YES I have had morning anxiety before. In fact I have it mildly now. I had it so bad I had to do xanax daily though. I would talk to the doctor again. I don't understand why they are so reluctant when there is a need. I would ask about a referral to a Psychiatrist, unless that is the type of doctor that is reluctant. If so, do they say why? Will it interact with something else you are taking? What about Ativan? They tried Ativan for my dad when he was really anxious. I've only had it once in the ER, I usually have xanax. My doctor also adds Buspar to my anxiety regimen when I am really starting to lose function. It helps a ton. I am weaning off it now, and I see him in two days to see what next.


As to the doctor shopping fear, you can always tell the new doctor that you don't feel your current doctor is taking your anxiety seriously enough. Or even ask for enough xanax to get you through until you see the Psychiatrist. I honestly don't know anyone who is addicted to xanax and I know a lot of people that use it.

Thanks for all the wonderful replies and suggestions. I finally just decided to go ahead and take the Xanax as needed and if I run out, then I will go back to my GP, explain again the circumstances, and see if she will prescribe me 20 more. I very much use Xanax as a tool and not a crutch. I only take when absolutely necessary to get me calmed down quickly. Once that happens I am usually good to go until the next morning.

I took a Xanax 3 consecutive mornings last week. I have not needed one yesterday or today. It is very easy to tell when I need one because I start thinking about taking one knowing it will help my situation. If I don't need one, I never even think about taking one.

Very nice to know there is a community of people out there willing to share their experiences. I absolutely do not agree with everything that has been written in this thread but everyone's experience is their own and adds valuable insight to the discussion. Thanks again for the support.

I, too, wake up anxious some mornings. I've stopped watching the news in the morning. and listen to good music, it calms me. Got to have good thoughts in your head, an empty head can and will be filled with scary, negative thoughts. Prayer, reading some illuminating book, can really help. I use this. NO NEW.

I used to feel anxious before I even got out of bed. Thankfully, that rarely happens now unless I actually have something going on to be worried about or I wake up in the middle of an extremely bad nightmare. I have bad dreams pretty much every night but if I wake up in the middle of one of them, I tend to wake up with anxiety. That being said, within the first hour or so of waking, I usually do start feeling anxious. I also have diabetes and believe this morning anxiety is related to that as 90% of the time, it dissipates as I continue to do the next right thing in front of me for the next couple of hours. Usually by the time I get to work and eat my breakfast I notice that anxiety level is down to a 1 or gone.

I also have 0.25mg Xanax that I take 1/2 a tab of if the anxiety continues to build on my anxiet scale to a level of 6 or more. My scale is 1-10 with 10 being the worst I've ever experienced. I had never rated my anxiety until I finally went into therapy for the first time back in 2004. So when I'm feeling anxious now, I ask myself where I am on that scale. If it is a 3 or 4, I'm uncomfortable but know it's managable for the moment. I remind myself that it usually lessons as I go through the morning. I will still be uncomfortable but at least know I can handle it at the moment. I know that if it doesn't get better, I can always take the Xanax as needed. I might use it a couple of times a month (just 1/2 of the 0.25mg).

I do have a doctor that understands but the amount I have used tells her that I am not addicted to it. I do carry a tablet with me just in case I need it but rarely do. I was very anxious this morning and I have no idea why. Could be because I have a hair appt this afternoon. For some reason, going to the beauty shop causes anxiety because it triggers my "trapped" trigger from my childhood. I've been diagnosed with PTSD for childhood abuse. Sometimes just knowing what is causing the anxiety can help me talk myself down from the anxiety. For instance, I reminded myself that I can always get up and leave the beauty shop if I need to, cancel the appointment or go knowing that I have never been in any danger in a beauty shop. My favorite one liner is..."Is it discomfort or danger?" I remind myself how good I will feel once I leave the shop and how any anxiety will immediately leave. Once I did that self talk this morning, I just started putting one foot in front of the other and did all the things I needed to do to get to work. I did them one step at a time...brush my teeth, wash my face, put on makeup, get in car, drive to work, eat my breakfast...etc...etc...

I had a little residual anxiety left and so decided to check in here. And you know what......Reading and doing this reply took care of all the rest of my anxiety. I'm at a zero on that anxiety scale. I didn't need the Xanax this morning. However, had it not gone away or gotten better, I would have been okay doing so and would never judge someone who needed to use it daily. Just my thoughts this morning.

"Is it danger or discomfort?" I love this. In fact, I have already used it several times today. Another weapon in this daily battle against anxiety. Thanks!!!

Loved your reply too Scooterlady! Thanks so much for sharing. :)

Another tool I use is to try to do the exact opposite of what I'm doing in reaction to the anxiety. Am I breathing quickly? Then I slow my breathing down. Are my muscles tense? Then I tense and relax whatever muscles are tense. Do I want to run and hide? Then I ask myself if it is danger or discomfort. If danger, well maybe I do need to run and hide. But if it's discomfort, I sit in it for awhile and stop scaring myself. By this time, the anxiety level usually has lowered. Sometimes it hasn't and I know to be extra gentle with myself.