Thank You Warren and Isabella for youre replies. I understand what you are both saying. I think my biggest worry is leaving my son, there is noone else to care for him, my husband has high-blood pressure, diabeties and is overweight and works a long hard stressful job, he has admitted he could never take care of him alone, especially given the fact he is special-needs. My Mother died and my family is so far away and my in-laws are in their eighties, so I know in my heart there would be noone to help him, thats scary. I am on my 6th day of Lexapro, its making me very tired and headachy and a little queasy but I am trying to work up the courage to take 5 miligrams tommarow, I am taking 2.5 a very very low-dose I know, but I am so med-sensitive and med-phobic I have to start so very low. I hope I can take the 5 miligrams soon, I had a horrible terrible reaction when I tried to increase my Zoloft 2 months ago, I vomited constantly and was so dizzy the room was spinnng around, I am praying to God the Lexapro does not cause that, I hope you are right Isabella that the side effects are that of a placebo. I worry about my mental health too Warren, going crazy from the worry, I am past the age I think of sciphenizia {I know I spelled that wrong} you are right Warren, my Aunt has two friends with this condition and they live functioning fairly normal lives, at times I think they live better than people with anxiety and depression, they seem to function better than me at the time, which I know is hard to believe. If I could get the scary health-obession/hypocondria OUT of my mind I think I could really start to recover a little, I realize worrying about what will happen in the future is ruining my quality of life right now, I am so worried about dying and getting sick I have forgotten how to live! I know this in my mind, now I just have to figure out how to stop it and start living and feeling some joy again, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt my family, my husband has started to drink more beer since my disorder came back and I know its because of me, and my little boy is confused and frustrated he "wants Mom back" and he needs me so much to be there. Thank you for the support and prayers, I need both so much. If anyone has taken Lexapro or Klonopin or bo

Debbie, My heart goes out to you because I too have a fear of medicines and I worry alot about dying and leaving my 13 month old son. I can truly empathize with you. It is so hard to break the cycle of those anxious thoughts that keep us from living a normal life. Like Warren said, I think you need to really challenge those negative thoughts so when you have a bad cough, instead of thinking cancer, think a cold or possibly bronchitis. I had the same problem for so long. I would think, "i have chest pain, my arm hurts, i had a palpitation, I am having a heart attack!" But now I just try to be completely rational about things and it's probably just indigestion. What I find really helpful is writing the negative thoughts down, just to get them out so they don't have to eat you up inside. You WILL beat this, you will recover but it takes effort and time. You are already taking steps in the right direction by starting the lexapro which I hear is a safe SSRI with the side effects nearly of a placebo pill. How long have you been on it? Any side effects should dissipate within 2 weeks or so so just try to stay strong and stick it out. You'll be in my prayers because I want your son to have his mom back too :)You'll be just fine. Try to challenge your thoughts, it helps.

Hey Debbi Im sorry to hear that your having a relapse. I hate those too. This is my suggestion I dont know if it is gonna work for you or not. With my anxiety I am get worried about my mental health instead of the physical. When I worry about it I ask myself what is the point of worrying. Im scared of this disease called schizophrenia, if I am going to get or if I even have it. I try to face that fear though and think about it. I think well there is a lot of people that have schizophrenia and are pretty well functioning people and live relatively happy lives and dont think that it is the end of the world that they have the disease. So I think if I got schizophrenia or have it, it would not be the end of the world, life would go on and I could be alright with it. As soon as I think this, my anxiety disapears into thin air. So my suggestion to you is face your fear. Which seems like your fear of death. I know it is not easy at all to be comfortable with the idea of dying, but it is going to happen some day wheter you like it or not. Im sorry if I sound harsh, Im not trying to be. Im just saying that maybe if you got rid of the core of your fear, then it would make it a lot easier to deal with your anxiety. I hope this helps you out. Take Care Debbie God Bless

Hello Everyone, I had posted before. I had a relapse after doing better, but now the panic, depression and especially the health-anxiety is back with a vengence, its been going on for a few months. I saw a new Doctor and she put me on Lexapro, 5 miligrams to start, she took me off the low-dose Zoloft because when I tried to increase I got very ill, but I feel sick now taking the Lexapro? I also take Klonopin. My problem is I am SO afraid to take these two medicines together. Even through the Doctor prescribed them together, and the phamisist said it "should be alright" should??! I hope it IS alright to take them together, I am afraid that I am going to "overdose" and die from taking them, isn't that terrible to be afraid of the medicines that can help you? I am probably not taking enough Klonopin to help right now {I have horrible attacks in the afternoon that last all day} but I am afraid the meds will kill me. Has anyone ever taken Lexapro or Klonopin or both together? did it help? I am so desperate to function again, with a disabled child and a husband that works all the time, I have no other option, I cannot be panicking and crying all the time. I also now are having heart attack symptoms, chest pain, left arm pain etc.....And I wake up coughing every night choking on phelm, I had a chest x-ray 8 weeks ago and it came up negative for lung cancer, but why all these symptoms? I am so afraid something is terrribly wrong with me and I am going to die and leave my son. I am pretrified every day. I am sorry to go on and on. I am so tired of panicking and crying and worrying about dying, all the joy has been robbed of my life, and my heart breaks for my little one who has lost his Mother to this. Will the Lexapro help? I feel nacous, tired and light-headed, will that go away? I heard Lexapro is good and I am praying very very hard that is so and the meds do not kill or hurt me. Thank you for listning, I am sorry to bother anyone, I know everyone is struggling too. I would so appreciate youre help and prayers, so I can live again. Thank you so much and God bless you, Debbi.