Coping Without Medication

[Mit]

Hi - I wonder if anyone is managing their anxiety and/panic attacks without medication, and if so any comments on how you manage to do it?

I was on anti-depressants, diazepam and sleeping tablets for about 3 years. Ten months ago I decided that if I didn't get off medication I never would. I was sceptical about the medication actually helping me anymore, and I was fed up with feeling a bit fuzzy headed all the time. My doctor agreed that I should come off slowly. I finally ended medication in about March this year. I didn't find it difficult and I don't think my moods changed a great deal (although my family might say differently!). I still experienced anxiety but it seemed tolerable. Since about June I started getting stronger anxiety attacks. By the end of July the anxiety attacks were becoming a significant problem. In my case not being able to do normal things, crying and feeling very low and feeling absolutely terrified. The latter feels so awful I think about suicide just to get away from the fear. I don't think I would self harm, and I have no plans to, its just the only thing I can think that would stop the terror I feel at that moment in time. There are no obvious reasons for the anxiety and fear. I know stress can be a problem and it doesn't take much to set me off. There are some stresses in my life that are a bit more than the norm - but these things are nowhere near as bad as the trauma of a few years ago which is when I first started suffering from anxiety. I don't think medication is a long term answer, so I want to stay away from it. But the raw fear I experience is getting out of hand and having a big impact on others aspects of my life.

Anyone else feel like this and have found a way to manage it without tablets? I'm not in therapy at the moment but am heading back that way if I can get it funded. I'd be grateful for any thoughts. Thanks.

 

[TeaLeaf]

I stopped my medication for depression and anxiety this spring for the first time in a very long time. I had to go back on a very low dose recently because the number of unexpected stresses kept piling up but I hope to stop taking it in the next month or so.

During the decade plus time I was on medication, I tried to stop many many times but it never worked. What helped me earlier this year were mostly lifestyle changes. I started taking omega 3 fats (at least 1gram of epa a day), vitamin D, a daily multivitamin and probiotics. I stopped eating gluten as well, this was recommended by my Md as well as a naturopath due to the number of physical ailments I had as well as me having autoimmune thyroid disease, I really resisted this at first but I decided to try it for a month and it really helped me so I've continued. I can't say it would help everyone but you never know unless you try. I also increased the amount of protein I eat and decreased sugar and processed carbs. I was always someone that ate a lot of processed food and sugar, was thin and thought what I ate had no effect on my mood but I was so wrong.

Acupuncture, yoga, hiking/walking, meditation, bright light therapy, talk therapy and group therapy also helped. Sleep hygiene also helped me a lot even though I thought it was pretty dumb when my doctor first talked about it. Basically, having a bedtime routine, winding down at the end of the day, having regular times when you go to sleep and wake up, avoiding caffeine after a certain hour

I really don't like the idea of taking medication long term so I never would have tried half of this stuff unless it was out of desperation to stop taking medication. I still take as needed lorazepam (rarely) for when the anxiety and panic can't be calmed with my coping skills.

I hope you find some things that work for you.

 

[Namenotdiagnosis]

Hi . I personally don't Agee with medication although I fully accept that some people need them. I stopped taking medication approx 12 years ago, I gift like the dude effects and the fact that I could feel that I would become reliant. I get through by therapy and natural things, I exercise a lot as I feel if really helps me and I live on a very healthy diet, I incorporate lots of food. High in omega three which had proven yo be good for individuals with anxiety and so forth. I have been through years of duff abuse so my journey hasnt been easy. However I've learnt to live and accept my cptsd and will stick with alternative therapys for time being, I'm not saying that I wouldn't take medication but at this moment in time I feel I'm just about to cope without.

