Is it possible to cope without medication ??

[CS1]

Hi,

I am new to the site. I have recently discovered it and it is reassuring to know I am not the only person suffering from this horrible condition !!

I have been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for around 2 years now.

I have tried SSRI medication for about a week and it made me feel worse !!

I am going through a bad spell at the minute and am considering going back to the doctors and giving the medication another chance.

Has anybody sucessfully overcome anxiety without the use of medication ?

It is really starting to get on top of me !!

[den68]

I have overcome most of my anxiety and my panic attacks are much milder now and i did it without medication. I would of took it but have a phobia of medication and couldnt take it. I do wonder if it would have been easier to do with medication. I cant tell you how well medication works but im sure someone else on here can tell you if it worked for them. I have heard that for the first week or so when taking it you may get a bit worse but then you start to get better but unable to confirm this for you sorry
den68

[frenchie]

hi yes i did not take any medication, but went to the holistic way hypnotherapy and acunpunture and homeopathy. I cant say i 100% but much better . i am more able to deal with my anxiety.x

[sMINT]

Hi,

I have never, and refuse to take medication.

The only things I will try are naturally herbal medications from the local herb shop. I have a thing about taking medications from the pharmacy lol.

some days I find it hard but I do manage to get by. I wont lie, I am no better now than when I first got diagnosed with anxiety/panic but I am coping just fine without medication.

Just remember medications are good for alleviation of your condition but more often than not won't cure it. Although if you really think you cannot face it no more, medication is good I suppose for helping.

Regards.

[Stressed32]

I initally starting taking meds...Buspirone...and it helped at the start but then came back. That got me to wondering if it was all in my head....so I got off of it and felt the same. I did what others here are saying and started taking vitamins and exercising...I read that exercise helps because it tricks your mind into thinking you are "running" because anxiety is the "flight or fight" part of your brain being in overdrive. It worked. I walk for an hour each day and take vitamins. Also, I began to recognize what the physical symptoms of anxiety were and was able to say....ok, that is just anxiety...so I stopped panicing when my heart would race etc. Over time, it has eased up a lot! I sleep at night and can eat food. I still have my days though. To help with sleeping, I took melatonin. Good luck

[peoplelikeus]

Buspirone made me worse, Propranolol can help but stopped working when I got into a crisis. If I have a severe panic attack only diazepam works for me.

My attacks are chronic and severely disabling. I have called ambulances at 5 am a few times this past few weeks. I am grateful for the respite times I have

[mynameis]

Well, I took the meds (diazepam, then cipralex) for 6 years on & off, then realised that I wasn't actually any better off. The diazepam were not too bad, but were soon not having any effect. The cipralex turned me into a robot basically & I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. They took 2 weeks to kick in and in those two weeks, I felt worse than my initial symptoms. They did stop my anxiety/panic however. The problem was, they stopped everything else as well, if you get my meaning ! I've been clear of meds for nearly 12 months now, and despite the odd wobble, I'm slowly returning to my normal self. A case in point is the fact that I've suffered an horrendous number of premature family deaths, redundancy & health problems, but I haven't felt the need to start popping pills again. Diazepam for no longer than 2 weeks is fine to get you through this initial worrying spell in my opinion, but you may want to look at what maybe the root cause of your panic / anxiety & try to address it. Easier said than done I know, but have hope !