Tychobrae, where did you get the figure that tinnitus was a side effect among 1 out of every 10 people taking citalopram? That sounds really high. World Health Organization (WHO) data from clinical trials categorizes tinnitus as an "infrequent" side effect of citalopram, meaning it occurs between 1 and 100 to 1 and 1,000 patients on the medication. And these include self reports. It is possible that some patients developed tinnitus while on the drug but that the drug itself was not the cause.
Penelope, don't be afraid (or ashamed) to go the medication route if you need it. I did and it helped me tremendously. It doesn't mean you will need these meds forever, or even necessarily for very long. I do recommend getting anxiety, depression and other such medications through a psychiatrist vs. a family doctor. Drugs that tinker with your brain chemistry are tricky things and a good psychiatrist should be monitoring your reactions carefully, especially in the beginning.
The anti-anxiety benzodiazepenes, as Martin69 mentioned, can be "addicting..." although what usually happens is your body becomes "dependent" on them, so you need more to keep your anxiety or depression at bay (which is not the same as, say, being "addicted" to a recreational drug like heroin or continuing to use pain pills when you no longer have pain). But careful supervision by a good doctor really cuts down on benzo risk. Lots of people on this board, including me, have used benzos safely.
It's hard to recommend one medication over another, as people's reactions can be different, as others here have said. You may need to try several, or combinations of several, until you find the one that works best for you. Many folks need an anti-anxiety med coupled with an anti-depressant, although I was not one of them. Tell your doctor that your goal is to take the lowest dose that is effective for you (again, everyone is different). Be sure to take these pills exactly as directed, and do not just stop taking them suddenly. Doing so can cause rebound anxiety and other uncomfortable symptoms.
One thing that really helped me: my doctor gave me daily limits, so I could vary my dose a little from day to day which made me feel like I had some control while staying safe. For example, he said I needed to take a minimum of .25 mg daily, three times a day, of Xanax -- but could take up to .5 mg, three times a day, if I needed more. But I was not to take more than that without talking to him first (although even my maximum dose was a not a big one).
Good luck. Anxiety is so miserable but it can be overcome or at least controlled. I did it and you can, too.
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