[Tkb1966]

I have anxiety it seems about everything. Especially that feeling of doom. I feel at times I'm going to explode or go crazy. Ativan and klonopin don't work for me. I have never taken Xanax or valium but those may be harder to get. I have bipolar depression almost constantly. I've been on AD's that are suppose to help with anxiety but never do. I'm in therapy 1 x week. I'm suppose to do meditation at home but have to admit I'm bad about it. What do you do or take for your anxiety?

[Sunflower123]

I take Xanax and Klonopin for my anxiety. I also have some apps that help: Calm, Mindshift and Virtual Toolbox. Is your pdoc opposed to Xanax and Valium?

[benzenering]

My pdoc won't allow me to take benzo's...I drink. I take propanolol and it takes the edge off. I also use Calm in order to take some time to myself and to relax. Therapy can only go so far to relieve anxiety, but there I learned about deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation. All of these things combined help.

[Sunflower123]

Originally Posted by benzenering

My pdoc won't allow me to take benzo's...I drink. I take propanolol and it takes the edge off. I also use Calm in order to take some time to myself and to relax. Therapy can only go so far to relieve anxiety, but there I learned about deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation. All of these things combined help.

That's good. Sorry you can't try benzodiazepines. They've helped me. Sounds like you're doing what you can to work this out. What about aerobic exercise?

[Tkb1966]

I'm going to a new pdoc in Aug so we'll see what she prescribes. I have a hard time with meds working for me. My GP says that my metabolism is probably burning them off fast. I'm hoping my new pdoc is good, my last one was terrible.

[Sunflower123]

Originally Posted by Tkb1966

I'm going to a new pdoc in Aug so we'll see what she prescribes. I have a hard time with meds working for me. My GP says that my metabolism is probably burning them off fast. I'm hoping my new pdoc is good, my last one was terrible.

I hope your new pdoc appointment goes well. My body metabolizes medicine rapidly as well. Best wishes.

[Unrigged64072835]

I don't take benzos either. My pdoc's office won't let them prescribe because they also handle substance abuse cases and don't want to give them any temptation I guess. I was on them a few years back and I ended up stoned and anxious at the same time.

I take Neurontin and Vistaril for my anxiety. It helps quite a bit, but everyone is different so I can't say that'll work for you.

[Skeezyks]

Hello Tkb: I'm an older person & I struggle with anxiety. I'm not on any medications of any kind at all. (I have been in the past. But they never did much of anything for me.) You mentioned you're supposed to do meditation at home. But you wrote you're bad about it.

I have done sitting meditation in the past (which is what I presume you've been told to do.) I haven't found it to be beneficial to me. Instead I have found walking meditation & yoga (done mindfully) to be much preferable. I do two hours of yoga-type exercises daily. By the time I'm done... I feel cool as the proverbial cucumber, as they say. Over the course of the day, my anxiety comes back, of course. But I believe it would be much worse if I wasn't doing my "practice".

If you're not familiar with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's book: Full Catastrophe Living I would highly recommend it to you. It details the stress reduction program that was (& presumably still is) offered at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. There's a chapter on mindful yoga. And there's also a paragraph where Dr. Kabat-Zinn talks about a patient who came to the program who was so full of anxiety she simply couldn't sit still. The one thing she found she could do was the walking meditation. So that's what she did. I don't know as it cured her in all likelihood. But it apparently helped when nothing else worked.

Anyway, it sounds as though you may be trying some new med's. Hopefully they will help. But if not, or if you find yourself wanting more, you might consider looking further into developing a yoga practice & / or doing walking meditation. I wish you well...

[Michelle C]

I was recently put on Buspirone (Buspar) for anxiety. I'm at the lowest dose and next visit she'll up it. I don't feel a difference as of now. But I'm hoping as they up the MG it'll start to work. They will not prescribe benzo's cause they say it actually makes your anxiety worse. Which it does if you don't take it regularly. I'm all for relief right away and they want me to use these tools they try to teach me in therapy that don't work for nothing. I have generalized anxiety as well as social anxiety. I'm in constant uncomfortableness with my chest always feeling heavy and it seems no one cares and I'm not trying things other than medication to relieve it.

[reb569]

If you're not familiar with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's book: Full Catastrophe Living I would highly recommend it to you. It details the stress reduction program that was (& presumably still is) offered at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Thank you for this reference. I just ordered a copy. My therapist has recommended the possibility of getting meds for my anxiety a couple times now, the most recent my last session with her, but I don't really want to. I've been dabbling in mindfulness techniques some, but really want to dig into it more.

[Wila]

I take buspirone (max dose) and I have atarax and benzo if things get out of hands. Buspirone make a huge different for me and I can manage without other drogs most of the time.

[Tkb1966]

Thank you all for your responses. I've been in a bp depression and slow to respond. I also tried neurontin yrs ago and it did nothing for me. I can't remember what happened when I took buspar but there was a reason I stopped it. I've been on so many meds and suffer from memory problems that I didn't even remember those until they were mentioned here. I have developed a fear of outdoors in the past couple of years so walking is out. I'm not sure if it's agoraphobia or not I haven't been diagnosed. My last pdoc was a rx refill Dr, thats all he was good for. Never listened to a word I said. All I know is I don't go anywhere by myself except my appointments. I can't even go out and check the mail, but I also have a fear of mail so I guess I wouldn't anyway.
I do have to admit though when I took Ativan and it didn't work for me so I kept taking more and more at a time until I ended up taking 12 one day. My therapist helped with that once I told him. I dont think i would do that again but i am spontaneous, just act and don't think it through. Anyway I think I got off point, sorry.

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by Skeezyks

Hello Tkb: I'm an older person & I struggle with anxiety. I'm not on any medications of any kind at all. (I have been in the past. But they never did much of anything for me.)

Likewise.

And there's also a paragraph where Dr. Kabat-Zinn talks about a patient who came to the program who was so full of anxiety she simply couldn't sit still.

I was that way at one time. Horrible. It upset even a mental health worker, who told me to stop doing it. Helpful not.

The only thing that has helped at all, and that less than perfectly, is a kind of mindfulness that I developed by myself over time. It can be extremely hard to do, and that imperfectly, but no one has ever had anything else that helped me. Reading or watching someone on TV who is calm and obviously well, mentally, also helps for a time. I think it is like being in the presence of a well parent as a child who needs reassurance.

[Guiness187055]

My pdoc is a firm believer in benzo's. He believes they have a proven track record over the years as being helpful for all kinds of issues dealing with bipolar.