Anyone dealt with generalized anxiety disorder?
I have been dealing with very bad anxiety for the past year now and I was recently told I have generalized anxiety disorder. I was wondering if anyone else who has dealt with it could share their experiences with me. What kind of treatment did you use? How much better do you think you have gotten after being treated for it? Did the cognitive behavioral therapy work well for you? How long did you experience the symptoms of GAD before getting treated for it? How long were you treated for it?Have you overcome it completely or do you still experience the anxiety sometimes?
I would love to hear from people who have experienced GAD firsthand and get some advice for how to deal with it. Thanks.
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I have been struggling with generalized anxiety/panic disorder for almost 4 years now. When it first started I didn't realize it was an issue, I just thought I was constantly nervous and just going crazy. After months of feeling extremely anxious to the point that I left school, I got my first anxiety attack. It was a terrifying experience that made me terrified of getting another one. At that point in my life I knew nothing about anxiety disorders, I've never heard of them. I went to my doctor and demanded medication, because I never wanted to feel like that again. I was prescribed 25mg of Zoloft that I took daily. It takes about 2-3 weeks to start working and during those 2 weeks I felt completely stoned. After a month my body got used to the drug and my anxiety level decreased. A week later I began to feel anxious again, saw a psychiatrist who raised my dosage to 50mg. Things got better for a couple weeks to a month, and then again. Same thing kept reoccurring and before I knew it I was at 100mg of Zoloft with Lorazapam as needed for anxiety attacks. At that point I wouldn't let my doctor raise my dosage any more. I began to experience horrible side effects from the drug and was switched to Celexa, although nothing changed. That's when I began to do research on anxiety and medications. The things I found about the dangers of anti-depressants in general was horrible! After watching the movie "Food Matters" I took myself completely off of the drugs and took a natural adrenal gland supplement. 2 weeks of withdrawals later I felt better then I have ever felt! I was even able to travel for the first time in 2 years! Unfortunately after that I went through a very stressful couple of months and my anxiety returned, but it wasn't uncontrollable. It was minor for a couple of months and is now out of control. I had to leave my job and am currently seeking help from a natural doctor, which is helping a bit, but it takes time. I don't ever want to go on medication again, knowing that I had a bad experience with it and learning that I'm not the only one. I am also seeing a psychologist, but I don't really know if that helps at all. I recommend trying hypnotherapy, which has helped me in the past along with herbal treatments. Find a naturopath doctor in your area to help get you exactly what you need. You should also watch "food matters" and "marketing madness" you can find them on youtube.