Hello. This is my first posting, so I'm a little nervous (go figure). I have recently finished a 6-month treatment on Lexapro and my panic attacks/anxiety came back within 2 months. I've read Lucinda's book "From Panic to Power" and thought I was on my way to becoming "normal" again. But lately I've really struggled to keep my anxiety and negative thinking in check. Some days I'm ready to throw in the towel and go back on the Lexapro, but my husband and I would like to get pregnant this year and are concerned about any harmful side effects, not to mention the sexual side effects. Anyone out there whose beat their anxiety and is still med-free? If so, I could really use some words of encouragement.

beckylynn,

I no longer take meds. I took meds in the very beginning of my anxiety and panic episodes, before I was educated and learned skills.

Medication is a wonderful aid in helping people cope with their depression and anxiety. It's especially wonderful at the beginning when you don't really understand what is wrong with you and why you are experiencing symptoms.

Once a person learns the truth about depression, anxiety, panic and/or phobias, they learn they don't have to be afraid anymore and can slowly put their new skills to work in their life without medication.

You can overcome your depression/anxiety with or without medication. You can increase your own natural "feel good" chemicals in your brain on your own simply by using the skills in this program or any other cognitive-behavioral program. Things like positive thought replacement, exercise, good diet, better sleep all work towards a healthy mental state and balance your brain chemicals.

Did you know that the ACT of smiling increases seratonin in the brain???? It's a true fact!
You don't even have to feel happy in order for it to work. You simply have to change your behavior to get better and talk compassionately with yourself !

If you have skills then you can overcome your depression/anxiety. You don't need medication to overcome it. Medication is a choice.

I encourage you to read more about cognitive-behavioral therapy and learn more skills to help you along the way.

You'll be able to have that baby without meds, so don't worry.

Hi beckielynn,

I chose to stay on meds and work off of them as I got better with the program. Actually, I don't think I had a choice in staying on meds. I couldn't have got better without them, I don't believe. This is the disconnect that I don't understand with folks. What's the big deal about taking meds? So you can say that you never got that weak? I just don't understand. In the last six months I've come down 50mg on one of my anti-depressants and 10mg on anti-anxiety meds. It is the program that has done it for me, or rather that has enabled me to do it. It' painless, for the most part (i do get tired ans sleepy when I am coming down on meds) and when you are ready to come down some more on a med, your brain and body give you obvious signals that it is time.

I see folks torturing themselves because they choose to endure suffering rather than take a med and come off of it as they work the program. Makes no logical sense tome whatsoever. I suppose some have severe side effects with meds. But, what do you call the suffering you are going through? Is that as bad as side effects? For some it appears to me it is a lot worse.

I don't know if I can be med free, but I am busting my butt to get there!

Tried meds 2x a long time ago. Didn't like them. Went a different route. I've worked with a biochemist for the past 10 years who diagnosed a bad chemical imbalance that was creating alot of my anxiety/panic problems. Through diet and amino acids and vits he was able to balance my chemistry out naturally. No side effects or just dealing with symptoms...he got to the root. But now I have to change the way I think. I have had this problem for 30 years and I still "think" I can't do certain things. My chemistry is straight, now I have to get my thinking straight. I use to wonder which came first...the chemistry, then the thoughts and then panic or vise versa. Definitely there are times when the chemistry just misfires because of any number of blips due to chemical imbalances......the chemistry then sets the thoughts in motion. Getting this problem taken care of is important. Other times the thoughts create the chemical reactions........this is where this program comes in handy. You can do this without meds for sure.
Peaches

Hi-Yes I am finally med free and anxiety no longer bothers me and that is because of the program!!! See there is just so much info there and it takes time to put it all in to practice and get good at it.Everyone recovers in their own time. The Midwestcenter gives you the skills to recover and then it is up to each individual to make it work!!! Many of us who suffer from anxiety want everything done like yesterday!!! Patience is knowing that any process worthwhile takes time and since I was not known for my patience at one time I have found this is true!! Remember it is only thoughts and we have the power to change our thoughts and learning to under react is so important as well!!! My recovery has taken 3 years and I feel that is great since I suffered all my life with anxiety!!! Timber

Hi beckielynn.

