Postpartum Anxiety

Hi there
There are lot of options for getting out there and getting some support. Maybe being with other moms will help.
www.momsclub.org
www.babybootcamp.com
Good luck

I have postpartum depression and the only way I was/am able to relieve it is to take anti depressants(I am taking zoloft due to breastfeeding). That might be the only way yo go.

When I went to a doctor and later therapist for post-partum anxiety/depression, they immediately wanted to put me on anti-depressants. When I was referred to a psychiatrist, I told her that I really did not want to be put on medication. She told me to take a good muliti-vitamin, 1000mg of vitamin C, and an Omega 3 supplement every day. She also told me to exercise at least 5 days every week and try going to yoga at least once a week. I was amazed, but it really did help.

I was a first time mom at 43 and had tremendous anxiety(at least compared to before I had my baby!). I also went to a shrink, but for other reasons...my hubby and I had to work a few kinks out with the new arrival. I remember telling the Dr. I was very anxious and he said, maybe you have postpartum. I then shared with him what had gone on the first 3 months as a new inexperienced mom, i.e. my baby wasn't nursing right, lost almost too much weight (fortunately rallied before we needed to force feed her), my mom was acting odd, my husband was freaked about being a father and I wasn't making enough milk so had to pump every two hours after I fed my baby - that works wonders for making you even more sleep deprived. Oh yeah, and I have a very successful consulting company that I was keeping together after 3 months maternity leave. I said "I may have postpartum, but I can't imagine anyone NOT being overwhelmed by my situation, postpartum or not" - He completely agreed.

Not sure about your situation, every mom is different and the body chemistry is tricky.

So do keep with the therapy if it is helping you (we did it by phone as it was impossible for me to get to another appt in my week) and as a few others suggest I highly recommend acupuncture (was a complete non-believer before my pregnancy) and this is a tough one - find time to get out for a walk at the very least for maybe 30 minutes with the 3 of you as often as you can muster.

As they say "this too shall pass" and you will be back to a new normal before you know it. Good luck!

Have your thyroid and adrenal glands checked. I had very severe post-partum anxiety with my first son. I was about to go on Prozac when somebody told me to go to the endocrinologist instead. Turned out my thyroid was super low, and my adrenal glands were not functioning properly. My doctor put me on medication and a week later the anxiety was gone like it had never been there. 2-1/2 years later I had my second son, and since I was in with the same endocrinologist my thryoid and adrenals were balanced. I didn't have a stitch of post-partum depression or anxiety with my second son.

Make sure when you go to the endocrinologist to tell them to check your free T3 and reverse T3. The reverse T3 they often don't do, and the presence of that can be the cause of the problem.

HTH,
B.

I read this and thought you could benefit from it:

(Here is a story from compleat Mother" Magazine)

