View Full Version : Fear of new medications or foods - allergic or "funny" reactions
Hi all, apologies in advance for the long post.... I would really appreciate any input though
I don't know if this counts as health anxiety but I just wondered if anyone else has worries about taking new medications or eating new foods? Especially in relation to having an allergic reaction like Stevens-Johnson syndrome, anaphylaxis, etc. (I feel like I'm tempting fate or making myself 'deserve' for this to happen by even writing this down)
Right now my general anxiety is disablingly high and my mood is OK/variable and I feel that I may benefit from some medication. I don't have much faith in doctors after some bad experiences but my GP recommended Citalopram and I do trust her opinion. The problem is I'm so wound up I'm too anxious to start taking them....pathetic I know.
I don't know when this fear started really but it has got progressively worse and I now wont take things I know from the past are safe for me, like ibuprofen or aspirin. I freaked out the other day when I ate an avacado as I couldn't remember having eaten one before and apparently it is possible to be allergic to them..... nearly an hour spent at 9/10 anxiety even though clearly an allergic reaction would happen quickly.
I think it is the thought of loss of control that scares me as well as the thought of dying of asphyxiation, ending up in hospital seriously ill, being in severe pain or being left permanently disabled, particularly blind or paralysed.
Does anyone else have this? I've tried to raise it with the GP in relation to starting these pills but I'm not sure I've impressed how problematic it is. I also think it is incredibly ironic that my anxiety is so bad that it is preventing me from getting treatment for my anxiety!
Hi, I can completely relate to everything you've said. I have the same issues with food & meds and having an allergic reaction. Even though I'm not actually allergic to any foods that I'm aware of! The food thing has started recently and I really have no idea why. I can only guess its because I'm just extremely anxious in general at the moment with health anxiety and I have wondered if its the being out of control thing. As for meds I think that might be because I did have a very mild allergic reaction last year but they were never really sure if it was due to some antibiotics I'd finished taking a week previously. I'm on citalopram because my anxiety had become so bad, but the fear of taking the med does add to the anxiety. The amount of medication I've been given or bought and never end up taking it once i've read about side effects etc. This applies to even simple things that i've taken for years wth no problem. I recently became afraid to take gaviscon. Its crazy isn't it!
I'm exactly the same. I had an allergic reaction to Penicillin almost 8 years ago, maybe this is the route of my fear? I too am on Citalopram and was terrified to take it, my partner was at work on the first few days so I was alone which made it worse. Needless to say I wasn't allergic. I am also taking Propranolol and on my first day when coming home from school with my daughter my legs felt numb and I was terrified. I rang the doctors and ended up in tears but was told it would not be the meds - which it wasn't. I wholeheartedly understand where your coming from but serious reactions are rare and you would usually have a milder reaction 1st time round.
I'm exactly the same. I had an allergic reaction to Penicillin almost 8 years ago, maybe this is the route of my fear? I too am on Citalopram and was terrified to take it, my partner was at work on the first few days so I was alone which made it worse. Needless to say I wasn't allergic. I am also taking Propranolol and on my first day when coming home from school with my daughter my legs felt numb and I was terrified. I rang the doctors and ended up in tears but was told it would not be the meds - which it wasn't. I wholeheartedly understand where your coming from but serious reactions are rare and you would usually have a milder reaction 1st time round.
Yes I can understand the home alone bit.... no way I will start any medication until someone is around to rescue me should it go wrong!
I've never had an allergic reaction before which is what makes this particular fear all the more weird. Thinking about it I have a similar fear of getting stung by a wasp/bee, again no issue when previously stung.
Do you mind me asking what your experience was of the allergy to penicillin? - I think I'm really fear mongering and thinking this will lead to certain death when in reality an allergic reaction would be scary but clearly not necessarily life ending!
I agree. I had hives, vomiting and swollen face & lips, I googled that recently and all pointed to anaphylaxis, which I would have been told at the time had it been that! I did not need no further treatment (therefore definitely not life threatening at that stage) just switched to Euthromycin and my reaction died down. At the time it wasn't a big deal but if that happened now I would be mortified!
I'm on citalopram because my anxiety had become so bad, but the fear of taking the med does add to the anxiety. The amount of medication I've been given or bought and never end up taking it once i've read about side effects etc. This applies to even simple things that i've taken for years wth no problem. I recently became afraid to take gaviscon. Its crazy isn't it!
Yeah I'm forever doing this... I bought some multivitamins recently and yep, too scared to take them! When I get anxious I can get a lot of stomach rumbling/discomfort and I can literally drink gaviscon straight out the bottle at times; it had never occurred to me that there would be anything in it that could cause a reaction. Now I've just read the peel-back label and scared myself :ohmy:
How do you find the Citalopram? I've tried Sertraline last year with not much effect. Amitriptyline helps me sleep and with a chronic pain condition but has caused weight gain with not much anxiety relief. Many years ago I have been on Venlafaxine, Paroxetine and probably others as I kid that I can't recall, so it isn't like mental medications are new to me........ however Citalopram is and that scares me a lot!
Well I've only been taking it for 8 weeks and tbh I haven't seen much improvement so the doc has just increased the dose....which I was dreading! He's put me up to 30mg from 20mg and i'm currently taking 25mg by cutting one tiny tablet in half because i'm so scared. Everyone is different though so there is no way of knowing what will work or wont and at what dose.
As for the Gaviscon I stumbled upon that on the label by accident and it freaked me out. I am taking it again now though cos sometimes I just drive myself insane and think.......I cant live like this.......so I make myself face my fears. I love prawns and have always eaten them regularly, at least once a week. Then a few weeks ago a thought came into my head about seafood & allergic reaction. I still keep buying the prawns in the hope that I might just be able to eat them but I always end up throwing them out as its just not worth the amount of anxiety I go through. My mind starts playing tricks....I imagine my face & throat are swelling up, I even get physical sensations like tingling lips etc which I assume is caused by over breathing due to the anxiety.
imissnotworrying
06-07-13, 12:47
I'm okay with new foods (apparent from only eating them at home in case they trigger my IBS) but I'm not ok with new medications. I'd rather have something I've had before, I don't even want to use the special toothpaste my dentist prescribed :/ I'm always scared in case I have a reaction to something new. I'll only take something if the problem is causing me more anxiety than the solution. E.g I took omeprazole for this horrible feeling in my tummy, I couldn't bare it and it was scaring me, I was at the point of 'please give me something that makes this go away! it's terrifying and painful!' so then I could take the meds. But usually, I'm scared of new stuff.
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