I had bottom last October. I went on meds for a couple of months to help me stabilize myself and get a grip. I found the program at that time and I knew it was my solution.

I am happy to say that it has been 10 months since my last anxiety attack; I have been depression-free for 6 months and have had no meds for 9 months.

Full recovery is possible!

Best wishes for you!

I was on meds for a few years, went off for a few years and am about to get back on. I have finished the program and it has helped a lot but I was still better with the meds. Life was great. Don53.....thank you so much for your encouragement. You are absolutely right. What IS the big deal? Just to say you did it without meds? I know some people have side effects but I'll take those any day over panic attacks. and they usually go away. thanks again, I'm finally releasing the guilt of taking meds again and I am looking forward to a new me again.

There is NOTHING wrong with taking meds. I don't think anyone here is suggesting that there IS something wrong with it. There is a time and a place for medication and there is NOTHING wrong those who need to take it. There was a time when I needed meds and I am thankful that for that time.

I guess the reason why so many people want to come off meds is because when you learn the truth about anxiety, depression and agoraphobia, etc....you learn that truth about what caused you to get that way in the first place and how to avoid in the future. Learning that you can balance your own brain chemicals by eating better, exercising, using positive thought replacement and learning skills to cope with anxiety and/or depression is REALLY POWERFUL KNOWLEDGE.

When people learn that they can do this on their own without the dependence of medication, drugs or alcohol, it gives a wonderful sense of freedom.

Why take meds if you don't need to ? People using this program are learning that most of us don't need meds to either recover or stay balanced.

That is NOT suggesting that some people don't need them or should not be taking them.

What I don't understand is how this even became an issue in the first place. To encourage people to come off their meds WHEN THEY ARE READY, is a GOOD thing and it's to be applauded, because that person is ready to learn to face those feelings head on and learn firsthand that they can overcome it without medication.

When someone takes medication for panic to stop the panic. It's great ( in the beginning), however, as they learn the skills in this program, they learn they will eventually have to face the fears that caused them to panic in order to overcome it. You can't learn to overcome panic without the experience of panic.

Depression is another thing. Some people are so depleted in brain chemicals that they need to be on a medication long enough to stabalize them and bring them up to where they should be. When they are feeling better and have learned the skills to keep depression away and from returning on their own, they can come off of the meds and use the skills to work through hardships.

You see, it's not a battle of "taking meds vs not taking meds"....

It's about taking meds when you need them and not feeling guilty about it and about coming off the meds when you learn the skills and are confident enough in them to come off the meds.

That's it and there's nothing more to it.

So why all the fuss?

This is to Don53. I was thinking about what you said here as I came in from my morning walk.About not understanding those of us who are adament about doing this WITHOUT meds. Well in the first place, why NOT try. As I have grown older{almost 50} I have either gotten much more sensitive to life, or much more tuned into my body. Either way I am EXTREMELY sensitive to what I do to my body. When my kids were very young I asked my doctor about meds using my own mothers chronic depression as an axcuse. He readily prescribed them. I took them for quite awhile. But had to go off them due to finances. Had to give up alot due to finances. What I wasn't old and what wasn't in his med book was the side effect of weight gain. I gained enough weight to know it wasn't me making me eat. Meds in and of themselves I have no problem with. It is the side effects and the buildup of toxins from them in our bodies over time that I have the problem with. And then there is the fact that whenever you put a foreign substance in your body you simply don't know what kind of result there will be. I lean much more toward using a homeopathic means when it comes to meds. Besides. Quite frankly, I wasn't as bad as I am today before I got messed up with my ex, raising 2 kids totally on my own, and went through homelessness, a runaway daughter who still thinks she is in the right, and being muscled out of my job recently. And that's just for starters. I am willing to submit to counseling, but meds, no. Thank you very much.