HOMEOPATHY: AN INTRODUCTION

I had just turned 30, met a wonderful man, and was working of my first television series. Life was blooming and I was going to get married. Then out of nowhere I started experiencing these horrible anxiety attacks. I’d think to myself…Am I having an allergic reaction? Maybe it was those apples I ate. Am I having a heart attack? Something is seriously wrong here! So I took myself to the doctor. I had lots of testing…an EKG and EEG, my thyroid and other blood work, x-rays, and various other pokings and proddings. The results? “You are a perfectly healthy woman…it must be in your mind!” How could this be, how could I be having such chest pain and be healthy? I was told I should see a psychiatrist and a psychologist and sent home. The journey was beginning and I didn’t even know it. My life would be forever different. I began a regimen of anti depressant and anti anxiety medication. I felt so angry and pissed off, a mental illness are you kidding me, god I’d rather have something that I can get rid of not something I’m going to have to manage my whole life. I never in a million years thought I’d be wishing for a “Different” disease. I remember hearing people break down the word Dis-ease. I wasn’t unhappy, was I? The universe was showing me my Dharma; it was showing me the way. The medication helped, sort of, but somehow I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of the road and certainly not a solution. I am not against taking medicine if you’re postpartum and going to hurt your baby or if you’re suicidal but this was not me. So I took my medicine like a good girl, went to yoga, and changed my diet, tried super hard not to take the Xanax that felt oh so good towards the end of a long hard day, and wondered will I have to deal with this forever?
As time moved on and the medicine was managing my symptoms. I slowly was forgetting that I even had this issue. It’s like the medicine worked but didn’t cure me, I didn’t have to work on it myself, I didn’t have to think about anymore. I didn’t have to change or confront the reason that this illness was presenting itself in the first place. So time had passed and my husband and I had decided to have a baby and I didn’t want to take any medication during the pregnancy because depending on which doctor I talked with each had a different opinion as to whether the medication would hurt the baby. I felt like I could handle myself and a little discomfort so I stopped the medication until the pregnancy was over. Well about 2 months into my pregnancy my symptoms resurfaced with a vengeance. What was I going to do now? I was being pushed to look within, to go deeper, and to become a seeker of my own personal truth. I couldn’t avoid ME any longer. I was back to where I started! I sought out acupuncture, a naturopathic doctor, and even tried neurofeedback. Imagine me with a skull cap on with hundreds of electrodes attached. I looked like something out of the horror film hellraiser or some science fiction film. I then came across the word “homeopathy” in my search for answers. I sought out a practitioner and, knowing nothing, went to an appointment feeling like I’d become a full time doctor junkie. This pivotal moment changed the course of things to come. My visit with the homeopath took 2 hours. I talked and talked; I cried, became hysterical, despairing that I’d never get better! That I just new there was something wrong with me. Through my tears I explained that normally, “I’m a very happy person.” It makes me laugh now because this seems so long ago and I have learned so much. So what is homeopathy anyway? How does it work? What happens when you take it? Here is the official definition…

WHAT IS HOMEOAPTHY?

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that works by using a small dose of a substance to help stimulate the body's healing forces. Homeopathy is an effective safe treatment that is gentle yet extremely effective when used properly. The principle of homeopathy is based on the "law of similars." In other words, a substance that could cause symptoms in large amounts can heal you in minute homeopathic doses.

Let's look at an example: The homeopathic remedy Allium Cepa (Red Onion) is used to treat the runny nose and watery eyes from a cold or hay fever, the very symptoms it would cause if one were cutting a red onion in the kitchen. There are thousands of remedies made out of plants, animals, minerals and many other interesting and imponderable things like color and sound, the planet venus, and even xray.

Homeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, over 200 years ago. Homeopathy is a natural therapy that is safe and effective treatment for accidents and illnesses. It is an energetic medicine that helps the body by elevating the vital force (or the immune system) to defend itself against illness and infection. Homeopaths treat the whole person rather than a single symptom. The homeopath does not diagnose an illness but treats the whole person. It is not necessary to know the name of the disease. Each person may receive a different remedy at a different potency designed to match each one’s need. Homeopathic remedies are small pellets and are generally taken under the tongue or are dissolved in water. They are non-toxic and are safe for pregnant women, infants, adults, and pets and are FDA approved. I find this interesting since the medical world won’t even recognize homeopathy yet they want to regulate the medications. Homeopathy is not herbal or vitamin supplements. It can take time; a typical homeopathic appointment can last from 1 to 2 hours they will ask you everything about yourself, your dreams, what is perhaps peculiar about yourself and unique. It can be an awesome experience, and for some make you think about yourself in a whole new way. Homeopathy works with your body to enable it to fight disease more effectively. Disease is part of life. It cannot be removed, but it can be dealt with effectively. In allopathic medicine (the more traditional medicine practiced in the United States) treatment is by opposition. “Allos” from the Greek means “opposite” and “pathos” meaning “suffering”. When you think of allopathic medicine you hear words like antibiotic, antidepressant, antiviral, antacid, anti-inflammatory. The one thing they all have in common is the prefix “anti”, meaning “against”. Homeopathy works with the body…not against it. Now this is where I get turned on, where I get so passionate, this is where I could babble on and on about this beautiful system of medicine. Homeopathy works on the bigger picture not just a local site. In an acute situation like an accident, a homeopathic remedy like aconite works quickly to help with shock. In the long term, if you have a chronic condition that allopathic medicine can only placate on manage, homeopathy looks to the horizon and perhaps may offer hope and a cure. Interestingly children treated with homeopathy from the beginning of their lives most of the time; do not end up with chronic illnesses. This I believe is because they have fortified their vital force and worked with their bodies and have not suppressed their symptoms. Suppression means that when you treat a disease allopathically you push it deeper into the body. A good example: When young children have psoriasis or eczema and use cortisone creams it’s not uncommon that you will see asthma in their futures In life today it seems almost inevitable that we get these chronic conditions, it’s normal to see the elderly on numerous pill just to stay alive. I find it so awesome to think that it is not inevitable that we end up on tons of pills, that we get chronically sick, that there is a different way to grow and age. That for me is the wave I choose to ride in my life, It gives me hope.

