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Thread: anxiety about taking meds

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    Senior Member pranceprance's Avatar
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    Default anxiety about taking meds

    soooo I rarely talk about personal stuff on forums but lately things have been really bad...I've had depression since I was pretty young, and it's usually manageable with a few dark periods in the winter but lately I feel like I can't even function. I also have ocd and bipolar II. Yoga and meditation helped manage my anxiety but after a knee injury I stopped going for months. My mood swings are fucking awful and I've had to tell my boyfriend that I wanted a few days away just because I'm scared I'll blow up at him.

    My last therapist suggested I see a psychiatrist and I feel like I should - my mood swings and anxiety are messing up my focus, interfering with my job and relationship. I'm just so worried about possible side effects. I know everyone reacts differently to meds but all the horror stories intimidate me. What worries me most is that some of the meds I might need can cause aggression, weight gain, and skin problems. Also the waiting period until I find meds that actually work for me.

    This is a huge step for me. I'm 25 and have been going through this for many years always thinking I'd be fine without meds. I'd really appreciate any experiences, advice, affirmation, etc.

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    Featured Member R-209's Avatar
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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    I have been at this for a very long time. Definitely consult a psychiatrist. Medications can be scary, but a good doctor can help you decide which is the best one for you and manage them to keep side effects to a minimum. These often lessen or go away completely over time. Some advice from my own experience- 1) Give the medication time to work. Some can take weeks to kick in. 2) Don't worry if one med doesn't help- there are many others to try. 3) Keep in touch with your doctor and definitely don't stop taking a medication without consulting them. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. 4) Try not to worry about the horror stories; people are generally more inclined to report negative experiences than positive experiences.

    I went through several different medications before I found one that helped- lithium. It actually started to work rather quickly- a little less than two weeks. It has the added benefit of being very inexpensive. From the symptoms you describe, I wouldn't be surprised if your doctor recommends it for you.

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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    Hi. I started a thread in body business about this. I don't know how to link it but there may be some useful info. Good luck and feel better soon!

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    Veteran Member katerina29's Avatar
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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    Mess really helped me through some low times, and it's about finding the one that works well for you. I don't take them anymore but I hope you feel better x

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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    I can totally relate. I went through a few life challenges all at once and had didn't know how to cope or where to start. I had moderate anxiety and depression. Starting on a low dose of medication and improving your diet can help. And also making sure you have a good physician. And someone like a therapist to talk to and sort out your thoughts.
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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    I do believe psych meds should be used when it is absolutely necessary. When I was a teenager I was put on Zoloft which then was increased to the max dosage (200 mg/day). I was undiagnosed BPD at the time. So they figured it was depression and teenage mood swings. This fucked with me so bad. I was completely apathetic. Nothing excited me anymore. And this fucked with me, to the point where I attempted suicide. This was of course before they realized 4% of adolescents who take antidepressants have an increase of suicidal thoughts. I guess I was the 4% That was a dark time, and I don't plan on going back to that.

    Sometimes I really should be on some sort of medication because I disconnect a lot and have a series of mood swings. Sometimes I can't control my emotions. My doctor know I don't want to be on medication because of my past, and he respects my wish. He recently prescribed me Hydroxyzine to help me calm down during any of my mood swings where I can't physically or mentally control it. It's also a two in one because of my terrible allergies. It's been working. As in it knocks me the fuck out. But it helps. My mind gets cleared and I get sleepy.





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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    Don't give up It can be really scary to get help but I promise you that it's worth it. I'm in the process of receiving treatment. I was diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD Inattentive type, and possible bipolar disorder (we're tackling the ADD first). I was really nervous when I went to the psychiatrist for the very first time. Make sure that your psychiatrist is someone you're comfortable speaking to. My first one ignored all my concerns about the medications she was putting me on and did not give me a diagnosis even after 4 visits so I changed who I was going to.

    Medication can be fickle and scary as well. What I did was buy a journal and log all of my moods, what I ate, when I slept,medication doses, etc. It really helped when it came time to talk about how the medication was affecting me. Treatment can be tough when you're looking for the right balance of medications but it's entirely possible.

    Edit: I forgot to mention that if you're nervous about a psychiatrist appointment, I found that it helps to sit down the night before and tally up everything that you want to talk about, then bring the list with you to the appointment and either read it off or hand it to the psychiatrist. Every little thing helps, even if you're not sure if it's medically related or just a random event. I.e. When I was on Effexor XR I wasn't sure if I was chewing on my cheeks and causing sores because of the pills or because I was genuinely nervous. Turns out it was because of the pills.

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    Default Re: anxiety about taking meds

    The journal is an excellent idea. It's great for detecting patterns over long periods of time. In my case, it helped me realize that I got much worse whenever I went on a particular med ("I told you so," I wanted to say to the psychiatrist), and that a particularly terrible side effect occurred whenever I went off another.

    It is also very helpful to gain perspective. The change in your mood may come so gradually that you really don't notice it. When I'm having a rough day and am thinking that the meds have quit on me, I'll go back and read what I wrote in the journal one year ago that day. I did that just now and couldn't even finish the entry. So, progress.

    Making a list before an appointment is also good. I'm working on mine for tomorrow right now. Otherwise I'd get flustered and sidetracked and forget the main thing I wanted to discuss.

    One other bit of advice (that I, again, learned the hard way): If at all possible, avoid making more than one change to your medications at a time. If you were to change the dose of one med and start a new med on the same day, it would be much harder to tell which change caused a problem if one develops.

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