I don't think there's any drug that'll "Fix" your anxiety. The problem with benzos and anxiolytics is that they work short term but the tolerance is going to be bad and the rebound effect is going to be worse and last forever.

The right anti-depressant or ssri Might help, even if depression isn't the exact thing you're trying to resolve. As far as I understand, benzos or anxiolytics help manage the Really Bad Moments, the Peaks so to speak. But you cannot rely on them indefinitely. SSRIs and antidepressants are kinda poorly understood. We generally know "okay this drugs tends to hekp helps" and "this drug does x to your brain" but not "this is how doing x to your brain maps to y behavior" (the latter is all theorizing based on empirical testing, but lacks the underlying explanatory rigor physics has).

Anyways, the most useful thing I've found both in my own life and in the experience of friends is: therapy. Often times therapy +some drug to help manage things, but I think therapy forms the basis of any mental health treatment. And it has to be a good therapist who Cares and knows you well (this latter point being something you can develop over time). I think the main battle with mental health is "changing how you think" and that's what therapy + medication is good for. Therapy helps reveal limiting beliefs, shines a light on the corners of your mind that you might be overlooking, and medication helps with implementing what you learn.

I'm not a doctor, and I'm not Your doctor, so grain of salt and all.

s/hekp helps/help with y behavior

Well, I can’t speak for anyone but myself on this. I know people who are satisfied with their benzos or their SSRIs for chronic anxiety management. For me, like I said, treating my ADHD has been the best. It’s not perfect. I did have a brief period bringing klonopin back into the mix during a high stress period of my life. But that was more acute/as needed.

For me, finding the right stimulant (first ritalin then vyvanse), then the right dosage (currently 60mg per day), then recognizing I need a little more help when the XR wears off (+10mg adderall as needed) has been the best long term management I’ve ever had.

exercise was the only thing that helped me get rid of panic attacks, and the literature backs that up. here's a recent review, but there's a lot more data out there.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7642996/

ssris are often used to treat anxiety alone in the uk.

i personally found that aswagandha helped a lot in reducing my anxiety enough to start to handle it. it also totally destroyed my motovation to do anything (i took too much too often for too long). now i take 500mg ever 2-3 days but i started on 500mg a day.

I've found the same thing with all anti-anxiety supplements (ashgawandha, rhodiola, bacopa). I don't have serious anxiety problems but do have ADHD and thought they might help with the stimulant side effects - instead I just lose all motivation.

Theanine + coffee does work for me though.

L-theanine works for me, although info take it at a pretty high dosage (3x350mg), which I take twice, once in the morning when I get up which gets me through the workday, and then the same about 2 hours before I go to bed. The effect is fairly subtle, since it doesn’t have the obvious sedating effect or a benzo, but it seems to do something for me, at least, to take the edge off.

I’ve been on this regime for about 2 years now, and haven’t noticed any sort of tolerance build up.

For me, a mixture of minimum doses of Ritalin & Modafinil helps (doctor prescribed).

Breathing exercises work. I do them every single day, and I no longer have to take anxiety medication. I am almost always aware of my /breathing patterns/.

You may want to search for "breathing" on Hacker News.

Here are actual extremely informative comments to go through, sorted by most recent (this is important because of COVID-19 as people have been thinking about breathing more): https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

Here are recent links ("stories") posted to Hacker News, sorted by most recent: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

Here is an overview about breathing:

What I ultimately do is Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) using 2 separate devices. There are two main forms of RMT: Respiratory Muscle Strength Training (RMST) and Respiratory Muscle Endurance Training (RMET). I do both, and both of which requires separate devices.

For RMST there are two types of training: Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) and Expiratory Muscle Training (EMT). Most devices do only IMT. The device I use does both IMT and EMT.

Anyways, I am out-of-shape and there are studies to prove that Respiratory Muscle Endurance Training (RMET) reduces fatigue when exercising. I have benefited tremendously from RMET, both from an exercise and anxiety standpoint. Anyways, RMET is a big deal in countries like Switzerland and Germany.

Books to consult:

There are two books to consult on Respiratory Muscle Training, which you can find on https://libgen.rs

* "Breathe Strong, Perform Better" by Alison McConnell

* "Respiratory Muscle Training: Theory and Practice" by Alison McConnell

This book, Breathology, however, will help you regulate your breathing, and become more aware of it, to reduce anxiety: https://www.breatheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/INTR...

