Diva, Don't also forget to take good care of yourself and employ those relaxation strategies to off-set the stress and subsequently, the anxiety. Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator

Wow Diva your quite a lady ! You should be very proud of yourself , espically with all that has been going on . lad you feel better after talking to the chemist :)

Hello Dazedmommy, I find your comments really true. We are often driven and it does say a lot about us. I usually love my schooling but I must admit I dislike finals and term papers. And this session, with my thesis to hand in is particularly stressful. Today, was so bad that I wigged out in fron of my teacher I felt so lame blubbering and panicking like that. Hadn't done that in a long long time...On top of it we have financial stress, I am exhausted from school, the car broke down, my husband learned he is losing his job in a few weeks, may dad had to get his lungs operated on and he is back in chemotherapy...So it had been quite the semester...So yeah maybe I am too hard on myself and should cut myself some slack. I know how to ween myself off of this stuf and soon my life will quiet down and it will be a better time to stop again. Btw thanks for the kind words :) and yeah I should learn to pat myself on the back instead of focusing on what I consider my faults or failures :) I keep telling people to be patient and kind with themsleves. I guess I should take my own advice. Thank you for reminding me of that. :) -Diva

Diva.. I think it's great that you're in school. I too have gone back and found it has given me a whole new outlook after being home for the past few years with my babies.. I just think it's funny that so many of us with this anxiety etc. are such driven people.. lol.. If that doesn't say something in itself... As for your meds.. You do what needs to be done now.. everything else will fall into place. I think sometimes we overanalyze a bit.. worrying about things that we really can't control. Just be smart and keep the dialogue with your doctor and pharmacist open and once your life slows down you can work on getting off them again if the time is right. I've never been able to ween off my Paxil.. and believe me I've tried.. lol.. I've learned to accept that I'll probably always need something but I'd rather be happy than worry about the stigma attached to being on something.. Quality of life is soo important. Keep up the great work.. and pat yourself on the back. You're juggling a lot of stuff!

Hiya Sylvie thank you for your feedback. I have talked to the pharmacist and feel better. Hi Miki, Thank you for replying to me. You are right, I have come off these before I will do it again. Plus, I do take smaller doses then before. As for studying, I study psychology :P Anyway, I am glad I went back to school and I hope your plans come to fruition and give you purpose as you wish :) -Diva

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking the meds either just to help you get through with your daily activities and you were able to ween it off before, I'm sure you will be able to ween off it once more. They don't seem like too much of a dosage either. Good luck with your presentation... I am thinking of going back to school too... hoping it will help me find some purpose. What are you studying?

Hi Diva, You're going through a lot right now so don't be too hard on yourself. There is nothing wrong with taking meds when needed. You should speak with your doctor or pharmacist to learn more about the dependance level of the medications that you're on. They will be able to answer your questions and put your concerns at ease. We are very happy to hear that you're doing well. Sylvie, Bilingual Health Educator

Hi guys, Well, here goes, here is what is troubling me... I had a relapse in Decembre of 2006. This is what prompted me to come to this site in the first place. And boy was I right to sign up, it helped soo much. And even as I write this post to vent and worry and complain, I realize how far I have come and how much happier my life is. Ok sidebar over, here goes. Back when I relaosed they pput me back on my anxiety meds. So I took 1mg of Clonazepam (Rivotril), everyday, not PRN. It was to help me get back under control so I could do the therapy and such. Also, I am a student and face it, in December I hade exems I couldn't miss! So I went back on the pills! (and the therapist and this site :) ) Anyway, since Clonazepam is highly addictive and since after a while (like 6 months-1 year, about) in my case I have to up the dose for it to work properly, I went off the meds as quickly as soon as I felt ready. And weaning myself off is a long process which involves a therapist, a doctor and a pharmacist lol. Anyway, all this to say I had gone off the meds and I was so proud of myself.I had a prescription PRN, but I was not taking them and it was great! I felt so proud. But as I have mentionned I am a student and with my studies comes stress, lots and lots of it. I am sure many of you out there know and understand this fact! Anyway, so here and there since I stopped taking the meds daily, I started having to take .25mg or .5mg of Clonazepam here and there. This semester is the toughest one yet. I have my regular classes, my thesis, and an extra class. Big, big semester! So I figured, hey, it is ok, take a .25mg or .5mg here and there get to the end of the semester and then you won't need them anymore since you will have more time to deal with your anxiety in other ways. The thing is, that my semester finishes very soon. And I am swomped, no buried under assignments and exams, my thesis, and the worse...a public oral presentation of my thesis... And lately I have little time to do the things I usually do to kepp my anxiety, panic and insomnia under control. I get up, come here, then do work till bed. I basically have days where I do 18 hours of homework and then try to go to sleep... So lately I find myself taking .25mg to .5mg everyday! And that worries me!Am I become addicted and dependant? Will I be able to ween myself off again? On top of it, I take it as a failure on my part that I couldn't do this without the meds, like I should manage on my own all the time... Anyway, that is what's up with m atm. Besides that I am doing very well considering the circumstances and am generally happy with myself lol. So for those who didn't read all my ramblings, I can't blame you this post is soooooooo looooooong! And to those who did read it all, thank you very much and sorry for the long post ! Have a great day all! -Diva