My Anxiety Story - first post

I had my first panic attack as a result of smoking marijuana while on Adderall. Before that I had never experienced anxiety. After that day I would have panic attacks whenever I smoked marijuana, so I quit. Everything was fine for a while. Then the next summer I sat down for an interstate train ride and had another panic attack out of nowhere. From there I developed claustrophobia and an inability to be in enclosed places like cars trains and planes without panic. A few months later I had another attack while in an assembly in school. I was prescribed Klonopin as needed after that. For a few years I took it only when I knew I would be in an enclosed space. Over the holidays of this year, I started to have general anxiety for no reason. I began to take my Klonopin daily. It has been a few months since then and I feel very dependent physically and mentally on the Klonopin. I can't leave my apartment without taking a dose. I feel that I'm becoming severely agoraphobic. My psychiatrist had wanted me to try an SSRI for years but I was too scared that it would cause panic attacks. A few weeks ago I agreed to start taking Remeron (mirtazapine) because it looked like it had fewer side effects than SSRIs. I have not experienced side effects on my 15mg dose, but I feel like my anxiety is more or less the same. I still am anxious about leaving my apartment without taking Klonopin. I really do not want to become more addicted but I have to go to classes and be able to get through this semester. I live at my university which is not in a city so I don't have a psychologist currently. Over the summer I plan to try CBT and try a new medicine because I really need to get my anxiety under control. I guess I'm just writing this because I don't talk to anyone about my anxiety, even my best friends. I just need to vent. I feel like it is only getting worse and nothing will let me live a normal life. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can get my life back on track and put this anxiety behind me? What should I do?!

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Originally Posted by maddecent

I had my first panic attack as a result of smoking marijuana while on Adderall. Before that I had never experienced anxiety. After that day I would have panic attacks whenever I smoked marijuana, so I quit. Everything was fine for a while. Then the next summer I sat down for an interstate train ride and had another panic attack out of nowhere. From there I developed claustrophobia and an inability to be in enclosed places like cars trains and planes without panic. A few months later I had another attack while in an assembly in school. I was prescribed Klonopin as needed after that. For a few years I took it only when I knew I would be in an enclosed space. Over the holidays of this year, I started to have general anxiety for no reason. I began to take my Klonopin daily. It has been a few months since then and I feel very dependent physically and mentally on the Klonopin. I can't leave my apartment without taking a dose. I feel that I'm becoming severely agoraphobic. My psychiatrist had wanted me to try an SSRI for years but I was too scared that it would cause panic attacks. A few weeks ago I agreed to start taking Remeron (mirtazapine) because it looked like it had fewer side effects than SSRIs. I have not experienced side effects on my 15mg dose, but I feel like my anxiety is more or less the same. I still am anxious about leaving my apartment without taking Klonopin. I really do not want to become more addicted but I have to go to classes and be able to get through this semester. I live at my university which is not in a city so I don't have a psychologist currently. Over the summer I plan to try CBT and try a new medicine because I really need to get my anxiety under control. I guess I'm just writing this because I don't talk to anyone about my anxiety, even my best friends. I just need to vent. I feel like it is only getting worse and nothing will let me live a normal life. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can get my life back on track and put this anxiety behind me? What should I do?!

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Google this: amino acids and mental health
I just came up on this. It looks promising and I hope it is. I guess supplementing the brains deficiencies of the neurotransmitters that have dropped in levels can help tremendously. Eventually to the point where they are steady and normal again and supplementing them will no longer be needed. I'm really hoping it works because this anxiety is really annoying. I don't want this feeling anymore as I'm sure anyone who has it doesn't want it anymore. I hope this helps