Fire and NG,
I'll just post how I approached taking the A/D because it might help others besides both of you. :roll:
Go backwards to about 2 years ago when I really started suffering physically and mentally with my AF. Not much support from my mother, husband tired of hearing about my butt, etc. Things started spiraling downward. I couldn't sit comfortably; husband drove me around a lot while I laid down in the backseat; basically not much going on in my life except existing.
Went to Mayos in 2008 for the second year in a row and saw the same GI doc. He basically told me that I had become paralyzed by thinking about my AF all of the time and had "made a mountain out of a mole hill." Easy for him to say; he didn't have a sore butt!! But he strongly encouraged me to take some medication for my mental condition (depressed, anxious, etc.) However, he didn't know which one would be best as A/D's are not his area of expertise. Luckily, I found a psychiatrist who was just getting started in our area and was building his own patient base. We tried a couple of different meds, but finally settled on Lexapro, and that's the one that my GP had recommended in the first place (b/4 I went to Mayos in 2008). When I finally got onto my Lexapro A/D regimen, I started telling myself that no matter how badly I felt (blood, pain, whatever) that I would start to feel better as soon as I took my A/D at 10:00. The mind/body connection is very, very strong. You can help make that medicine (Lexapro) work for you to the nth degree if you really believe that it is going to help you relax and feel better!