Now to the important stuff regarding breathing and anxiety:

Anyways, sorry for the ramble, but the most useful device I use is the IDIAG P100 (https://www.idiag.ch/en/idiag-p100-en/). There is a site with PDFs on how to train with it here: (https://www.idiag.ch/en/idiag-p100-training/).

It is profoundly useful and anxiety reducing because it has a technology called isocapnic hyperpnea. This means that it always regulates the air you breathe, so that you maintain the same level of carbon dioxide that you exhaled, the whole time you use it.

When I feel tense, I put the IDIAG P100 device into "Free Training" mode, and I just hyperventilate into the mouthpiece to relieve tension. I stop using it once my breathing frequency is about 13-16 breaths per minute and my breathing pattern seems normal. It really helps me relieve tension. I am actually going to use it now.

I just used it, and I actually just accidentally fell asleep using it, while continuing its use. The isocapnic hypernia made all the difference. When I was awake, my tightness in my chest went away. When I was asleep, I noticed that my muscles were not tight at all, and I was sleeping restfully (I have 2 rare immune-mediated neuromuscular diseases affecting my peripheral nervous system,, so such a circumstance is rare and extremely unusual). I also had detailed and amazing dreams. Anyways, I need to make something like this for sleep, utilizing isocapnic hyperpnea.

The IDIAG P100 is both a RMET and RMST device, along with being Respiratory Muscle Sprint-Interval Training (RMSIT) device (which is a new technique superior to both traditional RMET and RMST): https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/02000/Effec...)

Anyways, I use the RMET daily, and I train for 30 minutes each day. I breathe 50-80% of my maximum lung capacity, for each breath, at 40-70 breaths per minute. It is really difficult but it pays off when it comes to reducing fatigue and anxiety. About 15 minutes in, even though it is hard, it becomes extremely relaxing, and continues to be throughout the rest of the training. I do this when I wake up in the morning and it drastically reduces my anxiety.

Another tool I use (which I recommend you start off with) is the Airofit, which is a Respiratory Muscle Strength (RMST) training device. Because of it, I am always aware of my breathing and my breathing patterns. It is an essential tool for reducing my anxiety. It is a threshold flow resistive respiratory muscle training device (consult this: https://www.hilarispublisher.com/open-access/a-review-on-res...). This means that you have to blow at a certain level (low threshold, in this case) to activate the device, then its valves restrict the flow of your breathing. You can change the settings (valves) by turning the device, on both the expiratory and insipratory sides.

Anyways, it is a digital device, and it has several training programs. It also has a spirometer within the device, so you can measure your progress. Also, the app is awesome, and so is their customer support! It teaches you things like square and circle breathing in the app which will help you relax. Anyways, you can use the device with YouTube videos (that people recommend in the comments that I linked to on Hacker News). You just open the app, and go to the program "Relaxation: Freedom".

The "Relaxation: Freedom" setting shows a trace (kind of like an EKG) of your breathing. When you are not breathing the trace is in the center of the graph. If you exhale, the trace goes below the center of the graph. If you inhale, the trace goes above the center of the graph.

The graph essentially shows how consistent your flow is when breathing. When I watch YouTube breathing programs, I have the Relaxation: Freedom program open on the Airofit app, either on my iPad (preferred in this setting) or my iPhone. When I watch the YouTube videos, I keep the app in front of me, to make sure that I am breathing consistently and the flow of my breathing is at a consistent rate. Therefore I optimize my breathing using the Airofit app when watching YouTube videos.

Another thing that helps me with anxiety is Virtual Reality. You may cringe at this. However, I either keep an Oculus Quest (modded with FrankenQuest mod--using HTC Deluxe Audio Strap) in my backpack at all times, or my laptop with a PC VR headset with me. I have relaxation apps loaded on my VR headsets, and that is what I primarily use them for. theBlu is like scuba diving in a stationary place and it is very realistic. You can keep it running for hours, too, without any interaction. Anyways, the Steam platform is better for this, but the Oculus Quest works perfectly fine. I find VR to feel like nitrous oxide, without the actual strange sensation of nitrous oxide. It feel exhilarating, relaxing, and disorienting all at the same time. Therefore, it is great for anxiety.

Thanks for elaborating, I'm vaguely familiar with what's known as "breathwork" but had no idea there were specific electronic devices/development like this. Do you find the electronic device a necessity to achieve results? It sounds like it's worth it to you, but >$1k is a bit steep of an initial ask.

I would just start off with the Airofit Pro. That is what I started off with. I saw the benefits from the Airofit Pro and did a lot more research on Respiratory Muscle Training before going to the IDIAG P100. Of course, I use both the Airofit Pro and the IDIAG P100, every single day, although for a different set of purposes. But, you should absolutely start off with the Airofit Pro, before even considering the IDIAG P100.

