a chicken-or-egg problem for me. My problems date from the sudden onset of my PN. I remain suspicious that the anxiety and PN were organically related--that is, both brought on by a physical cause, such as a self-limiting autoimmune reaction, or a virus, or an endocrine problem, or whatever. But if not, then my anxiety was brought on by the abrupt and harsh nature of my PN.

Once both arrived, they fed each other: Anxiety causes muscle and connection tissue stiffness and cramping, which in turn impinges upon nerves.

Speaking entirely from my own personal point of view, I avoid drugs if at all possible. (Partly because a physiatrist suggested my own myofascial problems result from a drug reaction a few years ago.)

I found that, in my case, treating the body was the key to breaking the cascade. Massage helped. Biofeedback helped. Breathing exercises definitely helped (you can find some online).

In the bad, early days, one of the most helpful things was a post I read on another message board by someone overcoming lifelong panic disorder. He said that whenever he felt an attack coming on, he told himself, "Oh, here comes an anxiety attack. Nothing I can do about it. Whatever. Let it come, so it'll be over." And, in fact, attempts to resist anxiety directly--whether to "not" have an attack or to "not" breathe shallowly often backfire completely: many people report they get very anxious over their anxiety!

There's a pretty good site I found: www.anxietycentre.com (yes, British spelling). It has a very helpful step-by-step program. I was primarily going there because of the forums, where, amid all the various maladies, I found people who had myofascial/neuro problems like mine and were trying to figure out what they were. I believe I've also suggested www.aboutBFS.com to you as well. Both have lots of useful information.

As always, your mileage may vary, but because my worries were so tightly bound up with my PN, once the symptoms started to decline, so did my concerns.

Good luck!