Can medication help???

[Wilma101]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but desperate! I'm hoping someone reads this and has experienced the same, and maybe give me some hope that things can get better
I've been coping just about for a long time with general anxiety / attacks the usual, but over the past months things have spiralled to a point of complete despair. I'm in a CONSTANT panic, from the moment I wake up (after a fitful sweaty broken sleep) and can no longer function in daily life - my darling mother (who is a godsend and my guardian angel) is looking after me and is as desperate as I am. I hate what this is doing to her.
I have fought this as hard as I can, tried hypnotherapy / CBT / counselling, not just giving up and self-pitying, tried to just "get on with it" and be grateful for what I have, but the more I try to do that the more the panic grows. I now can't concentrate on anything at all, no TV, books, anything - just swirling thoughts and thumping heart every second of every day. God forgive me, but I've even been having horrible thoughts of ending it all because I just can't see a way out (selfish and awful but the thoughts are there).
Is there a place for medication in all this?? I was recently referred to a crisis centre and saw a psychiatrist who has recommended medication. I've always been against this, I know its not a cure, but does anyone agree it can be helpful just to help get things back on track so I can at least concentrate on therapies and looking after myself to actually tackle this.... I suppose I'm hoping someone can give me a medication success story or something!!! Any thoughts? Thank you

[peter_h]

Wilma. I think you should seriously consider medication as soon as possible - see your doctor asap and tell him your symptoms.

I too had 24/7 panic, morning profuse sweating, severe agitation 24/7, sleeplessness weeks on end, constant worry, obsessive thinking, and I just HAD to try something as my quality of life was suffering & I was totally exhausted in myself. I tried CBT, Hypno, relaxation, but my body was just too anxiety-ridden to get any benefit whatsoever from these techniques. I would suggest these techniques are better practiced once you are well, or if you are suffering from milder anxiety/depression.

It may be that there are external factors affecting you in a way that has precipitated this anxiety, or it may have come on all of its own. But first your symptoms needs treating quickly before you can sort that out. I went on Mirtazapine and it worked very quickly for me (days). It is not addictive and gets your body back to sleeping properly too.

Once you have some of your old-self back you can consider what has made you like this, but now is not the time.
You need treating for your symptoms first, and unfortunately that probably means prescribed medication. However, if you find you dont want medication longer term you can come off it later (once you are well again).

There are many many instances of 'success stories' with medication so don't be scared of them. At the end of the day you have to consider what is worst - being like you are now, or taking a prescribed medication? Personally I think there is no contest but to take some meds, even if for the shortterm.

The pain and misery you cause to yourself and your loved ones is enormous - I know exactly how you must feel.

(No disrespect to anyone who has suffered at the hands of cancer, but I want to make the point about how terrible you can feel with anxiety at its worst here).. If someone had said to me 'would you like severe anxiety&depression OR terminal cancer' I would have opted for terminal cancer every time. Severe anxiety & depression is horrid beyond words.......

[Wilma101]

Thank you so much for your responses.
Peter - that's one of the meds the doctor recommended, thing is I obsess and worry over side effects and terrified about everything I've read! Will give it a try though, one thing maybe you could put my mind at rest, does Mirtazepine make your heart race? That's what terrifies me about meds, tried a couple or SSRI's very briefly and had rushes and palpitations, scared me so much I never took them again.
Forwells - thank you for the advice, I agree drugs won't solve the problem, I'm just hoping they can "take the edge off" so I can concentrate on therapies - I tried the Linden Method as well, but became so obsessed with trying not to think about anxiety and constantly "diverting" it actually made me worse! (Not criticizing the method itself, but my attitude towards it was far too desperate). I need to change my thinking processes, I'm planning a course of "Changing Limiting Beliefs" with a therapist, and have been in contact with a meditation teacher about classes - I realise I need to work on these things myself and focus on learning to change negative thoughts, but when you're in a constant state of panic it's impossible to slow down and concentrate long enough to start! I'm just hoping something can calm me down a little bit at least for some of the time to give me a chance to start rolling uphill again.
I do understand the "anatomy" of anxiety, how it builds and perpetuates, I know the symptoms won't actually hurt or kill me, but its the fact that they stop me enjoying things or even concentrating at all that makes me so upset... which of course builds more anxiety I know. Stuck..
Are there any "thoughts" treatments or therapies you can recommend for someone who is obsessed by thinking.... the idea of just diverting your thoughts simply doesn't work, I need to actively change them, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Mila34]

Hi there.

Well for me, I was so anxiety-ridden that therapy could not work because I wasn't in a state where I could let it. So I went on medication in order to calm down enough where therapy could actually be effective. I know that 24/7 feeling though. It's not pretty. Hang in there.

