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be sure you are distinguishing between stress and anxiety... I have both and yes have been on anxiety meds since I was 13 (now almost 25) and will be the rest of my life.
This is definitely anxiety. I've always been a worrier, but now it's to the point where I work myself up into a near panic thinking about all the what-ifs...
Perhaps you can consider meeting with someone to discuss your anxiety so that you can try to develop skills to overcome this issue. I'm not opposed to medications (I'm a pharmacy student - I deal with medications all day!), however if you don't learn how to cope with an issue, often times if you try to stop taking the medication later on, you feel that you have a reliance on it because you never really dealt with the underlying issue(s). Also, keep in mind that all medications have side effects, and sometimes you have to try several medications before one really starts to work.
So in summary, yes, medications can be helpful, but I wouldn't view them as "easily fixing" the issue. There are pros and cons for all treatment options - and your doctor has to be the one to evaluate what is the best treatment approach for you.
This is not medical advice and should not replace the advice of your health care provider.
No, but I should be! I'm only half serious. I have had anxiety in the past (at age 10 I had agoraphobia and panic attacks and comes back once in a while) and have taken medication for short periods to get me through some rough patches. However, having an anxiety disorder for almost 20 years I have learned some really helpful tricks. I am not one to even take asprin if at all possible so I think it works better for me. Especially after seeing my FBIL go through a horrible addiction to pills because of his anxiety.
future mrs. kirsch, what are these helpful tricks you speak of? :)
I agree w EvaBostonTerrier...I say use meds when other things don't work. I have been taking Ativan for about 2 years and only take it when I have a full blown panic attack. I didn't want to take medication but then I started having panic attacks, otherwise I could handle it. There are times where I feel more anxious, and sometimes I can go months without taking it. I agree, talk to a therapist/counselor. I take herbal supplements on a daily basis to deal with anxiety and those seem to work. Good luck, hope you find a good solution!
Everyone is different but these are mine...
1. I tell myself that this is the anxiety talking and even in a panic attack when I think I'm gonna faint, for example, I remind myself that I've fainted before (never from a panic attack) and I've always been okay.
2.Go with the what ifs! (What if my son is autistic or something is my common one nowadays). So, then we would deal with it. It's never the end of the world.
3. Lots of activity. Going for walks, and getting fresh air and excercise makes me tired enough at the end of the day that I can sleep.
4. At night, I totally clear my head of anything stressful and think about something silly.
5. Getting out all my worries and stress. I use weddingbee a lot for this because FH is the only one who wants to listen to my griping.
These work for me. I still do not sleep as much as I should since I started wedding planning. Also, there is much more info on anxiety than there used to be. I wish I had book titles but I don't remember any now.
There is a book called "The Anxiety Disease". It is really old but interesting. I don't recall it having a lot of management tips, but it does help you identify what type of anxiety you have. It also follows the particular case of a female dealing with it. You'll read it and say, "omg, that's me!"
I also find that talking about it really helps. Recognize it as anxiety and realize that you'll be ok. I agee staying busy helps too.
@futuremrse- great advice! I was prescribed xanax but I only took it when I REALLY needed it. It was nice to have in a very stressful situation but talking things out was key! I have heard of valarian root for anxiety.
I have taken valerian root or melatoninin the past to help me sleep. I take kava kava for daily "relaxation" (that's what it says on the bottle). It doesn't make me as sleepy as the others. You can take a few a day and it keeps me kind of leveled out without feeling drugged. I have prematurely taken my Ativan before I truly need it and THAT made me feel loopy! It takes a while to figure out what works.
I was diagnosed with a type of anxiety at 14 (combo of a heart condition causing anxiety causing a heart condition, etc). I would have crazy anxiety attacks a couple of nights a week that would keep me up for hours.
I was sent by my doctor to a psychiatrist and she refused to prescribe me meds until I had met with her for a couple of weeks and just talked. In the end, I didn't need meds (I was prescribed something by my cardiologist to control my heart condition which had a side effect of curbing my anxiety a little)! She taught me some calming techniques and I continued to see her for a little longer.
Eventually I was able to control my anxiety on my own and no longer needed to see her once a week. I am very anti-medication when it isn't absolutely necessary (which is funny because I'm looking to go to pharmacy school) so I'm happy I didn't have to take anything.
My own calming techniques during anxiety attacks:
You may need medication, but I strongly recommend going to talk to someone for awhile before you try any pills.
I voted that I have been taking them before I got engaged. Although I am currently not on them, I was taking them before I got engaged.
I find myself really anxious about alot of things. Before I ordered my dress, that is all I could think about. And now that I ordered my dress, I find myself thinking about how the bridesmaids are going to look and I am trying to think about the setup of the tables. All the details make me really anxious, but I think that is my personality. These thoughts really don't stop me from living my normal life, I just have a lot more on my mind lately.
