Hi Melissa, I just wanted you to know that I can certainly understand your frustration in dealing with the meds for GAD. I too have dificulties with them. I get all kinds of reactions, side affects, that only increased my anxieties. I realize my anxieties, but then, I don't feel I can tolerate the side affects, and I certainly don't want the addiction. I guess it's a matter of weighing which direction you feel you would benefit most. For me, I simply can't go the med route, so at this point I am simply coping with it. Congratulations on finding the love of your life! Isn't it a truly wonderful thing! Take this love and fly. Try to relax and enjoy it. Have a wonderful day. :)

Melisnl, Welcome to the Panic Center and thank you for sharing your story! You are certainly not alone in feeling this way. Many of our members have struggled with finding the right medication. Keep working closely with your doctor, hopefully you'll find the right one for you soon. In the meantime, be sure to take advantage of our program. It is located on the left side of your screen under program tools. It will educate you about panic disorder and help you practice controlling yours. Read through the forums, there's lots of great stories and experiences that may be helpful to you. If you have any questions, we are only a few clicks away. Keep us posted. Danielle _______________________ The PC Support Team

hey my name is Melissa and i am 27 years old. I have been dealing/suffering from general anxiety and panic disorder for almost 8 years.It started out of the blue dec.12th 1999. I'll never forget that day, it was the day that changed my life. My mom says it was God's way of slowing me down and making me deal with past issues that i was running from. I can see where she would get that. I see it as the day that i lost all controle of me and my life. Nothing has been the same since. Yes i slowed down and started working on past trauma's. But now i have new ones also. I started taking Zoloft after about a year with anxiety. I worked well for about 3 1/2 years. I had way less anxiety almost never panic attacks. It was pretty good. So i stopped taking it. I thought i was cured and i could now handel anxiety on my own. Well coming off of the Zoloft was one of the hardest things i had to do. It made my panic and anxiety horrible. Then we tried to go back on the zoloft and it didn't work anymore. I was devistated. So then i for about 8 months i tried like 6 other SSRI's. It was the scarriest thing ever. I guess i am extreemly sensitive to meds. I get all the side effects and they just don't work. It was so hopeless and hard to go through. So i desided after drug 6 to just go off meds for awhile and try it on my own. Well it went ok when i was just living very safe and controlled. I could kinda keep my life somewhat anxiety free. But i wasn't living or enjoying life. I was just existing trying not to rock "the anxiety boat". Well that all changed about 4 months ago when i met the love of my life. He not on purpose.... yanked me out of my comfort zone. And now i'm dealing with bad general anxiety and bad antisipatory anxiety. I love him so much that i don't want to break up with him just for this. I mean how often do u meet the love of ur life. But in the mean time i am so overwhelmed with anxiety. Thank god he is very patient , loving and understanding. So i went back to my psychiatrist to maybe again consider meds. Well i tried lexapro and again it didn't work. I have now been through almost every SSRI and nothing works. I don't know what to do. It's so hopeless. Has anyone else gone through this? I don't know what to do. I had to stop working again cause it got so bad