Does anyone here suffer from anxiety (or at least anyone willing to talk about it?) I have been having a lot of anxiety for the past year and half, occasionally having attacks that leave me almost unable to function (I had a doozy last week where I pretty much had to flee the office). I've tried everything (meditation, exercise, deep breathing, etc.) and while it has sometimes helped me cope in the short term, the anxiety always comes back. What is frustrating is that it is generalized anxiety and not caused by any one thing that I can put a finger on. Any reason will do.

I'm finally throwing in the towel and admitting I have a real problem here that is not going to just go away by itself. Yesterday I spoke with a counselor on the phone for an hour. And I'm going to see my medical doctor tomorrow.

I'm concerned about medications, if I decide to go that route. One worry I have is that they'll prescribe a medication that could change my personality, or have bad side effects. I don't want to become dependent on a drug to function each day, and I don't want my creative energies sapped away. My thought is, I didn't need anything to get through some of the roughest parts of my life, so why should I need something now when I don't really have any major problems to worry about? But, I think it was this attitude that prevented me from looking for help in the first place.

Anyway, if anyone out there wants to talk about their experiences with anxiety, anxiety attacks or anxiety medications, I would really appreciate it--particularly if you've found something that helps. This isn't the kind of thing I would discuss with my poker buddies in person but I feel like I'm able to open up to the members of this board.