Most people suffering from anxiety disorders consider medication at one time or another. If your anxiety seems unmanageable and you’ve had weeks in a row with very little sleep, feelings of depression and hopelessness, then you should see a doctor and at least try medication.
All anti-anxiety medications such as Paxil or Effexor XR which are serotonin re-uptake inhibitors require routine. You need to take your prescribed dosage every day as the doctor and pharmacist instruct you. No missing your pill, and no stopping your pills. You must avoid any other drugs that may conflict with your anti-anxiety medication as well.
You must give it an honest effort and after a few weeks you will start to feel some relief from your anxiety symptoms. If you don’t feel any improvement, then get back to your doctor to try a different medication. Why? Different medications work for different people. A medication that works for me might not work for you and vice versa.
Don’t be afraid of trying medication because it does work, and it’s not addictive. Short term anti-anxiety drugs such as Ativan are addictive if taken or abused for an extended period of time, but if you take 3 Ativan a day for a few weeks while your Paxil or Effexor kicks in then so be it. It won’t kill you to do that and you won’t become addicted with a short term solution. Besides, your doctor won’t likely give you enough of a prescription to allow your body to become dependant.
If you can still sleep and you can manage your life fairly well then you likely don’t need any anti-anxiety medication. Just feeling bored or blue doesn’t mean you need to take medication so don’t just take medication off hand. Only try anxiety medication if you can’t manage your life anymore and you have symptoms of extreme anxiety.