Anxiety Medications
Here is a list of the anxiety medications I tried:
Benzodiazepines
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Alprazolam Regular (Xanax)
- Alprazolam XR (Xanax XR)
Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors
- Fluoxetine (Prozac) – 20mg
- Zoloft (Sertraline) – 100mg
- Pexeva (Paroxetine – Similar to Paxil, but not Paxil) – 20mg, then 30mg
- Paroxetine (Paxil) – 30mg
- Escitalopram (Lexapro) – 20mg
- Fluoxetine (Prozac) – 20mg (again)
- Fluvoxamine – 300mg
Anxiolytic
- Buspar
The Anxiety Medication I Stuck With
The medication I ultimately stayed on was Pexeva at 30mg. On this medication I did not have even one palpitation, for seven years! Panic attacks were non-existent. The only side effect was tiredness.
Because of insurance issues, I switched to Fluvoxamine, but have had two panic attacks already in less than a few months. I am currently fighting with the insurance company, Cigna, to cover Pexeva again.
In addition to Pexeva, I always have alprazolam (Xanax) in my purse. During the 7 years on Pexeva, I rarely needed it. If I did, it was preventive and I would take .25mg. Now, on Fluvoxamine, I find I need it much more often. When the two panic attacks hit, I had to take .5mg of alprazolam (Xanax), to stop the attack quickly.
If you have any questions on which side effects I felt, or how effective each one was, please send me an email.
