Anxiety Meds: Advice? What Works and What Doesn't?

[Keddy]

Hey there,
I've been off meds for a while but I've been feeling extremely anxious lately and my therapist suggested that I contact my psychiatrist and get on a medication for it.
I've never been on an anti-anxiety, only mood stabilizers and antidepressants that were used to address multiple symptoms.
I was recommended Benzos and sedatives, like Ativan, Valium, and Xanax.
Because of my history with antidepressants, I was advised to stay away from SSRIs. My therapist also mentioned Beta blockers, which I'd never heard of before and it sounds like they're for blood pressure? Can those treat anxiety effectively?
I was wondering if anyone had been on these before and knows what they're like, and could offer advice for what I should try/not try.
Any bad side effects? I've been working hard to lose weight and don't want to take anything that might increase my appetite.
Thanks!
/Keddy

[Otherside]

It varies from person to person, really. Some things work for some people, some things don't for others.

Benzos are pretty addictive, with withdrawl affects being compared to that of heroin withdrawl. Over here, doctors pretty much will never, if ever at all, prescribe them. I've never tried them. They're pretty much impossible to get over here unless it's a complete total emergency.

Beta Blockers I have been on. They are used for blood pressure, but they work by lowering the physical symptoms of anxiety. They slow down your heart rate, effectivly. They do very little for the mental symptoms of anxiety at all. But, they have worked wonders and been a 100% cure for some people, and done nothing for others. It seems to be very hit or miss. They're not as addictive as Benzos, and they didn't increase my appetite at all or cause any weight gain (but then, I don't seem to gain weight much at all anyway, so, I'm probably not the best judge of that...)

SSRI's can also be used to treat anxiety. I've been prescribed Celexa and Prozac for it, and also Remeron. I don't really think mood stabilizers help much with anxiety at all really.

[Keddy]

*Thank you for your advice, Otherside You're very knowledgeable!
---
UPDATE
I saw my psychiatrist this afternoon and he prescribed Geodon. I wonder if anyone else has had experience with this medication and knows about side effects/possible downsides? (Just because I get nervous). It's an "Atypical Antipsychotic" usually prescribed for schizophrenia and Tourette's, but my particular doctor says he has prescribed it for anxiety-related issues and seen it work in most cases.
He said it would not likely increase my appetite or contribute to weight gain, thank goodness.
He advised against using Benzos; they're highly addictive and the patient will usually develop a dependency. Kind of scary
*Oh just to clarify, I wasn't taking the mood stabilizers for straight anxiety. They were meant to address multiple symptoms related mostly to nonspecific mood type issues. I was not diagnosed with depression until recently but most antidepressants don't work well for me either.
Geodon is an antipsychotic but my psychiatrist says it may help address some of the issues I have that are caused by severe anxiety and OCD. He says it's fairly common for doctors to prescribe antipsychotics and antidepressants for anxiety if there are other issues present, which I have (depression, OCD, mood problems, insomnia, racing thoughts, paranoia, manic episodes, panic attacks). I'm not psychotic but the underlying problem seems to be a chemical imbalance in my brain, which he is trying to address by prescribing this type of medication. He says that if it doesn't work for what it's being prescribed to treat, my next best option would be to use Beta blockers. Benzos seem to be a last resort.
Really very interesting stuff, but a little confusing and scary for me at the same time. I was really frightened until he explained to me that he does not think I'm psychotic (I was a little put off by the mention of the prescription at first)!
Has anyone else taken antipsychotics for anxiety/paranoia/mania? Have they worked?
Thanks,
/Keddy

[Chloe]

I take beta blockers for those days when I'm seeing my boyfriend, you can't take them with alcohol at all like so it does sometimes limit when you can use them. It's somewhat varried with how they work (from personal experiance) some days if I panic on them I shake like mad(no hyperventilating) I can curl up in a ball and get really withdrawn, I don't panic at all and feel amazing that I didn't, or they can do naff all but then again I don't use them consistently enough. Like now I'm going to start taking them every time I see him to break the cycle where a before it's been a one off thing. I'd recommend giving them ago as I've never heard of them being addictive or making you dependant (don't quote me) which was my main concern with taking medicine