Why don’t anxiety meds work for me?

@dorothy1914 You initially wrote that your experienced anxiety came out of nowhere. I thought the same when I first experienced intense anxiety and panic attacks over 40 years ago. With time and a good psychiatrist who also provided psychotherapy I learned that the anxiety I experienced was due to my marriage and my husband. I was able to finally manage the anxiety with the psychiatrist I've already mentioned who worked with me to not only find a medication that worked but also listened to me.

@dorothy1914 You wrote in a later post that your husband is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This is a devastating diagnosis and surely alters how you and your husband thought your senior years would look like. Is there a Caregivers Support Group you can attend where you can talk about your own experiences and fears and listen when others share theirs? You may have a lot in common with others who are living with a spouse with Parkinson disease. Or do you see a mental health therapist? In my experience the combination of a mental health therapist who you feel a connection to (as I did with my former psychiatrist) and medication that works for you after you've made it through the initial side effects (I had that too, by the way) is a helpful way to address anxiety. With a therapist you will also learn coping skills to get you through periods of intense anxiety.

Do you have thoughts or comments about my suggestions?

Paxil worked beautifully for me until I needed to change meds.
The withdrawal from Paxil can be severe so I can’t recommend it.
Beware!

I don’t know what to do? I am pretty much frozen with fear and have developed some Obsessive Compulsive habits. I am ruminating over getting materials prepared for our IRS taxes. Can’t sleep at all so I take 1/2 mg of Ativan when I am desperate. Sometimes the Ativan helps, other times, it’s as if I took nothing. I have talk therapy with my psychiatrist as he doesn’t prescribe meds. I will look for support groups for Parkinson’s. Both my husband and I bury our heads in the sand to avoid more unpleasantness.

@dorothy1914 Are you taking over some of the things your husband used to do? Having a spouse with an illness is huge so I think that a tendency to "bury your head" to avoid unpleasantness isn't working very well. That could be why the anxiety, fear, and obsessive tendencies are popping out every which way. Can you talk with your therapist more about this?

My husband has always taken on the lion’s share of keeping us going. I did anything having to do with finances: paying the bills, preparing for tax time, etc. We both did the laundry and cooking but in later years relied on take out meals and entrees from local food stores. He is still doing what he had done previously, but now has taken on more than ever. My hands shake so badly from anxiety that I showed him how to write out the checks. Some days I force myself to write a check and it looks like a 3 year old wrote it. My husband left the work force at 58 (lost his job) and I left my job at 60 (due to a hostile Department Head (big mistake). I think all these years of doing nothing has also led me to where I am now. Feeling useless. I see my therapist on Tuesday. I am afraid I am a lost cause and will never recover. We have started selling some prized possessions as we may have to move due to my increased feelings of isolation.

I take Buspar and Gabapentin for anxiety and 3 antidepressants. While these help ((I too have been trying various meds over the last 9 years), I have deep pain that is behind the fear and anxiety and depression I have. I continue to be in therapy to address these issues. Reading God’s word, prayer, and being in church community as I can have been enormously helpful. All to say that the meds are definitely helpful, but only go so far. The whole package of dealing with the underlying issues must be dealt with too. I don’t know if this applies to you, but I offer it as something to factor into your hope.

All drugs have side effects but hopefully you will find the right combination that works for you.
Sometimes the side effects do go away.
Good luck to you.

Gabapentin is really not an antidepressant but rather something that is prescribed for a myriad of things off label. Try Wellbutrin with your Zoloft and hopefully that helps. Wellbutrin is not a standalone antidepressant but really works well when paired with Zoloft.
Good luck to you.

I have done genetics testing, this will let your doctor know which meds will work
best for you. Good luck!

Genomind is a company that does that genetic testing. To see what meds are okay and effective for you. It's a simple mouth swab. Helped my son and myself tremendously. They will reduce the bill if you ask them to.

Good luck, may God bless you