I have gad and social anxiety as well and have tried several herbs and plenty of meds too. My body has bad reactions to ssris and tricyclics, and st. John's wort had only mild and unreliable benefits. Of the herbs, kava kava had the best effect, though there have been very rare cases of liver issues. What works the best by far for me is low-dose xanax, though deep breathing/meditation help some too. Some docs are terrified to prescribe xanax at all, let alone for regular use, because addiction-prone people can have to be weaned off it if they take it for a long time or in high doses. Most people, though, stablilize at a certain level and experience no problems, and plenty of doctors still prescribe plenty of xanax (it's actually one of the most prescribed drugs, for a reason, it actually works . . . Maybe there's a correlation between getting results from a drug and wanting to take it . . . Hmm!). After discarding a doc who wouldn't prescribe it (though he had no issue pumping me full of four different ssris that only gave me awful side effects), I found a doc who is well regarded and who jokingly calls xanax, vitamin x. You have to weigh costs and benefits for yourself. If you do the research, the benefits are clearly established, and for the vast majority of people, the costs are nonexistent. It's greatly enriched my life, with no side effects beyond the first day (i was a little spacy on the first day). An alternative is an off-label use of neurontin, but even at 2400 mg a day of that (a pretty high dose) it never worked as well as a tiny dose of xanax.

The sjw is doing pretty well for me. For one thing I have never slept better in my life. I sleep all night and never stir or awake.

Any sexual side effects with the xanax? How much are you taking?

I am going for a follow up up next week. I may mention xanax.

Glad you are feeling better. I take 1/2 to 1 mg xanax, anywhere from 0 to 4 times a day. Because it's so fast acting I just keep some with me and wait to take it only if I need it. Many days I take none; other days I may take 2 mg. Just depends on what's going on.

I am taking buspar for anxiety and panic. I have only been on it for a month but I think it is helping a little. The side effects bothered me at first but then they stopped after a while. I also take ativan because I had a reaction with xanax. I love the ativan. It stops my panic really well

well I went for my follow up and my Dr. Prescribed me with xanax. I have a supply of the 0.25mg pills. Up to 3x a day if needed. After 3 days on this drug I am very pleased with it. I only take (1) of the 0.25 pills per day. One half in the morning and the other half before bed. Even though I feel a bit sleepy after taking it, I feel I can concentrate much better and actually feel I have more energy. No side efects like I had with the ssri's. I actually find food appealing again as well. It has really increased my appetite.

It kinda breaks me from the constant internal churning I have in my mind about things I have no control over. I'm able to ignore the issues that get me frustrated at work or home that make me angry and depressed. In the end I seem to be able to cope without things tearing me apart inside.

For the people with anxiety and panic problems, I (had) anxiety and panic attacks for years, about 15 years. I had it very bad. I didn't even like leaving my house sometimes! I wouldn't fly or go to family functions, I was a mess. I tried lots of different drugs and saw a few psychiatrists, no help! When the internet hit the scene I started doing my own studying. First I thought I would figure out which drug would cure me! I found that drugs kept me high; I was looking to be well, not high! So I looked in to meditation. That has really help calm the clutter down in my indianapolis raceway brain! Now I can scramble my thoughts at will with no drugs! It works very well but it didn't happen over night. It took about 3 to 4 months. I also keep my self in much better shape physically and that helps as well. Breathing correctly plays a major roll in not letting panic attacks over take you while your mind is sprinting to get away! (i know you know what that means). So now I meditate, exercise and make sure I breathe right! Things still stress me out a bit, but I can handle them very well now. I haven't had a panic attack since I started to meditate 7 years ago, that is really something, because I had some attacks so bad that I passed out once. P.S. The meditation I do is transcendental meditation. It is very easy to learn and everyone there is usually there for lifes stresses as well! I'm sure most any type of meditation will work, they all have the same purpose...Its all about not thinking, clear your mind a couple times a day! I did'nt think that was possible! It is, it works wonders. This is your life here, take it back, its worth every minute!