I will go with the recommendation, I have only recently tried a very mild anxiety med as needed and it is fine. As far as treating mental illness I have a medication for the bipolar disorder and I love it, I do really well with it, and I have such a better life that I would not consider going off of it. One of the (inevitable) down sides is that it mellows out my hypomanic states, you know the ones that make me feel good and confident and really fun to be around. So in some ways I have been sadder and less confident over the last couple of years, really taking a nose dive this year. Bipolar depression is actually very difficult to fully treat, I have made some peace with it through my meditation practice. However the anxiety is just too much right now.
I do know the trial and error from years of treating depression before figuring out the bipolar diagnoses. I think no matter what a LOT of therapy is in order. As wonderful as my Buddhist teachers are, this needs something else.