Non-drowsy anxiety meds?

[Weezer]

I had my beagle on trazadone for three months to address anxiety. The first three weeks he was a complete zombie, then he perked up a bit but was still sleeping the majority of the day. He’s 13 so I thought he was just aging. I decided to take him off the trazadone to see if he would become less sleepy and within a day he was full of spunk!

A quick search showed that most anti-anxiety meds also cause lethargy. Anyone have luck with a non-drowsy med? The trazadone definitely reduced his anxiety when he was alert, but I’d prefer he not be stoned all day.

[libgrrl]

Do you use it every day? I use Trazodone situationally for my separation anxiety dog. Fluoxetine is better suited for daily use.

[luvmyhackney]

Have you tried CBD? It works wonders for my heeler mix, she gets anxious when we have guests over.

[Simkie]

Have you tried an SSRI, like prozac, or the older tricyclics, like clomipramine? They tend to work well for anxiety, and while there may be a little drowsiness the first few days, it’s not usually lasting.

[Weezer]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I’ll try the CBD first since I have some for him already. If that doesn’t work, I’ll talk to the vet.

[irishchick]

You could try L-Theanine, an amino acid. You can buy it OTC from Amazon or in some supplement sections; there are dosing guidelines and some pet-specific formulations described here:

How to treat pets with anxiety from thunder - Tequesta Vet Clinic