It is possible to overcome Anxiety without meds but it takes a lot of willpower. You really have to try hard everyday. It is normal for our hearts to skip beats when we are excited such as out with friends having a good time.

I am struggling to manage my anxiety without meds. I do not tolerate antidepressants well at all. Up until two weeks ago, I took Buspar, but I decided to stop. I've been doing okay considering that I've been under a lot of stress due to BS surrounding my work situation.

I think that common denominator is to find something, anything (religion, philosophy, new age ideas) that will get you thinking positively and to focus upon the positive things in life, no matter how small, while minimizing the negatives in life. You have to change the way that you think and perceive the world. It is a lot of hard work and it is really, really easy to fall back into negative thinking and obsessing upon negatives. I realize that a lot of the pressure that I place upon myself is self imposed, too.

I am growing more and more skeptical about the whole chemical imbalance thing. I used to believe it adamantly, but now I have my doubts. I think some people, a miniscule amount of people, actually have a chemical imbalance that causes their anxiety/depression. I think that the majority of anxiety/depression is caused by our outside environments and past experiences. Here in the states, we are devoid of adequate social support networks. We fall into the trap of obsessing about the past and upon negative life experiences. I think that we are socialized to fall into these traps.

Anyways, just some thoughts. I sincerely hope that you feel better soon.

I think you can overcome anxiety without meds--at least I am trying to right now. I am going to counseling which is helping me to understand what causes the anxiety in me. I am also learning about the symptoms of anxiety and understanding them, such as fast heart rate, feeling of losing control, feeling faint, feeling like I can't breathe, etc.

I think the counseling is great (cognitive therapy) I'm reading a lot about anxiety which I think is an important part in my getting better.

Here is wishing the best for you!

yes, i think you can do it w/o meds. i'm getting off and feel much better, not having the side effects to deal with. practicing CBT has been the thing that helped me the most.

i'm guessing the heart palpitations are an anxiety attack. just breathe thru that. it will pass..

Yes you can conquer your anxiety without meds. In my opinion it is really the only way to truly learn to manage it. I have never believed in a chemical imbalance either. I believe there are chemical differences in the brains of people with anxiety disorders. But I believe they are the RESULT of constant worry and stress.....not the cause.

Ultimately, you have to determine what YOU feel the cause of your anxiety is. Some people believe it is a chemical imbalance. Some people believe it is the result of outside influences and past experiences. And some people, like myself, believe anxiety is simply a thinking disorder, a bad habit really, caused by a lifetime of negative thinking and over analyzing and worrying. Maybe you think it is a little bit of all of these...?

But the point is, you can't determine how you plan to fight it until you determine what you believe the cause to be. If you don't know what you think the cause is, then I recommend educating yourself about it by reading every book you can and going to every website you can, and talking to your doctor AND a therapist, if you can, and then making a determination based up on what you have learned and what seems like the right answer to you.



The reason I say this is because if you believe that your anxiety is caused by a chemical imbalance, then meds should be your course of action. Doing a lot of positive thinking and relaxation exercises wouldn't hurt, but ultimately if you don't believe that your negative thinking and inablility to relax is the cause of your symptoms, then your whole heart won't be in it and you won't be as motivated to stick with it probably won't do you that much good.

Likewise, if you believe that the problem is your worry prone nature and your tendency to over analyze, then why take medicine? Medicine can't change the way you think. I am not saying it won't take the edge off, but ultimately that shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be coming up with a plan to help you get your life back.

I would never have been able to get my life back if I just went to the doctor and trusted his advice and left it at that. He told me I had a chemical imbalance and wrote me an Rx and sent me on my way. Fortunately, I didn't believe him and I went home and spent the next 3 months researching and came up with a plan that I knew felt right to me. And it worked. Nothing about it gave me any worries about whether or not I was doing the right thing. You have to come up with a plan that feels right to you. In my opinion, if part of your treatment leaves you feeling that maybe it isn't the right step to be taking, then get rid of it. In your heart you should feel that whatever you are doing is going to help you get better. You can't stick to a plan that scares you. It defeats the purpose.

Anyway, sorry to be so long winded...


Try not to dwell on your palpitations too much. They are one of the most common anxiety symptoms there is. They are annoying, but they are completely harmless. As soon as you learn to make friends with them and accept their presence, they will leave.

I feel your pain believe me. I don't have any health insurance, so I have to pay for all of my medication out of my own pocket. I have learned to do without many things just so I can afford my meds.

I believe from what I have been told that you can improve without meds, however it can take substantially longer. Before you stop taking medication I recommend that you talk to your doctor. Stoping abruptly can sometimes mean withdrawal. You sure as hell don't need that.