Anxiety

[bschutt]

I'm very blessed to say, I'm cancer-free. But I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety lately. Just with the normal things we do in life that never has bothered me before and it's starting to affect me on a daily basis. I would love any advice to get rid of this terrible feeling. Thank you!

[Joe]

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[heblaj01]

Bschutt,

Hopefully you will find a way to overcome your anxiety without recourse to medication.
If this does not happen, besides many antianxiety prescription drugs an MD can choose from, you may consider a non prescription supplement containing Honokiol which is available from various sources ( the most common being Relora). In the lower doses (around 30mg) Honokiol is said to be effective without being sedative as many other medications can be.
Honokiol is also being investigated as an anticancer drug.
Of course you should get the blessing of your caregiver before taking any supplement.

[Heart Sutra]

hi

thank you for your post. It seems to us, even at this early stage of our journey, that anxiety is probably going to be at least an occassional visitor, so your post speaks directly to us.

As was already suggested, there are all sorts of very good anti-anxiety meds out there, and a good physician can certainly find the right one for you. Stick with an MD's advice on this if you should consider a medicinal cure.

If this is not a desired course for you at this time, we can suggest formal meditation, which we use. There are great resources for learning how in any bookstore. Focusing on your breath is a great meditation for calming.

We are so glad to hear you are cancer free. Thank you.

---Kevin and Sue---

[Bev]

Try the meditation and supplements, If they don't work, talk to your doc and try the meds. I went for quite a few years trying to ignore the anxiety. The avoidance manuevers to evade the attacks just got to be too much. The meds take the edge off but you still feel like yourself. Good luck, BB.

[MJo]

I also tried to avoid meds for anxiety. Finally decided that if chemo and herceptin are good things, maybe the anti-anxiety drugs were also a good thing, at least to get me through treatment. I didn't get addicted. In fact, cut back naturally over time. I Just had to stop Herceptin due to some heart problems. Am glad I had some anti-anxiety medicine left.

[tousled1]

I suffered from severe anxiety 4 years ago when my son passed away and my doctor at that time put me on medication - can't remember the name of it. I took it for several months and it really helped. After a few months I found I no longer needed the medication. Now, are being diagnosed with breast cancer I too suffer from anxiety. I think it's due to the fact that it makes you realize just how precious life is. I am currently taking ativan which takes the edge off. It's prescribed for me to take 3 times daily but I don't follow those directions. Some days I need it 3 times and other days I don't need it at all. Meditation helps but sometimes you also need something else. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor about it. There is nothing wrong with needing something to help you with the anxiety. Best of luck to you.

[bschutt]

Thank you everyone for your postings. It truly helps to hear all the great advice....this will definitely help me.

[Rupali]

You should look into an AYurvedic Herb called Ashwagandha...It is easily availble in US as tablets. Its really good antioxidant and also is great for anxiety...

[Audrey]

I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks, too, after my cancer treatment ended--couldn't make any plans for the future, etc. I sought help and started taking Paxil, which really helped. I also worked with a social worker on stopping those "OH NO, what if..." panic spirals. Finally, I treated myself to regular Reiki treatments at our local wellness center and learned how to do this on myself. All these things were helpful--I know you will find something that works for you, too.