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Mental Health Meds that help for anxiety (other than Benzos and MAOIs)

M

Mycophile

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Mar 3, 2014
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I have GAD and some depression, probably some OCD also and currently take Prozac.

The worst symptom that I have from my anxiety is what some people call "Eye contact OCD".

I get extremely fucking uncomfortable when making eye contact with people is basically what happens and then I feel like I have to look away from them and they may notice I feel awkward and then I'll get even more uncomfortable.


I used to take Klonopin and it worked WONDERS for this problem but for reasons I don't want to go into I was cut off and probably can't get access to any benzos unless I shop around for a new doctor.

Now that I have been taken off the Klonopin some of the eye contact anxiety has started to come back again and I need something I can rely on to make it go away.

The Klonopin Did really start to make me tired as hell a lot of the time and made it hard to wake up so really I would prefer to take something other than a benzo and I don't want to take an MAOI either because they seem to conflict with so many foods and meds.

Some people have suggested that Lexapro is really good for this kind of thing and my doc said he'd put me on it but that if I take it with Prozac I have to be monitored so I don't get serotonin syndrome and I don't want to risk that so I guess I'd have to get off of it if I want to take that.


Does anyone else here have any suggestions for meds that might help with this kind of social anxiety and anxiety in general??

I want something that won't make me really tired and is just a good all purpose anxiety med that also works for OCD and I also don't want something that will be fatal to drink on since I drink on the weekends.

Thanks
 
Propanolol is a beta blocker but is used to treat migraines, akasthisia, and some anxiety. It's often taken by people who suffer from stage fright, so I think it might be beneficial for you. You should look into it.
 
If your anxiety has a physical element I believe that is what propranolol helps with.

Myself I am on Citalopram for my GAD, which works wonders. It might a good idea to switch your Prozac for one of the SSRIs which are known to help both with GAD & OCD with the help of a doctor of course.

Outwith that, have you tried supplementing with magnesium & vitamin D? Both of those can help ease anxiety somewhat.
 
Venlafaxine and indeed citalopram are known to work very well for anxiety, venlafaxine also help with depression. Optimal dosage for anxiety is 225mg of venlafaxine XR.

Me myself have good results with it, i'm less anxious overall and feel more at ease in general. I did a trial with added mirtazapine for sleep but the combination made my emotional life go through the drain, and it triggered a lot of mania/depressive episodes related to my bi-polar.

That's why i'm currently cuttingg the mirtazapine (from 45mg to 7.5 now, in two weeks ill quit, im not experiencing any withdrawls yet luckily) and am now adding seroquel 50mg xr as an alternative for sleep plus its suppose to help with bi-polar.
Sleep feels better and more natural then the mirtazapine did, and it killed my manic episode, how great to not have top deal with the racing thoughts and hyperactivity.
I also feel that it works great on my anxiety, and i'm in no way zombified, but am slightly more sedated.

I also had a trial with pregabalin (lyrica), it worked wonders for the pshyical feelings of anxiety, but my short term memory got pretty messed up and i was dizzy a lot times.
Also, as an addict, i quickly found out that i could get pretty high on them, so i trainwrecked and went through the worst withdrawals ever.

The best thing to go with medication for me is to take a walk from time to time, and sports of course.
 
^what dose?
my doc gave me anti psychotics but i just feel wobbly wen i walk

anything that doesnt fuck ur libido???
 
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Thanks for these suggestions.

I'll make a list with them on it and take them to the psychiatrist next time I see him.

I think I might try Lexapro but I'd have to get off Prozac to get on that and not be at risk of SS.

I asked the Doc about beta blockers but he didn't think they were right for me but I'm not sure why.

I don't think anti-psychotics are the right thing for me either but my doc suggested Buspar which I tried many years ago but which didn't help back then.

Has anyone on here with anxiety been helped by Lexapro?

Keep the suggestions coming and I'll look at them again later.
 
Gonna have to second pregabalin (Lyrica) and neurontin (Gabapentin)

I myself am on gabapentin and it works extremely well for GAD and SAD

Tolerance builds fast though, akin to benzos, and they supposedly have a pretty nasty w/d if you don't taper. So proceed with caution
 
Chatative said:
Outwith that, have you tried supplementing with magnesium & vitamin D? Both of those can help ease anxiety somewhat.
Click to expand...

You just used my favorite new word! I never knew this word until I read the Scottish author Sara Maitland. She explained what it meant and for some reason I felt like it was a word that I had been missing all my life.=D
 
wildman48 said:
I have good luck lyrica, but a massive tolerance develops quickly
Click to expand...

Yep and Yep.

I have found if I take 600mg in one shot on an empty stomach with some naproxen, it completely negates the tolerance factor. Have been doing this for about two months now and still get that nice mellow loopy feeling erry day!
 
Seroquel but its a dirty little bitch, leaves me feeling properly shit canned the next day, like I did something terrible without the benefit of actually having done something terrible.
 
^^^

Yeah, I definitely don't want something that makes me feel like shit either or like I can't wake up.
 
Propanol is good for anxiety that's very psychical (like fast heartbeat) but I don't think it's ok to drink with. Seroquel is also an option, but like birc said, it's kinda got a bad hangover. I can sleep for 17 hours straight after just 25mg. Diphenhydramine can be pretty effective for some people. You said you take Prozac already, but Zoloft is a good antidepressant with OCD anxiety benefits. You should look into that.
 
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