Hi Trixie. I am new here also. I am also wondering whether to go back on medication for anxiety. I don't want to go back to Effexor or Cymbalta though. I couldn't tolerate the side effects. It's been over a month and I've done ok without the anxiety medication but like you said, the stressors do come back. I generally notice that my anxiety has flared back up when I see how it affects my loved ones - including my dogs. Have you considered a different medication than Effexor?

I haven’t because Effexor worked so well for me. I had no side effects. It took awhile to come off the Effexor and the withdrawal was difficult. This is why I don’t want to go back on it. I guess too it makes me feel like a failure that I haven’t been successful in managing without it.

Take a moment. Stop. Pause. Reflect on your coping skills that you've learned while you were on the medication. Stress is natural, so you have natural skills to bring it into balance and keep it in balance. The purpose of the medication is to give you relief as you learn the best ways to keep your self in balance.
Children learn by example. So, if one way does not seem to work, use your investigative skills to practice different ideas to find what fits best "in the moment".
One of the best coping methods is to distract the usual thought pattern. I've gone outside and checked out leaves on plants to give my mind a break from words, feelings, and scenarios that were going all out of usual boundaries.
Take a walk, even if it is just back and forth down the hallway, counting steps, moving hands. Breathe and count.
Anything will help you find your balance "in the moment". When you feel the relief, it's relaxing, and you can move forward. Some days, you may be doing this frequently, just the nature of how stress works, and our coping methods can add to the stress (journal over several days can often show a pattern we do not even think about).
Stay hydrated through both liquid and food. Stay connected with life, keeping work and home in balance. If you have to, stop, breathe, and put the thoughts into a box to open again later to separate your self thoughts.
Best wishes.

I can’t tel you how much your post resonates with me. I am almost exactly in the same boat as you, although I was on prozac and not Effexor. My darkest days were in 05-06”- it got so bad that I didn’t leave my house for 3 months bc I was so debilitated. My panic disorder took away my entire life and I wasn’t “me” anymore. This was 6 months of trying everything (therapists, support groups, educating myself on anxiety and panic, panic attack work books) and nothing was helping. I finally decided to go on Prozac but the side effects were horrible (increase anxiety, insomnia, nausea) but they went away after a month. I did so great on it I felt I was 90% recovered and completely back to myself going weeks without any tinge of panic/anxiety. I started weaning just like you (I didn’t have any withdrawals though- only thing I noticed is on/off I had slurred speech on a word or two). It took me until last December 2016 to come off completely. Things started getting worse almost immediately. I started seeing a therapist again and wanted to figure out coping skills before it became unmanageable again. I’m at the unmanageable again and feel like I’m relapsing back to those dark times where my comfort zone got smaller and smaller. Driving is a nightmare for me right now but I still force myself (it takes everything out of me and continue to say out loud a mantra “I am safe and in control”. I re started my Prozac 2 weeks ago and am dealing with those same previous side effects. I also feel weak and like I’m a failure for having to go back on medication- but think about what we would say to someone else struggling (it’s nothing to be ashamed of, all of us need help sometimes, etc. Reading your post, I just sympathize with you SO much bc I’m in exactly the same place. I also tried to go back on my Prozac at a low dose and decided yesterday I am going to go back on the full dose after reading my blog when I first went on it. We are strong- hell, we are probably the strongest people in the world! I always say that if other people (the ones that never seem to understand and are down right rude and insensitive to us) that if they had a panic attack or even had to feel the way we constantly feel (de-personalized, fuzzy, dizzy, not clear, heart racing, shakey, over sensitive to sound and noise) they would be rocking in a corner on the floor crying. Please feel free to message me. I’d love to talk. You are strong!!!!!

Thank you Mid for the suggestions. I will try them. It’s difficult right now because the anxiety seems to have a life of its own but I do need to remember that while the Effexor helped so much I also played a big part in managing my anxiety.

The stronger you are in choosing to accept the temporary help of medicine, the stronger your ability is to make the anxiety work for you! I came off zoloft and experienced the side effects...and made note for those "warning" sensations to help me stay on top of the anxiety and use it to help me. You are on the right path!

I have been on Effoxor in a.m. since June. Also take Clonazepam iat bedtime. I’m a mess. Getting to where it’s hard to leave house. My two adult boys have gone their own ways to jobs out of town and don’t call or even text( I pay their phone bill, still). They are 26 and 24. When I do see them they are quiet and sullen, say nothing is wrong, they’re living there lives. I am not invited into them. Drugs don’t seem to help, friends think I should exclude them from staying with me when they come home. What would that solve? I’m unhappy, home today from work lying in bed. I hate to say it but I just want to die.

It’s so difficult when you have a psychiatric condition and significant stressors. I don’t know what your situation is with your boys but my mom and I went through a rough patch. We’re trying to mend our relationship now but there were years when I didn’t speak to her. She has a mental illness and for years it went untreated. My childhood was very chaotic so as an adult I was angry with her. I didn’t see her as a person who struggled but as my mother who didn’t parent me. It was very tough for her while I wasn’t speaking to her but by then she was in treatment and her mental health professionals told her that she could only control what she could control. It was still very hard on her. She kept reaching out to me but she also started focusing on herself and doing the things she enjoyed. She had difficult days but she said she also found peace because she accepted it was out of her hands.

I don’t know if any of this is helpful to you but I know there’s nothing you can do about your boys other than be there for them when they are ready to be involved in your life. In the meantime you should focus on you and creating the life you want.

You don’t have to feel this way. When I had my last bout of severe anxiety I wanted to die too. I remember standing at a busy intersection thinking if a car hit me I would be out of my misery but I got help and I got better. I’m sad that I’m back where I was all those years ago but I know I can get better. I see a therapist tomorrow and my psychiatrist in a couple weeks. If you haven’t already let your doctor know how you feel. Maybe they need to adjust your medication or try a new medication. Don’t lose hope.