Anxiety and depression

My experience is anti anxiety medicine just masks the issues. I took benzos for years. Tapered off clonazepam in 2018. I did take busioerone briefly in 2023. No help. I need and still do to directly address the root causes. I have ptsd. I take escitalopram 10mg daily. Watching whether I become dysregulated using polyvagal therapy meditation reading quiet time is vital. And for me news politics current is so negative. I cannot discuss this anymore. I am keeping current with changes to SSA medicare etc. But that is it.I like online support groups too.

Every single medication mentioned has side effects and for some reason I get them all. So the first thing I'd warn you about: look up the side effects, talk to the pharmacist they know more about this than the psychiatrists. Constipation is a big one; increased blood pressure can be a problem; platelet problems happened to me on Lexapro and I found out by accident because I had an annual blood workup while on it, forget it, dangerous side effect. Another one, wish I could remember which one, blew out a tiny cataract in my right eye, overnight. Prozac is ototoxic and blew out my left eustachian tube, took more than 3 months for it to go back to normal. Admittedly, I am very sensitive to drugs but this should tell everyone something: we're putting foreign stuff into our bodies, forcing them to metabolize this stuff, and if you don't absolutely need it, don't do it. Plus, getting off these drugs is an acid trip. I was put on Remeron and took it for a year at bedtime after suffering a life stopping horrific and tragic loss. Then the idiot psychiatric nurse practitioner told me to stop taking it, so I did. I went on a 3 week long trip from hell and I looked online to see if it was withdrawal and found out there are clinics JUST for remeron withdrawal, that's how bad and dangerous it can be. Don't just TRUST these people, do alot of homework and be prepared for side effects. Plus, get blood work done regularly to check liver, kidneys, RBC and WBC, etc.