Who can homeopathy help?

Children
Your child’s health is very important to you and as a parent you will face many decisions about your child’s care...from vaccinations to childhood illnesses and behavior problems. Homeopathic treatment works very well for children and used long term prevents chronic illness as they grow to adulthood. Many parents use teething tablets when their infant starts teething. Teething tablets are one of the most common forms of homeopathic treatment and many parents use them without realizing it is a homeopathic remedy. Many childhood ailments can be treated effectively with homeopathy – ear infections, coughs, skin rashes, allergies, and behavior problems are just some of the things I see in my homeopathic practice. In more serious cases homeopathy works very well as a complementary treatment with allopathic medicine to help your child retain his vital force and maintain it after treatment.

Women & men
Women and men seek homeopathic care for a variety of physical and mental conditions. The most common theme however would be that they want more out their health care experience. They are experiencing side effects from their allopathic medicines, or their doctors simply cannot help them. Pregnant women seek treatment for safe treatment during pregnancy since they are unable to take most allopathic medicines.

ANIMALS
Animals respond very well to homeopathic treatment. Family pets can suffer from many ailments - arthritis, allergies, dry skin or eczema, ear infections, coughs, auto immune problems, and cataracts. Dogs and cats can take a remedy the same way an infant would.

When my first child was small, I noticed that he wouldn’t sleep with my husband and me. He would head butt out of some impulse and bite at the breast. It was as if he was adverse to hugs and cuddles. I didn’t know if this was just his personality or something that was like a heavy cloud that he was burdened. Homeopathy says that we inherit the suppression's of our ancestors (genetic predisposition) to some extent and that this inheritance can affect what we become sick with. In homeopathy this is called a “Miasm” a very long and interesting subject in and of itself. Given the little knowledge I had, I was convinced that homeopathy could help. He was given an individual prescription and his remedy worked right away. He has since become and open hearted, polite, inquisitive, loving little boy and that dark cloud is a thing of the past. It is like homeopathy came in and blew a gentle wind on the cloud and it just dispersed. I have used homeopathy for nightmares, temper tantrums, growing pains, pregnancy, teething, fevers, and everything else that we have needed in our health care lives. It seems that homeopathy uses in our lives are never ending and I am forever grateful for it, in face can’t imagine my life without it. I am a different person because of it."

If you'd like a referral I can give you one...

I had terrible postpartum anxiety, depression, OCD. Who knew they all existed? I also had post-traumatic stress from my delivery. I did lots of acupuncture, tried walking and herbs. Unfortunately the only thing that really helped was a therapist who specializes in women's issues and Zoloft (due to breastfeeding). I was probably in danger of harming myself, if not my baby, so it was the only way. Only now, a year after starting to take it, am I able to work on myself a little bit in more natural ways. It's not something you would have to take forever. Good luck!

Please don't settle for drugs that will be only partially successful in masking your issue and give you the side-effects galore. there are so many safe and effective homeopathic remedies – alas, it is too serious to toy with them on your own in your situation. they have to be selected by professional homeopath. to find one close to you use this link:
http://www.homeopathy.org/directory.html
Good Luck
V.

I've not experienced this so I cannot help you with any personal advice. I can, however understand your concern for taking an Rx MAOI for this. I go to a great doctor who uses a holistic approach to body responses and is able to determine what vitamins you may be deficient in; particularly after pregnancy. I was skeptical the first few times I tried him but he was able to determine that I was deficient in B vitamins and gave me some effective ones to try to rebalance my hormones. I've done it and do feel much better. The more research I've done, the more I've discovered that responses are generally chemical in nature and are represented by symptoms, such as anxiety. The prescriptions only mask the symptoms and they usually result in side-effects. Getting to the root of the problem is a better course of action because it fixes the problem and your body obtains overall better health.
Here's his info if you'd like to consult with him: Dr. A. Bellinghausen, ###-###-#### www.betterhealthchiropracticLV.com. He's in the Las Vegas area but also has an office in Henderson.

