do anti anxiety meds work?

i have hyperhidrosis and having to start class gives me anxiety all the time. i was wondering if anti anxiety may help since ive never been on it and if i can get it otc or do i have to go to my family doctor?

I think they can help. I have been using xanex and its sorta like a crutch but meds can be addictive.I only use them when I know I'm going to be hyper anxious. I talked to my GP and he sorted me out.

You need to go to your doctor, because you can't get any truly effective, long-term solution over the counter. The thing to understand is that your meds have to be tailored to you. There's a good chance the first few you try will have bad side effects, or no positive improvement on you at all. A doc will give you a prescription you can refill as often as needed at the pharmacy, without you having to go back to him.

As far as them actually helping, they can definitely take away some of the emotional responses you have to certain things. They can make you less irritable and less fazed by activities that might normally trigger anxiety. In my case, the reluctance to get into a social situation is still there, but I do notice that I'm doing better when I can't avoid one.

Valium (diazepam) has been a life saver for me. I would be very limited in what I can do without it, for fear of my anxiety escalating into panic attacks. Taken regularly though it can be addictive, but I only use it as and when I need it (maybe once a week.)

an anti-anxiety med. Some poeple do fine on some brands, some people get worse on brands. It all depends on you. The meds are supposed to help the inbalence of chemicals in your brian.
The only way to know which one will work best for you is trial and error. I have to tell you. the first med i was on, made me worse, or at the least didnt help. But now im better on these meds.
I wish you the best of luck, but with these meds its not so concrete... it all really depends on the person. so if you feel suicidal on the meds or anything of that sort you might want to tell your mom and get a different one.
Agian i wish you the best of luck!!!

I use 5-htp which is natural that you can get as a supplement.

But I also use clonazepam which works great for relieving anxiety fast. Well 45 minutes usually but it definitly prevents panic attacks.

I take medications. I have Social Anxiety, PTSD, and pretty severe Depression. I take Zoloft (kinda helps with anxiety, but mostly helps with depression), Wellbutrin (depression), Klonopin (anxiety... I really like this pill but it can be habit forming and it can give off the same effects of alcohol - slurred speech, confusion bad short-term memory, dizziness - so you have to use it carefully), the beta-blocker Propranolol (social anxiety.. I just started taking this, and it works really wonderfully. You still have thoughts of anxiety, etc, but the Propranolol blocks some physical symptoms. You may feel not-so-great, but you don't sweat so much, etc. I know a girl who plays violin professionally and is terrified of being on stage - she takes a Propranolol 15 mins before performance time and she's fine when she goes on stage!), I also have mild ADD so I take Adderall... Oddly, this boosts my self-esteem I've found, but it sort of makes your heart beat more rapidly, etc, but then, you have more motivation to get out, do things, strike up conversations, learn and persue interests... Note, I only take the Zoloft and Wellbutrin daily, the other drugs are "as needed". My anxiety is incredibly severe (as I'm sure others is) so I have Ambien (as needed) to help me sleep. Drinking with these meds in your system is a no-no, you'll black out after one shot. It took me yeeears to get this concoction right, and I still think there's room for improvement. It's very embarassing lugging around so many pills when I go places (I travel a lot for my nonprofit work), but they work for me. Everyone's different. I'd like to also know what others find helpful... the Klonopin is a little risky for me so I'd like to eventually get off of that since I'm only 21 and I think I'm justified to a few drinks here and there like any "normal" person my age.