I don't think anti-anxiety medicines have very many side effects. Nothing too bad at least, so if they help you, I don't they are a big deal. But it's up to you. How do you feel about taking them?
babyboo--we must be cut from the same cloth! When I get really anxious (and if I'm home), I turn on my nature sounds instrumental CD and pet my cat. It does seem to help.
I'm not opposed to medication at all.
I was ashamed and embarrassed when I first had to start talking Zoloft, I didn;t need meds. But as a kid, my hair would fall out from stress. I started having full blown panic attacks and even took myself to the ER to have been mocked by the staff. I took Zoloft then for 3 months and didn't have another apnic attack after that for 8 years.
Until my brother had cancer, my weight dropped down to 85 pounds (normally 120). Something was wrong and I was not in control. I took Zoloft again. Zoloft has been a life saving. Since then my brother passed away...2 months later I went off it. But then my birthday was approaching- turning the same age as he was when diagnosised with cancer. I was terrified all the time of dying. I'm back on it and even though its been 1 year and a half- its keeping me sane.
I still anxiety attacks, but I call a friend and make them talk to me until it passes. it doesn;t happen often.
I plan on going off of them 3 months after married. I've been off before when my life calmed down so I know I can manage. But engagements are stressful, now is not the time to get off of it.
Do what you need to do, don't feel ashamed like I was to need help.
BTW- I did see therapists. They were useless.
Another thing to keep in mind- not all natural herbs are good for you. research natural or chemical supplements before taking anything.
There are times I think I ought to be on them! I'm the only one in my immeadiate family who is NOT on anti-anxiety meds. I also have many aunts, uncles, cousins, etc who take them as well. I'm convinced there is a genetic component to having high anxiety. There are times I feel like they could be really helpful for me, but those times have never been often enough or bad enoug hfor me to actually look into going on them myself.
I am on xanax and have been for a few years. I don't take it every day but I take it when I have what my DH and I call "bad days". There are just days when I can't get it under control myself and I need something to get me back to my normal self and calm down. I actually ended up in the hospital with a series of horrible panic attacks two years ago and after talking with a therapist, I learned some methods to help me cope when the anxiety isn't too bad.
I have an Rx for anti-anxiety meds, and take them when needed. Sometimes that is every day for a week, sometimes I will go weeks (or even months) between needing to take them.
Back when I was originally given the Rx for anti-anxiety meds (and sleeping pills), I saw a therapist, and that helped more than I thought it would. Just talking through things with a neutral party helped, and she also taught me some concentration/breathing techniques for when I feel a panic attack coming on. Generally, if I listen to my body and can really focus on the breathing and the “mantra” she gave me to repeat, I don’t need to take the anxiety meds. Sometimes though, I can’t control the anxiety, and need the medication to chill me out a bit.
It has never made me feel out of it or loopy. I still know/understand everything that is going on – I just don’t feel so worked up about it, if that makes sense.
I've been taking a natural anti-anxiety remedy that my naturopath recommended for about two years now. It's amazing. FI and I have been through some rocky times and certainly things sort of started building up inside, I have a hard time letting things go. FI calls it "busy head", LOL! At one point my anxiety was giving me chest pains, so not good. I also had a lot of stomach "issues" because of my anxiety and it was awful, I nearly couldn't leave the house. My doctor prescribed Adavan and I hated it, and that's when I found a naturopath. She's an absolute godsend. She's changed my life. The pills I'm taking, I take the bottle over the course of a month or two, and then I'm fine. I just started again (thanks wedding planning stress!) about two months ago, but I'm pretty irregular in taking them. They help A LOT and I'm 99% back to normal.
It's not something I feel bad or ashamed about, it's just a part of life. Some people can let everything roll off their backs, some people can't. I'm pretty sure if someone else walked a mile in my shoes they might get a bit stressed and antsy about things too! We all have bad times and I think the best thing you can do is to acknowledge when you're in over your head and that you could use a little help to clear the fog.
High anxiety runs in my family and I am a very anxious person. However, even though it impacts my life sometimes, that part of life. Dealing with the hard times and finding ways to fix them yourself. So I've managed my high anxiety via diet, exercise, and being incredibly rationale (talking myself through what i'm feeling). Life is anxious, work is anxious, i've really learned how to deal.
Oh dear god I should be. I am just embarking on my 3rd attempt at planning my wedding. I actually feel nauseated just hearing the word "wedding."
ohmygod, yes!
I got laid off about 1.5 years ago, and staerted having issues. At first, it was mostly loss of sleep, but then I would get heart palpatations, and some other little things. I felt like my heart was racing a lot. I had a stress test and an EKG, and my heart was fine. I had "anger issues", esp. in traffic, and just a very short fuse, and i would cry for pretty much no reason. I was misirable!
Even after I got another job, the physical smymptoms did not go away. So, I talked to my dr. about trying something for anxiety and stress. He gave me citalopram. It has made a HUGE HUGE difference in my life. It took awhile for it to kick in, but I feel so much better!