[peter_h]

I think it is up to Wilma to decide with her doctor whether medication or non-medical treatment is right for her.
If Wilma decides that medication is not for her then I would guess she doesn't really require it, and she will naturally find her way through this period in another way. Personally speaking, I felt SO unwell that I didn't hesitate to take medication once I had unsuccesfully tried CBT/Relaxation/MoodFood methods. I was also exhausted in the extreme, losing weight rapidly, and had severe agitation and depression from which I had no strength to fight-on after 9 months of sleep deprivation and hunger and unsuccesful attempts at resolving it with non-drug treatments. Call me a failure if you wish.

None-drug treatments can certainly help, but they dont seem to work well enough for some people (maybe they dont work because these people dont apply themselves in the right way - but that doesn't change the fact that they haven't worked). I saw 3 counsellors, 3 doctors, MoodFood Expert etc, but none of them resolved my mood in a sufficiently short time-scale to make a recovery all on my own. Medication did; for me.

There are times when some people, some of the time, are SO unwell that medication is needed to turn the corner for them, or to make them stable for a while until you can get some normality back. Medium or longerterm medication is a different debate, and it depends which drugs you take, how long you take it for, and how you might respond to it.

Not all ADs are sedating, or habit-forming, or even cause any dependency. Some ADs have withdrawal effects if stopped suddenly, but this is only to be expected. There certainly are habit-forming medications available, but your doctor will warn you if he/she prescribes these for you. Most ADs however are not, and are perfectly safe taken at the right dosage.

The clinically more serious illnesses like; severe clinical depression, bipolarity disorders, schizophrenia, psychosis etc. are certainly managed and controlled by medication as part of a treatment plan. I don't think any knowledgable person would suggest these groups should not be on some forms of medication when required, and should seek alternative non-drug treatments instead. Wilma may, or may not, be in one of these groups - that will be for her doctor to decide how serious her illness is, and what might be the cause/best treatment option.

Prescribed medications are right for some people, shortterm or longerterm, some of the time. As with all medications there are draw-backs as well as potential benefits. These drawbacks may, or maynot, be significant when compared to the symptoms they are trying to alleviate. Most people who take ADs have very few issues.

Wilma. The best advice I can give is.....do what is right for you, right now.

[Robbed]

Yes that is right but it is best to have all the info before you start .

DEFINITELY. One of the BIGGEST problems with medications is that doctors and pharmaceutical companies tend to overstate the benefits, while understating the risks. And generally speaking, these drugs work far less well AND have far more side effects than you will be lead to believe. Also keep in mind that even so-called 'non-addictive SSRIs' can be downright HELLISH to get off of for some people, even when 'properly tapered'. It's not that we don't want to see anyone find relief in medication. It's just that it is rather risky.

Here's another thing to consider. If you are making ANY kind of progress with your anxiety disorder (no matter how slow), stay away from medication.

[jimmy2shoes]

I'm on meds and have no side effects. Like the thread creator, I went to a place of depair and hopelessness. While life isn't perfect, nor am I anxiety cured, I took the medication to give my self a break from the relentless and ruthless anxiety/depression that kept beating me down. And I got too tired to keep fighting, keep getting back up, blow after blow after blow.
So while I understand the need for some of you to fight the pharmaceutical companies and their motives, and ensure awareness for your average Joe, I think it would be wise to consider that sometimes our threshold is met, in which case - medication is a form of relief - not a cure. Similar thoughts to anxiety still occur on medication, only our reaction is softened allowing a more rational approach to dealing with these thoughts.

Wilma I think that medication won't cure you by any means, but it may provide relief. It also may not - because you could have side effects that become untolerable. It is something that you need think about, and prepare yourself emotionally, if you decide to go ahead with it.

I think the internet and googling what the medication will do to you is an awful idea, because the only people who come online to share their experiences are the ones who have had horrid ones. My mum takes anti-depressants for 6 months around once every 5 years because she works to hard and gets worn down. At around 6 months, she quits cold turkey and continues her life. You will find every story online, both positive negative and inbetween. The only way to see if it works, is to try it yourself (if necessary)

Hope this helps

[innerchanges]

I tried CBT, Hypno, relaxation, but my body was just too anxiety-ridden to get any benefit whatsoever from these techniques. I would suggest these techniques are better practiced once you are well, or if you are suffering from milder anxiety/depression.

Hi,

I agree with most of above quote, except that you don't need to be well to do therapy. You just need to be well enough to be able to think a little more clearly and rationally about the anxiety.

I'm not a fan of medication as ultimately it is your thought processes that trigger the anxiety in the first place and those need to be changed using some form of therapy. However if you are experiencing intense anxiety over extended periods of time then medication can help to dampen down the symptoms enough so that you can get started on the therapy process.

Nigel