I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder after suffering after a Panic Attack for almost 2 months. I was previously referred by my D.O. doctor to a physical therapist due to dizziness and vertigo who ruled them out as anxiety-caused and recommeneded a friend PhD who advised anxiety is easily treatable, gave me a visual exercise and took off for 3 weeks holiday, the worst 3 weeks of my life!
I saw my D.O. again who gave me Buspar but when he wore off too soon he increased my dose but I then started being afriad of getting around the kitchen knife drawer my anxiety was so bad. I cold-turkey'ed it and he put me on Xanax XR 1MG at bedtime. Slept best since I can remember. N anxiety for about 16 hours. Told me to take an additional 0.5MG XR in the morning. Didn't make sense to me but I did it. It wore off about same time as the 1 MG.
Found a Fantastic independent LPT named Matthews who confirmed that my entire life has basically been living on the edge of anxiety due to castrophic thinking that started when I had some simple health issues when I was a child but were then considered serious by my parents.
I now keep track of the triggers of my anxiety and what I am thinking, what level I feel it is (0-10) and whether I am sad, angry or afraid. I then "re-frame" what I was believing into a more present-day thought and re-rate my anxiety. It works pretty good but I am still on 1.5 Xanax. Without that, the thoughts would race by so fast I could not write them down. Also, the Xanax or lasck of anxiety has stopped the Vertigo and lightheadedness.
Now I am thinking of tapering off the Xanax but although my LPC does not think it is yet time, he says I will probably be anxiety free in about 3 more weeks. Next week he will attempt to give me anxiety and told me to not take my morning pill.
My only concern is that people usually don't "cold turkey" Xanax and as my regular D.O. told me to find another person with a D.O. or an M.D. behind their name for Xanax (he must be afraid of prescribing it), I was recommended to a Nurse Practictioner (very expensive but not as costly as a Psychiatrist), and now I fear she will attempt to put me in some long-term category saying that anxiety is a symptom and not a cause and want me to start the anti-depressant route.
I am not depressed. I have a normal functioning life and now (thank God) a job but I just need a little help finding something more rewarding instead of crunching numbers. And guess what? People have to go off anti-depressants too!
I think going to yet another person may be putting way too much into this whereas all I probably need is to find my own way, as I have my entire life, and just keep a little Xanax in the cupboard in case. I have talked to people who have done that for years, have no adverse affects and who live very happy and productive lives.
Still, I will go see her because, like my LPC says, I can simply decide I can't work with her and go elsewhere.
We always have choices!
