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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

The best anti-dep for treating anxiety....

For me medication wise it was mirtazapine, but it was the changes I made other than medication that made the most diff, meditation, exercise, cbt therapy blah blah etc etc.
 
IME it is pristiq, haven't got the box so don't have its actual name. I tried 5 different types before finding this one useful. There are many types of anti depressants, SNRIs, SSRIs etc which is why it may take time to find the right one for you.But like footsy said, exercise and other positive lifestyle changes are often just as or more helpful than meds.

But for me I needed the meds befeore I had the energy to go to a psychologist or exercise.
 
I was on up and down doses of Fluoxetine (Lovan for capsules, Prozac for pills) - 20mg to 80mg - which worked pretty well, and for sleep 10mg-15mg of Diazepam did the trick every time. I did try other SSRIs and other benzos before these two worked for me, and I was suffering anxiety as well as depression. I think it mostly depends on the person though, SSRIs are probably the most safe anti-depressants to use, but they can affect the way other drugs work if you are on higher doses. Also, benzos are so helpful with sleep but be careful not to use them too much because it's fairly easy to get addicted/build a tolerance.

The people above me are certainly correct in saying that exercise helps, it absolutely does because it helps your brain release serotonin and other chemicals which reduce anxiety. I also agree with footscrazy in that lifestyle changes will ultimately fix your problems, but meds definitely put your brain in a better place for coping.
 
Agree with Subtext - Though ive never been prescribed any such medication until around 6 months ago, upon explaining my situation to my doctor, he put me on Pristiq (desvenlaflaxine succinate) 50mgs and after about 3 weeks I definetly started 'feeling' better:)
From what i remember reading about it on the net when i started taking it, Pristiq is kind of a newer version of Effexor, A non-addictive SNRI,
Personally, its done a lot of good for me, but as has already been stated theres no such thing as 'The best anti-dep for treating anxiety'.... Anything you will read on the internet will only be someone elses opinion that, however unbiased and informative it may be - still comes from a completely different experience.

Depression as a whole, is a very complex and misunderstood problem which is why its all the more important that you be completly honest with yourself and then with someone who is an actual healthcare profession of some-kind..
I know when I felt at my lowest point, I wasnt going to the doctor asking 'whats the best antidepressant for me? Cause i read on Bluelight that this particular Benzo will help put me to sleep whereas this one will etc etc etc
Any medication you are prescribed (if at all) should be determined by educated guesses based on the symptoms you are showing/things you are feelig etc.
Oh yeah and as most people have already stated - exercise and healthy living in general are massive antidepressants and they have few, if any - ill side-effects!
 
Jakeperson said:
IME that is like asking what is the best stimulant for sleep.
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Maybe for you (and no doubt many others), but in general "antidepressants" are more effective for anxiety than depression.

Regarding which is best, it will really vary from person to person. Whichever you try, give it a good go - at least a couple of months unless you get intolerable side effects - before deciding whether or not it's the right one for you :)
 
Although im not on it anymore because im sick of being on meds, i found Lexapro to be by far the best at treating social anxiety and general anxiety. I also tried Aropax but that was nowhere near as effective.
 
Divine Moments said:
Maybe for you (and no doubt many others), but in general "antidepressants" are more effective for anxiety than depression.
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Do you happen to know of any studies done on antidepressants for depression vs placebo and antidepressants for anxiety vs placebo just out of interest.
 
^ I'm not aware of any studies that directly compare the use of antidepressants for anxiety versus depression, but obviously there are plenty that compare either one against placebo. I'll have a look later and see what I can find :)
 
^ Lexapro made my anxiety go from a 9/10 to a 100/10. Hands down the worst thing I ever did for my anxiety.

Of course though, everyone's different.
 
Personally it did absolutely nothing to me...

Simply all my doctor said about it was it's the best for anxiety. Not that i trust any doctor ;).

Besides all our of neurotransmitters respond differently and there is no universal "best". Playing with psychiatric medication is a basically experimentation and guesswork.
 
