you have to take it for the rest of your life?.....if that is even possible. l was wondering because l read a lot that people once they try to get off the medication they eventually start taking it again. For some reason l thought that taking medication would eventually take away the anxiety but l guess not. Any opinions?

Thanks 4 answering.

No. Anxiety waxes and wanes like so many other things in life.
Sometimes you may need a little extra help, sometimes you do fine on your own (even for long stretches)

I've been on & off anti-anxiety medications for years. Everyone is different & it is important that u r under the care of a doctor that knows these classes of medications. My internal medicine doctor started me on Ativan (a relatively short acting anti-anxiety med) but later referred me to a psychiatrist (an MD that specializes in these meds). It turned out to be a good move because the specialist will know how to handle side effects & adjustments. l thought it was going to be a short trial on this med, but my doctor told me that some people really need them & the decision is based on how the person reacts to the medication & even if the person has an addictive personality. My situation was genetics. My family has a strong history with severe anxiety & l did stop for a few months, but clearly my life was easier with the help of the Ativan. I've had tried a few other options, but always came back to Ativan. For me, l never needed to increase the dose over the years & now l take a very low dose & it seems to be making a difference in my life. l handle things better & l feel under control. l did ask my doctor if this was ok to take longterm & she told me that it is ok, but a doctor needs to keep monitoring it. Most doctors would not give this to patients because of the addiction factor. My doctor do not base her decisions on this only & looks at the entire picture. If me, it has been the best decision & it has improved my life. My doctor is thinking longterm only because l have no problems. Please talk to ur doctor & amke decisions based on whats best for u & not what others say. The doctor has the final say.

l hope this helps.

Honestly yes thats why l think people should not take them & if they do only for a short period of time. Its possible to get off of them but most people feel they cant do without them so they end up taking them anyways. l have been on the same medication for about a year & a half & it is anti anxiety & l will be weaning off of it here in about 3-4 weeks due to my pregnancy & l hope to never have to be on it again. l know l was reading on the internet though this one lady had been taking Lorazepam for 15 years & stated she would probably take it for the rest of her life.. l dont want to be like that so l will find another way around it. Best of luck

No sometimes people need a little help in their lives and this is one way. There are many more anti anxiety medications that the ones in the benzodiazepine family. They are starting to use more ssri is and atypical antipsychotic is but some people do need them for life and others just need the short term ones.

It depends on the person. Some people may need it for the rest of their lives. Some people may be able to work through their problems with therapy alone.

There is nothing that will cure anxiety. Medication and therapy can help you deal with it, but even if you've been fine for a while, there is always a chance it will come back.

Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes ur Serotonin production to be low; when ur Serotonin level is low, u r more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.

Medication like Antidepressants (SSR l - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.

But there r natural ways to do it without medication. There is this strange herb called ''St John is Wort'' - it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only & ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety & panic-attacks as St John is Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.
The problem is that, even if ur Serotonin is balanced. u have that ''learned behavior'' in ur mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that u can use without CBT will be Distraction. There r several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to..

Extracted from Source.