I've been suffering with some sort of anxiety problem for over three years which has brought my life to a virtual halt. I feel so ill all the time - really tight chest and throat, shortness of breath etc etc. Have seen umpteen docs and tried various shrinks for treatment such as deep relaxation and self hypnosis but nothing helps apart from ativan, though when I try to come off it I get terrible withdrawal symptoms. This med is the only thing that forced my chest and throat to relax and allows me to get on with my day.

Can anyone suggest alternative drugs (no herbal rememdies please) that can be taken in the the longterm? As I'm finding out, ativan is very addictive and my body is becoming more and more resilient to it's charms.

I'm writing because I'm desperate to find something that will help me get back to my life - this is making me and my wife miserable.

Also, does anyone else have symptoms without necessarily feeling panicked?

Sorry for the longwinded post, but after three years I'm all out of ideas and hope.

Cheers:confused:

about 20 years ago i went through some bouts of anxiety and then was fine until 2 years ago. i was put on buspar by my psychiatrist. it is not addictive and you don't feel drugged. it started working on me in 4 days and took about 4 weeks for the full effect. also am in counseling. hope this helps.

Soodle,

I am afraid I am in the same boat. I have been taking Xanax and it has worked wonders for my anxiety and stomach related problems, however, it is starting to require more and more to get the same relief and I feel as if I may be becoming an addict. It doesn't last as long as it used to and I am generally anxious again on the same dose that I have been taking which is 2 mg per day. I don't have an answer, but I do have a question. How much Ativan were you taking and how long before you decided to stop. I am curious to see how difficult it will be for me to quit if I decide to do that.

Thansks,
OE

I've taken up to 6 mg a day before over the past three years though I'm now down to two, aqnd sometimnes four, thought not often. It seems to be the only thing that curbs the terrible chest tightness and shortness of breath. But I'm anxious to get on meds that are safe for long term use - buspar looks promising.

I Have Been Suffering With Anxiety For 17 Years. I Am 39 Now. I Wish I Knew Of A Cure. I Have Tried Alot Of Different Meds. I Am Now On Cymbalta & Occasional Zanax Only When Needed. I Have Somewhat Learned To Live With It. But There Are Times I Go Over The Edge. Yes I Have Anxiety Attacks For No Reason. I Will Take Medicine & Wonder If I Had Already Taken It. I Count My Meds. To Make Sure. Well Good Luck. Feel Free To Write. Linda

I AM 39 FEMALE. I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING WITH ANXIETY & PANIC FOR 17 YEARS. I SOMETIMES FEEL I AM GOING CRAZY. I AM TAKING CYMBALTA & OCCASIONAL ZANAX. 30MG. & 1/2MG OF ZANAX. I'VE HAD COUNCILING & TAKEN MANY DIFFERENT MEDS. I STILL DON'T FEEL MYSELF. I HAVE'NT FOUND ANYTHING THAT WILL TAKE AWAY THE THINKING & FEELING BAD. HAS ANY ONE BEEN ABLE TO FEEL 100% THEMSELVES. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW DIFF. THINGS ANYONE DOES TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL BETTER


THANKS LINDA:blob_fire :mad:

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Meds and Therapy maybe?

I have had axniety for almost 25 years now and have been on almost all drugs and am now taking Luvox and Xanax. Somedays are good, Somedays are bad! But focus on the good and try to live like today is your last! :)

