How soon after being diagnosed with anxiety were you prescribed medication

[nomorepanic]

Hi all

I am doing some research and would like to know how soon after being told you have some sort of anxiety disorder were you prescribed medication.

This could be panic attacks, General anxiety (GAD), Health anxiety etc.

Were you offered any alternative therapy such as CBT or advised to take medication first and then CBT may be available in the future ; or advised to take medication whilst waiting for CBT ; or perhaps therapy was never even suggested.

I would be really grateful for any comments.

Thanks

[nicola1980]

Hi Nicola, when i was first diagnosed with anxiety when i was 19, Im 33 now, i was prescribed ADs straight away and offered no other therapy and that's been the case whenever I've had a relapse, just been given meds, I've had to really fight this time to see a physcologist to help me manage my anxiety and panic x x

[clio51]

When I was 26 given Prozac after awhile went to see psychiatrist then was sent to psychologists.

Following episode just given ad's.

Now at 55 due to bad episode, mht were called in by doctor. Felt I had to fight my corner though! For the last two years.

[gabrielle37]

Hi Nicola,

i had a break down last year and caused panic attacks, my doctor put me straight on cit. i had an awful time on these, seemed to get worse before better , however she did offer me counciling but my company had already got that for me so i did not need it. i was only on cit for 3 months, (could'nt wait to get off them) they did clear my head though which was all over place. like so many im too scared to take med now and am dealing with my issues with mindfulness and self help.

i wish the doctor had offered me cbt, never got the opportunity though. i think they are a bit too quick to give out meds and meds are fine if you get no side effects, but they are horrible if you do , you read so many threads that say the side effects will get better, i have friends who are on cit and had no side effect whatsoever, going on them or coming off. i would like to see doctors monitor the med we are on more closely and if not suited then try something else instead of waiting to see if it settles :-) xx

[nomorepanic]

Thank you for the replies - very interesting.

I had a feeling that medication was pushed at people from the off-set with no other help so wanted to see "real life" experiences of what happens.

[AuntieMoosie]

Good question Nic :)

I didn't really have much choice but to go straight onto anti-depressants as my anxiety and panic attacks all came as an add on to my depression. So for me, it was straight on them.

However, my then, GP was very good and he did arrange for me to have psychotherapy when my depression had lifted.

Unfortunately, I've been told that I will always have to be on my anti-depressants in order to keep me well.

[bernie1977]

I was given just medication but when I moved areas to a different NHS trust the GP got the mental health team involved for therapy

[Annie0904]

I was prescribed medication first and I was in such an intense state of anxiety that my doctor wanted to control it with meds and then refer me for therapy.

[ElizabethJane]

Hi Nicola I was prescribed anti depressants like bolvidon and firisium when I was fifteen also Valium but I did not get addicted.I had school avoidance but I had done my O levels by this time. I could not sit on a bus or in a classroom without feeling panicky. My mother paid for me to see a private counsellor and then a private psychiatrist I had severe depression but I did not know what it was at the time.. I have had a long relationship with various treatments including admissions, psychotherapy and drug treatment. This was all provided on the NHS. Since my last admission in 1992 I have had private treatment at the Priory and private psychiatrist (not covered on the policy) I also see a private hypnotherapist also an NHS GP but in private practice. I also have a brilliant NHS GP. I am 99% cured but am still on meds. EJ

[Sparkle1984]

This is an interesting topic. :)

I was prescribed medication on the same day that I was diagnosed with anxiety (August last year), and started it that evening. It had taken me such a long time to pluck up the courage to seek help, that by the time I got to the doctor's I was feeling very desperate. I even broke down in tears while I was there. The doctor said I had severe anxiety and moderate depression, according to the diagnostic questionnaires.

She was a very sympathetic and understanding doctor. During the appointment she also referred me for group CBT - a 6 week stress control course - and for a blood test to check that there weren't any physical causes for my anxiety such as thyroid problems. (As it turned out, the blood test results said that there was nothing physically wrong). She seemed very knowledgeable about anxiety/depression.

As I was feeling so bad, I don't think I could have waited for CBT. Even if I had been able to start CBT on the very same day (in a world with no waiting lists!), I don't think I would've been able to focus on it properly without the help of medication. So personally I am very glad that I was offered medication straight away.

