History of Anxiety and TTC (sorry v. long!)

Hi. I guess I'm looking for some personal experiences and encouragement (or discouragement if you feel that it's more useful). I have been dealing with anxiety issues (panic attacks/generalized anxiety/lots of physical symptoms) that began approx. 2 years ago and thus delayed any thoughts of starting a family.
I tried medications but found they didn't really agree with me and would prefer not to go that route again as it was v. difficult for me to wean from them and try to go on them. I am definitely not 100% better but am not sure if that will actually ever happen for me. Some days can still be quite difficult.
At this point I am debating whether or not to even try to have a family as I am so paralyzed over fear that my anxiety will be as bad as it was 2 years ago and I wont be able to function as a pregnant person or new mom(it was really bad at first). That being said both my husband and I would really like to try and have a family if it is at all possible and we are not sure how long to wait to see if I am ever "cured" or if this is just something I will need to work with the rest of my life.
I guess I would just love to hear any personal experiences of triumph or warnings that this may not be a good idea :(
Feel free to FM me privately if you are more comfortable with that.
Sorry for the long post I am just so torn on what to do

Re: History of Anxiety and TTC (sorry v. long!)

First of all .

I suffered with anxiety for a long time, I was medicated twice. The last time I was medicated was due to a near nervous breakdown. Once I got pregnant, I was a complete WRECK. But within the last couple of months I've felt better than I have in the last 15 months when my anxiety was at its worst. Maybe my hormones just regulated things. I can't explain it.

One thing that has helped me tremendously has been therapy. If you haven't looked into this option yet, I would highly recommend it. I go to a therapist that specialized in anxiety and depression, and I think I read on this board that there are some that specialize in working with pregnant women.

Good luck to you!

Re: History of Anxiety and TTC (sorry v. long!)

Thanks for the reply and for sharing your experience. I do go to therapy and have found that to be quite helpful (though not a magic bullet). Hopefully the pregnancy hormones will help and not hurt me though I know some birth control made me way worse then my own hormones do. I don't know what makes me more nervous, pregnancy hormones or the rollercoaster that comes after you give birth.

Re: History of Anxiety and TTC (sorry v. long!)

Have you considered Biofeedback training in addition to your current therapy? I have found it to be a wonderful alternative to medication for anxiety. The best part of it is you would be able to use it as a treatment if you decided to become pregnant without any ill effects.

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/anxiety/content/article/10168/50476