Anti-Anxiety Meds

i was on Zoloft for a year and it was fine i no longer had social anxiety then i went off it for a couple year then i tried it a couple months ago i took it for 3 days and went off cause it gave me a weird feeling in my head. Its really up to her she can always go off of it if she wants.

 

Depends on the medication and the dose. Usually you have to try a few things until you find one that works. The first one I was prescribed helped reduce anxiety but it also sapped all motivation and energy so I went off it. One I'm currently on is a mild antidepressant but that naturally has the additional effect of reducing anxiety. Just tell her to be mindful of any negative results, if something isn't working for her there's no need to just press on with it. Also remember that medication is a supplementary solution rather than a silver bullet.

 

My best friend is on- it's a banned word for some reason so I'm just gunna casually find my way around it. X a n a x and it's worked for them for a very long time. I had one of them once, and felt so free- so calm...

 

Be careful of the benzo's. Xan x being one of them. Short term they work great. Long term, very addictive and actually harmful.
Good luck

 

I would encourage her to do some research into alternatives such as self help groups, yoga, exercise or counselling and ask if she would like to know about the risks of these drugs. The risks are quite considerable. A good website on this is Mad In America
Another where you can look up the risks of these drugs is rxisk

 

I've been on a few anti-anxiety medications for years now, and I can say that they all work very well, without a doubt. I'm not the same person I used to be - I'm much, much better. It would be like comparing a chimpanzee to a human; I was totally dysfunctional, and now I can actually interact with people. So trust me, I know my way around the block with this one. I understand that most people have a problem with this kind of thing, and prescription drugs in general, and I wouldn't judge you guys for believing it's dangerous. But from personal experience, it's helped me more than anything else, and far more than any natural remedies. It IS a double-edged sword, however. Some medications work, some don't. Some work for some people and not for others. Some have nasty side effects, and some have few to none - but totally don't work. It's all about a balance, and what works personally.

 

Herbal remedies are definitely better options than synthetic ones in terms of side effects. St John's Wort is a good herbal anxiety reliever, with very little side effects that are very rare to experience and also very minor.

 

Different people repond differently to medications, so it is hard to say what you can expect. You can ask (gently) which medication her doctor is recommending. A good way of framing the question is to say you are curious because you'd like to know how to support her in it. After that, you can look up the list of side effects and do a bit of studying on that particular medication. She may get tons of side effects, she may get very few.

I've been on some medications that both my parents were on, and I responded differently than either of them did. You just gotta take it with a fresh set of eyes and unassuming expectations, one day at a time. Sometimes the fix will be worse than the condition. Sometimes it helps a bit. Some people need a crutch to get by for a while, or to take the edge off the worst of things.

At the end of the day, your ear and arm will probably be appreciated. Sometimes it really just helps to have someone with you when you go through these things. You sound like your hearts in the right place, all the best to ya!