I need advice

[BamaBlues]

Hey there ive been suffering from severe anixety for quite a while now and am looking to beat it. A few months ago i tried a couple of antidepressants and both times after only taking them for a couple days i went to the hospital.Let me say this though i am very afraid to take all kinds of meds even advil,tylenol..Now looking back i think i might not of needed to go to the hospital and i might of just been pshyching myself out. But i felt like a zombie and like i couldnt get a grip on life, i was freaking out.. so about a month ago i started seeing a counselor and were working on some CBT, but he told me last visit that i was probably gonna have to get on meds. Can anyone give me some advice? Im scared to try meds again but am almost positive thats what ill have to do. This is very embarassing on top of stressful because my wife doesnt have much belief in me. Honestly she thinks im a pansie. and i get real embarassed when she sees im scared of so many things.

[Enduronman]

Bama Bruh,

I had just posted something to this effect in this section an hour or so ago. I asked a question as to what was more horrible and hard on a person. The fear of a simple and harmless (death free) tablet to experiment, or the ER? You will have to overcome this fear of medication, if you really ever wish to have a fighting chance. Issues like the ones that you are presenting, will only fester and grow within you, and eventually become disabling. You have to weigh the benefits within yourself. Especially as it appears, your wife is becoming frustrated and upset by your problem. Once that happens, then the word selfishness begins to come into play because you're no longer affecting and infecting yourself with this unnecessary fear, you are infecting those around you too.

In my case, imagine how scary it must be to be offered a medication to treat a disease and the first side effect possibility on the sheet is (may cause death)?

Nothing that you will be offered, will pose that as a potential health risks.

It was either that, or, give myself an injection in the stomach and get an injection in my arse every Tuesday.

I chose injections, and a chance to remain alive instead. I didn't over think either shot, I just did it.

Follow the advice and begin to recover, or ignore it and watch everything get worse.

Take the meds. Find one that suits "you".

IMHO and best wishes Bama.

E-Man.

[worriedmummy85]

Have to agree with E-Man I got put on Sertraline and I read the leaflet and googled it its fair to say I ended up making myself very ill over it and asked to be put on propanolol after another 2 weeks of suffering and starting to get depressed about it I decided to start taking the Sertraline

My biggest regret is having the fear of taking the tablet I feel so much better for taking it now and instead of just going into my 3rd week I could have been going into my 5th week and almost at the point where I feel them working

Try loose the fear and just take it without thinking

[jessed03]

The first night I tried Celexa, when my panic attacks were in full swing, I did what worried mummy done, and read the leaflet before taking.

I had the worst weekend of my life, vomiting, shivering, crying, lying huddled in the fetal position for the whole weekend. I only took 5mg :-/... The fear of taking it was so severe.

The fear was worse than the drug though. I took Celexa at full dose a year later, and got nothing that time but a little nausea.

Going into it with a set mindset will help. Don't let your mind debate things. When it gets time to do that, it always ends in disaster.

Eman showed that above. His health depended on a drug, and his argument was set. There was no dilly dallying, should I, shouldnt I etc. His arguement was already decided in his head; take drugs for better health.

Less debate = less anxiety.

This way you can go into it in a slightly meditative focused state. Go in with the mindset 'this WILL help me recover'. And I don't mean say it feebly a couple of times and then drop into a panic attack, I mean say it over and over and over again with conviction every single time uncertainty arises. When you decide to take drugs... If you do decide to... Then win the arguement in your head before you take them. Decide why you're taking them, and focus on that. Whilst you're focused on that, you won't be thinking about too much. Doubt will be more of a background noise. Eyes on the prize kind of thing.

For me, my example of arguement already won; was after having horrible depersonalization for 2 years. I said I have to do this, I have to give the drugs a chance. I'd rather follow the path of the drugs, and see where that goes, than stay in this hellhole. That got me through the startup anxiety. I'd already made a conviction, and made a second conviction to stick with that first conviction if things got Rocky.

That time was far easier taking them than the first time when I'd let my mind run away with me.

Like when you decide to jump over a gap. You've gotta take a run up and LEAP. You can't be thinking stuff through when you're about to spring. Decide what you'll do and go into that with belief and grit.

[BamaBlues]

Wow yall have brought alot of sensible thoughts to my attention. I know ive definately got to get focused on the positives of medicine and also compare the good to bad . I got to do this if I ever wanna be happy . Thanks for all the help.

[Enduronman]

Yes sir Bama from WorriedMum, Jessed, and myself, you take control asap friend. Read my last post in the meds section, I have to take them bruh..or I wouldn't be able to sit here and try to help you.

You got this!!

The Gang. :)

[AmberGbenga]

Well shit, I worry about taking drugs I don't know about.. Like my partner gave me a pain killer American brand and I freaked out.. But reading the anti depressant leaflet I've started taking didn't even cross my mind.. Huh well there you go.. Faith in my country hahaha

[anxietyloather]

If you are someone who fears taking meds, do NOT read the side effects, our minds are so strong we can actually think we are having them b/c we read about them and fear them.
When I started my Lexapro the Dr. told me my anxiety could get much worse before getting better, luckily for me this didn't happened and it seems to work for me pretty quickly. For some people the worst part can be starting the meds, you just have to wait out that period as hard as it is. Talk yourself down, it is all in your head and you are working yourself up in most cases (and in my case).
I get to the point where I am just pacing and crying after throwing up, and get so exhausted after an hour of it that I go to sleep and wake up more calm. This happened to me recently when I was in a stressful situation after decreasing my Lexapro from 20mg to 15mg......well now I am upping it again. I have tried to get off of them before and did good on nothing for 2 months until I was in a stressful situation again.
I guess I am just one of those people that will need to be on it for the rest of my life, but it sure bets having severe panic attacks, feeling like I am going crazy, crying all the time, and having anxiety when in public.
I say that Lexapro saved my life, I would either be going crazy at my parents house, in a mental institution, or would have just given up.
Now the thing that scares me is being on my meds when I get pregnant, but I have found that it is near impossible for me to get off of them.

[BamaBlues]

Hopefully I can get in with my doctor next week and try some med. The big thing is for me to not psych myself out about the side affects so I'm not going to read them and try to not think about them. My therapist tells me to basically flow with the panic feelings and let it run its course without me getting upset. I feel like if I can master this I will be accomplishing a lot.

[Enduronman]

Do not open that side effects sheet. It will say everything, and anything, that you can think of. Why? To prevent the drug company from being sued....so they can say, "we warned you that your big toe on your left foot might turn orange....That's how screwed up it is.

As long as the first line doesn't say MAY CAUSE DEATH in giant bold letters, like one that they were trying to give to me,..of which yours WILL NOT,...then don't over think this. At all....

E-Man.