Alternative to Benzos

[Tea & Sympathy]

After a lengthy period of restlessness I was given 14 Valium 2mg, my GP refuses to give me a new prescription.

 

I currently take Propranalol the Beta-blocker for anxiety but my 160mgSR may have triggered extreme fatigue so I've had to drop it down to 80mgSR again.

 

Does anyone know of any alternatives to Benzos for anxiety that aren't as addictive?

I need something less drowsy than Propranalol for my anxiety but i'll never be prescribed Benzos by my GP :/

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tea & Sympathy

[hagar]

Some people find success with meds like hydroxyzine to varying degrees. I personally didn't find it helpful, but it may be worth a try. I think it's basically just an anti-histamine and has no real potential for addiction, though it may make you drowsy. 

[Squish]

I live in the UK and I was offered a prescription of this, so you can probably get it. The only thing is that it can be used as a sleep med. I chose not to take it because I already have difficulty with fatigue but it might be worth a try.

[Wooster]

Some people find buspar useful.

 

Also, psychotherapy is often an effective long term solution.

 

ETA: low dose seroquel and some of the antidepressants have been helpful for some people too.

[Tea & Sympathy]

Pdoc did mention Buspar but said i needed to wait until my next appointment for the script, which isn't until the end of March.

 

Going really stir crazy :/

[Wooster]

Have you thought about exploring mindfulness based cognitive therapy?

 

Some of the exercises can really help calm me down when I am spinning. Here's one I like in particular called "the body scan".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKQAmtfra3k

[Tea & Sympathy]

I've recently started trying mindfulness out coincidentally but its like an inner restless feeling that is hard to relax with :/

[Wooster]

Yep. It IS totally hard to relax with.

 

The point isn't necessarily to relax, but to pay gentle attention to the sensations, whatever they are.

 

There is one teacher that I really like who says, "Check back in 10 years to see how much progress you've made."

 

But seriously, regular mindfulness practice can do wonders for anxiety because it helps us learn how to BE WITH the anxiety without having the anxiety take over.

[Tea & Sympathy]

I like that explanation, I need to try it out more so I'll stick with it & see how it goes.

 

Thank you

[Phoenix_Rising]

Mindfulness is a great way to deal with anxiety.

 

I thought I would mention Gabapentin (Neurontin).  I have found it very effective in reducing anxiety.

[HAL9000]

I can't think of its name Vysteral?   Someone said that while taking it they found it impossible to have anxiety problems.  And its not a benzo or a sedative / sleeping pill or beta blocker.     Buspar (for me) is subtle.  Its not like taking Valium but I think it helps for the background level anxiety.

[tamagotchi]

HAL9000 I think you mean Vistaril (hydroxyzine) an antihistamine.  Now that I think of it... I never tried that, I asked my pdoc about it once, but I was in the middle of a whole lot of other crap and we agreed to talk about it later, and then forgot.

Edited February 20, 2014 by tamagotchi

[confused]

I take lexapro for anxiety and depression.  I am still anxious, but I think it helps.  I did cbt also which helped with anxiety, too.  I try a number of things: breaking things into small steps, approaching things I fear (acting against impulse), deep breathing.  It all helps some and adds up so I am not as anxious as I used to be.

[peacelizard]

Vistaril does work for some people, but most find it useless. It sedates you and does very little, if anything, in terms of addressing anxiety/restlessness. To a large degree, it's like when doctors prescribe typical/atypical anti-psychotics as PRNs for anxiety. It's usually either because they're already on a benzo to begin with, they don't prescribe controlled substances for anxiety as a rule, or the person has a history of substance abuse. In less likely cases, it's to manage anxiety due to psychosis -- i.e. auditory hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, etc.

 

As someone else suggested, you could try gabapentin (Neurontin). It's a pretty safe drug and for the most part, it's difficult to abuse. The only real downside is that it seems to be hit or miss -- some people find it very helpful and others don't think it does anything. It seems like most people have to get to a fairly high dosage 600mg+ to notice a difference. The effect is also very subtle as compared to benzodiazepines. Personally, I don't feel as physically relaxed while on it; it's more of a cognitive thing. Like I won't be as conscious of my social anxiety when in social situations. 

[Tea & Sympathy]

I've been on Buspar for a couple of months now, it's helped on a whole with my anxiety but I still have restlessness, i may ask pdoc to up my dose see if that helps

[San]

Gabapentin is decent for anxiety.. A lot of SSRI's are used. Luvox is approved for anxiety, as is Cymbalta. Lexapro is too, I take it for anxiety.

[koa]

I've found that a magnesium powder supplement mixed with water has a calming effect.  Most people are already deficient in magnesium, so it is a pretty good solution for a little bit of relief.  You might also try herbal supplements such as passionflower that may or may not work for you.

[quiet storm]

Ive been taking magnesium for years. I believe its a great mineral to take. Its involved with hundreds of enzymes in the body. Its good for general overall health above what it may do for you mentally. And as mentioned alot of folks are deficient. Its a natural mild muscle relaxent. I take 400mg at night before bed and 200mg in the morning with breakfast. I dont know if it would help with hardcore anxiety but alot of people find it very helpful for sleep. What form you take is important. Stay away from magnesium oxide as its poorly absorbed. Magnesium citrate is a good one. Dont take more than 400mg at a time because it might give you diarrhea. 