Good luck and congrats on your beautiful children!

have you considered seeing a homeopath? i just saw one recently and i just started taking my remedy. i've had other friends see her and it has helped them. i tried prozac for a few days after being advised by my gynecologist about some pms symptoms i was having. it ended up making me feel weird, i stopped taking it after 3 days....

also, what about exercise? have you considered getting out and taking some walks, do you have some alone time to go out and do yoga or something else by yourself?

Hi RP,

I think your herbalist was on the right track, except you didn't mention any symptoms of low estrogen so I'm not sure why she suggested estrobalance. It's estimated that as high as 80% of women over age 35 in industrialized societies are estrogen dominannt, meaning they don't have enough progesterone to balance out the amount of estrogen they have. This can happen even if you have low estrogen & still lower progesterone. These two hormones work together & need to be balanced.

I went through this after both of my boys were born. My OB even suggested Prozac like yours did. I did not want to go on rx & started digging for info. You're going to have to educate yourself on this topic. Great resource is www.drjohnlee.com Dr. Lee has written some great books too such as "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause" and even an article about hormone imbalance in males. He started treating women with bio-identical hormones in the 1970's & is considered a pioneer in this field.

I did finally get my primary to test my hormones but only blood tests which are not as accurate as saliva tests. Some of the hormones in your blood are attached to proteins and cannot be used, saliva only measures free hormones. So the blood tests can show you are within the "normal" range even is you truly have a lower amt. My blood tests did show that I was low in Progesterone so I may be even lower than that! I have been using an over the counter cream (by Arbonne) & it's working. By the way, "normal" range is determined by taking an AVERAGE of American women - so even if you fall within the range, if you are on the outer edge, it may not be enough for you.

Fortunately, there's been a lot of mainstream attention to this issue lately such as Oprah. If women are persistant & push their doctors to address these issues, not as many of us will have to suffer. My OB is now reading Dr. Lee's book & is opening up to alternatives, thankfully! Good luck & you can email me directly if you'd like any more info. ____@____.com

I want to echo the exercise advice. Recent studies have shown that moderate exercise 5 days a week does just as much for lifting depression as antidepressants.
Moderate means sweating but not pushing it to the point you couldn't carry on a conversation. And when they say 5 days a week they mean 5 or 6 days a week. Put your kids in the stroller and go for a walk 30-60 min.
Being outside (even in the city)is the second thing that seems to help as well as medication.

Don't talk yourself out of it-if your anxiety increases at first-being out and about-keep doing it for at least two weeks, sometimes it takes your body that long to start producing the hormones you need to get balanced again.

Of course if you have done this for 3 full weeks and it isn't getting better or if you ever have dangerous thoughts there really is a time and place for the drugs but give your body a chance to fix itself, it has been through a lot (kids take a toll) and maybe just needs some good TLC from you.
Good Luck

If he is suggesting serotonin imbalance, then speak to your herbologist again. Don't go on medication! You have to take too much time to wean off. There are many things that will help the levels naturally. I suffered from postpartum and anxiety also. I used a natural supplement called Vitex that worked very well. Sleep is the most important, just not excessive which will lead to more depression and stress. Exercising was another way to help it. I walked everyday, being outside and getting the exercise was a good balance for me. Don't try the medication unless it's you absolute last resort.

In my mama's class their was a few ladies taking prozac or this type of drug. It helped them very much.
Sue

I too had postpartum anxiety. Everybody knows about depression, so I did not figure it out on time. My heart was racing when I had to go up the stars, I slept for 3 hours only and wasn't even tired the rest of the day. I thought it was fear, being a new mom at 33 and I swear I did not bond properly with the baby because of it. I was scared of what she will do next, I could not predict.
Anyways, I started seeing acupuncturist for my back and that took care of anxiety

I truly understand how you are feeling as a MAMA myself. Experiencing the BABY BLUES is downright depressing and so overwhelming, especially when you want to be the best MAMA you can be and everything becomes an effort. I truly applaud you for researching natural and homeopathic remedies for how you are feeling instead of taking psych medications. There are definitely many natural solutions that can actually help with what you are going through.

