New....medications

[Nicholem22]

I guys! I am new to the boards and will be posting my experience in the discussion boards. I just wanted to know more information about taking medication. I have a script for lexapro. My concerns are as followed

1. Side effect
2. Make my anxiety increased
3. Med may make me go crazy
4 have an allergic reaction

I adjust SOOOO scared to try anything. You have no idea!

Anyone have good or bad experiences?

[Siegfried]

Hello Nicholem!

I remember when I first took an SSRI... I had exactly the same fears, and put off taking it for longer than I should. I certainly understand you since your fears were my own, but now I must say: really, don't worry, it's no big deal!

Still, let me go through your list:

1) all drugs may have side effects, many of which are placebo effects. Still, if you feel them, they're real for you. The side effects I experienced were vivid dreams (not good nor bad, just vivid) and reduced libido for a couple of months. But they may range from headaches to palpitations, nausea to insomnia, or dizziness to constipation. Few people experience any of these and, when they do, they are usually bearable and do not last for more than a couple of weeks after the beginning of treatment. If you experience any of them you can always talk to your doctor and he/she will help you deal with them in the unlikely scenario that they are difficult to bear. Most people are just fine after a couple of weeks. The frustrating bit is that side effects come before therapeutic effects. So for the first weeks you will not feel any better.

2) paradoxical reactions are possible but unlikely. And if they occur they also resolve with the continuation of treatment. Still, if odds are against you and they do occur, you should do what you usually do when your anxiety gets out of control. But remember: it is unlikely, and it goes away after a couple of weeks of treatment. I didn't experience anything of the sort!!!

3) I used to dread not so much going crazy, but going dumb. I am an academic, so I cannot afford to take anything that kills my concentration, or reduces my intellectual acuity. Actually, it was the other way around. I came to realize how anxiety and panic had reduced both my ability to work and the quality of my work. The same goes for you. I have never heard of anyone going "crazy" for taking an SSRI...... But perhaps many things your anxiety leads you to now do which are a bit "crazy", such as avoiding this or that place, this or that event, staying in longer than you should, etc. will cease once you get back on track. So no... It won't make you crazy!!!!

4) finally, allergic reaction... Again, it could happen. But it would not be life threatening, they would discontinue treatment and give you an equivalent drug. So, relax and do what is best for you. ;-)

I hope I helped! Sorry for being long winded!

[Nicholem22]

Thank you for your response. I feel like I could
Be shorting myself. I'm so worried about the side effects that I forget about the potential benefits. I think being a nurse is a bad thing bc I know all the side effects. I guess you could say I tried to take lexapro about a year ago. I only took it for 2 days. On the second day I woke up out of m sleep with my face, lips and hands feeling tingly and hot, like on fire. So I stopped taking it. Now looking back maybe it was an anxiety attack. I was thinking I was having an allergic reaction. I don't have panic attacks so I wasn't familiar with them. But when I researched it, it sounds like that's what it could have been. So I really want to try it again. So we will see. I have GAD. I worry about everything. Mostly about my health and dying. I'm terrified to leave my kids behind. So I'm hoping medicine would help that. I also have headaches and feel dizzy. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's part of anxiety.

What medications do you take? And what kind of anxiety do you have ? If you don't mind me asking.

[ava]

Hi, I would recommend you not take anything. The doctor have me Klonoplin and I think it triggered some depression. I have severe anxiety every day, but I would rather deal with it than with meds. The side effects are not worth it. I took my meds for 2 weeks and I was hooked. I don't want to rely on meds. You can do this!!

[Siegfried]

Hello again! Yes, it might have been an attack. Still, if it happens again the best thing to do is to discuss the symptoms with whoever prescribed the medication. Remember: most side effects disappear with the continuation of treatment. And yes, ssri do help.

I suffered from panic disorder with agoraphobia. I took paroxetine for a couple of years, and benzos (ethyl loflazepate mostly) when things got rough.

The headaches and dizziness you describe are common symptoms in GAD. But tell me, when you worry about your health and dying, what kind of thoughts invade your mind? What are your pet fears? It is very therapeutic to articulate them, and have people around you seriously considering them, and helping you see that everything is probably alright. For instance, I used to dread sudden cardiac death. After several conversations on the topic with a cardiologist friend of mine I was able to stop some of the mental vicious circles that were causing me a lot of anxiety. You can beat this, too! ;-)