medication alternative

[phoenix888]

I wa just wondering if anybody has managed to combat their anxiety without medication. I ask because I experience symtpoms everyday but my mom won't let me take the xanax that my doctor prescribed for me. I really want to stop feeling horrible all the time so i was wondering if anybody had any success with any thing else besides medication. I really dont want to take any medication because reading some posts I find that often people have trouble finding the right medication for them and i really want to get better before i get worse. so if you have any advice that would be great. thanks

[soo_many_symptoms]

Personally I would be loathe to take any drugs for anxiety especially as you are so young. They just cause more problems/side effects than they cure. They can't actually cure it anyway, because they are only treating the symptom NOT THE CAUSE. When they eventually kick in, which may be up to 3 weeks or so,  you then become reliant upon them to 'cure' your anxiety. You may eventually feel that you will not be able to cope without them, even if you are not actually addicted to them. CBT (Cognitive Based Therapy) really does help and you will eventually be able to confront whatever it is that is really causing the anxiety. I believe that if you can get this help now there is every possibility that you can learn to deal with your issues before they turn into anxiety. In the meantime, use a support network, acknowledge the anxiety when it arises (perhaps by saying the word STOP) followed by the words 'its only anxiety, it WILL pass, and then get on and engage yourself in something that you really enjoy doing. You could also support yourself with 'natural' non addictive therapies as already has been suggested. Keep us posted with how you are getting along.

[leanlola]

Hi from little old new zeland..I dont believe YOU have to take drugs at all sweetie,,,have you tried rescue remedy or bach flowers remedies??i have had anxiety for 9yrs and at the beginning i was that scared to leave my house 1 day turned into 9 months..my dad of all people went on a mission to the local health shop and asked the lady millions of question lol and 2hrs later he came home with a huge grin with  little brown paper bag and handed it to me saying "try this girl"and that was the bach flower remedies.there are 38  different flowers to choose from (oops they are acutally liquids made from flowers)and you look at the list and what they are for and they make it up for you on the spot.you can choose up to 7 flower remedies to help combat wat you suffer from..it is scary huny but i agree with paxiled talk therapy could also be just the trick.I took little steps at a time at the beginning,walked to letterbox then two houses up road and gradually my confidence grow slowly with my bach flower remedy in hand if i needed a quick spray lol.sadly mine has come back after 9yrs last sep.so im back to take steps again and using the bach flower remedies spray...rest in peace dad im still using it to this day lol:)  hope this helps Odette

[Paxiled]

First thing is talk therapy.  That should always be your first resort, since medication will not cure you, it will only treat symptoms.  As for natural remedies, they are complicated and not so easy to describe how to use them, so the best bet is to see a naturopath if you want to try that road.  A book to read is Natural Highs by Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist at UCLA.  We also don't know how old you are, and both certain medications and some natural remedies are inappropriate for people under a certain age.

[theo777]

i had really bad OCD anxiety and it went away with compulsive exercising. i wouldnt reccomend that. Its tiring. you gotta take your drugs. Anxiety can get really bad.  

[JadedSweetheart]

I have to ask why your mother won't let you take the medication your doctor prescribed and if your doctor knows you aren't taking it.  There are other medications besides zanax, too, that work for anxiety.

I have been on a lot of different meds for anxiety, although I feel the best for me has been Klonopin.  I recently became pregnant and have had to stop taking the Klonopin and I have found that I am fine without it as long as I make a point to relax, do breathing exercises, etc.  If the anxiety gets bad, I take a half dose, but on the whole I find I don't "need" it all the time.  
There are some herbal alternatives such as passionflower extract or leaves made into a tea that help.  There is also a good tea made by Yogi called "Calm".  I have found that works pretty well to relax me.
I hope this helps!