yes, do not take 5 HTP if you are on other psychiatric meds. For some reason I was thinking you weren't on anything else!

Clay girl, I don't want to hijack this thread, but I saw you mentioned that you grew up with a NPD dad and BPD mother. I did as well. I am no contact with my mother, and what I consider "low" contact with my dad. I talk to him, but I don't see him often and conversations I try to keep vague and surface because of his bizarre and emotionally void ways of reacting to everything, except if someone challenged him, then he's flies into the classic narcissistic rage.

It would be helpful to talk with someone that has experienced the same troubles growing up. I have spent many years reading, working through issues, trying to heal. I am curious if you and I share some of the same challenges as adults. If you feel like it, PM me :) If not, I understand.

To the OP, I think going on meds is a very personal choice. For me personally, I prefer not to for my own reasons, I feel like much of my anxiety comes from my dysfunctional childhood, and to me taking meds makes me feel like I am giving in to that. HOWEVER, I fully support people that find meds improve their quality of life. Just like you would take meds for diabetes, or high blood pressure, I think taking meds for anxiety is sometimes needed. I think when we have done what we can to improve our state of mind and there is still distress, then meds are useful. Or meds can be useful as we work to improve our situation that is causing us anxiety.
Life is short. No need to suffer when we are lucky enough in this day of modern medicine to have options available to ease the discomfort.

Thank you for all the replies! I didn't see half of them because apparently unless i log in again, i don't get notification that i have more responses.

I'm completely holistic bent which is why i was shocked to learn what i had been SUFFERING from for all these years was bipolar, i didn't know until i took a horrendous nose dive in my mid 30's and that was after experimenting with homeopathy (which i won't go into) and at that time, my psychiatrist said i was the MOST rapid cycling mixed state bipolar she had ever treated (she was a semi-famous psychiatrist and a good one) and i am a very very compliant patient and never went out of control or stopped taking my meds--as it is they only help so much and i've sat that way for years and years and years.

I'm 52 now and i'm sure my body is changing and after trying to tough things out on my own, i have decided to carefully talk with my GP--i only now obtained health insurance so this GP is new--i am confident these meds if rx'd, will only be taken when i'm sure my coping mechanisms will fail and i'll have NO guilt in doing so--IF they work for me. I've shored up a LOT in my life and am looking forward to some easing of the pain if the meds work, luckily i only suffer from anxiety sometimes and i'll only do it if it seems to overwhelm me so i am not struggling with that but wanted to know if simple things like benzo's have worked for some, i will not experiment with a bipolar med for anxiety as i want to maintain the thin line i'm walking on right now!

AFA holistic methods, i have to be exceedingly careful. St. Johns Wort i avoid as i'm BI-polar. 5htp has to be taken w/caution as mentioned, Ashwaghanda is an interesting one however it can over time interfere w/thyroid function and i'm on thyroid meds so it's very important that they work.

Hopefully my new doctor will rx something for me to try out and will recognize i'm not a meds abuser and hopefully whatever i end up taking will work to take the edge off.

i recently "copped out" on an extremely important event in my life because i could not overcome the panic attack i had and it really damaged me, so i am hoping with occasional meds i can start to overcome them.