IDIAG (the company that makes the IDIAG P100) just raised the price on their device, likely in the past couple of weeks. I got it for around 650 EUR. I cannot believe that they just about doubled the price. I found that out about a couple of days ago, and it really disappointed me, even though it truly is a remarkable device. There is an older model of this device, that is on sale and specifically does isocapnic hyperpnea (see: https://www.spirotiger.net/en/products/spirotiger-go). You can also find used ones online.

Besides being unfit and needing to lose weight, I also have health conditions that worsen my exercise tolerance. I use the IDIAG P100 to increase my exercise tolerance, and it helps me, tremendously. There are studies to prove the significant increase in endurance, if you search for "isocapnic hyperpnea", "isocapnic hyperpnoea", "normocapnic hyperpnea", or "normocapnic hyperpnoea", on like Google Scholar, for example. You can also try searching for "SpiroTiger" or "Spiro Tiger" (an older model to the successor IDIAG P100) on like Google Scholar to verify.

A byproduct of using the device is that it really calms me down for the rest of the day, when I use it in the morning. I sometimes also do Respiratory Muscle Endurance Training (RMET) about 2 hours before I go to sleep and I sleep a lot more restfully and my sleep quality has improved, because I am calmer. It also helps me wind down at night.

I agree with you that it is extremely steep for an initial ask. The device came out in 2020, also. I would wait for more reviews. This technology is used more in Switzerland and Germany, so you may want to keep this in mind when searching for reviews. You may need to use Google Translate when scoping out info online. But, I would absolutely wait.

The Airofit Pro definitely makes you more aware of your breathing, basically all the time. I started off with that before going to the IDIAG P100. When I benefited from the Airofit Pro, I decided to do more research into Respiratory Muscle Training and I learned about RMET (and isocapnic hyperpnea), and I figured out that it would be a good idea to augment my training with that, as I had already been getting great results with the Airofit Pro. But, isocapnic hyperpnea has helped me the most, overall.

How do none of the intelligent people replying to you/on this board have no love for CBD flower ground up and heated in a little vaporizor a few times throughout the day for chronic anxiety?

My friend uses CBD oil under the tongue, and it does seem to help.

I've not tried isolated CBD oil for Anxiety but I reach for both:

copaiba oil and frankincense oil

As needed under tongue and they seem to help almost immediately.

Worth checking out.

Also magnesium pills help too but affects me the same way as benedryl and makes me very sleepy so I try to take that only if I have time for a nap or bed.

If it can be characterized as social anxiety, you might want to check out some studies done in Turkey with adults who experienced social anxiety (SA) and some with ADHD too. There were on an antidepressant that was supposed to relieve their social anxiety, but it didn't. When the two patients with ADHD and SA started taking Ritalin for their ADHD, it helped, and to the surprise of all, a positive side effect occurred: their social anxiety went away. Eventually they were allowed to stop taking the antidepressant; the ADHD treatment was the only drug they needed. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25955266/ Done again with 18 patients https://www.mdlinx.com/article/methylphenidate-improved-both... Neither study had a placebo control. Who cares When something works for social anxiety, it works. If people could wishfully-think their way out of that debilitating state of affairs, they would.

There are massive risks with Ritalin/methylphenidate. How to you ever stop taking it? Does it impair health over the long run? Will you abuse it, sell it, or smoke it? Ideally it could be used like training wheels, briefly, until the person got into the habit of not being socially anxious,and then kicked to the curb. I cannot say I recommend any psychiatric drugs. When people "try" them, they should be aware that it is easier to enter drugworld than it is to leave it.

Optional: If you observed Scott Staph's (Creed singer) 2014 or '15 meltdown, you already know what a bad result on stimulants prescribed for ADHD can look like. It was hard to piece his story together because it's a story of harm by pharma. Most mainstream stories left out the part about an antidepressant making him feel like hell and his attempt to feel better on Adderall instead. In childhood he'd had an ADHD diagnosis and was prescribed a stimulant for it. ABC had the details: https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/creed-frontman-scott-st...

Unfortunately he got sucked into the BS "bipolar" fantasy world after that. The drugs prescribed generally do not work and each class of drugs has a way of making life exquisitely hellish. When I read that he was going for treatment, I figured that was it for his career. People can't function on those drugs. If only he could just get away from it all for a while... https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/creed-frontman-scott-st...