey' lol !!
I may be a bit on the unusual side, my family doc that started me on Xanax was old school and I had just been thru the death of my brother from a self inflicted gun shot, so I STARTED with 2 mg bars three times a day. Over the years it has been UP and DOWN, and not without withdrawals (OGM) but to answer you, I take anywhere from 5 mgs a day to my current 'situation caused' 3 mgs a day.
Of course that has changed thru out the years - Dad had Alzheimer's - Mom passed from Cancer - Nephew passed from OD (heroin). Many days I am amazed I am still standing! And I make no excuses for the use of Xanax as a crutch. I do know without it, I would be bat-sh*t crazy (if I am not already there - lol) But as I mentioned - my family doc retired and I was basically forced to find what I needed to survive each day. I buried my family and ahhhh - enough!
Anyway - I have been using IOP's for many years to maintain what to me is a 'necessary evil' of my life - so (finally, right!) my 'comfort dose' is 5 mg per day - depending on the day!!!
Long winded!!!!
Slick
RE: Non benzo meds for anxiety - iNsom - 05-03-2016
Hi Slick,
Damn! I'm sorry to hear all that!
I have had people pass from similar things in my family but not one generation up...two generations up.
(Well a shotgun suicide & heart attack, some just plain old age)
The reason I asked is I have been looking at the 'benzodiazepines equivalency table' and it just interests me.
I've never tried any benzo apart from Diazepam (valium) of which I take 10mg daily. However I still read about Alp (Xanax) and...yeah...I just find it interesting I guess.
Regards
I_S