Edited May 17, 2014 by quiet storm

[Mirazh]

I did a year's worth of CBT. My therapist and I utilized the "Mind Over Mood" workbook. I benefitted greatly from the goal-oriented, logical step-by-step approach my tdoc used. One big issue for me was learning to identify and properly express my feelings - rather than getting carried away in the emotional tidal wave without awareness of what was carrying me along, also learning that some feelings I thought I was experiencing were in fact incorrectly identified. Eg: my anxiety is easily expressed as anger or frustration, and it has been useful to be able to spot the true root of my behaviour/feeling. Learning to identify emotions through what kind of thoughts are in my head, what kind of physical sensations I am experiencing, what sort of behaviours I am engaging in, etc.

Finding ways to counter, ease, lessen the intensity of, redirect, etc. what I am feeling or focusing on. Learning, gradually, over time and with lots of repetition, that reducing anxiety from 95% to 80% is still a reduction in my overall anxiety, that I am not failing if I am unable to bring it to 0%.

Exploring, learning, trying out, and of course utilizing self soothing and/or distractive methods. Breathing deeply so that I move my lower belly when I inhale and exhale, reducing sensory inputs if/when possible, replacing sensory inputs with other things that I find soothing and/or distracting (aromatherapy, reading, smartphone, music, conversation with a good friend, colouring books, drawing, knitting, crochet, fuzzy things, flapping my hands, cuddling kitties, cartoons, soothing simple puzzle games...)

Exercise. Yoga. Spiritual practice, if you have one.

Of course, my bipolar disorder had to be addressed with treatment. I get dysphoric/irritable/anxious hypomanias, and when I am manic all my anxieties amp up exponentially. These non-med techniques can still prove helpful - once I turned the livingroom into a blanket fort so I'd have a quiet, darker, safer space to hide in. But if the root cause is a bipolar episode, everything else is just to potentially help me cope until the mood episode is back under control.

I do use a benzo, clonazepam (generic Klonopin) on an as-needed basis. Sometimes the anxiety is so overwhelming I require it to get me started, and then work through some of my arsenal of coping/soothing/distraction methods once it kicks in. I am also known to sometimes take it pre-emptively, like when I was going to get a half-rotted wisdom tooth pulled. Ideally I try non-med methods first, but sometimes it's not feasible. I have found over the years that I need my clonazepam less and less often.

That is just for anxiety on its own, mind. I use it much more frequently, even daily, when manic (as per dr's instructions.) In hypo/manic episodes I also use very very low-dose Seroquel - like it doesn't work as an antipsychotic at the low level I take it at, more like a hefty tranq and/or sleep aid (I also have a specific sleep aid, for mania or otherwise - it can help if, say, I'm too anxious to sleep. I take zopiclone/Imovane, again, as needed.)

If my anxiety or agitation is MASSIVE, outsidde of a manic episode, and especially if I amm out of clonazepam, I will use my Seroquel.

My GP has more concerns about my being on a benzo than my pdoc does, but both just ask me to keep them up to date with usage frequency, and what else I do to manage my anxiety.

Personally I am unconcerrned about addiction potential, as I have LOTS of history with addiction to various substances, and hell I'm trying to quit smoking again. Four out of my five medications have demand on illicit markets for recreational use (or to cope with effects of recreational use of other things,) the exception being my mood stabilizer, which I have a physical dependance on. Four out of five of my meds have the potential for some level of physical dependency, but I only take two daily and one of the daily meds (Dexedrine) doesn't have a big issue with physical dependency (though yes folks can get worried about it being abused/being psychologically addictive/etc.)

I know it so very much depends on your doctor, well, and you too. Just, clonazepam has helped me a lot and I think it's a shame when I see others never even getting the chance to learn if it could help.

Ummmm... some folks have good results with some of the AAPs for anxiety. Some SSRIs are commonly used for anxiety management too - in fact I was trialled on Lexapro (aka Cipralex) for my anxiety... er, before we found out that I have BP. Lowering caffeine intake can help some. Conversely, if you. Have ADHD some of us find that stimulant therapy can help our anxiety - mine does.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Mirazh

[Lady Krazy Kat]

I personally am one who has actually has good success with Vistaril.  I actually find it more helpful (i.e. anxiety-reducing) than benzos, but that could be because I have developed a tolerance to benzos.  Right now, I take Klonopin daily more as a preventative for generalized anxiety, and I take Vistaril PRN for breakthrough anxiety/acute anxiety.  

 

I had been taking Ativan as my PRN with the klonopin instead (yeah-- 2 benzos together-- the pharmacy loved to flag that one), but when I was IP last time, they gave Vistaril as PRNs and I found that so much more helpful.  So I stuck with the Vistaril afterward and ditched the Ativan.  But, as with anything, YMMV, and I think my reaction is not typical.  (FWIW, I have found every other medication I've taken, from SSRIs to mood stabilizers and even the sedating AAPs like Seroquel-- to actually cause me anxiety.)

[melissaw72]

Are you sure it is the propranolol that is the med making you drowsy?

[Tea & Sympathy]

I'm not sure but since I've stopped it my fatigue has lessened slightly...may just be a coincidence though my fatigue is pretty random