 

[darrenS]

i dont take medication, it just dosent agree with me not matter what i take , but i do understand and respects other peoples needs etc. I find it a struggle to try and deal with anxiety etc , i try self talk etc and am still battling with it, but i do find it easier without meds. They tend to make things very cloudy for me

 

[SpikeBall]

This is a question I wanted to ask anyways...do you take anxiety medication for PTSD? In other words, is anxiety a part of PTSD? I have never used medication (although I've self medicated, not a positive thing) and just recently I've learned to calm down by labelling my thoughts (for example, "I'm having the thought, 'I'm panicking and dizzy" right now) and cast them away, listen to background sounds, feel my weight, use my senses. It's literally "coming to your senses"
I'm using this mind-body workbook for people with PTSD (they also have one for anxiety) I am at the beginning stages but it's working wonders. It got all amazingly positive reviews on amazon (esp. since people with PTSD tend to be such negative thinkers!) and I will post about it when I'm further in. But yeah, 3 pages in it's already dramatically easier to handle-I used my senses to stop from passing out the other day from anxiety-and I have never been able to ground/meditate before. The book also explained it in a way that I understood right away.

 

[darrenS]

No...i do self medicate with marijuana - and painkillers as needed (have cut down considerably) , but i always have negative reactions to meds. Im ok on anxiety meds but eventually seem to lose my way so to speak - if your succeeding with your own processes and its giving you comfort - go with it - enjoy the fact you are both comfortable and happy with your decision - trust in yourself and simply enjoy - well done

 

[Justmehere]

I cope with anxiety and reduce my anxiety with lots and lots of grounding (things like holding ice or a frozen water bottle) or mindfulness skills. I learned about it first in therapy but there is a lot of info online, workbooks, and ways to learn them - they are pretty simple to learn, just takes lots of practice.

 

[darrenS]

thats a good strategy - hold ice or frozen water bottle - have to try that - they used to tell me ...visualize colors etc yada yada ...im an artist and see color all the time anyway ..sheez ..im trying this water bottle thing - if that fails - youtube for some good aussie comedy -

 

[TonyG]

I tryed herbal tea, St Johns wart, long walks but the anxiety is to much some days, taking Zoloft now with Diazapam as back up and even that does nothing some dayds

 

[Whirlwind]

I am prescription free...mostly. I am afraid of anti's but reconsidered them recently.

I have opted for 5-htp and I am self studying grounding and relaxation things. I'm really forcing myself to do this as a routine because I believe I am headed for meds otherwise. I have also come to suspect some of my intense feelings are flashbacks so when they happen I am trying to recognize just that. so far, it is helping, probably one of my biggest breakthroughs...and thanks to some people on this site!

I also have a back up stash of pain meds for emergencies.

I ended therapy recently and I'm a little afraid but I am also in a group which has turned out to be really nice, I actually look forward to going (amazing for me). It is very low cost which is amazing considering the benefit I feel I am getting. It is limited duration though so we'll see how it goes after that.

The htp has been a month now...I like to think I am just managing better :) but I think the htp is helping calm me, and it helps me sleep.

Other things - I have cut my life down to calm as much as possible. I looked at everything from people to activites and it went into the "causes stress" or "doesn't cause stress" and I did away with nearly everything in category 1. It was not easy but I chose not to justify it, I just did it.

that was one of my smartest moves in a long time. I also eat good and exercise a lot, I force myself outside, even if just the yard I have a sheet I mark and a list of good things I should do and I follow it pretty well.

Its early still but so far so good.

Best of luck, Whirlwind

 

[Mit]

Hey - thanks for all the thoughts and ideas, there's clearly plenty more I can try. I did do a mindfulness course a couple of years ago, but I am completely rubbish at practising it - I just never seem to have the time. It's a lack of discipline on my part, so I'm going to try and exercise some self control and start trying it again.

As I'm not seeing a therapist, I try to self analyse and understand the cause of an anxiety attack, usually without any great success. Does anyone have any thoughts on self analysis or techniques that might help me understand what has triggered anxiety?

Thanks so much for all the helpful comments.

 

[Ed Norton]

@SpikeBall, PTSD is an anxiety disorder. So that's generally a prevalent symptom. It is usually manifested by avoidance to reduce the anxiety.

I'm terrified of coming off medication. The antidepressant barely gets me to cope. Although I've lowered my anxiolytics. I only take one buspar per day and klonopin as needed, of which I get 15 per month.