Hiya Sue ! Thank you for dropping in on me again. I really apreciate all your kind words to me. Everytime you come online here you always have something nice or encouraging to say to somebody me included and I thank you for that, it means a lot to me :) You are a very kind, lovely and precious individual and thank you for dropping in on me and the rest of us when you can :) -Diva

Glad to help Diva, sometimes we need a gentle 'prod' ( for want of a better word !!!), just to remind ourselves of the huge steps we've taken, and progress we've made. I don't come on that often, I have mixed feelings about it, not the site, thats excellent, but my use of it, but when I do, I always see your name with lovely, helpful advice to some-one, or welcoming some-one to the site. In the midst of your own 'problems' I think thats a really lovely thing to do. Glad you're being pro-active in your approach, I thought you might be anyway !! It definately helps, at least with psychiatrists it does ! Like you, my biggest help was my cbt, this site, and a community psychiatric nurse, definately not my psychiatrist ! You'll do it, definately, you've done it before, and you will again, I just know it !! Take care

Well thanks Sue for your encouragement and your ideas :) I have been looking some medications up actually :) I have been researching older drugs that do not fall in the SSRI class. Also, I have been reading up on studies done in the last 10 years about long term vs. short-term use of different types of benzodiazepines. Also have researched the second option the psychiatrist has offered me (Neurontin). Not sure what to think of it yet so I asked my pharmacist to look it up lol. I decided to be proactive about this :) (And yet I try not to research this too much dont want to start obsessing either lol!) But I really thought about what the psychiatrist said (not the part about how bad off I am lol) but the part about tapering me off in 6 months over 6 months. That means in a year I would be meds free and off benzodiazepines. And I figure worse case a year on benzodiazepines is not so bad. (I was once left on benzodiazepines for 4 years in a row...) And well, the idea of being without meds is a bit scary to me but I had been without meds for 3 years before my relapse so I know I can do it. Plus, it was discussed to let me have a small PRN prescription for a bit after I am tapered off from the daily doses just for the reassurance factor. So Now that I think of it, it sounds reasonable enough. And of course till then (a whole year!) I have time to slowly figure out what my options are if I still want meds. But in the meantime I intend to continue asking around and really looking my options up. As you have said being prepared is just better, especially when it is for a psychiatrist appointment. (I must admit I am not big on psychiatrists myself having had bad experiences in the past). Anyway, all this just to say thanks Sue for your great advice and I have started taking it :p. I am considering all options and trying not to let my meeting with him make me feel down. Mostly I have decided to rely on my therapist and the CBT program and support group here to get my life back in order and to just celebrate when I do well :) And you are right, I have been doing well! Thanks for reminding me :) Thanks for your support and encouragement :) <3 -Diva

Hi Diva, I really agree with the moderator here Diva, you are an inspiration to a lot of people on this site. You're always the first to reply to others and welcome them to the group, you seem very open and honest, and from what you've said about yourself, you have come a long way, and seem quite determined, so don't let this psychiatrist mess you up. I have an idea, you've probably already thought of it youself I'm sure but , what about you doing some research on the net about the various drugs that would be on offer, their pros and cons and going back to the psychiatrist armed with a good idea of the particular drug that might best suit you. My experience of psychiatrists is not particularly good, they can think they're gods, they do promote certain drugs for reward ( I'm sorry if I offend anyone here, but I KNOW they do ), so if you can go in to see him armed with the knowledge, I think you're half way there. There are literally hundreds of drugs available, some are more expensive than others ( may be a factor ? ) I tried several neds before I found the one best suited to me, venlafaxine. I was also put on meds for a disorder I didn't have, and after consultation with the maunfacturer no less, insisted I be weaned off it. I am not saying all psychiatrists are as I have experienced, just that some are. You have been doing so well, it just might be worth researching and then discussing at least ? You hang in there, benzo's are great short term, but like you, I would have reservations about taking them over a protracted period. You've been doing so well, remember that !

Well thanks for letting me vent i kinda needed it lol And thanks Casey for the support encouragement and for reminding me of the progress I made and all that good stuff :p. Have a nice day! -Diva

Dear Diva, Thanks so much for sharing this experience here with us. Feel free to vent anytime - that is why we are all here to discuss situations exactly like this. Reading through all of your posts here on the site, you have truly made amazing progress and are a source of inspiration for your fellow members. Please don't let these frustrations with your psychiatrist get in the way of everything that you have achieved so far. Casey ________________________________ The PC Support Team

Hi guys, I dont think this is a setback really but I did not know where to put this post. I always find meeting the psychiatrist to be a difficult experience. I kind of have to go see them though because I am allergic to many meds and my doctor does not feel confident prescribing me older generation meds which are the ones I can take. I am unfortunately allergic to SSRI's which I hear are really good for anxiety sufferers... So with this relapse I got sent to a psychiatrist again to see what to do about my meds. At the moment I take Benzodiazepines which are a short term thing or should be anyway. So my doctor figured I should see the psychiatrist to see what would be my best options. But somehow everytime I meet the psychiatrist it leaves me feeling worse off then before I met him. At least this psychiatrist was nice and friendly and really seemed to want the best for me which was nice. But even then I came out of there feeling (as usual when I go to a psychiatrist) worse off then before. First, they keep telling me I should get used to the idea that throughout my life I will most likely have to be on meds and that since I am allergic to SSRI's that it will be more complicated to figure out. Oh joy! Then they remind me that yes I am officially diagnosed with GAD and PD with Agoraphobia but that in my "Clinical portrait" there are elements of bi-polar disorder (which means I have some symptoms but not bad enough to actually be considered bi-polar) and elements of OCD and that in the past I have been sensitive to depressions, blah blah blah, By the time they are done I feel like a complete fruitcake, nuts included and like I have little hope of ever feeling well (worse is I kind of have been feeling well in the last few weeks so that should be proof enough that I can be.... Then today he went on to leave me on benzodiazepines for another 6 months before we start tapering off and we will taper off over 6 months which means I will be taking that stuff for another year on top of the 4 months I have been on it. Now I know well enough to know that is more then what is recommended for daily use of those meds. Thank heavens I take very small doses. Thing is he says: well those work and many others dont and you need meds and the only meds that could re