reddragon: i tried the meds, remember?

Yes. And I know you felt they weren't helpful. If I do suggest meds it's because I know you've been coping with this for many years on your own and it becomes a burden. I suppose I like to think you might find a medication that helps you right away, without the side-effects you experienced before. That may be wishful thinking on my part. My own child was given a certain type of meds at one point too (anti-psychotics) and their experience of them were quite awful. However they then chose to use a different class of medication (anti-depressants) and they did identify those as helpful.

I respect your ability to make your own choices reddragon. I do know some meds can be horrible for people but I also know some people say that meds made a huge difference for them and really helped them. There are different meds people can try and if you've tried everything else, that always remains an option.

Nonetheless, if you're not comfortable using prescription medications, there are other tools people can use of course. Some people identify vitamin or other food supplements as helpful (i.e. Omega 3s). Some people use herbal medicines. Some people report relief with homeopathic remedies. There's also the option of orthomolecular approaches. You could probably find info on all of those via the internet.

Some people identify diet as crucial as well and will emphasize eating the healthiest diet possible. Some find it helpful to cut out milk and wheat products from their diet. If you wish to try that approach it might be helpful to talk with a nutritionist to ensure you're still getting adequate nutrients.

Here's some other things that may be helpful
- Regular physical exercise
- Walking a labyrinth
- Being in nature
- Engaging in simple, repetitive tasks
- Mindfulness meditation (or other forms of spiritual/religious practice)
- Caring for a pet
- Adequate rest
- Minimal stress
- Music (of course)

You might be able to think of other things as well.

Continued best wishes reddragon. I hope you're able to find some additional coping methods that might help reduce your overall stress.

~ Namaste