Propranolol is one of the most common pharmaceutical treatments in the UK, alongside SSRIs and SNRIs. It's more common for social anxiety or phobia than generalised anxiety. It's a particularly popular choice for the treatment of young people, because of the suicide risk associated with SSRIs.

Pregabalin is growing in popularity as a second-line treatment if SSRIs or SNRIs are ineffective or poorly tolerated. Some caution is necessary here, due to the uncertainty over dependency, the potential for abuse and possible risks of suicidality. It doesn't appear to be more effective than the common SSRI treatments, although it may be better for treating psychosomatic symptoms.

I was given Gabapentin when I started having seizures. My seizures became worse. We didn't know why, so months go by. Until one day I had enough and stopped it - no more seizures since then (and they were calling this treatment resistant epilepsy.) It took me about a MONTH of insane withdrawal effects and maybe 3 months to come back to baseline again.

I've had benzos, painkillers to help with the after seizure care, and their withdrawals were absolutely nothing compared to the gaba/prega. Most medications give you maybe a week at max of physical withdrawals, not a month...

However, it's absolutely great for anxiety! I would really exercise caution to everybody. If you don't believe me, Google first hand accounts on Reddit, Bluelight etc.

I would never touch it again.

Medication isn't indicated as a first line treatment for anxiety. An evidence-based talking therapy is. That would be something like 12 to 14 weeks of cognitive behaviour therapy; one hour per week; face to face with a therapist; not in group sessions.

If that doesn't work or if the anxiety is particularly severe (anxiety disorders can be debilitating and cause years lost to disability) medication might be indicated.

> propranalol

I've noticed an atypical anti-anxiety benefit from metropolol (which I take for the usual bp/heart effects). It's not an anxiolytic; it won't do much to stop stop a panic attack that has already started. What it does is reduce the slope of increasing anxiety, which means more time before a minor/moderate anxiety can grow into a full panic. Very occasionally this has let me avoid a panic attack.