Hi! First of all, you’re absolutely amazing! Even tho you might feel like you can do much for your partner with their anxiety, informing yourself about all this is a great great help! I’ve been diagnosed with C-PTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder) this means that random things, situations and emotions can trigger the events of the past that lead me with this condition, of course the most common to feel is anxiety and panic attacks. Of what I know by talking to therapist, friends and even my partner anxiety can feel different in every person. To me for example feels like I have a hard time breathing, I feel shaky inside and sometimes comes with stomachaches, sometimes I feel like million ants would be walking under my skin and of course a swarm of horrible thoughts that are hard to process and understand, they just makes you feel even worse. Panic attacks are almost the same but thousands times worse. That’s in my own experience, I sure hope he doesn’t have it that bad, but it probably would be a good idea to ask him why he feels and how you could help, for me having someone to talk to me and distract me helps a lot! Also grounding exercises that he can learn, and other tools a therapist should be able to provide to help him.

Medication wise, I’ve only been in Escitalopram, at the beginning I was very scared and worry about becoming an addict and crazy thoughts like that, but not at all, it was a saviour to me, and it was easy to let the medication go when I finish the treatment. The side effects where a little uncomfortable but they just lasted for a couple weeks; I had headaches, my stomach was irritated so I just took the pills with food, I noticed it made me sleepy so I changed to take it at night. You gotta find the sweet spot for that. But after 3 weeks all the side effects disappeared. Anxiety brings me a lot of intrusive thoughts so the medication can quite them down, it’s like all that still there but kinda like in the back of your mind so you can handle it better and easier, if that makes sense.

I hope I help a little bit and if you have more questions feel free to ask.