Disgusted.

[JenXO]

Your best bet is switch doctors if you're unhappy. If it is working keep taking it but keep this in mind don't become reliant on pills to solve your issues forever trust me. I did not get put them on Ant-Anxiety pills at all because of the potential abuse of the drug. I also know how you feel with being a guinea pig.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

I've been battling severe anxiety for 20+ years. I now truly believe for me, and others, it's an actual chemical imbalance (lack of the GABA neurotransmitter). Environment is important too, obviously, but sometimes my anxiety becomes full-blown panic and it's unbearable and I can't control it with natural methods. In that state I will compulsively drink alcohol, which makes it a million times worse, but is so easy to get my hands on. So for me it's sometimes a choice between benzos and alcohol and I know which is safer. So my approach to meds at this point is if you need them, you need them. Anxiety can be SO debilitating that it's like denying a diabetic insulin.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Breez]

Medication can help but it also creates dependency. As someone who have worked in a hospital for the past 5 years, I know what a person can become when their life depends on medication. I know it's incredibly difficult to let go but like your new doctor said, tapering off as you start to work on your anxiety with your own power will be the best medication there is. I suffered from SA for many years too (to the point that I couldn't leave my room and walk across the dorm to use the toilet). I hated myself and I was in so much agony conflicting between self-loving and self-hating. I became so sick and tired of feeling anxious all the time. So I decided it had to stop. I worked really hard everyday, trying one small thing at a time. I was glad I've become someone I am today.

I know you can do it. Give yourself a shot at a free life. Be brave and take that step. Cheers!

[gypsylee]

the problem is my physician was great and knew what i needed. This new guy wants me to cut me off completely. Thats Kaiser for you though. They see you as an "addict"

Most people are addicted to something.. Eating, shopping, gambling, alcohol, sex etc etc. Here in Australia most doctors absolutely freak out about prescribing benzos. I've told them straight out - if I don't have something to take the edge of this panic I will go out and buy alcohol. It's a bit of an ultimatum but it's the truth. I've been hospitalised for alcohol-induced pancreatitis twice, so which substance is the more harmful? If you can get by without meds then sure, that's the ideal. Some of us simply can't and it's not a weakness or a character flaw - it's a chemical imbalance that can be mild in some people and severe in others.

[RoderickLariviere]

Most of the time we get addicted to these antidepressants, your doctor can only help you to reduce your medicines and help with your anxiety. You need to give him some time.