Benzos Severe Anxiety, I don't want any Benzo's, are there any new meds that might help?

[MrCream]

Hey Guys!

Been away for a while taking care of my father (had a single lung transplant 7 years ago then last year he had a double lung transplant, back surgery 2rods 4 pins, dialysis edema congestive heart failure) and his doctors don't give a shit so I have to be a DR a nurse a aide take care of all his finances clean out laundry so I have no life. When I go places I am so so anxious it feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest and mychest is going to rip in half....I am seeing a new DR. he is really cool will let me have whatever I want to an extent, so I told him about this anxiety and told him I didn't want benzo's he put me in zoloft. I have been on it 50mg a day for over 2 months now and I don't feel any different except maybe a little more grumpy and angry at things. My anxiety is so bad my face gets red and I start sweating, I can't sit still and relax, and at night so many crazy thoughts are going through my head that I can't sleep it takes me hours and hours and hours to get to sleep. I am also missing my l2-l4 the disintegrated from an infection I had in my spine and they had to do 4 surgeries to remove the infection i was on IV antibiotics for 24 weeks everyday .....they want to put rods and pins in but I have been putting it off because my dad needs me for everything, so with the anxiety my muscles in my back and chest get REALLY tight and that makes my back hurt so bad....I just want something that will help, there are things I avoid doing because I don't want to have to be in a social situation its bad....so does anyone know of any meds I could ask my Doctor about? please and thank you so much love you @burnout

 

[d1nach]

It sounds like you have to much weight of others problems on your shoulders so much that if you tried to meet your needs youd collapse. Unfortunately no medication is going to fix this. I suggest you consider seeing a therapist to talk about how you can change how you live so that you can still help the people you care about while having your needs met. Because , in the end if your needs arent met you wont be able to help them.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Therapy
Hydroxizine
Ashwagandha
Valerian root

 

[MrCream]

Okay I will consider those, but I was kind of thinking maybe there is a new med my dr could give me that would help, I have had hydroxizine before and he just made me really loopy and tired.

 

[Methadolz]

It's great your dad has you. I commend you for all you do for him. Have you tried lyrica?(pregabalin). I was prescribed it for both pain and gad. I felt a bit loopy the first few days but that's worn off now. But I was able to decrease my benzodiazepine in 1/2

 

[Ozle]

It sounds like a beta-blocker (e.g. propranolol) and 1-1.5g of phenibut should help you. Codeine might also, as long as you're careful with dosing.

 

[Nini101]

Hemp oil! It does not get you high, it will calm and relax you.. Its 110% pure and legal. There's no THC so there won't be any findings of any illegal drugs. You can order it on Amazon for around $12 and it can be delivered in 2 to 3 days.

 

[Nini101]

Hemp oil! It does not get you high, it will calm and relax you. Its 110% pure and legal. There's no THC so there won't be any findings of any illegal drugs. You can order it on Amazon for around $12 and it can be delivered in 2 to 3 days.

 

[Hodor]

It's great your dad has you. I commend you for all you do for him. Have you tried lyrica?(pregabalin). I was prescribed it for both pain and gad. I felt a bit loopy the first few days but that's worn off now. But I was able to decrease my benzodiazepine in 1/2

This. Lyrica is a very useful drug for a variety of applications, among them anxiety. However, IME it seems to be more useful for the chronic anxiety of GAD rather than acute anxiety seen with panic attacks or social anxiety disorder. Depending on the nature of your anxiety, it may not be able to completely replace benzos for everyone, but it will usually significantly decrease their needed dose.

Note that Lyrica is still a GABAergic, and as such is still going to cause a tolerance buildup that is going to lead to highly unpleasant withdrawals if discontinued abruptly. Unlike benzos, it is mostly non-addictive though (as in there is no "high" to chase that would tempt you to recklessly increase the dose).