I highly recommend contacting Dr. Mike Spearman who is truly an amazing Chiropractor and Nutritionist and would definitely be able to help you naturally.

Here's his data:
1279 North Berendo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663~1066
http://spearmanbetterhealth.com/

If he is too far for you, please let me know as I may know of an incredible nutritionist that is closer to you.

I also recommend checking out 3 organizations validating why going the natural route is best for you and your family:

http://uniteforlife.wordpress.com/
http://www.cchrint.org/
http://www.labelmesane.com/

And, please watch:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LQW23XCmOCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qble_vQEC7M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k0Gq_yrZ_k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGX_34TmT4w
http://www.psychconflicts.org/
http://www.cchr.org/#/videos/making-a-killing-introduction

AND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOT5DSIUTOY&eurl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhjdbifuNco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3JQ8OVHVWA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xehHwkPpevk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QMYFgC_YSo

I also truly recommend reading "Doped Up and Duped – nearly impossible to find independent studies of psych drugs with no Pharma ties." http://tinyurl.com/mj9494

And, "Why The MOTHERS Act Should Not Be Passed" http://tinyurl.com/okookx

Please free to reach me anytime at: (323) 906~2784 or via e~mail me at ____@____.com.

I'd love to help you however I can. And, I promise, there is light at the end of this tunnel! : )))

LOL (Lots Of Love),
L. (MAMA to 22 month old Dylan Orion....29 September 2007).

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this.

For many people, postpartum anxiety, as well as other types of anxiety and depression, the primary root cause is one of two things, or a combination of the two:
1. Lack of adequate coping mechanisms/support networks/improper thinking patterns
2. A nutritional deficit of Omega 3s.

From the sound of your e-mail, it doesn't sound like the first part is a problem, but if it is, I would strongly recommend the book: _Feeling Good_ along with a good therapist, especially one who specializes in cognative behavioral therapy.
http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/d...

For the nutritional part, start taking pharmacuetical-grade Omega 3s. Studies have shown that 4,000 mg/day works just as well as a low-dose of Prozac. I have been recommending this to clients, friends, and family for years, and it works. Personally, I am a huge fan of Nordic Naturals brand because they have both DHA and EPA and are high quality, pharmacuetical grade, and are third-party tested for no PCBs and other contaminents, and you can get them from places like the Vitamin Shoppe, who, if you sign up for their e-mails, are always having great specials, like buy one, get one 1/2 off. The big thing, though, is that you want PHARMACUETICAL grade Omega 3s.

For Nordic Naturals, take 7/day of their Ultimate Omegas after meals for six weeks. Please do take them after eating, and feel free to space them out over meals, because for some people, they can cause slight indigestion -- but this shouldn't be a problem if you take them after eating food. It will take about 6 weeks to begin to fill the deficit that has built up, but you may notice a change even earlier. After the six weeks, continue taking the Omega 3s -- if you want, you can drop your dosage down to 2,500 mg/day, although if you are breastfeeding, I would recommend the 4,000 mg/day for at least 6 weeks after you cease breastfeeding before moving to 2,500/day. I still take Omegas every day, and have for years.

Why do Omega 3s work? Basically, there are three major types of Omegas, ALA --from plants-- and EPA and DHA, both from fish. While a lot of people will tout the benefits of flaxseed oil and other plant-based sources of Omega 3s (ALA), ALA is simply not easily bioavailable for most people's bodies and needs to be converted into EPA and DHA, a process many people's bodies does not do efficiently. EPA and DHA are the brain-builders, which is why they are so important. DHA is basically a crucial building block of brain structure, and EPA is what improves brain functionality (including mood). Your body can easily convert EPA (function) into DHA (structure), but it cannot easily convert DHA into EPA. In America, most pregnant women do not get enough DHA in their diet during pregnancy, but this is the primary building block for a baby's brain. So what happens? The woman's body converts her EPA (function) into DHA (structure) to build baby's brain -- and then we have all these women who struggle with post-partum anxiety and depression!

