Are meds the only way to recover from anxiety?

[rustydog]

I’ve always been a worrier and an anxious person, however over the years it has become much worse.

I’m caught in this cycle of anxiety, physical symptoms, more anxiety, more symptoms then depression from constantly feeling like crap.

I’ve been to see a gastroenterologist as I have digestive issues which he says is caused by my anxiety and ocd thoughts. He has recommended that I go on antidepressants.

I’ve always said no to meds as I don’t like the idea of the side effects and worry about dependency.

But is this the only way to recover from long term anxiety?

I’m also on a waiting list for CBT but have had that before and it didn’t really help.

Has anyone got on top of their anxiety through other means?

[Hidden]

Hi there rustydog , I also have an anxiety about being sick i.e. Emetophobia and it has been really bad this Winter. I went to the doctors and asked about CBT - I know it doesn't work for everyone as of course you have found out but I am going to give it a try. I purchased a book called the 'Thrive Programme' thriveprogramme.org/ and I have worked through the whole book once and started to go back through it again and do the exercises again as the author, Rob Kelly, suggests. I can see that there is a lot of sense in this Programme but my problem is following the Programme without support i.e. I need someone to be able to talk to.

I am on a group on Facebook called 'Emetophobia Support and Recovery' and someone on there said that she can feel her treatment working and said she was working through someone with her therapist, I said to her that I had been following the Thrive Programme and she said that is the book she took to her therapist and the therapist said that was the treatment she was going to use on her. When I go to see my CBT therapist I am going to take the book along with me as I know it's going to work. One thing I will say though is you have to put a lot of hard work into it yourself, it's like studying, that's how I have found the book so far. I am prepared to work hard at it and I've no doubt from what you have said about that you would be more than happy to work hard as you don't want meds.

The Programme also covers other anxieties and depression so have a look at the link above and the testimonials online.

All the very best

[rustydog in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that will definitely take a look.

[Hidden in reply to rustydog]

You are most welcome and natural remedies are much better and as long as we put the hard work in it will work, I am a great believer in that.

Take care x

[RealEyes]

I, too have struggled with worry, anxiety n depressive tendencies thru my entire life ... most of this was probably due to the complex-ptsd that developed early in my life yet i was not willing to address the ptsd till later in my life.

As for meds ... i share similar views as you rustydog - as I have concerns about pharmaceutical drugs, etc.

Through the years I have developed a Trust in mySelf that I can work out my issues - I like Hidden reply too and info about that book and agree that it is a LifeStudy on mySelf ... and, Lots of work with my self - yet worth it.

Self care and self respect and Lots of Patience for myself has really made a difference for me ... my worry, etc does return at times, yet I feel much more in 'control' of my life and i am glad for that - big time !

Hope those thoughts are helpful rustydog and do take care of your self and give your self Lots of love n care as you continue of the road of 'self discovery' ! given, that is what you choose to do - there are lots of possibilities out there.

take good care of yourSelf n later, realeyes

[rustydog in reply to RealEyes]

Thank you, I have made it my mission that this year I will invest in myself and try to get on top of this 😊

[Titan4757]

Rustydog,

I believe you can beat this without drugs. I have stomach issues as well but getting better. They're caused by anxious feelings among other symptoms. Even after all the tests and doc visits, I still sometimes don't trust them and let anxiety overcome me. I tried an anti-depressant one time and it made me so much worse with anxiety and shortness of breath. I flushed them down the toilet. I'm seeking help through a cognitive life coach and practicing the methods and breathing to recovery. You got this and stay strong!

[rustydog in reply to Titan4757]

Thank you for you kind words. I’m hoping that the CBT appointment will come through soon, will try to tackle it that way first 😊

[howard327]

Hi, I recovered from severe anxiety with the help of a competent psychiatrist and a combination of CBD and a low dose medicine, lorazepam, While you may be able to get by without the med, for me, the combination worked. I should say that this is not an overnight process and is not easy. You have to be dedicated to your recovery. If so you definitely will recover.

By the way a support group can be very helpful. The ADAA has a list of such groups. Best of luck to you. Howard

[rustydog in reply to howard327]

Thank you Howard, it’s food for thought, I think I may need to go on something as I’m very much struggling atm, will check out the support group ☺️

[reinagrace]

Hi rustydog since you have a lot of manifestation in the gut, you might benefit from probiotics. This slightly helps me. of course this goes with, eating healthy (i'm not always good at this since i'm addicted to sugar, but i know that only makes anxiety worse). I manage mostly without meds but still take them on as needed basis (not daily), when all other means have failed to calm me down. first thing is deep breathing- exhale longer than you inhale as exhaling helps the parasympathetic nervous system (to calm). and i pray as i do this, my faith really helps me. one skill is mindfulness, i think this is part of CBT- you just observe the environment around you, notice smells, sounds tastes and really pay attention to it all, count objects etc. This is for getting out of your head. distraction also helps- i watch comedy as laughter really is a great medicine. I take magnesium every day and that is very good for calming also. friends are a big support, i hope you have people to talk to and i pray you feel better. Things like massage help, but if you can't afford it, try acupressure on yourself, here is a link stop-anxiety-panic-attack.c...

[rustydog in reply to reinagrace]

Hi Reinagrace, thanks for the helpful info. Am looking into probiotics atm so many out there! I’m listening to a gut directed hypnotherapy vid each night on YouTube it’s very calming, have been interested in mindfulness for sometime but never put it in practice, something I must do. Would love regular massages I’m sure I would benefit as I’m knotted all over ☺️