extreme anxiety related to work, advice needed please

Advice Needed

hi everyone, i am 21 years old. recently, i just finished a program for medical assisting and am now completing a two-month externship at a clinic, i actually worked at this clinic prior to the externship. i started this externship 2, going on 3 weeks ago now. it’s been really rough for me, for context, i already have a pretty prevalent psychiatric history (diagnosed with adhd, clinical depression, borderline personality disorder, and am medicated). i remember feeling the way i have been feeling the past 3 weeks when i was way younger, like from ages 6-13 id say. i had crippling anxiety, frequent panic attacks, physical symptoms, im sure you guys get the jist. i never really started taking any sort of mental health medication til i became a teenager. right now i take lexapro, wellbutrin, and adderall when i can afford it. my anxiety never fully went away when i got older, but it wasn’t like it was when i was a kid. at least not until recently. this externship has me soooo anxious, ive already had to leave work early or call out because i was so anxious to the point of upset stomach, extreme nausea, feeling of impending doom… i know that eventually i will not be this nervous and anxious, and i know im probably feeling this way due to performance anxiety and the fact that this is just a lot of change for me, but i am so hopeless about what i can do for the time being, at least until i get more used to this new thing and get less nervous. i was able to get ahold of buspirone, i was able to try 2/ 5 mg tablets (took one this morning, took another one not too long ago early pm), and i do notice it made me feel a bit calm, but i know buspirone is not one of those anxiety medications where you can expect instant relief. ive been considering trying to speak to my psychiatrist about possibly taking a short term xanax or other benzodiazepine prescription just to get me through this, but i don’t know if that would come off as red flag behavior or something (stigma related with psychiatric drugs and what not).. this whole thing has just got me super messed up and i would appreciate any advice, i am super desperate and just a wreck. thank you so much in advance and sorry if this post is a bit discombobulated, as i am already getting anxious again just thinking abt this LOL

Posted Dec 7, 2025, 5:02 AM UTC

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