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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Mental Health Anxiety meds which work? (other than benzos)

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Frumious Bandersnatch
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Just wondering if anyone knows any medications which are truly and acutely anxiolytic and work for anxiety other than benzos? I'm looking for options for myself when I see my shrink next.

I was going to mention hydroxyzine, which I found to be surprisingly effective for anxiety, but it's major drawback is a ridiculous tolerance gain and it's ineffective after 2-3 days.

I cannot take any SSRIs or anything. Buspar is out of the question. I am not really interested in Baclofen either.

anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? even off label stuff? I'm not trying to get high, literal anxiety relief, anything effective.
 
Honestly, a lot of antipsychotics are 5-HT1a partials, which might be able to help, even at lower doses. CBD has been very useful to me. Omega-3 fatty acids as well. Theanine, a constituent of green tea, also has some good evidence going for it and anxiety. Gabapentin can sometimes be useful for anxiety. Mood stabilizers can help with that, too. Good luck.
 
Negentropic said:
Just wondering if anyone knows any medications which are truly and acutely anxiolytic and work for anxiety other than benzos? I'm looking for options for myself when I see my shrink next.

I was going to mention hydroxyzine, which I found to be surprisingly effective for anxiety, but it's major drawback is a ridiculous tolerance gain and it's ineffective after 2-3 days.

I cannot take any SSRIs or anything. Buspar is out of the question. I am not really interested in Baclofen either.

anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? even off label stuff? I'm not trying to get high, literal anxiety relief, anything effective.
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I assume no benzo's also means no barbs?

Since you said off-label is okay: CHLORPROMAZINE (Thorazine). One of its approved uses is actually "extreme anxiety" (don't let the "extreme" put you off). I'm prescribed in 100mg tablets for anxiety - and I usually only take half as 50mg works pretty well - and it is THE only thing that has ever worked for me as well as a benzo. 50mg has the equivalent anxiolysis as 10mg diazepam. It amazing for anxiety and not addictive whatsoever (no buzz or euphoria).
 
Gabapentin or pregabalin. For anxiety both would be off-label in the USA, although pregabalin is prescribed for generalized anxiety in the EU, IIRC

It's not really something I'd want to take on the regular, though
 
AlphaMethylPhenyl said:
Honestly, a lot of antipsychotics are 5-HT1a partials, which might be able to help, even at lower doses. CBD has been very useful to me. Omega-3 fatty acids as well. Theanine, a constituent of green tea, also has some good evidence going for it and anxiety. Gabapentin can sometimes be useful for anxiety. Mood stabilizers can help with that, too. Good luck.
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I am certainly going to be prescribed an AP when I go, and they do really help in some aspect and bring me down a level. I am interested in maybe some less potent or more 'as needed' ones, but I do need one that focuses mainly on 5-HT as that is what causing my drug induced schizo symptoms (which are minor, but still prevelant). I seem to tolerate risperidone a lot more than others (olanzapine/quetiapine)

Thanks for the advice :)


ChemicallyEnhanced said:
I assume no benzo's also means no barbs?
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I'm assuming there is 0% chance I will get a barb in the US, dont think they prescribe those anymore here.

ChemicallyEnhanced said:
Since you said off-label is okay: CHLORPROMAZINE (Thorazine). One of its approved uses is actually "extreme anxiety" (don't let the "extreme" put you off). I'm prescribed in 100mg tablets for anxiety - and I usually only take half as 50mg works pretty well - and it is THE only thing that has ever worked for me as well as a benzo. 50mg has the equivalent anxiolysis as 10mg diazepam. It amazing for anxiety and not addictive whatsoever (no buzz or euphoria).
Click to expand...
yeah man I'm interested in it, even the older APs which generally aren't used that much anymore. I will ask about it.

definitely not looking for euphoria I want pure anxiety reduction, it's the bane of my life - just having lowered anxiety itself is euphoric to me in a sense

