does such a pill exist?

wondering if there is a anti anxiety medication that is not a anti depressant but one that will take the edge off of anxiety that wont flatten me but will allow me to function throught the day .. ? i am returning to work after 5 years - during which time i have been healing from a list of things. Had my first meeting with my boss - had lunch and disccussed things - afterward i was a wreck with anxiety to the point my food would not digest all night from lunch - when i return i have to be sharp and skillful but afraid the attacks will be too much for me - thinking if i had a anti anxiety med to take it would get me through but scared that it might flatten me and wont be able to function - so was just wondering if there is something that would ease me and would just take the edge off. i cannot take anti depressants have been on a number of those and they just dont work for me.
i am not on anything right now been off all medications for almost a year.

There is a medication called BuSpar which I am pretty sure is only an anti-anxiety, not an anti-depressant. The web site is www.buspar.com.

Free1, your wishlist for an anti-anxiety medication was pretty much the same as mine. I started on Buspar close to 3 months ago. The first month I really liked it, but since then it hasn't seemed to help much. It really seems to act differently on different people. I read that people who have taken benzos for anxiety (xanax, ativan, klonopin, valium), do not find Buspar effective because they expect it to have a similar fast-acting, sedating effect, and it doesn't (it is not sedating). Buspar did make me less anxious the first month, almost by distracting me from my troubles. It did not make me sleepy or sedated or unable to function mentally. It was kind of like a stimulant for me, making it near impossible to get stuck in anxious patterns of thought. I just "moved on." I had been plagued also by difficulty sleeping, which I thought was anxiety associated. The buspar was so stimulating, that I found I needed less sleep, so low sleep at night no longer bothered me. See what I mean about this drug helping, but not the way I thought it would? From reading the literature, I've found that the ways people experience Buspar vary tremendously. You have to take Buspar regularly for it to have an effect and it takes a couple of weeks to build up in your system. It is not like popping a xanax occasionally in advance of a stressful situation.

I wish you good luck. Let us know what med you decide to try and how it goes...

I had some good luck with Neurontin last year. Anxiety is an off label use, but it works quite well and is non addictive.


Take gentle care,
Dee

Thanks for the insights on anxiety meds - i dont think Buspar would serve me well because what i need is a fast acting med to get me thru. . but not a knockout. . i hear alot about xanax and wondering if it comes in a low dose..? i guess i may have to experiment with a few to find the right one. thanks again for your replies.

I agree with Dee. If you do decide to go with a benzo, don't pick xanax. There is too much interdosal anxiety with that because it is so short-lived. Klonopin is the best choice of the benzos. I could hardly make that statement since benzos caused me so much trouble!! But, that's another thread...

Good luck with returning to the workforce!!

Okie

thanks okiedokie ~ beginning to think maybe a pill isnt the answer ... after reading posts i am thinking all the different types of drugs out there have adverse affects ...i wont have time for adverse affects while working. ..hm ..........thinking maybe another approach may be better ..

i recomend clonazepam. It doesn't knock you out like xanax and lorazepam do, and ...it works.

I too take clonzaepam (Klonopin)...like it...been on it for 2 1/2 years...

klonopin ... does it work right away or do you have to wait for it to buildup before it works? what does it make you feel like?

I would recommend Bach Flower Remedy for Stress. It is
natural and doesn't cause any side effects.I use 2 sprays
when I use to go on interviews or anything stressful,even tragic events.
It calms you down.But doesn't make you sleepy like
Klonopin or generic form Clorazapam. I take 1 & a half
pills of 5 mg. This is used for my restleg syndrome, which
I only use at night. It helps me sleep all night long.

Wishing you luck at your new job. Take care.

Klonopin has a fairly quick acting no build up...takes 20-30 minutes for me to feel the effects...

relaxed...some I've heard feel sleepy...I really don't have that issue...

I've tried em all. Klonopin gets my vote, but I am on SSI and dont have to go to work on it. I've tried Buspar, it did nothing for me. What about going back on one of your meds from the past that worked for other issues? Alot of those work for anxiety related stuff too. Good Luck, and having a good outlook helps too!

A psychologist friend of mine described the effect of Klonopin to be like having a drink of good scotch. So, the effect is quick and it must just kind of ease off the anxiety.

seems most ppl here like klonopin .. my appt with pdoc is late next month i will talk to her about klonopin .. i start work at the end of the week ..will be starting without meds which scares me ..not sure how it will go.. certainly cant take scotch with me lol ..

5150cat ~ none of the drugs i have had from the past have worked for me ..i have tried many anti depressants and a few anti psycotics ... no luck with any of them. . i have been off all meds for 8 months now ..my body is clean of drugs for once..only major symptom i am having now is anxiety attacks. ii dont want a medicine that will cloud my brain or slow me down ..just one that will have a calming effect to combat attacks.

Hi Free1,
Please also ask about the Neurontin...
Take care,
Okie

Okie ~ i have tried Neurotin before its another one that didnt work for me - had no effect on me for some reason.
It could be because i took it with a bunch of other drugs at the time..just didnt work.

klonopin - i have been taking it off and on as needed for the past 5 years. it is wonderful acts somewhat quickly . non addictive for me!. but has the potential to be addictive. but all and all if your looking for a good non antid this is the way to go-onyx

thanks onyx ~ klonopin seems to be a favorite of alot of ppl .. this is probly what i will ask my pdoc to give me to try.