Alanism,
I am on no other anxiety meds now. I take other meds but not for anxiety. I was taking the Prozac a few years ago. I think they tried me on a couple of others, amitriptyline for one, but I coukdn't take that but I am very sensitive to medications. I have never heard of sertraline or know anyone that has used it. If possibke, I don't like feeling doped up.
When I first started taking the Xanax, yes, I took more but still seldom more then two pills a day. Yes, I used to take a whole one at bed time. There have been days when I might take 1/2 pill twice during the day. There were a few times, very few, that I did take the allotted 3 pills in a day. I have been trying to cut down for some time and was down to just the 1/2 pill at night. Remember, I have been taking this for 10 years.
I will add that I have also gone for counseling on and off and that helped. Do you go for counseling or have you considered it? Half the battle can getting help to understand why this is happening. You get anxious, get focused on that which makes you more anxious and it escalates. I get it. Yes, sometimes you just have to power through it. The few times that can still happen, I take 1/2 pill and lay down for a while, might dose off, and it passes. Everyone is different so you need to see what works for you. Would I recommend being on this med this long? No, but for my circumstances , this is what has worked for me. Again, talk to your doctor about this, always. Do consider some counseling and try that slow, deep breathing. You will get this under control once you figure out the cause. 👍