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Question about meds
I´ve been having these anxiety attacks for quite some time and now I got escitalopram.
I hate the idea of taking meds and to be honest, I´m very afraid of the side effects and what if I become addict. Besides I feel that I don´t need them coz I think in the end I am very aware of my problems and somehow control the anxiety. I´d rather have some therapy or something else... Should I consult another psychiatrist? Has anyone had any experience with this kind of meds? Any advice?
I hate the idea of taking meds and to be honest, I´m very afraid of the side effects and what if I become addict. Besides I feel that I don´t need them coz I think in the end I am very aware of my problems and somehow control the anxiety. I´d rather have some therapy or something else... Should I consult another psychiatrist? Has anyone had any experience with this kind of meds? Any advice?
Sounds like a great plan! Let us know how it's going!
I always love how I feel after therapy! It's a great feeling, and as you continue going, that feeling will hang around more and more!
I always love how I feel after therapy! It's a great feeling, and as you continue going, that feeling will hang around more and more!
I started my therapy today, I found a psychotherapy center and I agreed with the therapist that I won´t start the meds, at least not for now, and we´ll see if the therapy is the answer for me. I hope so. I´ll just take melatonin if I have troubles to sleep. The therapy session made me feel pretty good, I hope this good feeling lasts :)
Depends on the p-doc, a lot of them either have therapists right in their practice, or ones they work closely with. You can ask for a referral. The p-docs mainly just handle med management these days, but I still think people with severe or chronic enough anxiety issues should be evaluated by one, even if they aren't sure about meds.
Thank´s for your post. I was wondering why the psychiatrist didn´t offer me therapy instead.... I think I´ll try to find a psychologist instead. Let´s see where it takes me :)
By the way, my own experience with Lexapro was that it didn't work for me, it had some annoying side effects but wasn't terrible, and wasn't hard to stop taking. So my own experience with Lexapro isn't a fruitful one, but also not that bad of one.
I'm one of the people Nursegirl is talking about -- I believe medication of any kind, but especially anything that affects the brain, should only be taken if there's no alternative. Since you believe there is an alternative, therapy, there's no harm in trying that first and seeing if it works. Keep in mind, and this is just unfortunate reality, very few psychiatrists do therapy anymore, and they don't make any money if they don't give you medication -- it's what they do. Psychologists and other licensed counselors of all stripes do the vast majority of therapy now, which means that if you want therapy, don't see a psychiatrist; if you want medication, that's what the psychiatrists have decided they're for nowadays. The decision, as always, is yours. And yes, I did have a horrible experience with one med, but not with others, so I've been on both sides of this, and therapy did not work for me. Also keep in mind that taking a med "short-term" is a nice idea, but the action of the med often leads one to continue taking it, so if you do take one, don't get complacent -- you want to still get therapy and try to make your stay on the med short. Good luck.
Hey nursegirl and everyone else!
Thank you so much all for giving me your opinions and advice, it really helps to be able to talk about these things somewhere, since I don´t like talking about this with any of my friends.
I haven´t started the meds yet, I do have the prescription, but as I said I´m so afraid of taking the pills.... Next week I´ll see the psychiatrist so I think I´ll ask her again about the whole thing before starting anything.
This was the first time she offered me this type of meds, before I´ve only been taking melatonin which helps me to sleep.
The thing is that my anxiety comes and goes, I have really good days and then some really bad. Especially at night, I might get very stressed and anxious.
But I was wondering if the anxiety has anything to do with hormones? Yesterday I was "analyzing" myself and I realized that most of my anxiety attacks occur just before my period.
Anyways, thank´s again and I´ll keep you updated.
Thank you so much all for giving me your opinions and advice, it really helps to be able to talk about these things somewhere, since I don´t like talking about this with any of my friends.
I haven´t started the meds yet, I do have the prescription, but as I said I´m so afraid of taking the pills.... Next week I´ll see the psychiatrist so I think I´ll ask her again about the whole thing before starting anything.
This was the first time she offered me this type of meds, before I´ve only been taking melatonin which helps me to sleep.
The thing is that my anxiety comes and goes, I have really good days and then some really bad. Especially at night, I might get very stressed and anxious.
But I was wondering if the anxiety has anything to do with hormones? Yesterday I was "analyzing" myself and I realized that most of my anxiety attacks occur just before my period.
Anyways, thank´s again and I´ll keep you updated.
Hello!
Not sure where the talk of a benzodiazepine came from, I don't see that you're on one (like Xanax, Ativan)? You have been Rx'd Lexapro, which is an SSRI antidepressant very commonly (and quite successfully) used to treat anxiety. It's not "addictive" in the same sense an opiate (pain pill) would be, that's a common misconception. These meds can create a "discontinuation syndrome" (many people will call it w/d) if stopped abruptly, which is why tapering off is recommended. With a proper taper, many people come off with no problems. I've tapered off three different SSRIs (at different times) with no issues at all. As for being "habit-forming", no, they're not. The body gets used to them, but not in the same way it would get used to (and depend on) a narcotic.
The medication choice is very personal and individual for every person. There are many good reasons to try a medication as just one tool in treating anxiety, and there are some good reasons not to take a medication. I don't agree with one of them being the popular, "I don't feel like I should have to take something"...or.."I don't want to have to take a pill to make me feel normal". That's just feeding into the stigma behind mental health treatment. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with taking a medication to help manage chronic anxiety (or depression). You wouldn't fuss over having to take a pill if you had high blood pressure, right? This shouldn't be any different.
That being said, the medication debate isn't going away any time soon. Any time you ask about medication, you will get people from both sides of the fence, some very anti-medication, many times because they have unfortunately had a bad experience themselves, or you will have the people (like myself) who is a firm believer in the benefits of these meds to treat anxiety (usually because we have had a POSITIVE experience). That's just the way it goes. I personally had a lot of great results with Lexapro, with little side effects, I tolerated it easily.
