Drugs for anxiety and paranoia helpful or a bad idea?

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I have never been on any kind of tablet but I do get anxiety and I get paranoid but given a life with Aspergers I think I have good reason.

Anyway for people that are on medication does it work or are we better off just staying as we are?

In work I went for a job interview about a month ago for a permanent job I had to wait two weeks to see if I had it.

For the two weeks I was worrying to say the very least and I was paranoid.

I got the job and for the last two weeks my mood has been up and down until the last two days.

I think it was a rebound from the worrying.

Should I just accept this as part of who I am or think about something to stop we worrying and getting paranoid about things in the future?

I am guessing being on medication might have side effects and there is no such thing as a magic pill.

Anyway I do want to talk about my own situation since I am happy and feeling settled once more I would just like to get opinions on anti anxiety medications from people that have used them.


Another thing I know I have started a few threads in the last week or so but this one is not really about me I just though it would be a good idea to have a thread about medications so we can all benefit from a sharing of knowledge on the subject.

the situation you describe sounds like the normal ups and downs of life. I wouldn't medicate that.

That is what I was thinking too thanks.

It's not always just the ups and downs of life. For some it leads to repeated breakdowns and absolute misery. Sometimes the medication can be the boost you need to help pull yourself out of the anxiety and paranoia. Once you find that on the medicine you can talk to someone without it resulting in shaking and white hot anger for the next six hours... you may just consider it a life-saver that you tried the medicine.

I have a good deal of experience with modern anxiety meds and studied them a bit in college, and I have to say that while they have their uses, they are definitely not for everyone who has anxiety. Benzos work great for temporary, occasional anxiety, but they are terribly addictive and abuse is very common. I have known and lived with benzo addicts, and they are not fun to be around. SSRI's and other types of re-uptake inhibitors don't pose much threat for abuse, but they tend to have terrible side-effects and aren't effective for many people. They must work well for some people (obviously), but for myself and everyone I know who has taken them, they were either ineffective, had terrible side-effects, or both. Some of the side-effects can be quite terrifying also (and they can be difficult for you to asses when you are medicated).

I think that anxiety meds are good for people who really need them, but for many they are a bigger compromise than any advertisement would have you believe. I have also seen people become psychologically dependent on SSRI's and scared to go off them, even if they didn't do anything in the first place. I suggest that anyone considering anxiety meds do a lot of research before taking the plunge. The Cult of Pharmacology by Richard DeGrandpre is a good read if you have the time.

Another consideration is to explore alternative treatments. Searching the internet will give you lots of ideas, many of which are much cheaper than medications or psychotherapy.

am prescribed diazepam-long term/permenent as part of daily medication;morning and night and as PRN use [=as and when required],have been on it for many many years for PRN use for autism related issues [challenging behavior and severe anxiety from biggish changes],and last september,was sectioned in greenways intelectual disability assessment and treatment hospital for four months and was prescribed it on a regular daily basis to take morning and night as well as PRN-am not on a ton of it like used to be [from sixteen mg to six mg,its still six mg now] when in hospital and did not have any addictive effects from it so far when it was reduced whilst an inpatient there.

all addiction is bad to be around,it creates so much anxiety in everyone.

I am willing to take that into consideration.

It depends on your level of anxiety and what your definition of paranoia is. I've dealt with many kinds of severe anxiety disorders without medication and my current is quite debilitating so I'm considering going on medication for it. I've had good results from SSRI's in the past with few side effects. They just stopped being effective one day and instead of upping the dosage I slowly weaned off them. SSRI's do take away repetitive behaviour and our special interests but if anxiety is taking over you life then it's a sacrifice some people need to take for awhile.

For me paranoia is thinking people are spying on me, talking about me and even wanting to do harm to me.

Worrying about getting a job seems normal to mildly anxious to me. My level of anxiety would have me dream up the worst possible scenarios of getting the job, getting the call saying I didn't get it and any other horrible thing I can relate to it.

So, I wouldn't worry about going on meds for something very basic thought redirection can get you through.

I started taking buspar for anxiety a few months ago. I was scared to take it even though it is not a controlled substance like a benzo. I am in recovery from drug addiction and try to avoid drugs of abuse unless absolutely necessary.

To be honest, I have always had a high baseline level of anxiety, so being nervous all the time was normal for me. I didn't think it was a problem. Not being anxious for me would be like a fish discovering it is wet. That is how I feel now that I am on medication. I am calm and the absence of anxiety is very noticeable. I never felt this way before unless I was really high or I had just meditated for about ten or twenty minutes. I don't have any negative side effects from taking the buspar. It doesn't make me feel high or anything. I haven't abused it either. Also, I don't feel the NEED to medicate my feelings as much now that I am taking the buspar. Based on these results, I have to conclude that my anxiety has always been at a level where medical intervention might have helped. It is not normal anxiety.

By the way, the doctor put me on the anti-anxiety medication because the physical effects of all the anxiety were making me shut down and not be able to function. I couldn't do any school work because I was so anxious and overwhelmed, ended up flunking my college classes.

Could I survive without taking the anti-anxiety medication? Yes, but it would be harder for me to manage my anxiety. I would go back to abusing caffeine, sugar, food, and nicotine on a continuous basis to deal with my ever-present anxiety. I prefer to make life a little bit easier for myself by continuing to take the medication.