Anyway, it is often a very simple fix because it is often a nutritional deficit that is creating all these problems. We don't really know why some people's bodies just do not absorb Omega 3s as well as other people, but supplementation of Omega 3s is, overall, something that most of us can do easily and can greatly benefit from taking. Omega 3s are great for your brain, your heart, your skin, and your hair. And as long as you are taking pharmacuetical-grade Omega 3s, there are no concerns about mercury or other heavy metal toxcity problems, or increased exposure to PCBs.

To my knowledge, the only time when supplementing with Omega 3s is not a good idea is when the person has a bleeding disorder where the blood does not clot well. (Conversely, Omega 3s are a great way to help lower high cholesterol because of their ability to thin the blood.) Before starting any new regimen, it is always a good idea to talk with your doctor first and be sure there are no contraindications for you, personally.

I hope this is helpful -- as I said earlier, this has helped so many clients of mine, as well as friends and family members. Best of luck to you -- and congratulations on the new addition to your family!!

I had this with my second and 3rd babies. i cant say i figured it out but i can relate. I too went to a homeopath doctor. started on supplements they seemed to work for a little while then stopped. at that pint i went to my ob and was prescribed wellbutrin (SP?) For me i needed something right away because i had 2 kids to take care of i didn't have time or money to fuss with other things.
it got me through for a while. then i noticed the side effects and they were getting worse. i had lots more energy, i was in a good mood, my appetite evened out but when i would get angry i would rage- i am not an angry person and this wouldn't happen very often but i knew i was not acting like myself. i didn't like it went back to my ob and was prescribed Prozac to use with it to calm down the effects. i stopped at that point and went back to the herbalist. i didn't want to be taking lots of different prescriptions to help the first one work. I just felt the pill count would get higher.
You have lots of good advice here I would try to focus on one path at a time. If you think the Prozac will help you until you find something else perhaps you should do it. the main thing is you need to take care of your kids and any way you can do that now is a good idea.
I would also look on craigs list or something similar for a double stroller if you don't already have one and start a routine of getting out for a little while. this will help your kids a ton! I didn't realize my kids were getting cabin fever as well.
good for you taking care of yourself too many Moms don't

R P

If you don't want to take Prozac, then ask for something less dramatic. I used Prozac for about 5 yrs, and I had no feeling at all. It was like just existing in a world that I had to get to know again. I quit taking it last year and I am still trying to get to know my emotions again. Have you tried to see a counselor? Maybe talking to a counselor will help you work out what you are so anxious about. There are less dramatic drugs you can take, ask your doctor or speak to a psychologist about what would work for you. Postpartum depression can be scary, so my recommendation is to seek out a counselor/therapist to talk to and they can help you decide and work through what you are thinking and feeling.

YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT! If you don't feel right about taking it, it's because you know that it's not good for you. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance. There is no science behind psychiatry or its medications. It's a fact that there's no blood test they can give you to find out if your seratonin levels are off. THERE'S NOT SUCH TEST! It's a big hoax. Also, the side effects from taking those medications include suicidal and homicidal thoughts. Do you want to risk doing something to yourself or your child? Check out http://www.cchr.org for more information.

The best advice I can give you is to make sure you are well rested and well fed so you don't have the anxiety so much. Do you have anyone who could help you? or that you could pay to watch your daughter while you take naps? It's worth it and it's for you family.

If you try the natural remedies suggested by the other mothers below and they don't work, and you remain against taking medication, I would suggest therapy. For mild to moderate postpartum anxiety, therapy with a qualified counselor can be as effective as medication. If you are looking for someone who specializes in counseling women with postpartum anxiety in California, visit this link to get contact information for the California coordinators of Postpartum Support International: http://postpartum.net/local-support/?state=CA.
K. S., Postpartum Progress, http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com

I too had problems w/ anxiety after the birth of my baby - did get a bit better once I stopped breastfeeding (breastfeeding mimics menopause which makes your hormones go nuts). My dr wanted to put me on an antidepressant as well (seems to be the first thing they want to do) - and I was not ok with that so I ended up seeking out accupunture. Best thing I ever did!!!! The accupucturist put me on some herbs as well. I feel SOO much better now - no more axiety. Such a non-invasive yet proactive way to help with axiety. Plus, many insurance companies will pay for some accupunture treatment. So, you are not alone and I think it is fantastic that you are seeking out ways to help yourself!

i was put on lexapro but that was 4 years ago and i am still taking it. I feel better but it is hard to get off the med.