Medication versus Therapy

[Xtrastrongbint]

Hi
Been a while but wanted to get some opinions. I have GAD, panic and apparently PTSD. I have been on SSrIs for the past 18 years at 20mg. In Feb this year I had a massive anxiety meltdown and had meds bumped up to 30mg. Fast forward 8 weeks and I was back to my old self, however, as with a lot of long term ssri use I have had side effects, numbing of emotion, physically exhausted, apathy, huge weight gain so I asked for a psych appointment to discuss all this.
Had my appointment yesterday. The psych seems to think that I suffered with trauma/ptsd as a child which has reared it's head as anxiety as an adult. She wants me to wean off my meds and have therapy. I am terrified!!! She thinks I have been over medicated and have never dealt with the stuff from my childhood (which I tend to agree with). However, I have not been unmedicated since I was 20. I am now 40. I am so scared because I can't remember what I was like before meds (apart from being a total tw*t as a teenager!). Does this sound like a good plan? Is having therapy going to really deal wit stuff from my childhood? (stuff that I've hidden away for over 20 years). Just so frightened right now.....

[Xtrastrongbint]

Anyone? Do you know the reasons for your anxiety? xx:)

[23fish]

I don't understand why you need to be off meds for therapy. Surely the meds will help you to deal with it?
x

[Buster70]

Hi , that's a hell of a long time on meds , had my first bad anxiety at 17 , 45 now took magic mushrooms and messed up my noodles back then doc had no idea checked my blood pressure and sent me home probably did me a favour had no choice but to rough it out and get better next time was 1999 dad died in front of me and took it bad this time tried Ad messed me up worse and took longer to get better , four years ago tried AD again for bad sleep due to choking on some food and nearly dieing meds made me have a breakdown , I know they work for some but do you ever wonder like I do if I had therapy in the first place and some rest and sleep maybe I wouldn't be reading your post who knows , meds seem to work for some and therapy for others , if I'm honest even as a child there were signs I remember crying to my mum I didn't want to die at about 5 years old and I had a pretty good childhood but I was a handful to say the least , what ever you decide to do it's going to take time and you must already know coming off meds can be hard , take care and I wish you well with it

[Xtrastrongbint]

Thanks for your replies...I think the psyche was suggesting that the ADs were a sticking plaster over an open wound and that by not dealing with the childhood trauma (the open wound) that I would never "truly get over" these issues and therefore continue to suffer with anxiety (wound would never heal). Which is easy for her to say, of course! I know what you mean buster about having therapy in the first place..I was in such a mess at my first bout of extreme anxiety that the gp took one look at me and put me on ADs immediately. Like you say, I wish there had been more advice about it back then but I was so petrified I would have taken/done anything to feel better.Got to say though the meds have been great at keeping my anxiety at bay...it's just they have such bad side effects xx

[BikerMatt]

That doesn't sound right to me. It sounds like meds have been a help to you over the years. Hope things work out for you.

[Xtrastrongbint]

Thanks Bikermatt - got another appointment next week so will share my worries with them x

[NoPoet]

Meds are designed to take away the worst of the symptoms. They are not intended as a cure. They are intended for people whose symptoms are making it difficult or impossible to live a normal life.

Therapy should be aimed at helping you gain understanding. Knowledge is power. You identify triggers and causes. You find meanings. You find a way through.

Medication is a shield. Therapy is a sword.

[debs71]

I agree with 23fish.

Meds and therapy should go IN TANDEM with one another. Meds are designed to deal with the very worst psychological and physical symptoms of anxiety - the racing heart, the rapid thoughts, the panic, etc, etc. They take the edge off of the horrendous peaks anxiety can reach. Therapy then COMPLEMENTS the meds by delving into the reasons behind the anxiety...the root causes and any possible/probable triggers that can be identified. One is not better than the other.

Quite frankly, I think that Psych is talking balls. What else would a psych say but 'Oh therapy is TOTALLY the sole way to go'.......because that is their bag. A load of talk and your anxiety will just dissipate, but I'm afraid for most anxiety sufferers that I have known, and myself included, it just isn't that simple or easy.

I think it sounds downright irresponsible to straight up suggest to a sufferer that they need to come off meds and try therapy alone. Of course therapy is a good thing - meds alone cannot address any past trauma and the crux of the anxiety, etc. but the meds need not be blown out of the water, and the fear alone of not having the crutch of the meds may well set you back further.

You have every right to say yay or nay to whatever treatment that you feel YOU want to go with. Psychs - like any medical professional are not gurus or gods - please feel free to express any fears you may have about this. xx

[44wise]

Hi. I did the opposite. sSRs were awful for me so I went therapy including cbt, hypnosis and mediation. Worked but I never felt I was on top so we added prop. And Xanax for situational anxiety (only take if I have something big where I am afraid I will panic or where I need to "be on"). They effectively hold my hand when I need it. My doctor weens me by challenging me to not use it unless I have to but not more than I can handle. I am 50 and have been doing this for 15 years. Combining has made a lot of sense for me.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well it's always nice to go to work, make decisions, work on them with people and then go home trouble free...when any fallout will not be on you. Sadly, those of us on the treatment end don't get to go home and put our feet up & relax...when we struggle. :winks:

Does your psychiatrist not think you could try reducing the med and see if you reach a point where you are less "over medicated" but able to engage in therapy? Why is it "all or nothing"? Aren't we told in CBT to stop thinking that way? :winks::whistles:

The obvious elephant in the room is what will happen when you remove the meds. Will you be able to engage in therapy or will it be too rough and you have to try to stabilise yourself? That's an easy decision for the guy who gets to go home without a care in the world eh? So, why can't a compromise be reached to reduce a little to see if it removes some of the boundaries if your emotions are dulled from the meds?

It's usually the opposite way where the meds are doing enough.

[Xtrastrongbint]

All great points guys...and definitely along the same lines as I'm thinking. As much as I would love the idea of being med and anxiety free and truly hope that happens I'm also a realist. My anxiety was so bad initially I couldn't function at all, so much so, I had to move back in with my mum and became agrophobic. I couldn't go an hour without panicking and vomiting. They are talking about lifestyle changes and running and cbt and I'm like, yeah, running down the park whilst I vomit every 5 minutes sounds really practical! I am definitely going to share these fears when I go back. Even the idea of talking about childhood trauma has shaken me as has the idea of weaning off one of the most difficult SSRIs to come off. Perhaps I should suggest I move in with one of them whilst I go through this as according to them it's not that big a deal..lol...Obviously I'm going to give it a go...slowly and carefully and at my pace and if I think it's not going well I will just insist on staying on the meds. My wellbeing is the most important thing and if it means being overmedicated so be it x Thanks for your replies guys....watch this space!