Deb, i am trying to do the same. my anxiety is not really that bad, but right now my depression has been terrible. i wish that i had more words of wisdom.

Yes I also am going through this without med and yes it is very hard. I do take a couple of natural herbs that help a little bit, but I think the thing that has helped me the most is excercise. Just keep fighting through it day by day.

Med free here. I'm doing just fine. If the ativan helps then I'd continue to use it every now and then like you have been. I practice a method by Claire Weekes which is posted on my journal. Check it out.

im not on no meds! u just have to ride through it! gets eaiser :)

i dont take any medication apart from flower remedies. I try to just get through it in my own way. I did try taking some meds that the doc prescribed but they didnt agree with me and plus i didnt want to be reliant on medication to make me feel better.
However, a good friend of mine has taken anti-anxiety medication for nearly 5 years and she gets along just fine with it.
I think you should just go with whatever makes you feel comfortable.

xxx

on the flip side! why suffer if theres somthing out there that can help?? its madness! i'm not saying everyone shud go an get on benzos for the rest of there lives! but if you are feeling terrible you may need meds for a short while, a period of 'mental clarity' brought on by med or otherwise, may be your ticket to getting on the road to recovery, yea some people hav bad experiences with med, some cannot live without them, everyone is different, but it gets to me that people on here seem to feel 'guilty' for taking meds, and others talk like they are really strong an achieving somthing by battling through it without meds, well lucky you folks who can do without! theres enough of people on here also, that are affraid to take meds, an that shouldnt be the case, you guys who feel like this shud trust your doc, they know wot they are doing and wouldnt giv u anything that was 'unnessary' (sp). deb... why wud you whimp out?? like i sed trust your doc, u wanna feel better dont u? i'm on 3 lots of meds, including benzos, and hav been for over a year, i didny ask to be like this, i wish i wasnt on this stuff, an now i face dealing with withdrawl, but hey, i've had a gud year, which i may not hav had without the meds, and if i feel bad coming off them, well i'll get through it, i've been through worse. so agin trust your doc! hope you feel better soon lolxxx

Hooray to all of you out there who are surviving without meds! (I am not one of them)

Made great progress without meds. Read my journal.

You cant cure a psychological problem with a physiological method. Ultimately you have to discover where your thinking is going wrong. If meds worked we'd all be cured by now.

Good point Northstar!

No more meds here :) You can do it :) XOXO

No meds now....just exercise! I feel great...it's been hard work but really glad to be med free and healthy! Good luck!

Thanks for a the replies-Northstar I agree with you totally! Vix82 when I said I was whimping out-it is on antidepressants-I already have a heart problem and they are making it worse. If you noticed I am taking ativan. If the medication would have not had the side effects-trust me the way I've been feeling I would be taking them for now! I've tried several different ones and they all do the same. I'm glad that they are working for you. Glad your doing good. You will get through coming off of them. I am feeling better-my heart is finally doing better tonight. Thanks

I haven't had meds for awhile and am doing great. Meditation, prayer and journaling helps me.

i know there aint no cure, i'm just looking at getting thro each day! sorry, but theres no fight left in me.

I use anxiety-medecines wisely, often they can turn a very bad situation right around.
Used correctly, Diazepam based drugs are not so damning,
They have gotten a bad press.
When I get through without medecines I shout yeah, but I keep them in the emergency kit.ALWAYS, (just like the morphine for pain).