Anxiety

[medlem]

One of my big problems is anxiety that never leaves me. I realized that recently.

I've tryed many different medications during last half year.

To me it seems that there's no cure and I start to realize how limited is psychiatry. No medication is helping me. Now I'm taking oxozepam 10mg. Can take only max 2 pills per day caz it can cause complete addiction. According to my doctor I should take it only at emergency cases.. but when is that, I'm anxious ALL the time. So it's not a solution.

Could go in talking therapy but I have nothing to talk about. There is no significant cause of my anxiety. I've been like this since early childhood but understood it only now. Anxiety is like automatical reaction now, my life stile, the way I am. And I don't know why I am like this. What can change that?

So I was wondering, you who have anxiety, what is your experience and what kind of medication is helping you?

Is there any cure..?

I've been living at home and doing nothing for more than 2 years and haven't been able to relax or chill. I'm stil not ready to start doing something with my life.

[finding my way]

This may not help you at all, but today I am working with the statement, "I am safe." I am keeping it that simple, telling myself I am safe. It's an idea I got from a friend, and today it is helping me calm down.

[devils daughter]

First of all, I think it’s wonderful that you have been able to be at home and take care of yourself, and your relationship, for two years.

As you probably also know, it’s been my experience that talking therapy is limited, too – though here in the US it seems things may be improving. It may well be that in countries where there is a public health service, things may be better? IDK.

The lack of a cohesive sense of who one is can cause intense anxiety. Talking therapy can be a cure (from my recent personal experience), but it takes time and the therapist has to be aware of the kinds of issues that underlie an unstable sense of self. Lots of them didn't understand that about me, and probably they didn't have good information, training, etc. And there's been some good new information about these conditions in recent years.

To guard against therapy not working, or even being harmful, here are some cautions that I would offer to you. Maybe the therapists should tell people this in advance, too, but maybe they haven't known it. So, it's up to us: if the therapy or the relationship with the therapist doesn’t seem to be working then the client has to (1) try to discuss the problems the client feels about the therapist, with the therapist, and (2) find another therapist if the issues can’t be resolved. Resolving issues in the therapy is usually considered an important part of the therapy. But it’s frequently very stressful. And sometimes it cannot be done. If so, the client has to move on.

Most well-qualified therapists will tell you – and may give you tests to help them assess – if they think you may have a condition like I described. What you wrote:

. . .

I've been living at home and doing nothing for more than 2 years and haven't been able to relax or chill. I'm stil not ready to start doing something with my life.

Is a fine opening “complaint” to present to the therapist (like “my stomach hurts” to a doctor), and a good reason why you are interested in seeing if talking therapy can help. But be careful and don't expect too much of yourself at first.

Just my opinions, of course.

[Ralph]

In my experience with anxiety, medication did not help much. It just got me to a point where therapy could be helpful, but it's not a long term solution for anxiety. Therapy is more than just talking about what you think might have caused the anxiety. The therapist should be teaching you techniques for dealing with your anxiety so that it doesn't impact your life, and then assigning you "homework" tasks to practice dealing with anxiety provoking situations (exposure therapy). For anxiety treatment, therapy has been shown in studies to get good results. There is also self help you can do for anxiety. One of the sites I like is http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_self_help.htm - this information has helped me significantly, although I have to go back and re-read it from time to time when my anxiety comes back.

[IrmaJean]

Hi Medlem. I'm sorry you've been struggling with anxiety. I understand that can be difficult to deal with. I agree that therapy could be helpful. I do think this can sometimes become a conditioned response, if one becomes accustomed to responding in this way.

So I was wondering, you who have anxiety, what is your experience and what kind of medication is helping you?

Is there any cure..?

About my own experience, I never even realized that I had low levels of anxiety all the time until it was gone (which happened only very recently for me). I'd had anxious feelings for so long that I'd forgotten what it felt like to not have anxious feelings. I think that everyone has their own experience and different things work for different people. For me, learning to sit with my feelings, especially pain and fear, has been very helpful. Much of my anxiety had been about fear of pain and fear of not being able to manage difficult situations and difficult feelings. Learning to let go, confront, and feel all of my feelings has been helpful. Relaxation techniques and daily meditation have also helped. Walking has helped. Self-awareness has helped. Self-confidence has helped. Release of my need to control has helped. I am still working on all of this, and it isn’t always easy, but I have been feeling much less anxiety over the past number of months.

I've been living at home and doing nothing for more than 2 years and haven't been able to relax or chill.

What happens when you try?

I hope today is serene for you, Medlem. Take care.

[medlem]

Thanx everybody!

[medlem]

Thanx everybody!

yes, i had questions about who i am not long time ago. But I'm over that now. I've found myself and I know exactly who I am. I know that my new antidepresants helped here. I experienced how medications can change the way of feeling and even thinking. That's very impressive.

I've been sceptical about this kind of medications before. And I know that many ppl still are. But I got really suprised how effective and good this can be.

I stil don't know how to fight my anxiety. I get very anxious when there is something that I have to do. *Because then all the other thoughts are coming like "i have to do this, oh, and that too, and this and that" and it gets too much and instead of doing one thing i break down and choose to do nothing to calm myself down. Thoughts about what i should be doing but what im not doing are freeking me out too. I know very well everything that i should be doing, but im not doing. Something doesn't let me to. It's like i have to overcome something. And at the same time i can'tbe still. I call it anxiety.

*Ofcourse trying to be ready for unexpected life situations. in case if anything bad happens.

But it's very hard for me to separate anxieti from bipolar depression. Depression and mania. So, it's very confusing..

*Knowing about my diagnisis also changed a lot in me.

Over all i'm suprised and disapointed tha there is no medication for anxiety.. I mean, really, no comments