It would be nice and reassuring to hear some peoples stories of how they had anxiety, but have since beaten it.

Yea, I think my story is one of success. I have had OCD and panic dissorder since I was very young (2nd grade). I went through a really rough time when I was young and the period ended in 4th grade. Anyway, no problems until end of highschool when I started noticing weird patterns I was making in my closet with my cloths and I would obsess about my girlfriend cheating on me between classes. Like whe was going to get in a quicky with someone in between high school classes. Anyway, It wasn't until college graduation that }REMOVED}. I had my first full blown panic attack and ended up in psych ward for a few days. Doctor said nothing was wrong and sent me packing. From that point on my life was a living hell. I had panic constantly and thoughts would haunt me, like what if I am going crazy, then I saw a show where this guy shot 14 people for no apparent reason and thought that could be me, so I obsessed about being a mass murderer for awhile, then gay, etc. The list goes on and on. Anyway, I finally got some good counseling when I was 22 and that helped enormously. I quit all the frugs and lived fairly normally until about 2 years ago when I decided to get married and commit to a life with one person. For me this has always been a huge issue. Fear of commitment. Anyway, all of the old symptoms came back and I decided enough is enough I have a child and a family and I am not going to allow this disease to destroy my time with my family. I went to a specialist here in the San Antonio area and he prescribed me Xanax. Xanax immediately dropped my anxiety levels and I have tried every other drug out there and damn near died from side effects. Anyway, it didn't help at all with the thought intrusions though, so I have been meditating every morning and waking up early eating well and exercising. The meditation really helps you practice thought control and I am now about 95% well. I still have a rough day, but I think all humans have their bad days, so I consider it a huge success. I have been in treatment for about 3 months now and have not had any panic symptoms, a little anxiety here and there, but all of the painful physical symptoms that came with my anxiety such as major stomach pain and head aches are gone. I hope this workd for ever, honestly, I have no problem taking this medication for the rest of my days it will allow me to live a full life. I think I have plateaued at 2 mg per day and I feel no side effects. I have a full time job as a mechanical engineer, exercise a few times a week, have a family, and love my life. I hope this helps anyone out there feeling low about this illness. It is not cureable, but there is a lot you can do to make it manageable. Good luck.

Yes, my anxiety is gone now. I found out that mine was due to hormonal imbalance and my diet. I have had anxiety since I was 10 and am now 20. Two months ago I went to see a naturapathic doctor and was told to change my diet completely. Who wouldn't if they didn't want to start feeling better right away? Anyways, I got rid of gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, soy, and tons of other stuff. Now I eat mostly fish, chicken or turkey with lots of steamed veggies and berries.

The second part was the test of hormones through a saliva test. Oh yes, and they were way off! I was put on natural progesterone (not birth control pills, which are man-made hormones) and am taking supportive supplement vitamins for my adrenals and thyroid. I am happy to say the anxiety is gone. I really believe lots of other people have this kind of problem as well and really should look into getting their hormones tested, and if necessary, be put on natural hormones. I am sure glad that I did!

Hi,
I first had panic attacks 6 years ago and they pretty much 'went away' but just a whole heap of stress I think brought them back a couple of months ago, but this time I have almost beaten it again already. I don't know that they ever completely go away, I think you learn what they mean and why and how they happen (breathing, thoughts etc) and you manage them. I think it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with but compared to the first time round which was horrific I'm really proud of myself for getting on top of it much quicker this time. So even though when it's really bad it feels like you will never feel 'normal again', know that you can beat it, I have kept a journal this time of my thoughts as I wish I had've done it the first time to see how I felt and how I managed to get through it.

Take care