Lexapro was good for me as well. Good for depression and anxiety. But after the first few months the effect wore off. The dose was doubled and they worked a bit for a few weeks then not. I think it is the same with most anti-depressants. They only work short term and I had a hell of a time getting off them. Happens to some people but not to others.

Regular strenuous exercise like heavy weight lifting to release endorphines is much better for depression.

For anxiety, Xanax, Karma what ever name they go by are one benzo that seem to also have an anti-depressant effect as well as great for anxiety. Most benzos will make depression worse. They must be used very "as needed" though as anyone who has gone through benzo addiction will tell you. They do have the benefit of getting out of your system quickly though.
 
Statistic wise, sertraline (zoloft) was the most effective AD for panic and anxiety disorders. It sure as hell works well for me. Again, everyone is different. Escitalopram (Lexapro) worked well, sadly I couldn't pay for the brand name (Damn pharmaceutical companies). Paroxetine (Paxil) was insanely overly powerful, and made anxiety much worse. Citalopram (Celexa) was almost too mild to do anything.

I suggest you talk to your doctor and ask what he recommends. Although psych doctors tend to be pill pushers, which is probably why you are asking this question. My advice: Try sertraline. If sertraline doesn't work, try escitalopram. Then go from there. Don't let your doc talk you into getting on paroxetine (Paxil) first. It's not worth trying the most potent SSRI without trying the others first.

~snr
 
SNR said:
Statistic wise, sertraline (zoloft) was the most effective AD for panic and anxiety disorders. It sure as hell works well for me. Again, everyone is different. Escitalopram (Lexapro) worked well, sadly I couldn't pay for the brand name (Damn pharmaceutical companies). Paroxetine (Paxil) was insanely overly powerful, and made anxiety much worse. Citalopram (Celexa) was almost too mild to do anything.
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Escitalopram (Lexapro) and Citalopram (Celexa) are effectively the same thing, as far as I know. I was always led to believe that lexapro (a stereoisomer of citolopram) was only ever devloped so the pharm company could get around their patent for citalopram running out. Develop a drug that does the same thing but is just structurally different enough to stick a new patent on it and make a killing for another 5 years :/
 
Honestly,

I find anti-depressants to treat anxiety to be the worst fucking thing to ever happen to me. I've said this before in other threads, but IMO anxiety is all in the head, thus must be treated as such. Using man-made drugs in order to "cure" this will only make it worse.

As for which is best for anxiety, it all depends on the person. Best analogy I can use: it's like finding the right key (anti-depressant) to your personal keyhole. Nobody's key is the same, thus no one anti-depressant is the same for any single person. What one anti-depressant that did wonders to one person could do the exact opposite to another. No way to tell, just gotta try it until you get the key that fits.

For me, of whom has severe anxiety disorder (or used to, anyway), Paxil was my key. To be completely honest though, going on anti-depressants was the worst decision in my life and I'd do anything to get my life back.. I would not wish anti-depressants on my worst enemy, though I am not in ANY way a medical doctor nor should you take my advice as such, I will ALWAYS continue to advise people against using anti-depressants to treat anxiety.

See a therapist, do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, meditation, ..anything. Anti-depressants should be your absolute last option if not an option in the first place, just my two cents..

Anyway,
I used to be so bad I was almost agoraphobic, but now thanks to the coping skills I've gotten thanks to years of therapy I am able to live a normal life with manageable anxiety. That's my best advice to you.

Much love
xx
 
buriedlies said:
I've said this before in other threads, but IMO anxiety is all in the head, thus must be treated as such. Using man-made drugs in order to "cure" this will only make it worse.
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Where do you think antidepressants act, if not in the head?

Many people seem to see this arbitrary line between what is psychological and what is neurological/biological/chemical. Unless you believe that your mind is completely detached from your brain, that distinction doesn't have much merit.

That said, I agree that psychotherapy such as CBT is generally a better treatment for depression and anxiety. That's fairly widely accepted though - whilst often not done in practice (usually because most GPs have no interest in mental health) the standard recommendation is to use medications essentially like a bandaid to mask the symptoms and allow the individual to cope and function better while waiting for the 'real' work to be done by a counsellor/psychologist/psychiatrist :)
 
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