Hiya Jonathan,
Well i'm afraid i'm going to be the odd one out here, because meds never helped me. I took them for a very short time, then took myself off them (granted, this isnt the best thing to do, but something i did all the same).
I've been fighting it on my own without any help through meds, and all i can say is it's the hardest thing i have ever done. But i'm not going to give up. I wont lie to u, i get down, i get really bad and my anxiety can shoot through the roof at times, but for me i see my anxiety as an internal battle in my mind. So, i start it, i deal with it. And if i create it, then i can beat it.
Brenda, you said that anxiety doesnt happen over night. I have to disagree there, because one day i was fine, "normal".. and the next i suffered my first anxiety attack, which got the ball rolling and i havent been the same person since.
Jonathan - I hope you start to feel better soon. As for meds helping or not, i think it depends on the person and the meds. I wont give any a chance because of how i percieve my anxiety. But anything that helps people has to be worth a try right?
Sarah xx