No matter which side of the fence we're on, while we may disagree a bit with each other's opinions about meds, we usually always agree on the importance of therapy...whether meds are used or not. Like monica said above:
"You need to focus on getting better for yourself with medication and therapy even if the medication is used for a little while 3-6 months until you learn ways to cope with anxiety alone. "
A lot of times, a medication is only needed long enough to control the symptoms while a person works in therapy to learn how to cope with anxiety, and learn how to change that anxious cycle of thinking. For others, meds are needed more long term. There is NOTHING wrong with either approach.
Make sure you're being cared for by a psychiatrist, especially if meds are going to be involved. They are much more knowledgeable about the meds that are out there, and how to properly Rx them and properly discontinue them. They also can usually recommend a good therapist. The best set up is one where your doc and therapist are in the same practice. I've found that setting to be great, as there is more communication between the doc and therapist, and your therapy and/or meds can be adjusted as needed, based on your progress in each department.
TRY not to overthink it. It's normal to be apprehensive about trying a med...but try not to get too anxious about it, or you will convince yourself it either won't work, or that you're going to have bad side effects, or both. We have a great way of making our worst fears come true...simply by worrying about something enough. I've witnessed people, both here, and professionally, who have NOT tolerated a med because they convinced themselves they wouldn't. You don't want to set yourself up to fail in that way.
Very best to you, please keep us updated!
Not sure where the talk of a benzodiazepine came from, I don't see that you're on one (like Xanax, Ativan)? You have been Rx'd Lexapro, which is an SSRI antidepressant very commonly (and quite successfully) used to treat anxiety. It's not "addictive" in the same sense an opiate (pain pill) would be, that's a common misconception. These meds can create a "discontinuation syndrome" (many people will call it w/d) if stopped abruptly, which is why tapering off is recommended. With a proper taper, many people come off with no problems. I've tapered off three different SSRIs (at different times) with no issues at all. As for being "habit-forming", no, they're not. The body gets used to them, but not in the same way it would get used to (and depend on) a narcotic.
The medication choice is very personal and individual for every person. There are many good reasons to try a medication as just one tool in treating anxiety, and there are some good reasons not to take a medication. I don't agree with one of them being the popular, "I don't feel like I should have to take something"...or.."I don't want to have to take a pill to make me feel normal". That's just feeding into the stigma behind mental health treatment. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with taking a medication to help manage chronic anxiety (or depression). You wouldn't fuss over having to take a pill if you had high blood pressure, right? This shouldn't be any different.
That being said, the medication debate isn't going away any time soon. Any time you ask about medication, you will get people from both sides of the fence, some very anti-medication, many times because they have unfortunately had a bad experience themselves, or you will have the people (like myself) who is a firm believer in the benefits of these meds to treat anxiety (usually because we have had a POSITIVE experience). That's just the way it goes. I personally had a lot of great results with Lexapro, with little side effects, I tolerated it easily.
No matter which side of the fence we're on, while we may disagree a bit with each other's opinions about meds, we usually always agree on the importance of therapy...whether meds are used or not. Like monica said above:
"You need to focus on getting better for yourself with medication and therapy even if the medication is used for a little while 3-6 months until you learn ways to cope with anxiety alone. "
A lot of times, a medication is only needed long enough to control the symptoms while a person works in therapy to learn how to cope with anxiety, and learn how to change that anxious cycle of thinking. For others, meds are needed more long term. There is NOTHING wrong with either approach.
Make sure you're being cared for by a psychiatrist, especially if meds are going to be involved. They are much more knowledgeable about the meds that are out there, and how to properly Rx them and properly discontinue them. They also can usually recommend a good therapist. The best set up is one where your doc and therapist are in the same practice. I've found that setting to be great, as there is more communication between the doc and therapist, and your therapy and/or meds can be adjusted as needed, based on your progress in each department.
TRY not to overthink it. It's normal to be apprehensive about trying a med...but try not to get too anxious about it, or you will convince yourself it either won't work, or that you're going to have bad side effects, or both. We have a great way of making our worst fears come true...simply by worrying about something enough. I've witnessed people, both here, and professionally, who have NOT tolerated a med because they convinced themselves they wouldn't. You don't want to set yourself up to fail in that way.
Very best to you, please keep us updated!
Please don't think about the fact of you becoming an addict that is the last thing you need to focus on. You need to focus on getting better for yourself with medication and therapy even if the medication is used for a little while 3-6 months until you learn ways to cope with anxiety alone. I am on that track right now, I take celexa just started on a low dose on my 2nd day of 10mg then after a week increasing to 20mg - it's a slow process but I feel like the combination of medication and therapy works better especially in the beginning.
Anxiety is like a switch it comes on and sometimes without a little control it can linger at you, and feel like it will never shut off - sometimes help is needed and there is no shame - especially if it puts you in a better place in your life.
You can private message me if you would like, I am always available.
Anxiety is like a switch it comes on and sometimes without a little control it can linger at you, and feel like it will never shut off - sometimes help is needed and there is no shame - especially if it puts you in a better place in your life.
You can private message me if you would like, I am always available.
Sometimes we feel like we can control symptoms. Anxiety can turn your body against you in a way. I am proud of you for accepting the problem and for getting help. Someone to talk to always helps. They help you identify what is causing the anxiety, and then they help you cope better. Sincerely, Jamie
Therapy may be just what you need instead of meds. I agree with the above poster. If you've been on this med for awhile you really should work out a tapering schedule with your Dr instead of stopping it cold turkey.
taking a benzodiazepine might be habit-forming you must taper off under the supervision of a doctor ok :)
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