Medication

[NoteToSelf]

Ive never took medication for my anxiety before because I'm terrified of the side affects and becoming addicted to them.
I'd really appreciate any advice, medication that works the best, has the least side effects, isnt addictive Ect.

[NoteToSelf]

Thanks so much for that info. I'm really scared about taking medication.

[Aelwyn]

Hi, the only medication I know about is beta blockers. I take propranolol slow release tablets, but only occasionally when I am worried about some kind of social event. They slow your heart rate and stop the shaking which for me is such an embarrassing aspect of my anxiety. They are not addictive. The reason I don't take them all the time is that they can make you feel a bit tired, and they can interfere with your sleep. But I find them extremely helpful now and then. (If you get asthma you shouldn't take them).

I've never taken anti-depressants as I am not depressive. And like you I don't want to take anything addictive.

Meditation and mindfulness are very helpful to me as a way of stepping back and seeing my problems in a more objective way. Over time they can bring you a greater sense of calm and of control over your thoughts and emotions. They are not a quick fix for SA, but I think they do have a subtle effect on it.

[Olly.]

Originally Posted by NoteToSelf

Thanks so much for that info. I'm really scared about taking medication.

You're not alone, the thought of just being on medication make me feel slightly queasy and I hoped I'd never get to this point but right now I can't help but feel medication might be a good idea as I really think my anxiety is getting worse and my social life has badly declined (I can't even bring myself to text my friends at home now, let alone go on nights out with them) and I wonder what chances I have of doing anything in the future, there's so many things I want to do like travel, join clubs, volunteering, maybe a masters degree, find a partner that I'm just too scared to try and achieve/do and I fear life is only going to get worse in the next few years if I don't do anything about it.

I've been meaning to go to the doctors all summer but I just can't bring myself to, I've no idea what I'd say to the doctor to get him to recognise my problem and I'm not keen on talking to him at all as whenever I've been to him in the past I've found him patronising and very impatient, hardly the sympathetic person I want to be talking/opening up to.

[NoteToSelf]

Originally Posted by Ollyh

You're not alone, the thought of just being on medication make me feel slightly queasy and I hoped I'd never get to this point but right now I can't help but feel medication might be a good idea as I really think my anxiety is getting worse and my social life has badly declined (I can't even bring myself to text my friends at home now, let alone go on nights out with them) and I wonder what chances I have of doing anything in the future, there's so many things I want to do like travel, join clubs, volunteering, maybe a masters degree, find a partner that I'm just too scared to try and achieve/do and I fear life is only going to get worse in the next few years if I don't do anything about it.

I've been meaning to go to the doctors all summer but I just can't bring myself to, I've no idea what I'd say to the doctor to get him to recognise my problem and I'm not keen on talking to him at all as whenever I've been to him in the past I've found him patronising and very impatient, hardly the sympathetic person I want to be talking/opening up to.

I have avoided medication for years but it's just got too the stage I don't think I havei a choice, I have got to do something I cannot continue like This.

[StoneyStone]

Originally Posted by Distance81

SSRI's - e.g. Fluoxetine (Prozac), Escitalopram etc - aren't usually addictive at all in the conventional sense (in the way that say nicotine is addictive), but coming off them can cause temporary side-effects as your system adjusts to the change.

Yeah I was on this and I never noticed any addiction or dependencey. The side effects were really mild too, I was only on 20mg though.

[racheldawn]

I think treatment depends on what you have troubles with? Is your anxiety very bad all the time or is it specific events or people that set it off?

I understand how you feel as I have never wanted to use medication for fear of not being able to cope without them afterwards. Or it underminding my confidence to do so.

I also now fear side effects having tried sertraline, it caused insomnia (all night) for me for 5 weeks so I stopped taking it. I must have gotten bits of sleep here and there but I was exhausted after 5 weeks so stopped taking it. There are people on here though who feel sertraline has helped them. It may be that it effects people differently. It may be that it would have helped me if I had stook with it but I found the initial side effects too much.

I waited a year to try something else. I am now trying Mirtazapine but having spoken to a few people it sounds like it may not be that helpful. I could be wrong though as I have only been taking it for a few days. It doesnt cause insomnia and it actually helps you sleep.

I am considering a beta blocker like pronranolol like Aelwyn commented on. As I experience anxiety mostly in specific situations like presentations, class disgussions, introdducing myself at a group meeting, talking to lecturers. So I would rather take something now and then that takes the physical edge of is particularly stressful events.

But even then, I am concerned that if I stop taking it, I could embaress myself without them. This is probably where the midfulness, relaxation and therapy comes in. To try to overcome things gradually. I will probably use meds to get though uni as presentations can be worth 50% of a module and I dont want to get bad grades.

[NoteToSelf]

I went to the doctors today and got some medication, she said it can take 2 weeks to start to take affect and she said the medication might make me feel even more anxious than usual for the first few weeks. I'm scared to take the pills, I hate the thought of all the side effects but I'm really at the stage i need to try medication, i cannot continue like this.

[~Andrew~]

SSRIs are now first-line treatments for various Anxiety and depressive disorders. Normal doses are between 20 - 60mg , with sertraline and fluoxamine needing higher doses. The most common side-effects include nausea mainly due to various other receptors absorbing too much serotonin, vomiting, headache, diarrhoea and dry mouth. Insomnia and paradoxical agitation can occur when first starting these drugs as well, though not everybody gets these side effects and everyone reacts differently to medications. Also Psychotropic medications are of no cure but can only help, i tend to find and have been told by many a doctor that they only really work 20 - 30% in Anxiety disorders.

Watch when stopping SSRIs though you can get what they call a (discontinuity syndrome). Which includes shivering anxiety, dizziness, headache and nausea so discuss any thought of stopping with your GP prior to your decision. My Psych said i'm his worse offender for chopping and changing meds :p

If ever offered a Benzodiazepine be aware they can wreck peoples lives and cause dependence and tolerance within 4 - 6 weeks of use hence doctors tend to take a wide birth of these drugs. Diazepam is a centrally acting anxiolytic drug which binds to specific receptors that stimulate release of inhibitory transmitter y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) hence the relaxation effects.

Sorry for rambling i blame my asperger traits :p

[Duke of Prunes]

SSRIs have made me worse when I've tried them in the past (they caused mania).

The only prescription medication that's actually ever worked for me is MPH (Ritalin), but that's probably because my SA is secondary to ADHD.

[Dandelion10]

I have OCD as well as SA so I was put on Fluoxetine early and took it for month, it gave me dry mouth and took away sexual feelings.

Don't be scared they're not going to do anything drastic, the side effects will be mild. They aren't dangerous.

I've been told that 60mg can wipe OCD out of my brain for good, not a reliable thing to say but I know what she means. The last pills did get me significantly better, they got me out of living in a fantasy world and I went out alot more, always in a happy mood.

If you want your moods regulating they'll help.

Current stressors are causing my OCD to be painful so like several have mentioned I feel I have little choice. I'm getting a course tomorrow.

Don't see it as pills or nothing, you need to be doing meditation, yoga, diet, cbt, counselling-a multi-pronged attack. CBT and meds are the most effective combination from studies.