This is a major vent, hope y'all don't mind. I've been suffering from GAD and PD for about 35 years, been through it all with meds, drugs, hospitalization, Psychs, etc. Then last May, I found that I had a local treatment center that specialized in Panic Disorders! Great, I thought. I went for a preliminary visit, had the program (relaxation and CBT) explained to me and that they had an 87% success rate, and it's only 6 miles from my house!! I began the program, which started with relaxation techniques (mostly deep breathing) and working with a psychologist. I really started feeling better! I also started taking Imipramine (25 mg a day), and I think that also helped. Then about 3 weeks ago, my therapist thought I should increase my drugs (have felt like **** since I did that) and also began having me induce Panic Attacks by breathing through a coffee stirrer (trust me, it works!) and I've been on a major downslide since. I BARELY make it to work now, and my therapist and I agreed to take a "break" from our sessions for a while, as it seemed we weren't making any progress. So now I feel like a complete failure ( part of the 13% that the program doesn't help) and I'm really depressed about it, which of course makes me panic even more! So, I've cut back my Imipramine to 25 mg a day, which I hope will help in a week or two. But I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with the PD Program. I may go back and request a different Doctor, maybe things will "click" better, or maybe I'm just setting myself up for more disappointment. I don't want to lose my job, I think it would just re-enforce the PD. GRRRRR, I hate this! I'm just so confused right now! Well, I've vented long enough for now, if you've read this far, Thank You for your patience. TTFN