Burnt Offerings said:
Gabapentin or pregabalin. For anxiety both would be off-label in the USA, although pregabalin is prescribed for generalized anxiety in the EU, IIRC

It's not really something I'd want to take on the regular, though
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Never tried it but familiar with them. I'll ask, thanks :)
 
I really am going to ask for a low dose 1st gen AP, I want something that is as-needed... I do not want to take another daily AP which builds up in your system as I really don't need that. My symptoms are rather mild compared to a true case of schizophrenia and they don't prevent me from functioning. They're just annoying as fuck and contribute to my anxiety (and I'm also extremely prone to drug induced psychosis from anything now even weed and alcohol). I just need SOMETHING after the last few weeks, was in mild/moderate serotonin syndrome. (fuck ashwagandha dont take it for more than 2 weeks)

anyways, I ran out the last of my APs few months ago and I almost feel naked without them. Vulnerable. I'm not in psychosis or anything but it's one of those things that could happen anytime, unpredictable.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm actually quite interested in 1st gen APs.
 
The only thing I take now is hydroxyzine & tizandine if I’m feeling stressed out , they fade after 4-5 hours ,I’ve taken this combo daily for a month straight and only felt mild discomfort if anything when stopping them ,I now only take them when I have appointment anxiety…
Tizandine 4 mg the most , 100 mg hydroxyzine helps me….
Muscle relaxers in light doses work for me ,tizandine,soma and are pretty uneventful when stopping after a few weeks of daily use
The shrink will give you hydroxyzine but I doubt you’ll get muscle relaxers from him/her, I got them from my regular doc
 
For some reasons, Doctors have recommended that I take Quentiapine for anxiety reduction however, I never really got much relief of anxiety from it. Maybe it would be a different experience for others? I’m not sure.
 
My anxiety (GAD-type) has never went anywhere with meds. Meds are too 'mild'. Drugs do help, though.
 
Gabapentin helped me tremendously when I had severe anxiety from PTSD years ago. I would think pregabalin and also phenibut would help. Also, baclofen is easy to get and might fit the bill.

Not many people know this, but guaifenesin is over the counter and effective for anxiolosis and as a muscle relaxant. It is the 2-methoxy analogue of the medication mephenesin (which is 2-methyl). Mephenesin was prescribed for anxiety before benzos came out. If you try guaifenesin you will need to take more than the recommended dosage. I prefer about 4,000-4,800mg of guaifenesin. That's enough for deep relaxation and numbness in the face and extremities.

Maybe start with half that and see how you feel.
 
Gabapentin also helps my anxiety immensely but I'm not officially prescribed it. I'm thinking of asking my doctor about it though. It's not traditionally prescribed for anxiety here in Aus though so I'm not sure how successful I'd be getting the script...10/10 definitely recommend though.
 
Opi_Kid_Rock said:
For some reasons, Doctors have recommended that I take Quentiapine for anxiety reduction however, I never really got much relief of anxiety from it. Maybe it would be a different experience for others? I’m not sure.
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I take 800mg of the shit daily, kinda helps me with my nerves, but f#ck it makes me fat as. Like those schizos you see chain smoking at the entrance of outpatient clinics. And I don't even hear voices or anything
 
Idk if anyone has mentioned this but I use Propranolol a lot. It eases up physical anxiety symptoms like nothing else with zero addictive profile.
 
Besides benzodiazepines, kratom and gabapentinoids, the only think that's actually helped with my anxiety is propranolol. It's a beta-blocker with abuse potential of almost zero. I used it to get my kratom dose out of the stratosphere and still feel a marked sense of peace when it comes on. Its actually used as a benzodiazepine substitute for people who can't tolerate them for one reason or another. The main downside is the significant hypotensive effects for the first day or two. That could even be a side-benefit if you suffer hypertension. Trade name is Inderall. It's worth researching and asking about at a minimun if it sounds like it could work.
 
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