Thank you for sharing your experience unfortunately there is no wallgren in bangkok so i carry my Ativan in a small pouch with the doctors medication attached - my neurologist say that I should not worry about the habit / addiction - I should focus on getting a better life - it has been a strange journey for me as I am an addiction councellor but I have followed the guidance of my doctor and today have no worries as i know when I need to take a tablet and can live for weeks without need but the stigma is there - I am 67 years and my doctor just says “ you will live with this little pill the rest of your life “

@mbabkk My PCP gives me a tiny prescription of Ativan, to use as needed -- about 10 pills a year! That has worked out fine with me. My anxieties are always tied to something specific, plus I only use these at bedtime so my whirling mind won't keep me awake. So far, so good.
JK

I feel so much empathy for you parus.. I'm 82 years old, and have been battling with depression and anxiety all my life, after growing up in terror through the war then having my wonderful mother, who was my world, die when I was sixteen. In those days depression was not recognized, and I know that my Dad was ill for ten months after Mum died, he was so devastated. As I became an adult I took medication which helped up to a point, but now that I'm older my body won't tolerate the medications. My anxiety is overwhelming, and every day is a battle. I have tried every single suggestion from doctors and therapists, taken CBT classes and had ECT treatments. When I visualize the good things I've lived through, and my family, it makes me cry because I'm so sad that all those days are gone, and I'm now alone. I recently lost my dear brother, who was the only person in my life who loved me unconditionally and who tried to understand what I was going through. Now there is no one to talk about it with. I do have therapists and doctors, but although they know everything in theory, unless they have experienced this anxiety I think it is impossible for them to really understand. I think it is wonderful that so many people find help these ways I've been reading about. I don't go outside much now, just impossible sometimes, and as I said, each day is a battle. Sorry for going on so long, but it is somewhat comforting to know that other people are going through this too.

I M SO VERY SORRY FOR ALL YOU HAVE AND ARE GOING THROUGH. KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE (HERE)
WHO CARE ABOUT YOU!
BEST WISHES AINSLEIGH

eThank you, Ainsleigh. Very much.

And I feel for you,too. Can't believe there isnt a way OUT. So much beauty in life that I cant quite reach.

My anxiety and panic put me in a state of agoraphobia also. I do my best to get out and suffer my feelings so to get rid of it. I’ve had it since I was 9 years old. But it disappeared for many many years now I am hit with it again. It all started when I came off the prescription drug Lyrica. I’m in therapy do what they tell me to do and it’s all still there. I take a low dose of Ativan upon waking as my anxiety is full blown then along with dry heaves. I’d rather be curled up in a ball and in my thoughts which is not good

@cdcc -- that is challenging having your anxiety and panic attacks put you in a state of agoraphobia.

Here is some Mayo Clinic information you might find useful on agoraphobia:https://mayocl.in/2OizTTa.

Interesting that you had it as a small child and that it's come back. Have you gotten to ask your doctor about the potential connection with coming off the medication?

Lisa, yes the therapist knows I had it as a child which was due to separation anxiety with my father being stationed at a remote site in Alaska. It all came back with the severe withdrawal from Lyrica. It’s been a rough 7 months and I’m still not better. They say it can take up to two years before I may feel myself again.

@lisalucier,I am very interested in reading this information on agoraphobia. "Fear of the marketplace. " When I was a teenager I had it really rough. My mother would insist I accompany her to the grocery store. What a disaster! I refused to get out of the car. Over time, that changed, only to return later. I would force myself to go places when I had my children. I knew they needed to be out playing at the park, or swimming at the pool. I wanted the best for them, because I loved my babies so much. Still do. There are so, so many idiosyncrasies to my being @mamacita. But I am who I am. Grateful that, for the most part, those kinds of things are behind me. I still catch a shadow of that person every now and then. Sometimes I just want to be a hermit and not even go out and get the mail from the mailbox. But I look back and see how far I've come, shake my head, and push through. Is it any wonder why one of my Majors in college was psychology? I wanted to understand myself, my family, and "fix" what was wrong. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Good to hear from you, Lisa.