I'm not OP, but I started taking paroxetine (Paxil in the US) for social anxiety disorder in 2010. It took a few weeks for it to take effect, and I had some side effects for about 90 days. However, ever since then, I have had zero anxiety issues for the rest of my life, and I no longer have any side effects. I take 20mg once daily.

I know SSRIs are a controversial topic, and some people don't like them, but for what it's worth, it changed my life for the better.

Absolutely! I spoke to my GP because I was completely functional with my stress and anxiety levels, but I just wasn't feeling great - I was whiteknuckling my way through each work day, despite nobody knowing or my job performance being affected. I tried to justify the feeling to myself as "well, it's just busy, I'll be more relaxed once this rough patch is over". But the "rough patch" would never end, it was like chasing a rainbow. Once I finally realised that it didn't matter why I felt shit, if I still felt shit all the time, I spoke to a psychologist and tried some CBT. That didn't make a huge difference, so my GP suggested trying out an SSRI. I'm now on a low dose of escitalopram and it's been pretty life changing. If you've considered meds before, I'd highly recommend revisiting that idea. Modern anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs are a lot more targeted than the older generations. You don't need to be on them permanently either, you can try for 3-6 months and see how you go.

But you're right - the one downside is potential insurance implications. For example, my life insurance no longer covers me for anything mental health related, which is quite a broad stroke considering I've got it under control and it was just garden variety mild generalised anxiety. I'm apparently one of "the crazies" now to them. But considering how much better I feel now, I'd make the same decision a million times over.

Happy to discuss more if you have follow-up questions, more people should chat about this stuff!