About a week ago, I tried anti-anxiety meds for the first time, so I'm here to share my experience. I take lexapro and clonidine, and that combination seems to work well for every day anxiety, but for big anxiety inducers like presentations and meetings with management and interviews, I still get really panicky. So I mentioned to my pdoc that I was scheduled to give a bunch of presentations at work and it was important for me to make a good impression since I might be up for a promotion sometime in the near future. We discussed meds and I left with a script for xanax, valium and inderal and instructions to try each and see which works the best. Wheee.

The night before the first presentation, I took one 0.25mg xanax in anticipation of being up all night worrying and What If-ing. That worked well and it only took me about 30 minutes to fall asleep. The morning of the presentation, I took another 0.25mg xanax and switched out my usual clonidine for 10mg inderal. Right before the presentation, I took another 0.25mg xanax. I had no anxiety at all. It was amazing. I stood in front of 35 people, did my presentation, answered questions, talked for more than an hour, no problem at all. It was like I was talking to my best friend instead of a room full of department managers and people I had never met before.

I think I'm more afraid of getting that panicky feeling than I am of doing the actual presentation, because once I realized that I wasn't going to have that panicky feeling, I didn't have any anxiety the night before the next presentation. I didn't take anything and I slept just fine. I still took the xanax and inderal before the presentation itself, and I'm just so amazed at how normal and easy it was to do something that's usually terrifying and difficult. Sorry for rambling on so much. I just can't believe what a difference it made.

This is the key to getting control of panic and anxiety attacks, the experts tell us.

While it's impossible to totally eliminate stress, and truly we wouldn't want to, for various reasons, knowing we are in control is important. Benzos can provide good short term relief, but its important to work the entire problem.

Congrats, and good luck!

a.m.

I've had similar thoughts before - six or so months ago I was preparing for a gig playing guitar, and spent the month preceeding it obsessing utterly. At some point, I realized the thing I was so worried about and anticipating so much was being panicked, not so much playing or the gig itself. That was the first time I took Ativan, and one of the first preformances I can recall where I felt okay. When I got to the show and didn't feel sick or shaky, I relaxed. I guess we're more scared of being scared than anything else, eh?

Congrats though, it's great to hear a positive experience. Hope things keep going well for you. ^.^

I had a job that involved me learning how this software and equipment worked, and then i had to stand up all day and teach these people how to use it. So, that meant that i had to know it inside and out. i studied and studied. i went on practice trips with coworkers to watch them and learn what to do.

finally, the day came for me to do my own, my first one, in front of my boss. talk about being freaked! i had to stand up, in my dress suit and heels, for 8 hours, and teach on this weird system that only god has ever heard of, and get the thumbs up from my boss to go on my own trips and do it in the future.

i couldn't sleep the night before.

of course, i had klonopin in my bag, but i wanted to hash through what i'd say and what i'd do. there didn't seem to be enough time to cover all the material. it would be hard. and my boss would go on his tangents and interrupt, i knew it, and on and on...

before the presentation/8 hours of hell, i popped my klonopin. i started the show.

again, like talking to old friends. my memory of the product was clear and sharp, i could reign in my boss from his flights of thought, and get the class to focus on what was different in our product verses their old one.

it wasn't without problems, but i took it in stride. things went fine. i didn't freak out or sweat, get mad, look at the clock, or freeze up.

klonopin really helped make the difference. i hear you when you say that relief is only a benzo away. it can really help get us through not only difficult, stressful life situations, but i think especially (for career people) our stressful presentations and projects where we have to speak to what feels like millions of people. with my meds, i could talk to the President, or BE the president, and be totally cool with it.