Hi Just Adam,
I first started on an SSRI about 2 and a half years ago. I was 15 at the time, and my anxiety was so bad I couldn't sit still and even eating was a struggle so I lost 5kg in a few months. I had so much stress at home, school and at work and I didn't know how to cope. My psychologist just told me to "do the opposite" of what the anxiety told me. So for months I struggled with the anxiety symptoms, forcing myself to go to school and work. But it only made the anxiety worse. This wasn't the first time I'd had trouble with anxiety and avoidance, actually I'd dealt with those since I was 10 years old, but this was the first time my anxiety was related to panic attacks.
I was prescribed Prozac and Olanzapine because of my age, and these did help. About a year ago, I started having the same struggles once again. I was starting my senior years at high school and the stress was getting to me, so my psychiatrist changed me to Zoloft and I'm now on a fairly high dosage. She told me that there aren't any pills that can just get rid of anxiety but the state I was in, it was obvious I needed some assistance.
I'm 18 now and I've only just started to feel like myself again. I know it's not because of the medication, which does help relieve the physical sensations of anxiety, but it's because of me. As my physical health has improved, I've reached a new state of mind. At the moment, it doesn't look like I'll be coming off the medication anytime soon but I'm okay with that. It helps relieve the anxiety symptoms so I can do my exposure work without having a huge breakdown. One day I hope to be able to live my life to the full and be medication-free but that day hasn't come yet.
Needing to take medication is totally fine. To start overcoming the anxiety, you need a state of mind in which you can actually sit still and have enough concentration to work through it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the medication.
I hope this gives you something to think about, and it actually helps (and I haven't babbled on too much haha).
Kaitie.
