I’ve been summoned now by NAV, the bureau responsible for employment here, and my anxiety is off the scale. Having been in a state of constant anxiety now for a year (since awaiting my summons to my GP in order for him to send me on in the health system), I feel very weary. My concentration is worse than ever. I don’t wanna go through another month feeling like this, I’m at the end of what I can stand.

I’m waiting to be summoned to the psychiatrist soon, and I will then bring up this issue. I hope she’ll prescribe something. I am usually a bit high strung but nothing like this, and since it’s been going on for so long, I am hoping she’ll agree to give me something for short term relief. She’s not easy on precriptions – I must have come to the one psychiatrist in the world who’s reluctant to prescribe medications. I thought the opposite was usually the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s not eager to medicate every symptom out of me. I just hope she’ll help me when I actually could benefit from it.

I’m not keen on taking anything for the general anxiety I feel, but I’d like some help for this extreme version, to get through things like the time before my first meeting with NAV. I know Ativan at least can be used this way.

So, does anyone have any experience with anxiety medications? (GAD not SAD, if that makes any difference.)

Has anyone been on short term treatment for anxiety?

I’ve never taken any kind of psychiatric drug (not that I have any idea if I'll actually get one at this point either), so anything you can contribute would be helpful.

I was on Xanax for about a year or so. I had mild anxiety back then and Xanax was really really helpful. Half the pill and I'd feel so calm. Eventually, I up the dosage to one pill.
The thing about xanax is it made me forgetful. I mean really forgetful. I had much difficulties recalling names. And I often misplaced things. I felt really dumb most of the time and if I took 3 pills at one go, I'd be numb and lifeless.

Prescription drugs work differently for different people. You might want to give it a try if the anxiety you're having is hindering you from your daily important activities. But medication is always only a short term treatment, like you said. I stopped all medication, including xanax 6 months ago even though I find my anxiety is getting worse. Most important, I think, is to find out what triggers the anxiety in you and work on it.

I was once on Xanax. The problem for me with short term anxiety relief meds
is that it can be habit forming. Can't say that it doesn't do its job when used as
prescribed though.

my mom takes xanax, and she suffers from forgetfulness and memory loss too, but it's because she takes it until she's a zombie. her eyes roll around in her head, her speech gets very slow and slurred, she starts to sway and stumble around, and if you didn't know she was on xanax you'd swear she was totally blasted on booze. she nearly killed herself by driving around like that, she ran off the road and completely totaled her car on a tree. if you are prescribed xanax, please be very careful with it, and have someone monitor how you react to it. my mom never knew she was like that on xanax, because she felt perfectly calm and fine. she didn't believe me until i video taped her and showed it to her after it wore off.

Thanks for posting this.

Thanks for your response. When I brought the issue to the attention of the psychiatrist, and explained exactly how it affects me, she understood that the problem right now was that I didn't know what to expect and worried about NAV pushing me into a job I couldn't handle. She gave me a concrete, written walkthrough of what to expect at the meeting (which was really NAvs job but they blew it) and adviced me to focus on that when I started panicking again. (Not in those exact words but close enough). So far it has been a good help actually and more healthy than pills. As long as it helps I'm willing to try. Now when I start getting anxious again, I re-read the walkthrough (yeah, I know it by heart, but reading it calms me down) and I still find it helpful, so I am at a much better place now.


Before that I paced my poor feet to blisters!




Zen Mei, thanks for posting that warning. I had no idea that one could get like that when taking xanax, I thought it only calmed you down.
Again thank you very much for sharing that!







Yeah, that was the effect I was hoping for. I guess I'll never really know what it's like to be completely calm and at peace.

Hello skilpadde

I was prescribed the beta-blocker propranolol for the physical effects of anxiety. I was given them to take just before giving presentations or talks at university, as that is when I exerience the worst anxiety - the rest of the time I can deal with it on my own. They work by removing the physical symptoms only, so no more breathlessness, racing heart, clammy hands or shaky jittery feelings. Although I still mentally feel anxious, I don't show it, and that's enough to help get me through it. I found it was one thing to know yourself you are anxious, but to know others know...well that's ten times worse!

Keep it up, Skilpadde. I'm happy for you.

Thank you, OneSapphire!