Hi Everyone,

I\'m new to this site. I\'m not sure what to expect from this group. I\'d like to be able to talk to people that experience the same feelings that I do. I have a great support system with a loving family and boyfriend (long term, serious relationship), however I sometimes feel like they don\'t quite understand my feelings. I also feel like a burden or bore to them when I go on and on about the things going through my head. So I\'m hoping that this site will be an outlet for me to talk and be heard and gain experience and tools that can help me move along comfortably in life.

A little bit about how I got here.  I had a rough couple of years, stemming from a terrible work experience.  Fresh out of university, first real job.  It was great at first but then I noticed a few issues.  First of all, I strive to do well at any task.  I take pride in my work.  I\'ve always worked hard to do well in school and then to be sucessful in the workplace.  However my employers (a small company) made me feel uneducated.  I felt pressure to do well, but my actions were never rewarded, always put down to not being good enough.  I was terribly overworked and terribly treated. I thought I was being too sensitive, but coworkers began to notice how I was being treated and began to talk to me about it.  But all in all, they were dealing with the same issues-it just seemed to be a bit worse in my scenario.  Eventually I began having panic attacks, at work and at home.  Nights were always sleepless, spent going over events and worrying about anything and everything work and life related. Body aches, migraines, stomach sickness, confusion…so many manifestations. Eventually I had a breakdown in a very public setting which led to doctors and testings and me never going back to the job (after almost three years). However removing myself from the situation didn\'t cause my problems to go away.  It helped to an extent, but it was like everything was stil manifesting the same.  Then came unemployment which brought on a whole other set of issues and anxieties.  I\'m currently working (on contract ending soon) in a much better environment that I\'m really pleased with.

I\'ve been taking clonazepam (on and off-currently on). Antidepressants are potentially the next step, but I\'m not sure I want to go down that road.  It\'s hard enough for me to take what I\'m currently taking. I\'m a bit of a novice when it comes to medications and I don\'t know what to expect, which makes me nervous. 

Knowing all of this, does anyone have anything to share? Relating to anything I\'ve said, including opinions and advice about the medication I\'m currently taking. I\'d also like to hear about your experiences.

Drop me a line anytime, I look forward to chatting.

Thanks!