Any other ways to get rid of Anxiety instead of using Effexor?

There are a lot of ways to deal with anxiety. Some of them are with medication and some of them are not. Obviously you cannot not go into intense personal feelings on the internet. But you can go to a counselor who specializes in anxiety, find out what triggers it in your life; and see how you can have victory over it. If the first counselor you see does not help you search for another. Make certain that the therapist you choose has had experience in dealing with a wide variety of fears. Best wishes as you search for health.

I'm with kaye7. I've been taking Effexor for a few years now. It has made me gain weight terribly. It has made me kind of "numb." Like I just don't really care about some things. Also, if I happen to miss a dose, I get extremely ill(mostly nausea). It HAS helped with my anxiety AND depression, though. I guess it depends on how important/unimportant these things are to you. For me, I care more about my weight, responsibilities, and such. I'm in the process of going off Effexor. It makes me too unable to function, It wasn't that big of a deal to me before, but I started college this fall and having that numbness and "I don't give a crap" mentality that go along with Effexor isn't working for me. Of course, everyone reacts to medications differently. While it caused problems for me, it could work wonders for you. You never really know unless you try. In my case, the cons are starting to outweigh the pros, which is why I'm going off the Effexor.

Effexor is an anti depressent that is sometimes used for anxiety but that's not it's main purpose. There are other drugs that are specific to anxiety. It sounds like you're trying to go around your doctor. Sorry, but most of these answers are bs. If you're depressed or have bad anxiety attacks most likely you can not cure it through "meditation". I think you should get a second opinion from a doctor.

Try some cognitive therapy. You know the best thing in the world you can do for anxiety is one day when your having an attack jsut sit there and say to yourself , okay I'm haveing an attack, but you know what I'm making it through, you will, you won't die , you won't go crazy , you need some breathing techniques with it but the more you do it you will conquer your fear and those anxiety attacks won't seem so scary, you'll realize when they come, and you'll realize you can handle them, we all have anxiety, everybody does, just some people react differently to it and we go to the extreme but you can master your fear over it, start each day by saying something nice to yourself , note every time you think something negative and try to say it again to yourself in a positive way, and never feel alone, millions of people have this problem, you can get through it without meds, but maybe you need a different medication, try some different medication and see if it works, get some therapy and gradually start to master your anxiety, then think of going off the medication and see what it does,

yes there is, keep yourself busy doing something you enjoy, that takes your mind off of everything, it keeps your mind more occupied with doing it, then on the anxiety, also, keep taking the effexor, depending on how long you have been taking it, sometimes it takes awhile for it to start working, but no matter what meds you take, if you keep thinking about the anxiety, your going to keep feeling the anxiety, so read a good book, watch a funny movie, get out of the house, and go for a long walk, excersise, etc, do anything that takes your mind off of the anxiety, heck even answering these questions help, trust me, I know what your going through, I have the same problem, and have been on different meds for 5 yrs now, and none of them completely take the anxiety away, but by keeping your mind active on something else, it does help, alot.

If you need someone to talk too, that knows what your going through, and has been through it themselves, please e-mail me at DaHorndogD013@yahoo.com, and I will be happy to listen,

There are support groups, desensitization treatment, counseling, homeopathic medications.

I got a lot of help at one time from Recovery, Inc. support groups. They teach you tools to use to help control the symptoms and believe me they work.

I keep a bottle of Hyland's Calms with me. I have ativan, but don't want to take it unless I really have to. But then my problem any more is anger and frustration, rather then anxiety. Before I destroy something I can't afford to replace (I'd never hurt anyone, just break things in fits of temper)- I take a Calms. If it's to the point that someone may call the cops, then I go for the hard stuff- the ativan. Just knowing they're available to me is a comfort.

Well, I'm on the highest dose of Effexor. I've been on it for 3 years, and I wouldn't advise anyone to start taking it due to the dependency/addiction issues, and the horrid withdrawal effects. Effexor does have it's pros, but the cons seem to outweigh. If your depression is due to a chemical imbalance, you really have no choice, but to take medication. If you're unhappy with Effexor, consider changing your meds.

you know once you start taking Effexor, you cant just stop taking it, you have to step down a little at a time. while doing so you can take up aerobics or join a health gym. swimming and running will cut down on you anxiety and you will also feel better while doing it. The more active you are, the less the anxiety will affect you.

There are several ways that this condition might be controlled. Counselling is good and may get at the route of the problem and help you to take control. Relaxation and meditation is another. Self help groups are a possibility. Finally there are dozens of medications available and if you do have to resort to medication it's a question of finding the right one for you. I would go back and talk to your Doctor and discuss all the treatment possibilities that might be available. Jules, Australia.

I was on Effexor for a while and so was my mom. After my doctor took me off it, she put me on a beta-blocker called Inderal. It helps whith both the physical and emotional aspects of anxiety and calms you down. It is used as both a PRN and a regular medication. Talk to your doctor.