Hi, I’m Erika, new here

[EH369]

Hi all, I’ve “been anxious” all my life but always thought I managed a high level of stress quite well until I had a massive panic attack this past January. Since then I’ve been seeing a therapist, was on Lexapro but have been off it now for two plus weeks as I didn’t like the side effects and it was no longer working for me, so I chose to stop rather than doubling my dose which was my doctors first suggestion.

So now I am trying to be proactive in my stress management and self coping mechanisms. I came here looking for support and resources. TIA

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya EH369 and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[Confetti]

It sounds like you are heading down a healthy path, long may it continue and coming here to tell your story has brought you another useful resource to tap into, welcome!

[Rad1]

Hi Erika,

Sound very difficult for you.
I know how you must be feeling. I have had several episodes of anxiety through my life, but not for many years. Suddenly I had a very big episode, as I am on the verge of being made redundant and it has made me scared of the future.

Anyway, I was placed on Antidepressants SSRI's, and I recall last time round they worked really well for me. The problem is you need to find the right dosage. I had to increase up at around 5 weeks, and it did the trick. Suddenly I felt myself again.

I hope you are feeling OK today.

Also its important to get therapy, to really start to understand where all this is coming form.