I'm not on prescription meds but my doctor has me takingi B6 when I feel the anxiety coming on. She prefers to try the natural route first before giving out drugs. I started it before the engagement and it makes a big difference for me, but every body is different.
This has nothing to do with wedding planning. Driving actually makes me terribly anxious because I'm so afraid of getting into a car accident or my car dying while I'm driving it. I've been really afraid of taking medications because I don't want them to make me too laid-back or totally change my personality. I've tried talking to therapists but I haven't found one I connect with so I always stop going.
I'm on lexapro for anxiety, depression and OCD. I went on it in mid-March (about a month before I got engaged) and it has changed my life.
I switched over to Citalopram for cost reasons a month ago, and it didn't work for me. I just got my prescription back for Lexapro and I'm very happy.
I go to a therapist two times a month, but I don't find that she's really all that useful. The thing is, other than being pretty irritated with my job, I don't really have any underlying issues. It's basically all biological for me, which is why I have no problems with medications being "an easy fix." One of my close friends was annoyed that I didn't try to "work through it naturally." Work through what? It's not like I really have anything to be depressed or anxious about.
Lexapro is my BFF. :) I've been on meds for several years now and will probably be on them for the rest of my life. I have a seratonin imbalance and the meds help so much. I get upset from time to time that I have to take meds to function normally, but I'm grateful that there is actually something that CAN help!
Anxiety is pretty normal to be honest. You can learn some coping methods that might help rather than depend on meds. I deal with a lot of anxiety that I've had since my sophomore year of college (almost 5 years) and sometimes it is TOUGH. It runs in my family and my aunts and mom do take meds to deal with it, but I don't like to take medication if possible (like even Tylenol is a last resort for me).
However... the night before my wedding, I was a wreck. I couldn't sleep and I was pacing my house. My mom gave me one of her Xanax's and it honestly helped me just relax enough to go to sleep.
I did not take one on my wedding day, and I don't plan on taking it ever again unless in a crisis situation.
Perhaps you could go to the doc. to see about taking it as needed, but try to relax and breathe and cope on your own :)
I have taken them in the past but not right now...although I have thought about it again recently. Ive taken Lexapro and Clonazepam
This post has helped so much! For the past few days I've been really wired and my heart has been racing, my blood pressure has been high and I feel like I'm in a dream world and I've been really dizzy. I haven't been able to eat much and I can't sit still. Not sleeping great either. I was sure I had an inner ear infection or my thyroid was out of whack, but that all turned out fine....turns out it's anxiety. I thought I'd been dealing with everything pretty well, but I guess it sort of snuck up on me. She started me on lexapro....I'm on day 4 right now....I haven't noticed anything, but I know it takes a few weeks to build up. I really hate not feeling like myself. Work makes it worse (I'm a brand new nurse). The deep breathing works for few minutes to help stop a major attack, but the underlying edgy feeling is constantly there. I think I"m going to get a massage today or something.
@lrwedd: As my therapist says, it's very important to keep a lid on it. Anxiety feeds off itself so even just thinking about getting anxious can make you anxious! She explains it like a boiling pot...if it starts to bubble up even a little you need to control it before it's boiling over. I find that once it's gone, it doesn't come back for quite a while. But once anxiety and nervous thoughts are in my head, it takes a while to get them out. I agree, everyone is different, meds are not the only alternative. Hang in there, you'll feel better!
I'm on Celexa, and then sometimes Atavan if my Celexa makes me manic.
I was completly against prescription drugs for most of my life. I was convinced that talk therapy was perfectly fine for me. But then my anxiety got so bad that I was really not able to live normally anymore. I gained a bunch of weight from stress eating, and yeah..it was bad.
I realized that I needed to be on meds when I almost had an anxiety attack in a parking garage because I was terrified it was going to collapse. Bad news.
I'm not on an anxiolytic, but I am on an antidepressant. I take citalopram (it's the generic of Celexa). It's an SSRI which stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. (Very) basically, it keeps the neurotransmitter serotonin in the blood longer. I have been pleased with its effects on my depression. I have SO many more good days, I feel like a new berrycrunch! Another bonus of the medication is it's on the 4 dollar prescription program.
The downsides: no alcohol while taking it, must take it everyday (I once forgot for four days straight, and Let's just say tht SSRI discontinuation syndrome is not fun) and will need to decrease dose gradually when time to stop taking it, and for me, it's make my skin break out more-- not a common side effect, but how it affects me.
Remember, everybody is different and every body is different.
Sidenote: its also used offlabel for treatment of OCD. I think I may have actually had a mild case of that, since I am now way slobbier, and don't have as many strange urges.
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Just curious. I am going to see the doctor in two weeks and to discuss the option of taking an anti-anxiety medication. Pretty much since I've gotten engaged, I've noticed a sharp increase in my level of anxiety. I'm wondering if it's something that can be easily treated with medication.