I just started Meds for anxiety

[SunniiH]

I’d love to know and connect to people that are taking medication. I’ve always been someone who fought through panic attacks naturally and spiritually but after an extreme experience with it, I have been prescribed klonapin and lexapro. Would love to connect to people have been taking this or who have taken it. Thanks so much

[FearIsALiar]

I take Effexor XR. I have been the same way when it comes to panic attacks. I do not take same meds as you but when did you start?

[SunniiH in reply to FearIsALiar]

Literally just started today well yesterday but the last few days have been a psychosis blur. I’m really now just doing whatever I must to take care of myself

[FearIsALiar in reply to SunniiH]

It takes up to 6 weeks to have its full effect and to start working. Has to get in your system first. Hang in there. It’s rough at first

[jdaylett]

I currently take klonopin for anxiety and sleep and have taken Lexapro in the past. Do you feel like it's a weakness having to depend on medication for your panic attacks? I look at it as just one part of a multi-faceted approach to mental health, which is really just a part of your total health. Panic attacks can be frightening, even traumatizing if severe enough, so doing whatever you can within reason to mitigate them is completely acceptable in my opinion.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I'm here for mutual support and look forward to talking with others about mental health.

[SunniiH in reply to jdaylett]

Yes totally traumatizing. I have been afraid of Meds in past and side effects possibly being worse than what I was going through. I’m in therapy again as well and have some spiritual healing work I do as well. But when it comes down to just physical sensation that are uncontrollable I just couldn’t take it anymore. I realized that I felt shame and embarrassment about it. But I know that’s not the healthy way to see it. I have gone thru trauma and thought I was coping but it seemed to be all building in me

[SunniiH in reply to SunniiH]

Klonapin helped me sleep and has calmed me down so I feel like it’s a blessing. How long have you taken it?

[Agora1]

Hi SunniiH I'd like to Welcome you to this safety net of support.

Like you, I too have gone through severe anxiety after my father died suddenly

in a home accident. Because of it having been a home accident, it was in the best

interest for my mother to move. It was my childhood home (like yours). It was like

2 losses. Not only my dad but all the memories of the home my sister and I grew up in.

I held through as long as I could and then had to reach out for medication. I've always felt that there comes a time where medication and therapy are essential in going forward.

I was on Xanax for many years and then when I felt I didn't need it anymore, I weaned off it with the help of my psychiatrist and was put on Lexapro.

In place of the benzo, I now use Meditation of all sorts and controlled breathing on a daily basis. I no longer need therapy. I made it through with meds until the time was right to do

this on my own.

The panic/anxiety attacks are long gone. My life is good once more. We do what we have

to in order to get through difficult times but it doesn't mean that it needs to be a lifetime sentence.

I am truly sorry for the passing of your father. You have a lot of losses at this time and it's

okay to reach out for help. I'm glad you are here with us. xxx

[SunniiH in reply to Agora1]

Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It gives me hope. When I went thru all the stages of clearing out his home, I thought wow, I’m really strong, stronger than I thought. I would cry and have moments but felt numb and just had to get through all the many tasks ahead of me. But I got thru, had new healthy routines, working out, prayer and meditation and then sad days. Once I decided to move out of my own place after all that, the anxiety began to surge. All the many endings of my life. A life I was really happy with. Really good to hear about your meditation practice. It’s been hard to meditate in this time but I look forward to getting back to it and going even deeper in that practice. Happy to be here, happy to get support

[Agora1 in reply to SunniiH]

It sounds like we went through a lot of the same emotions SunniiH so I can feel for

you. I too felt I was stronger than I thought but than came overwhelming fear and anxiety which left me Agoraphobic for 5 years. (I never left my home) It was then

that I got very serious about Meditation and breathing. Each morning, I start my day with Self Hypnosis/Affirmation/Mindfulness meditation and deep breathing. Then I do this again in mid day and lastly before bed at night.

These tools got me out of the house again and allow me to get through anything in life, including this Pandemic. I hope you get back to a deeper practice of meditation. It really works. Hope we talk soon new friend xx

[SunniiH]

Thank you for the affirmation. I am finding that my normal tools feel foreign to me. In fact meditating at times scares me, the kind of focus needed to be still and just breathe. I know this has been a source of great healing and alignment. I am in flux in between homes, I don't have my own place to call mine as I did before. I know that my world is all so drastically new. I wish I could just feel like excited about it instead of so scared and apprehensive about what I'm doing and how its all going to work out. I will do a meditation today. Even if its a short one, just to align with that commitment again.

[Lowlow64]

Hello SunniiH,I have been taking lexapro for some time now. When I had a major Anxiety episode, they usually last for weeks if not months. It is terrible. The last time I did, the doctor gave me Lexapro and that helped get me back to normal thinking. I think I needed to deal with the issue or root cause of this anxiety, which I don't know what it is. These last several weeks have been awful. I starting feeling down, probably because of this pandemic and people I know passing. I felt my spirit going down. Then I tried self diagnosing myself for a simple pain I felt, then sent myself into an anxiety that has at times been out of control. It is not fun.

I am on lexapro again and Lorazepam. They seem to help but not fast enough. I had tried cutting back on the lexapro from the last time, but I think I need therapy to find out why I get so bad. I swear my wife wants to murder(joking) me cause I drive her crazy.

I also tried looking up therapist on you tube. There are things to do to help with anxiety, try deep breathing exercises. They help calm you down because they affect the parasympathetic nervous system which calms the body. We need to get the cortisol and andrenaline to calm down. I don't know if this helps but I understand.

[OB73]

im on the same meds I'm on 10mg of lexapro and .25mg of klonopin we are here for you