Anxiety ... Med Advice

i'm going through some anxiety issues (irritability issues as well) and need some help!!!

i've been on xanax, ativan and currently on klonapin, does anyone have any other suggestions for me?

i know i know i've tried the deep breathing and all the meditation stuff is there meds out there though that people have had success with????

please let me know!!! i want some med advice not some stuff about breathing deeply!

I'm assuming by your user name that you are "bipolar not otherwise specified". Welcome to my world.

A lot depends on whether you're on other meds or just anxiolytics (e.g. Ativan, Klonopin etc.). If not, you are probably going to need a mood stabilizer and possibly even an antidepressant with anti-anxiety properties, like Paxil. The only person who can really determine a proper course of treatment is a psychiatrist; general practitioners and internists aren't as well-versed in the treatment of mental disorders, and they will almost always refer anything more complicated than simple depression to a specialist.

As an example, I'm on Lamictal (mood stabilizer) 100 mg/day (still working up to a therapeutic dose), Celexa (antidepressant) 20 mg/day, and Ativan 1 mg up to 3x/day as needed. I only use the Ativan at bedtime though, to help me sleep. These work together to reduce my anxiety, which I have pretty badly to be honest.

You'll need to work with your pdoc to find the right combination of medications and/or non-drug therapies to help you manage this condition. Best of luck to you.

Benzos such as xananx, clonopin and ativan are only meant for short term use. They are highly addictive and only work for a short period before having to be upped in dose until you are finally on the highest dose and are addicted and have to be weaned off of them. They cause more damage than they do good. My advice run away from the benzos and get on a routine medication instead of a PRN (as Needed) These are only supposed to be used every now and then not on a regular basis.
Look into something like lexapro, paxil something along those lines. Benzos can be very effective for an immediate fix but dont work for long term regular maintenance.

After years of living with extreme anxiety and panic disorder, with all of the other Bipolar symptons, which severely impacted my quality of life, I got a Psychiatrist that was willing to treat my panic disorder and anxiety. I take 1 mg of Klonopin 4x a day and have for over 10 years. I have never had to up the dosage, and have never had a panic attack since I started the Klonopin. I still get anxiety now and then but it doesn't keep me from going places and having a better quality of life. About 7 years ago, I was put on Seroquel, and that has been a life saver. I now get a full nights sleep most nights, and my moods have leveled out so the word extreme does not enter my cycles. Just my story not a opinion.

I had akathisia and my pdoc put me on propranolol, a beta blocker. It's main function is to reduce blood pressure but it is also used for movement disorders (akathisia) and, surprise, anxiety. I had been anxious prior to starting it and it stopped soon after starting propranolol. I looked it up in an online PDR and found out it is good for anxiety. It is not a benzo and addiction is not a problem. The only problem I have had with it is orthostatic hypotension... which means you get dizzy if you get up too fast. When it happens I just bend over to lower my head for a minute and it goes away.

Also on propranolol for anxiety.

I'm on cymbalta and depakote. Both really help my anxiety. Especially the depakote. It has done wonders for my anxiety.

What dose of propranolol are you on?

I was on Celexa for awhile. It made me so apathetic. I couldn't be anxious about anything! My personality was gone. It was like the lights were on but, no one was home. I couldn't even think. I remember complaining that I had no thoughts and I didn't. My brain was liken to a refrigerator buzzing. My perceptions were a flat hum. I'd just sit there, blank faced and I had nothing to say! Weirdest experience of my life and that includes being so crazy I'd talk to various objects thinking there were wizards inside 'em hahah, that kind of crazy with racing thoughts and thinking weird things, seeing stuff, loud thoughts etc I'm comfy in but, being empty inside? Dull? Thoughtless? Hate it.

During psych evaluations they'll always ask, do you feel empty? During the rule out borderline personality phase. I couldn't understand what they meant until that point. It is so freakin' weird! I'm usually all full of myself and I like me, except when depressed, all full of myself and I don't like me but, there was no me! Where did I go!

That was a Celexa Lamictal mix and the last SSRI I will ever try. I bet it would do wonders for anxiety disorders.

Next to mania, Ativan is the best unnatural feeling in the world. Love the stuff, probably why I'm not prescribed it very often haha!

I suffer from severe anxiety and have used lots of non-med strategies which just have not been enough. Klonopin works great but did not like tht it was addictive and went through the withdrawals of that and didnt want to have to do that again. Pdoc gave me clonodine, a blood pressure med, and that worked some, but not enough.

Buspar is an antianxiety med that is not a benzo, thus not addicting, and works fabulous for me. It took like 2 weeks to kick in, for the first week or so made me pretty dizzy the first hour or so after I took it, but now I am doing great. I take 45 mg.

Good luck.

I am also on Klonopin and used to take it far less often, which was fine, but now my anxiety is so bad I need a high dose every day, which is bad. I can't keep increasing the dose. However, for my bipolar and anxiety the combination of Zyprexa and Zoloft helps me. I also started Propranolol for anxiety, but so far it's not helping much. I think it would help more when I have a lot of physical symptoms of anxiety instead of just my "free-floating" anxiety.

Seroquel XR works wonders for me. It can make you gain weight but I've been lucky so far.