My Life Lately

My name is Tom. I have had to gain confidence in doing this but I'm ready to try anything to figure this out.

About four years ago I started to have real bad anxiety and panic attacks out of no where. I would just feel a almost tingling sensation start inside my body and know it was beginning. It would run through my body and make me feel like I was literally going crazy sometimes. My doctors wanted to put me on medication but I know I'm not crazy. Lately (about a year or two) I've almost felt people and their emotions like an example from today: my buddy was saying he was extremely mad because his family was putting a lot of pressure on him for things not his problem. He's 25 like me and very strong. He said he wanted to punch things but I knew that he wasn't mad he was sad. I told him that I felt he wasn't mad just needed to cry and I hugged him (which we don't do) to him sobbing out of control. He thanked me for it later. But I feel like I can feel people's thoughts or where they are in a proximity it's so weird. Sometimes I even feel like there are people around me at times that aren't and their feelings. These things are making life very difficult in my life. I was a very happy person without these feelings (at least the anxiety and panic attacks). My doctor insists on giving me medication to quote "regulate my brain chemistry " even though I'm not depressed or out of it. If I sound crazy just tell me, I just don't know what else or where else to turn. Thank you very much