It took me 6 years of trying different RXs until I found the right one for me: Effexor. I've been on it for about 6 years now. The first month was MISERABLE. It gave me terrible stomach aches and nausea. I should also mention that it made me sweat like a whore in church too. I wanted to throw up my hands and never touch that Effexor again, but my shrink encouraged me to stick it out for a few more weeks so we could see what kind of effect it would have on me. After 6 weeks or so, I felt like a whole new woman.

Once I realized that the Effexor was working, I thought I was off the hook. I thought that life would be all rainbows and puppies now. Not so much. The Effexor did make a big difference. It seemed to "fix" my brain every day by supplying it with some chemical that was missing. This gave me the mental capacity to see the world a little more clearly and recognize that I needed to start making behavioral and lifestyle changes if I want to live a happy life.

Coming soon: Part 2 about how I used therapy (read 10 reasons to consider therapy here), yoga and meditation to further tame my anxiety and depression...