I was diagnosed with GAD 13 years ago. I've been on and off meds with mixed results. Prozac works great for me for a short time, followed by weight gain and then it abruptly ceases to be affective, even when going up in doses.
My anxiety used to be a low level kind of thing but now it's manifesting in constant low level symptoms with flares of panic: days where I feel like I am struggling to breathe (asthma meds do not seem to help), days of pain all over (I think my body is just incredibly tense), and random other symptoms. My chiro is perplexed by me since I cannot seem to keep an adjustment, he said I tend to internalize all the stress in my body and suggests I move to Colorado (if pot were legalized I would be the first in line). Today my hands are tingling and almost numb. (Last night DH told me he was given a completely unexpected, unexplained and undeserved pay cut....thought I responded just fine but now my body is saying otherwise). For me every few months I become desperate and feel like I'm just not able to continue without some kind of chemical support but with COVID I think it's inevitable that I have to get back on meds.
I'd love to hear what meds you have used with minimal side effects and that have continued to work for you. I have a suspicion that my body just doesn't process that well (MTHFR thing?) but have other people dealt with short time efficacy at first then no longer feeling any effects?