Anxiety and medication advice needed..

[ch3ll3]

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie here, nice to meet you all! :)

Firstly I should probably tell you a bit about myself... I am a very fortunate 25 year old with an amazing boyfriend of 7 years and the most beautiful dog, I have a lovely family, a great job, nice house... I have a good life and should be happy... yet my life is dominated by anxiety.

I was diagnosed with anxiety about 4 years ago and I obsessively worry about what seems like everything... my family, my relationship, my health, my past, I get intrusive thoughts, I analyze everything I do and I Google... a lot! (I know.. *slaps wrist*).
Basically in a nutshell I'm a bit of an anxious mess :blush:

Everyday I seem to worry about something but today I reached breaking point when I started doubting my relationship for no reason at all. I love my boyfriend with all my heart so these thoughts, understandably have crushed me and I'm petrified I'll do something I'll regret forever. So after this and 4 years of worrying, I've accepted it's time to do something about it!

Miraculously I have lasted the last 4 years without any treatment. I was given some reading material by my GP 4 years ago which he called 'cognitive behavioral therapy' :huh: and I've tried to treat and deal with it myself. But today's episode has finally made me realise that I might need a bit more help and I'm considering going to my doctor to discuss my options with regards to medication.

Now my problem with this.. and I think one of the reasons it's taken me this long, is that I've never been good with medication of any sort. I avoid it at all costs and will always look for an alternative, natural remedy... I have to be in absolute agony before I'll even agree to take pain relief! :wacko: So this is kind of a big step for me..

Now that I've come to terms with the fact I may need medication, I'm feeling concerned about the side effects. I'm worried that medication will change me as a person, will have side effects or make things worse and I'm worried I'll be on medication for the rest of my life.

So for those of you who have taken this step, I was wondering if you would mind sharing your experiences?

What was life like before and after receiving treatment?

What worked for you?

Or if you think I may benefit from alternative treatments I'd love to know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long essay! :)

[honeyp1e]

Hi hope your feeling better soon :)
I no how your feeling now as i was there once evern now i still hate taking medication but now i thank god i did take it but before i took anything i was like you just anxious over thing etc that went on for years and all though i new i should have medication yet i feared the side effects (mainly because am emetophobic )plus i didn't wanna have to depend on tablets for the rest of my life :) but one day i just broke down and went to my doctors crying my eyes out who gave me anti-depressants (Citalopram ) gave me a low dose of just 10mg i think it took me over a month b4 i took the first one and i regretted taking them and had all the thoughts of omg will i get side effects etc.. i carried on taking them and yes i got side effects ( feeling more anxious / palpitations / shakes ) i read up about my tablets which stated they can make you feel worse until they get in your system but not all people get these well trust me i did :( they lasted about 4 weeks am now upto 40mg and am so glad i stuck with the tablets as my anxiety has died down alot but the tablets never stopped all that negative OCD thinking but what did help is i read a book called STOP THINKING & START LIVING by Richard Carlson OMG i cant thank this book enough dont get me wrong i still get some OCD thinking but nothing like i used to... before my tablets i have tried everything i can think of and it all cost me a fortune just go have a word with your doctor and see want they say is best for you xx

[dally]

Just like you I struggled on my own, but my PAs gradually got worse until I ended up being agaraphobic.
I was SOOOO anti-meds. In the past Ive been prescribed ADs, and betablockers and valium. I have EVENTUALY taken one tab of each and got side effects so never took any more. If I am brutally honest I think the side effects were in my mind.
When I am VERY desparate I take between 2-6mg valium (depending on how severe my PA is) and no matter what I only take one dose every week or so, because valium is additcive and I am soooo scared about getting addicted cos thats one more problem I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE!!

This week I have been prescribed proppanalol, which are non addictive and are supposed to stop the adrenaline symptoms but not the "thoughts"
I havent taken them yet cos Im scared of " side effects"
I'll let you know when I do.

I could open a chemist with the amount of "natural" remedies I have researched and bought, BUT HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY TAKEN cos Im too scared......ridiculous!!!

What has workd for me is talking and CBT with an Occuptational therapist via my GP

[holly1]

For me too it took a long time before I accepted that I needed help with my anxiety. I tried lots of alternative approachs, read loads of self help books and tried online CBT courses.
However in the end the end after some stressful events in my life, including the effect it was having on my relationship with my fiance, I realised that I couldn't beat it on my own.
I am now taking Citalopram (5 weeks in) and started on a low dose of 10mg. I have been building up gradually because I also had the same concerns as you about medication.
I have had some side effects and it has not completely solved things yet but OMG the days I get when I feel calm and like my old self are totally worth it!
I am also doing CBT with the help of a counsellor and I have found this much more productive than doing it on my own. I was referred by my GP so it doesn't cost anything. I would recommend you give it a try.
Please contact me if you want to ask anything else or chat. It sounds like we are in similar situations.:)

[ch3ll3]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice, I really appreciate it :)

I've heard about 'Stop Thinking & Start Living' before, I think I'll get onto Amazon and get this.

I've tried Kalms before which I don't think did anything for me but I've heard that most natural remedies are a bit hit and miss. Have you guys had any positive experiences with any?

I'm definitely going to go to my GP with an open mind and explore all options available to me as I've never had any proper treatment so it might just be a case of trying CBT properly with a therapist first, I don't know.
I just want to make sure that if I'm offered medication, that I at least have an idea of what to expect.

I'm a bit of a regular at my GPs (thanks to good old health ocd) and although I recognize my anxiety is a problem, I can't help but think I'm a bit of a burden because I have a tendency to think things are worse than they are. I look around thinking, these people have real things to worry about and I'm sat here perfectly healthy and wasting their time... but I guess that's the problem right there isnt it.

[sos]

I've been taking Mirtazapine 15mg for 4 days now i am like a Zombie all the time with them and asleep most of the day and awake an fitful all nite, i have a dry mouth and feel totally yukky with them i only suffer with anxiety when things are really stressful so was wondering if i shud ditch these and maybe try Kalms or something similar. i look forward to you replies