At the same time, I understand that some people with milder anxiety may not need medication straight away. I think the doctors should offer it though, just in case the person wants it but is too embarrassed to ask. I think I may have been embarrassed about explicitly asking for medication, so I'm glad the doctor brought up the subject. If the person doesn't feel they need or want a prescription, they can always say no.

Apart from the evening stress control classes, the CBT provision in my area is pretty dire. Most of the help is via the telephone rather than face-to-face, and even then it's only available 9-5 Monday to Friday, thus excluding a huge proportion of the working population. It seems that most of the help is geared towards people who are too unwell to work. As a result, I haven't been able to access any formal 1:1 support, and have been mostly relying on books, websites and other self-help materials which I can use in my own time.

I do think that people should be given more choices and treatment options. For example, in addition to being offered counselling or CBT, people should also be given the option of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). One type of therapy doesn't suit all people. Then it is important that these services are properly resourced so that people don't have to wait so long, and they should also be available in evenings and weekends to fit in with people's lives. :)

[sickandtired]

I was offered propranolol at first,but they did absolutely nothing.by the time I went back to the doctors I practically begged for AD's (my 3rd time on them) I had cbt a few months later.I really think I had the best treatment and was never pushed into anything

[jayjoe18]

I don't know if I was lucky or whether it was due to my age but I was first offered CBT before anything else. Can't remember exactly when I went to the doctors about my anxiety but it was probably aged 15 when I started with health anxiety, though I'd been having problems since about 12/13 years. I was first offered propranonol by a psychiatrist around 15 years old an then I was only offered anti d's when I turned 18, though by this point I'd already gone through HA so have been too scared to take anything at all.

[Rennie1989]

I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder when I was 18 and, which is still beyond me, was offered NOTHING. I think I received my first prescription a few months later (Citalopram, not sure what dose) when I was almost begging for help, as he wrote out the prescription he then diagnosed me with panic disorder. A little messed up situation.

[Harlerscupcake]

When I was first struck with anxiety, I was put immediately on diazepam to calm me down! Then after trialling citalopram, then finally venlafaxine being the most suitable anti D for me! It took a few weeks for me to be diagnosed, and CBT was not mentioned until much later on in my recovery, and I Agree with sparkle, I was in no way mentally prepared for any therapeutic involvement, so meds was right option for me then.
I've had a couple of set backs since, once a year later, then about 2 years later and on both these occasions the GPs have been reluctant to put me back on meds and have pushed me towards counselling.
About 2 months ago a locum put me on mirtazapine as my sleep was becoming an issue and a few anxiety symptoms were recurring. This had no effect on me but I still pondered on knowing my anxiety symptoms were increasing! Eventually I saw a Dr just over 2 weeks ago, but she out the ball in my court and said "what did I think I needed" and I said I thought trying to resolve the sleep was pointless and we needed to try and eradicate the. Anxiety, then in turn the sleep should come and asked for medication. the GP agreed and said that's the choice I was thinking of, but she more or less made me decide, which is thought was quite a good outcome as she wasn't just throwing pills at me.
Karen

[debs71]

My depression and panic attacks had a long build up, and I was in and out of my doctor's for weeks due to a physical health problem that was not being resolved, which triggered my depression, and then the anxiety and panic, so I think my doctor was expecting for it to happen in a way, and she immediately suggested SSRI meds but she also offered at the same time to refer me to MIND for counselling.

At the time I was adamant that there was no way I would go for the counselling, and she informed me in no uncertain terms that she would not prescribe the meds UNLESS I agreed to counselling. I was annoyed and distraught at the time, but in retrospect I was lucky to see a GP that placed such an importance on the therapy, and didn't just shove meds at me.

I think that kind of GP is rare.

[nomorepanic]

Thank You for all the replies - some interesting things to read here

[Tessar]

I was offered CBT for my depression first. My doctor at the time was against anti-depressants before trying other means. It wasn't until I was deep in therapy that the subject came up again and it was my therapist who eventually made me see I needed medication (fluoxetine) to help me through. This was 10 years ago.
My current GP is very pro homeopathic remedies & would suggest these (or talking therapies) as a first option every time.

[Pipkin]

Just seen this Nic so I'll add my experience.

I've suffered from anxiety from a very young age. First diagnosed when I was about 17/18. No treatment until I was 20 when I was referred to a psychiatrist for therapy. First prescribed meds (beta blockers) when I was 21ish but I wasn't offered anti-depressants until I was 32. Mainly been med-free.

Pip x