Fear of medication

[KJamed]

Pharmacophobia and an exclusively female issue!

Hi there, I need some advice.*

I have a huge fear of taking medication since I had a mental breakdown last year which has lead to chronic Depersonalisation and panic disorder. I'm scared of all medication, thinking that I will experience every fatal side effect and/or make my Depersonalisation and panic worse.*

Sorry if anyone finds this grim......but I have had my period for 4 weeks and have been prescribed norethisterone for one week to re-regulate my hormones. Normally I would hide the meds and tell my family/friends I was taking them when I wasn't. But I feel completely stuck now as I'm petrified of becoming anemic and petrified of taking the tablets because it says they can cause Blood Clots and other vile things.*

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[iPodClassic]

Pharmacophobia and an exclusively female issue!

Hi there, I need some advice.*

I have a huge fear of taking medication since I had a mental breakdown last year which has lead to chronic Depersonalisation and panic disorder. I'm scared of all medication, thinking that I will experience every fatal side effect and/or make my Depersonalisation and panic worse.*

Sorry if anyone finds this grim......but I have had my period for 4 weeks and have been prescribed norethisterone for one week to re-regulate my hormones. Normally I would hide the meds and tell my family/friends I was taking them when I wasn't. But I feel completely stuck now as I'm petrified of becoming anemic and petrified of taking the tablets because it says they can cause Blood Clots and other vile things.*

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi. You can try taking it and if you notice something wrong stop.

Did they tell you why your period won't stop? It happened to my sister once. Then it resolves itself. You could try bc pills?

I hope you get better soon, and eat a lot of lentils and meat! that will avoid any anaemia.

[KJamed]

Thank you SO much for responding. They haven't told me why as of yet.. I'm seeing my own GP Friday. I have it in my head that I will die of a blood clot in my sleep :( I've tried anti inflammatory OTC tablets and Yoga but no such luck. Did your sister have pills or did she not take them? X

[iPodClassic]

She did not take anything methinks.

You could try taking an aspirin a day for about 4 days, and then an aspirin every two days if you're worried about blood clots; however, if you're young and eat decently, blood clots wouldn't worry you. Besides, these things do give signs before it becomes complicated. It's not like you can get a random blood clot and die, don't worry.

[Beckybecks]

I have the same fear as you and have battled with it for years. Obviously there are times in your life when you need to take medication. I avoid them as much as possible and like you I have hidden them away and lied to my family. But sometimes when weighing up the pros and cons I've realised I have no choice if I want to get better.

The first pill is the most difficult but once that's over it gets easier. And finally I can add another pill to my list of "safe medication".

What a pharmacist told me is this: they do years and years of research and trials on medication to ensure that its safe. They have to list every "possible" side effect to cover themselves. Often a reported side effect wasn't even due to the medication and the patient would have suffered from the complaint anyway. But if it's reported the drug company have to list it just to cover themselves.

Your Doctor wouldn't prescribe something if he felt it would endanger your life.
As iPodClassic suggests, try doing the aspirin thing as it does offer some protection if you feel you need it.