Hi. I think many anxiety sufferers can sympathize with what you are going through. I successfully kept anxiety and panic at bay for 10 years with Paxil. And for the highs and lows I took Klonopin. Paxil was also damaging to the liver as is Celexa. Klonopin may be too but I have not looked into it. So many meds today damage the liver.

My brother was prescribed Xanax for his anxiety and was on it for at least 15 years before he encountered a Dr. who would not refill his prescription. By that time the 'addiction' was already there and these Dr's were essentially telling him to go through withdrawal on his own without their care. My brother never abused Xanax and would very often only take half a tablet. Because of this, whenever I know of someone who is newly diagnosed with anxiety, I caution them about taking Xanax because it's getting harder and harder to find Dr's who will refill it. I generally suggest Klnonopin instead. Some people have found that valium works too.

There are many meds today that are for multiple disorders so I'm not surprised that the med your Dr. prescribed is also an epilepsy med. Have you read any reports on whether or not it works for anxiety? If it does it may be worth a try.

Good luck and take care

Has your doctor considered Zoloft? I used it for a short time in order to get my anxiety under control. It worked well, and then I was able to successfully taper off of it. To my knowledge, it does not carry the addictive properties of short-term meds like Xanax. Xanax is to be prescribed only for short term attacks of anxiety.

I'm a big believer in natural remedies, such as Panicyl. It has gotten many positive reviews. http://panicyl.com/panicyl-order-page-k/

hey hun, you need another doctor....hunn nurotin is a nerve pain pill the reson i know that is i am perscribed it for nerve pain not anxity but i had anxity episode a couole weeks ago and i finaly asked for a referal to see a phsdycatrist at cmh im hoping they do not put me on prozac im already on celexa to help with depression so i know where u coming form and i know how u feel so maybe we can talk on here and help support eachothr so i will add u and if u ever need me i will be aroun d i have been diagnosed with so many labels because of my anxity i dont know what to call it anymore so u and i arer un the same boat i hate my meds and u hate yours sounds like we can help eachother and as far as ur anxity it sounds like me im just hanging in there witch prayer helps alot to so hang in there and ,ike i siad i will be around bb\ye for now

I appreciate all the support. I have tried Zoloft before and it didn't agree with me. The Prozac I take now helps most of the time. There are just times where I need something so I'm not an anxious mess,especially when I go for medical procedures. I am very much into natural healing too and I was taking supplements for my anxiety and then my GI doc said I had to stop because they were irritating my stomach although I m not sure that's true. I still take a mix of catnip and fennel that I get from Nature's sunshine because I know its pretty harmless and I need something. I just don't want to take the i neurontin because its pretty strong stuff and I don't need it all the time. Thanks again for the help and advice.

Have you tried BuSpar? Like Xanax it works on the GABA system in the brain but it's not supposed to be habit forming.

nurotin...I was also given that drug for nerves issues with my fibromyalgia, never heard of that for anxiety ever???????? I had to stop it about 4 weeks in as my legs started burning really bad and a day after stopping the pills, the pain went away!

I take klonopin on a regular basis and for the most part it does work well, but for break through anxiety my doc gives me xanax and they work great! But I agree due to the ones that DO abuse it and sell it on the streets, it does make it hard to get a doc to give them to you. When I had to find a doc, I called and simply asked, "does your doc prescripe (spelling?) anti anxiety meds" and all but one said NO! Thus is why I have the doctor I do today!

I have been on xanax for about 7 years and I never abuse them, usually take half pills if I have to take any at all and my doc knows I would never abuse them we she has been my doc for 6 of the 7 years!

Anythign they consider a benzo, is usually very difficult to get from docs anymore, and that is such a shame!

Let me tell you right off the bat, I feel your pain.
It took me four doctors to even get to one that was willing to *think* about benzos and she finally prescribed me the absolute minimum after five months of seeing her.
I think the entire thing is ridiculous because one of the lines one of my doctors tried to use on me was,"Well we were handing these out freely back in the 60's and look at what happened." And it took every ounce of my will power to avoid saying,"Like you're doing with anti-depressants?"
If you really, really think that they're going to help I'd suggest seeing what other doctors are out there. I think any doctor who so anti-benzo is a little iffy to be honest. I've seen what benzo withdrawl can do to people, it's definitely not pretty and it can get pretty horrific, but I think completely denying patients who really could benefit from their controlled usage is absolutely asinine beyond all belief.
The current doctor I have actually admitted that it's not even completely to protect the patient but because they, especially xanax, are sought after so much, they have to protect themselves as well.
I actually have a history of substance abuse and *I* got prescribed the meds and to be honest I have absolutely no intent of abusing them; I have my mother keep them and I only take them when I really need them.
However back a couple years I was in treatment and the amount of people, people who had no intent whatesoever to get better, people who were there to buy drugs, and got prescribed benzos blew my mind. I kept pointing it out to my doctors,"Well yeah they get them and they're abusing them, what about me?"
"That's WHY we're not giving them to you."
It's just all messed up and I really need to stop typing because I get riled about this, especially.
If you're doctor isn't willing to even really try and compromise with you, because there's a certain cycle now: anti depressants, anti-depressants with beta blockers if you're able, another round of whatever, and then meds with benzos;
Then I really would suggest trying to see someone else if you're able.

I have been on xanax for 5 years at 3 every day 1mg pills. Once my panic calmed and he klonopin for the most part was helping, I stopped my xanax all together and had no ONE side effect or withdrawl at all! Yes there are days when my day is so stressful, right now my life is so stressful so I have been taking them again, but my doc knows I do not nor will I ever abuse them and I only take them when I need them. I think I only call my RX in about every 6 months!

I know everybody is different and I hate the people I used to know that would get xanax by the bottlefulls and then take them to the beach and sell them for MAJOR money. It killed me to watch that, when I could have had those and been so much better with my anxiety!

I guess my point to this post was to tell you that I never once had any side effect of coming off of any benzo and I have to come off ativan to all by myself and did it without any withdrawls at all.

I say find a new doc!

I get it, I'm on lexapro and was on Prozac when I was younger, didn't help me, now when I see my doctor I ask for a sedative to keep me calm, but he doesn't, everyone else I know can get them, makes no sense, it's almost like my doc wants me to survive on my own which is understandable you know so that'll become a habit and I won't need tabs at all.