Peace
Steve

Hello,
I have dealt with anxiety/panic attacks and agoraphobia (at times) since 1999. I have been through many Dr's and tried nearly every medication that they threw at me........ now I know that what may have totally been an awfull med for me just may be the one that works for someone else so I don't want to discourage anyone from trying something that I hated, or on the other hand make something I took and tolerated well seem like a "wonder drug" because there aren't any:blob_fire I too started out with 6mgs per day of Ativan,then Klonipin was added at up to 8mgs per day,both of these being narcotics, I was also interested in finding something that I could exist on without feeling miserable that wasn't a narcotic.Because the tolerance level being reached faster than expected for some,you may max out on your dose and then you're out of luck if that happens-there are dosing peramiters(sp??-sorry) for a reason...
I tried all the SSRI's (like Paxil),Neurontin,Busbar,Topamax,Lamictal ,Depakote,& even more things that aren't usually tried for panic/anxiety disorders like Abilify/Seroquel. Some of the above helped at first but not even close to enough, and others were so bad that I don't care to share details except one in particular landed me in the Psych ward....... That was fun:dizzy: I did finally land on ONE - A "Tricyclic Antidepressant" called Nortriptyline. You're probebly thinking the same thing that I was when it was sugested to me.... I'm not depressed you idiot !!!!!!! Tricyclics are "old school", and can be used whether or not anxiety is your sole issue because it works on both your "happy brain chemicals" (that may be way too high/hense the anxiety) and the other side that can cause depression... kind of a brain chemical balancing intervention, as one doc told me. It worked wonders for me, I had so much trouble eating that my weight had gotten down to a little over 70 lbs. After taking it for about a 6 months I was actually feeling pretty good, there can be alot of fiddling around with the dose to get it right for each persons needs,but not usually that long. I was just happy to finally find something that didn't make me sick to my stomach -FINALLY-.
I don't take it anymore due to another medication I have to take that you can't combine it with. Now I'm back to where whoever started this is.. the narcotic battle:jester: I have a steady diet of Librium (200mgs per day- it is a VERY high dose, most doc's freak out when I tell them my dose and figure that I'm either wrong or lying until I pull out the bottle) and Clonidine (.4mgs per day). Librium is in the same family of medications as Ativan and Klonipin, it just has a longer "half-life"- meaning it stays in your system longer than the others, and Clonidine is for high blood pressure, but can be used for anxiety and other things as the doc's see needed-my son is Autistic and takes it when he needs to calm down.Also Clonidine is NON narcotic.

I hope that this helps, there is always therapy, but you have to be willing to accept therapy, I've talked to many people (with various issues) who say "therapy doesn't work:mad: ". When in fact I found for myself that it is kind of like loosing weight or quitting smoking YOU have to want it to work or it might not. It didn't for me at least, until I changed doc's and my attitude. There is also cognitive re-training, and a few self help type relaxation programs. I can't say that the one advertised on late night infomercials is anything that helped me,it actually just made me go running for my "PRN" Ativan, but it might help someone else who is reading this. You never know unless you try right:rolleyes:

Boy do I wish that there was a fix all out there and that I could be back to my normal self - Outgoing,"the life of the party",take of on a simple weekend trip, or even a trip to the grocery store without getting all worked up over it until all I can do is PRAY that I can escape the madness and take a nap..that is my "happy" or "safe" place A NAP I'm 34, and my goal of the day is to fall asleep so I don't have to deal with the world while my 2 teenagers are at school. I'm sooooo not proud of that but it is the truth, it's not that I'm tired- I just want to escape - I don't know if anyone else feels this way.

Best wishes and feel better:angel:

Hi Soodle,
Just thought I'd mention if you do try buspar and they give you the generic buspirone you might have to be aggressive with the dose. This is the first time for me to be on the generic. Last time I was treated was eight yrs. ago and I still used regular buspar. I always found relief at 10 to 20 mg. per day and so far, I'm starting on my 6th month of being on buspirone and struggling along. I finally went up to 30mg. a day about 11 days ago and think I might finally be getting somewhere. After reading in Buspar talk forums I discoverd a lot of people were having the same problem with the generic as I was. Some went back to Buspar and were paying out of pocket because insurance won't cover the name brand. I don't mind taking the generic, but I am discovering I'm needing a higher dose. So far I have had no bad side effects from increasing the dose.

Good luck

hi all--- as another poster said i have also tried every SSRI with more problems than i had before taking them . i found klonopin to be the best for me. it is prexcribed to me at .5 mg 2 xs daily. i have months where i don't take it at all and sometimes i have to take 2 day. i am going through a hard time right now and did the round of drugs that made me sick . finally dr. upped my klonopin to 3 a day and it did the trick . anxiety is dying down and i am able to sleep 7-8 hours a ngith instead of my usual 3-4. don't feel drugged in the morning or through the day either so i figure i must really be flying with the anxiety.:blob_fire