Pill phobia what to do????

[Skyebo]

I have had anxiety and panic disorder on and off since 16 yrs old I am now 39 and its back again I've never taken any medication for it but I changed gp and she has given me citalopram 10mg I have a phobia of pills I never take anything more than a paracetamol and as soon as I read the side effects of the citalopram I just became more anxious so I now have left them in the box and 2 months on they are still there I feel in turmoil as to what to do which is just causing me more anxiety.

[weplant]

Hi..This sounds exactly like me...I have suffered from panic/anxiety disorder since I was a teenager. I now have a 38 year old daughter and grandkids!. I lost my son 20 years ago and my mom recently and it has stirred up all the pain over my sons death..My anxiety has been so bad I became housebound for the past year..My doc gave me a AD to try and it sat on my kitchen table for 9 months!! I am so afraid of any med. I am very sensitive to meds and alcohol..I finally got so bad I decided I had to give it a try..So my doc gave me cit in liquid form so I can start out very low..I started with 1/2ml which is 1mg and 8 weeks later I am finally up to 5ml which is 10mg..I have ups and downs, but I am really going to give it a sincere try...
If you have a phobia of meds like me, maybe talk to your doc about the liquid cit so you can start out nice and slow..Not everyone needs 20mg, so people never need more than 5mg..We are all different..If you can't get the liquid, you can 1/4 or 1/2 your pill., to start slowly..Of course let your doc know what you are doing and that you are afraid of the meds..It would certainly be better to start slow instead of not starting at all..Everyone here is great and we offer support to each other. You can also PM me anytime...Debbie

[jillyb]

I was exactly like you. It took me 20 years to even take a paracetamol! I have had a terrible year with HA and GAD ( suffered with anxiety all my life though) and was prescribed citalopram. It sat in my drawer for months until I couldn't cope any longer. I went back to the GP and he told me to go home and start the meds. I knew I had to do it, not only for myself but for my family. I sobbed when I took the first pill but I have persevered. It's two months now. Do I feel wonderful? No, but my mood is improving. Am I having blips? Yes, but I am keeping at it. It's not a cure all and I'm waiting for more cbt. For people like us it's a brave decision and I really hope you can find the courage to start them. Hopefully your GP will have also prescribed a few diazepam or similar as the anxiety does increase initially. The citalopram survival guide on here is really useful. Good luck and don't forget we are all here to support each other. X

[Skyebo]

thank you weplant and jillyb its nice to know in a strange way that i'm not the only one that feels like this I asked the gp about a lower dose and she said 10mg of cit was the lowest it is the dose they give to children and no others where offered my mum took diazepam for a while and when she asked about it the doc said no they wont prescribe it as its addictive I think I need to go back (which is a challenge itself) to see the gp when you've had no one to discuss it with you take the docs word for it so thank you so much for your interest and I hope you both keep moving forward.

[ray52]

Hi I take 40mg and have done for 6 months now at the start it was hard to adjust to but worth it long term my doctor gave me a low dose diazepam 2mg for the first two weeks and I only took them when things really got bad as they are addictive, I still have a few left over for just in case ( my safety net in my mind).
Hope this helps
Ray

[jillyb]

I think most doctors will prescribe diazepam short term. Yes, they are addictive so they do monitor usage. My doctor was happy to prescribe 2mg when I saw him on Tuesday, the proviso being I only take a couple a week now if necessary. I started on 10mg of cit for 2 weeks (though I made it 3), then I asked if I could take 15mg on my way to 20. I did this for 4 days and then thought, just go for it and take the 20! I thought the sooner I get over the side effects, the better. To be honest I didn't suffer much in the way of side effects anyway. Good luck x