By-the-way, I really appreciate your input on this forum. Of everyone in life I know, you seem to have your head on the straightest.

I respect anyone if they can stay off of meds while recovering. That is the way I would have liked to have done it. But, as strong as my disorder has been I don't know if that was a viable alternative for me. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, I don't know. I didn't learn of cognitive therapy until 2.5 years ago. I wish I had known its power when I was 18 with my first panic, anxiety, and depression. Maybe I would be med free today. It just appears that for some folks they feel guilty or inadequate if they have to take meds and I know from where I have been that that is the wrong attitude to have toward meds. My attitude is that I want to be off of them too. We weren't born taking them, so the normal state is to not be on them. I just don't know if I could have progressed with the MWC program if I weren't on them. I have my doubts that I could have.

However, I do think that doctors resort to meds too quickly today. It seems to be the first line of treatment for anxiety and depression and I personally think that cognitive therapy should be. If you can't do CBT on your own, then maybe you do need a med, but I do think trying it without meds to start is the best approach. But, if you can't do it without meds, I don't think folks should be ashamed of taking meds. I do think that many people fear meds too much and as a result may impair their recovery due to this fear. Some of us may need them to help us recover and we may not get better without them.

Thanks, everyone, for your words of encouragement. To Don53: I agree that the choice to take or not to take meds is a personal one and that guilt should not be a factor. However, once I decided to go completely med-free (no Xanax, no Lexapro, no Propranolol, etc.) I wanted to stick to it so that I could prove to myself that the resources needed to beat my anxiety were within my own power, not dependent on a pill.

It was easy for the first few months, but on the days when I obsess over my anxiety (thus making me more anxious) it is so tempting to take a Xanax just to gain relief. But I stuck to my guns during my low time, read the valuable insights posted on this message board, and now I'm feeling better than I have in weeks. And I did it all on my own! I feel so empowered and I couldn't have done it without this program.

Thanks, again.

Beckielynn

Hello, (sorry, this may be long but please read) well, this is a debate I fight within myself and am really trying hard to overcome. (read my previous posts on meds). I was on meds for several years, sure had some side effects but they went away. My life was great, panic free and pretty much anxiety free (not a bad thing I say). I went off accidentally (long story) so I stayed off. that was 2 1/2 yrs ago and I've had anxiety, depression since. I went the homeopathic route, I already ate well, excercised, I did most of what the program already teaches. All helped quite a bit, but not as good as meds. After all the years (and I'm talking YEARS!) of books, therapy, group, self help, hypnotherapy, on and on.....nothing has been as good as the meds for me. So of course I want to go on meds. After all the roads I've taken with anxiety, the bottom line is to just accept a panic attack. I know that will do it! But like I've said before, it's like saying, "if someone stabs you just don't let it hurt" How do you not panic when you panic? I just haven't been able to "float" and I'm only adding more stress and guilt because of it. I only have one chance on this earth, not two and what's so bad about meds anyway? Well, that's the struggle I have. Everywhere you turn you're learning you can do without it , you're messing up your own chemical imbalance if you don't do it the cognitive way (which I totally support by the way) but in the end, who is suffering? Me. My grandmother, mother, brothers and sisters and now nieces and nephews all have this disorder. I don't think that is coincedance however I read that it is not. What to do? I don't know. I just know I want to feel right again and meds did that. Don53...thank you for the support. Below is a recent email I received from a panic website which I think describes it wonderfully.........but.........I'm felt feeling guilty again. What's so bad about us wanting to take meds? who benefits and who loses? ME......YOU.......so I hope to stay on track with feeling good about going on meds. thanks for your time! =D

THE LINDEN METHOD - NEWS and REVIEWS

Edition 3: The Science of Emotion


All of our emotions good, bad, appropriate or inexplicable are
at their most fundamental level just physical bodily reactions.
Our bodies are extremely complex, highly reactive machines and
although medical science is a long way down the road of
understanding them there are still an
awful lot of unknowns.