 

[burn out]

kava
mulungu bark (i have a feeling you'll like this one, it's like natural valium)
skullcap
chamomile
phenibut

 

[NeuroNymph]

I agree that it's amazing what you're doing for your father, but remember that you do have to take care of yourself as well. I think therapy would be beneficial and even a caretakers support goup though I know you said you avoid social situations. I took lexapro when my grandma was sick and dying. I wasn't a fan of how numb I felt though, so I went on the natural side and drank so much lavender chamomile tea it was crazy. I also to this day take supplemental b12. You could try Epsom salt soaks for your muscles. Amitriptyline is one that's for anxiety and pain, but should be used with caution. I was prescribed a fairly high dose though and I was also prescribed a benzo by the same doctor which can be a deadly combination. The combination nearly killed me. If you steer clear of benzos then a low dose may help, however, that's something only you and your doctor can decide for you. I do think that even if you do go with the medicine option therapy is still a great idea.

 

[Methadolz]

^ the tea I forgot about. I use one that has chamomile lavender and passion fruit.. I was never one for the natural route but that combo works good

 

[NeuroNymph]

That sounds way more delicious than plain lavender chamomile. Do you buy it online? Is it good straight or do you add anything to it?

 

[MrCream]

thanks everyone, I am looking into all of these!

 

[burn out]

ashwaganda is placebo

A lot of people have told me valerian was placebo, but I find it so powerful I can't even take a full dose. So I advise everyone to beware of the claims that any herb with a medicinal history is placebo. I believe the extreme stimulation provided by modern western culture, in comparison to the closer to nature lives that people lived in the past, has rendered many people insensitive to herbs that to the ancients, were powerful medicines. If you're used to loud music, fast cars, tv, smartphone, internet, fast food and chemical drugs like MDMA or even highly potent cannabis, then of course many natural herbs will seem ineffective. You can't hear their subtle messages above the clamor of western culture.

 

[smokedup]

A lot of people have told me valerian was placebo, but I find it so powerful I can't even take a full dose. So I advise everyone to beware of the claims that any herb with a medicinal history is placebo. I believe the extreme stimulation provided by modern western culture, in comparison to the closer to nature lives that people lived in the past, has rendered many people insensitive to herbs that to the ancients, were powerful medicines. If you're used to loud music, fast cars, tv, smartphone, internet, fast food and chemical drugs like MDMA or even highly potent cannabis, then of course many natural herbs will seem ineffective. You can't hear their subtle messages above the clamor of western culture.

This is very true, much like chilli is an 'enhancer' for food. I have felt almost in a trance eating very hot, and palatable herbal/spice dishes. Especially when in the right environment, with valued people you are surrounding yourselves with to eat.

 

[samm2]

Therapy
Hydroxizine------------could use diphenhydramine(Benadryl (otc)) instead,personally don't see too much difference(tried both 25mg.hydroxyzine=(approx)50mg.diphenhydramine
Ashwagandha----------good stuff(personal experience),might seem placebo to some,1-2grams powdered root
Valerian root

--valerian root-good stuff 1-5grams powdered root in warm,not boiling water. Was used in England during WW2 bombing raids to calm people. Mexican and Indian valerian should be stronger than regular valerian root but harder to source.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

ashwaganda is placebo

Not true
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23439798

RESULTS:

The treatment group that was given the high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction (P<0.0001) in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60, relative to the placebo group. The serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced (P=0.0006) in the Ashwagandha group, relative to the placebo group. The adverse effects were mild in nature and were comparable in both the groups. No serious adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSION:

The findings of this study suggest that a high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual's resistance towards stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life.

 

[Methadolz]

That sounds way more delicious than plain lavender chamomile. Do you buy it online? Is it good straight or do you add anything to it?

I buy it from a grocery store here in Canada(presidents choice brand) but I've used one just called Sleepy time tea. I use it straight with a little bit of sugar but it's great alone. When I've seen it outside a grocery store it was in the herbal section of a pharmacy

 

[NeuroNymph]

Sleepy time by celestial seasons? I love a lot of their flavors and have several of their collector's edition tins, magnets etc. I guess I will have to see if Amazon carries anything similar.