Would anxiety medication help?

[Evanna13]

I have always been a quiet and shy person. I had a lot if trauma early in life and have been an anxious worrier all my life.
In recent years I feel my anxiety has gotten worse. Sometimes I get that panicky feeling, my heart beats fast, I feel like to need to get out of the place I am in etc. I have cut back on going to a lot of places because I fear panic and not being able to escape. For example I fear being in a hairdresser chair or being in a busy church etc where it would cause a big scene if I left. The anxiety can happen at home too and I can feel off balance etc. Any small worry about my health can cause worry for days and I can completely blow things out of proportion in my head.
I know people might suggest therapy but I am so anxious to go to it and because I am so quiet I don't think I would say much. I am not sure I would be able to talk about my trauma or worries because I am such a private person.
I would love to have a life without this anxiety. I feel anytime I start to feel happy for a moment something happens and the anxiety starts again.
I have cut out alcohol and caffeine. I should cut out sugar but its the one treat I allow myself. I am probably perimenopausal. I'm 44.
Has anyone experienced anxiety like this and has medication helped? It would be so hard for me to go to a GP to ask for medication so I probably won't do it but I would love some advice. Thanks for reading .

Hi OP. I have similar issues myself and I would reccommend mindfulness and counselling instead of meds in the first instance. the medication will just deal with the physical symptoms without really getting to the root of problem which is most likely your childhood trauma. it's not an easy journey but worth it in the end.

I disagree with pp in part.
Medication makes you more able to cope with day to day stuff so you don’t get that panic to begin with.
Things like propranolol deal with the physical symptoms so you don’t feel so panicked but there are lots of AD’s that can just make things more bearable so you don’t begin to panic in the first place.
That said, you may benefit from HRT. The anxiety that came with peri menopause was horrendous for me. I was back to my usual self within a couple of weeks of starting HRT, it went off the scale again when there were shortages and they switched my brand, it reduced again once I got my usual supply.