Our emotions are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
This is sub-divided into the parasympathetic system, which
actively maintains a calm, relaxed state in the absence of
emotional stimuli and the sympathetic system which calls into
action all the physical reactions to stress, including amongst
others:

...Raised heart rate and blood pressure
...Increase in respiration and perspiration
...Blood diverted from digestive tract to limbs and brain.
...Blood sugar levels increase
...Dilation of pupils in the eyes


The autonomic nervous system is in turn controlled by the
central nervous system and is largely regulated by biochemical
reactions within the brain.



Our emotional experience is A FINE BALANCING ACT - the physical
reactions are triggered, not directly by people, objects and
events in the world around us but by our interpretation of
those things based on past experience.


These physical reactions will be the same or very similar
across a range of emotions, and we then have to interpret them,
again based on what is happening around us, to try to make
sense of what we are feeling.


************************************************

I recently came across some research by Marazziti and Rossi
(1999) which showed that the
action of the brain chemical Serotonin (5-HT) was significantly
impaired in a group of subjects suffering from Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD) without medication compared with the
population at large. The study also showed that the OCD
sufferers' results were identical to a group of subjects who
had recently fallen in love. This study illustrates that at
some fundamental physical level the very different experiences
of suffering OCD and falling in love are the same.


*************************************************

The process of having an emotional experience is obviously such
a complicated and subjective
one that it is no wonder that it goes wrong for so many people.
I can see why medical science has concentrated on the physical
side of emotional disorders - but often the imbalances in brain
chemicals aren't wrong but just occur inappropriately. USING
DRUGS (which are fairly blunt instruments) to correct this
obviously INTERFERS with all our EMOTIONS. I won't deny that
for some people drug treatments are effective, they can provide
some breathing space during which the person is able to get
themselves back on course, but for most people and particularly
if used long term I really believe they do more harm than good.
If the physical chemical emotional reactions are suppressed by
drug treatments it is very difficult to correct what
is going wrong.



The focus of traditional COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
techniques on examining your negative emotions and potential
causes of these CAN REINFORCE THE NEGATIVE MENTAL HABITS you
have learned in your anxiety disorder. A report which was
highlighted at the Division of Counseling Psychology Annual
Conference this year based on research following the September
11th disaster in New York by Clare Wilson. This indicated that
COUNSELLING IS TOO PRESCRIPTIVE, using a 'one size fits all'
approach which is often inappropriate, ineffective and
potentially harmful.


***********************************************

What REALLY needs to be addressed in anxiety and panic disorder
is what is going wrong during the subconscious interpretation,
both of our surrounding and our physical reactions to those
surroundings. This is where The Linden Method is extremely
effective in showing you how to UNLEARN THE INCORRECT EMOTIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS that trigger the anxiety and panic and helping you
to LEARN NEW, GOOD EMOTIONAL HABITS and rid yourself of your
anxiety disorder for good.

**********************************************

My method is unique in that it addresses the physical aspects
of anxiety disorder without using drug treatments.

**********************************************

If you have any questions regarding my method please refer to
my website at www.panic-anxiety.com or e-mail me at
charles@panic-anxiety.com

PROZAC SAVED MY LIFE! I NEVER THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS DEPRESSED OR IN NEED OF ANY MED'S.. MY G.P. SAW WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH. HE GAVE ME A PRESCRIPTION, THAT WAS A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO.

DO WE NEED MED'S/THIS PROGRAM, YES AND NO! IF FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND IT HELPS.... WHY NOT?

I AIN'T FOOLING,
JUST GROOVING ON THE TRIP.
O/N AKA... THE MAN