I Prefer To Modify My Own Drug Regimen For My Anxiety Disorder Depending On How I Feel. Is There Any Harm In This?

— -- Question: I prefer to modify my own drug regimen for my anxiety disorder depending on how I feel. Is there any harm in this?

Answer: When you're being treated for anxiety, there are many forms of treatment. And some can be modified, and some are really to be followed as recommended. So for example, there are classes of medications that really need to be taken as prescribed, and then there are some medications that may be offered to you on an as needed basis. For example, if you're feeling anxious when you fly on an airplane, you might just use a medication at that moment in time. Therapy, of course, you would be meeting with someone and discussing and finding strategies to manage anxiety, and then lifestyle practices are very much in the hands of the person who feels anxious.

So the interesting thing is that when we feel anxious or stressed, we often have a sense that we don't have time to take care of ourselves, and yet that may be when we have to be most diligent about our meditation practice, or regular exercise, or using our breath, or yoga, or whatever else we have discovered helps with stress and anxiety. That's the time when we need it most, when we have to put it in place regularly, with a great sense of discipline.

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