[bewise93]

When I'm not on a benzo, I have severe anxiety. It's almost as if the severe anxiety distracts me from being depressed. When back on a benzo, I'm depressed again. With the severe anxiety, I still can't function, get off the couch, etc. But the anxiety always distracts me from how depressed I am. I thought the valium was making me depressed, but now my depression has eased with med changes. I think that anxiety blunts some of the most dreary and severe parts of depression. Anyone else find this to be true? Or is it just me?

[Sunflower123]

It’s not just you. I have both under control now but I really detested severe anxiety. It easily drowned out the depression.

[WildcatVet]

My anxiety just makes my depression worse...which makes my anxiety worse...it's a vicious cycle and a daily struggle. It's so strange how MI's affect people so differently...just like psych meds do...

[CaminoDeOro]

The more I read about benzos, the more I want off the daily ones for good.

I've learned to be able to "ride" acute anxiety and even use it productively sometimes - anxious rumination can help me figure out when I'm about to do something stupid, mainly. I attribute this to a mixture of CBT techniques, propranolol, marijuana (it's kind of a long story, I don't mean as a drug that stops anxiety), and a lot of time to observe myself and realize with the help of those two drugs, that physical symptoms of anxiety do not have to go hand in hand with mental anxiety.

In that sense I would say for me it doesn't block depression, but in a weird way it can contribute to me staying out of depression if I am already out.

[popuri88]

I use benzo only if extremely necessary and they stay with my sister or parents. I not only fear dependence, and get easily out of control with benzos.

[xRavenx]

I also experience a lot of anxiety with the depression. I take Klonopin and Gabapentin to try to attack the anxiety I get, but I still get symptoms. Seroquel also helps take the edge off, but I think my anxiety is pretty much chronic.

Sometimes my anxiety masks the depression, but my psychiatrist said it is still depression, nevertheless. That being said, I also get some anxiety during manias and mixed manias, where it is more the agitated "my plans are so big, everything needs to be done now" kind of anxiety. Also, with mixed episodes, the anxiety is so, so bad.

Yes, sometimes my anxiety blocks the depression. I’ve had depression seemingly block anxiety too.....I was super anxious for weeks, to the point of delusions then it was like all the energy of life was sucked from my bones and I didn’t have the energy to be anxious, just paralyzingly depressed. Then I’ve had times like another poster mentioned where they feed off each other and I’m like a dog chasing my tail going round and round with anxiety, crippling depression, anxiety all day. Anxiety is so draining, physically and emotionally and it causes me to crash in physical and mental ways.......sometimes I crash over and over all day and other times I’m on high alert life threatening crippling anxiety for weeks.....that seems to lead to delusions.

I’m sorry for everyone who suffers this also, no matter how it manifests, anxiety is soul crushing.

[Pookyl]

I find it’s the opposite for me. BP episodes block my anxiety. I have anxiety but don’t notice it when manic, hypomanic or depressed. I have anxiety when ‘normal’ or mixed. Mixed is the worst - sui, racing brain and super anxious.
A psychologist once had a theory that my rapid cycling was due to my brain trying to deal anxiety and putting itself into a state where it had a break from anxiety e.g mania