Dealing with anxiety

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3 years ago I started taking an ssri drug to ease out my social anxiety / depression. And it helped me with that. After using it regularly i got a terrible side effect so i decided to quit. Also i feel like they just numb the brain.

Anyways, now, for 2 months I've not been taking any antidepressants or drugs. Now i get anxiety problem time to time. Sometimes i wake up with fast heartbeat and deep thoughts. Sometimes i freeze up when talking to strangers. I thought ive overcome anxiety and depression but i have to admit its yet to come to an end.

So, what can I do to soothe my mental problems without returning to antidepressants and taking them forever?

Im so fed up living like this but I dont have any much options

Some people take benefit from alternative medicines that supposedly help for anxiety.

Alternatively, you could take an anti-anxiety medication that isn't an SSRI and which is more specific for anxiety, rather than anxiety/depression.

Anxiety isn't easy to handle. I get anxious about stuff that isn't important like trying to get a hold of people at times, waiting for stuff in the mail sometimes, PMS, I get anxious about my weight. I have sympathy for anyone who goes through anxiety since I go through it.

Anxiety for me is constant. Know that the majority of people will not understand and will judge you for it because they cannot understand what it is like to have Autism and anxiety.
To me they go hand in hand. People want you to act normal. You try, but masking is destructive and leads to more anxiety -- being anxious about being anxious.

I'm struggling with anxiety as well and I fully empathize. Please take care of yourself. This world is hard on those with an invisible condition like Autism.

I'm a bit cynical I admit. I've faxed a lot of abandonment in lofr because I'm "too much".

I feel very alone at 45 knowing no other people with Autism my age.

Good luck.

It is worth mentioning, because I don't think any professionals will bother, that sensory overwhelm and anxiety are very similar in feel and if you try to treat sensory overwhelm with medication or anxiety with stimming, it's probably not going to go well.

I thought that I was constantly anxious, but much of it was driven by sensory issues.

I use to get panic attacks a lot. For a long time i relied on popping benzos, made things far worse long term.

I have a little mental checklist i go through when my anxiety hits. Still anxious but nowhere as near how extreme i use to be.

One thing though is i use to enjoy a tipple every once in a while..oddly enough no longer drinking alcohol has helped.

But when i was getting to grips with anxiety, i use to have an item i took with me in my pocket. It was a smooth pebble my mum had given me. It had a nice memory attachment and also felt nice. I used it as my grounder. So when anxiety started up i could put my hand in my pocket and hold it. I would try and focus my mind on how it felt and remember the memory to trigger good feelings and ground myself.

I would always remove myself from the situation, even if it was just 5 mins loo break. Just to get out to recenter...i did it in a supermarket once left the trolley, came back 5 mins and it was still there haha

I know some people use breathing techniques, but i never could. My panic attacks started with myself thinking i was suffocating, so focusing on breathing for me made me spiral.

There is that 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can feel one...but in the midst of panic my thought process isnt that great.

I use to have a bottle if water with me too, i would have a few sips. No idea why just helped me.

A good hack for this is to count while breathing. Cycles of 4 are good and easy. Or, if you're fancy, you can do simple math instead of just counting. That way you're focused on numbers instead of what your chesty air sponges are doing.

But yes, sipping water is another good way to break the parasympathetic feedback loop that people get stuck in when an anxiety attack barrels in out of nowhere. Body-scanning and progressive muscle relaxation is also a good way to combine physical response reduction along with warming up the brain to cognitive strategies. Any which way, the body relaxation is critical. You're brain isn't going to listen to you if it's receiving messages from your body that danger is around, no matter how wrong those messages are.

Hey! You're not alone, I have anxiety too

My first panic attack was in my early twenties, and I've had them every few months since - usually around some perceived terrible health condition. Out of breath when sitting down? It's probably a heart attack. Having difficulty concentrating? Must be a stroke.

I'll share a few things that have helped me.

(1) Modifying my environment. At my last job, I had an abusive boss with whom miscommunications were frequent and they would yell at me sometimes, which always had me on edge. I quit that job, and being unemployed with the lack of structure and expectations was almost as stressful. Now I have a job with a boss who neither gaslights nor yells at me, with a regular schedule, and it's much better. A similar thing has played out with my other relationships, both friends and my partner.
(2) Anxiety meducation on the weekends. This has actually helped quite a bit. After I had a particularly severe panic attack, the EMTs said I should see a doctor to get some medication, so I did. But taking it on a regular basis made it incredibly difficult to think, and I couldn't do my job effectively. So now I only take it (Hydroxyzine) on weekends. I get the anti-anxiety benefit during the times where I can relax, and avoid the side effects during the workweek.
(3) Accepting that I'm just different, and that's OK. My brain is just built to be more risk-averse than most people. That doesn't mean there's anything "wrong" with me, but it does mean I stay far away from high places, prefer not to travel, and like to keep my routines constant.

In my experience psych meds can be a lot of trial & error. If one med does not help or causes undesirable side-effects, it might be worth trying a different med. I tried at least 20 different psych meds during 15/20 years & the four I'm currently on are working well together. The med Buspar/Buspirone helps my anxiety alot. I tried it because it is specially for anxiety instead of being an antidepressant & unlike benzos it's meant to be taken regularly long term. I've been on it for over 11 years now & the only side-effect I've noticed is that I bruise more easily & I'm on the max dose. I'll also throw this out since OCD is related to anxiety. I take Neurontin/Gabapentin for OCD, it helps with my obsessions & compulsions. I started it not long after I got on Buspar. The two meds work well together for me. Neurontin is a seizure med but me & my girlfriend are both on it for OCD instead & she's also on it for pain issues. As I typed, psych meds can be lots of trial & error so others may or may not have the good luck I've had on these two. I'm not recommending anything except to do some research & take a proactive approach with your health.

Other things that help my anxiety are being in a better living situation, being in a long-term stable relationship. Trying to work on myself in various ways & trying to address some of my anxiety causes & triggers. While the meds help my anxiety & some other mental issues, I need to work on myself as well & the meds make that easier for me to handle.

I have major very severe anxiety and panic attacks at times.
Mostly caused by physical chronic illness flare ups either my vestibular migraines or SIBO.
Phobias and anything that reminds me of my past trauma also triggers it big time.

I've taken Pregabalin(Lyrica) on and off about 15 times.
It really helps almost get rid of my anxiety and control my vestibular migraines.
But sadly I've had severe depression,dark thoughts,extreme anger issues/rage,libido issues,brain fog/memory issues,numbed emotions at other times as extreme side effects that wouldn't go away.
Also had increased anxiety and insomnia the first few days,then mega sedation,dizziness,balance issues,dry mouth,headache,blurred vision,raging hunger on it too.
And strangely enough the first two doses I get a euphoric high on it too.

Nothing else I tried works for me.
And if the vestibular migraines are triggered they last 1-1.5 weeks or 2 weeks usually.
Had them last 3 months twice in 2019(worst year of my life).