courage...

[rusticnrg]

Walked around all day with a bottle of prozac in my pocket. Now staring at it... it won't help me if I don't take it. Ugh... how did you get the courage to take your meds? no horror stories please.

[Ritch]

Just because you are apprehensive about taking medication it doesn't mean that you lack courage, try not to be so hard on yourself :). At the beginning I personally never had a problem with medication......in the beginning perhaps I was too eager to take it with the hope that it would cure me even though I knew better. The medication may or may not help you but in addition to potential side effects from the medication there is also the potential that it could aid you on your road to recovery. If the medication doesn't agree with you, you can always stop the medication (following the correct protocol) and the side effects will go away. I appreciate that you are nervous about medication, so what I would advise is to try get as much support as you can from your social network or from the people here who have experience or are working in the mental health profession. So that if you experience some start up side effects you can be supported through this.

I have had side effects from medication which have gone away and I'm still here :), if it wasn't for medication perhaps I wouldn't be. I don't want to pull the violin out but we as people with anxiety suffer a great deal and more frequently than we would like so if I ever have to change medication and feel nervous about it I tell myself it may be worth suffering a little bit more at the start so that I can maybe have some relief afterwards.

But these are my thoughts and I don't want to coerce you into taking medication. you yourself have to be ready, this step has to be on your own terms and when you are ready we will all be here to help. I hope that helped and please keep us updated :)

[meichmann]

When I first went on my meds, I had side effects but they go away. The side effects were a result of my body getting used to the meds. Like Ritch said, if the side effects are too much for you, you can stop taking them but call your doctor before you do. Be honest with him and tell him every little feeling you are experiencing.

Taking meds is not a sign of weakness, it shows courage and strength. It shows that you recognize what is happening and you are trying to take care of it. Don't ever feel down about taking them, keep your head up, and never quit!

[Kixxi]

Walked around all day with a bottle of prozac in my pocket. Now staring at it... it won't help me if I don't take it. Ugh... how did you get the courage to take your meds? no horror stories please.

Hi rusticnrg,

You will be okay. I know it feels a bit scary to take them. I didn't know what to expect from mine and was prepared to go all loopy. But you know what, it turned out more than fine. They really helped me. It took the edge of quite fast and helped my recovery. You can do it girl. You struggle with anxiety so you are already a very brave person for facing that every day. Do never forget that. We are all here for you.