Should I take medication?

[Cleverun]

Recently, my anxiety level has been pretty bad. And I mean BAD. I'm experiencing agoraphobia in my own home, and it's hard to find something to make me feel safe (I've been running around Youtube for videos to watch, and I keep running out and not liking some). I don't have a fear of death, I have a fear of being subjected to a fate worse than death. I've been seriously considering taking medication, but my family doesn't want me to.

My sister went to Oregon about two years ago for college. She began having panic attacks (it's her phobia, so I won't reveal much without her permission here), and went through a really rough time. At one point, her friend gave her some of her own medication, without a prescription from my sister's doctor. She said she got dependent on it, and she doesn't want me to go through the same thing.

What do you guys think? I'm sixteen years old (turned recently. Man, it feels cooler than I expected to say that I'm sixteen. :D) Just looking for opinions to go off of.

[atcmom]

Are you able to talk to your parents? If your sister has issues maybe your mom or dad does too and they will need able to help. Both my brothers and my mom suffer from anxiety, so I know there is a genetic component. Your first step would be to see a doctor and a counselor. Id make sure they specialize in teens/young adults. They might decide medication is right for you. Don't EVER take anything that's not prescribed for you, by your doctor. Drug sharing is a dangerous, bad idea.

[alankay]

Finding a good counselor/therapist to talk all this over with would be the best first step. Alankay