Anxiety about new medication

[Scass]

I’ve been prescribed tablets to fight something that has possibly been the cause of 6 months worth of symptoms.
But I have such anxiety about starting the course. I’m worried about side effects, and being too ill to go to work or to look after my daughter. I worry that if I don’t take them I’ll get worse. I’m in a spiral.

I know that I’m being irrational, I know that I offer advice to others about very similar problems, but I can’t seem to stop worrying about this one.

It’s making me sad that I’m behaving like this, I like to think I’m better than my anxiety, but it’s winning lately.

I’m sure people have had the same worries, does anyone have any advice that helped them?


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[pulisa]

We're all good at giving advice to others but it's so much harder to apply that advice to ourselves even when we know what we should be doing by the book...

My advice for what it's worth would be to break the tablet in half or even quarters and start with that dose? It may not be a therapeutic dose for your symptoms but psychologically it will break you into the idea that it is ok to take the tablets and that they are compatible with carrying on with your caring "duties" for your daughter.

Taking new meds is always triggering because it's fear of the unknown response-especially when you are unable to just write the day off if you feel unwell. I think psychologically and physically you will feel a bit shaky anyway because you are putting new drugs into your bloodstream and no one can guarantee how they will affect you..if indeed they do.

I hope this helped and I hope you are able to at least try the meds because they have been prescribed to help you overcome troubling symptoms of 6 months standing...but you know this, of course. It's the anxiety which you need to overcome first of all.

[Scass]

Thank you Pulisa ❤️. I think writing it down really helped in the first place. I’ve had a little chat with some friends too. A problem shared etc...

I might give the small dose a try, that’s a great idea.

I think part of me is worried that they won’t help with the problem either, but I need to stop those kind of thoughts as they’re completely unhelpful.

It just saddens me that I can think I’ve got a handle on anxiety, but I haven’t.


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[pulisa]

It's putting the theory into practice which is the hard part. If we all had a handle on anxiety just by knowing the theory behind it how easy things would be...and therapists would go out of business.

I wouldn't try to analyse things too much or do yourself down. If the tablets don't help, they don't help and there will be alternatives but you won't know unless you try them. Presumably you want some relief from your symptoms and these tablets have been prescribed for you for that purpose.

Some days you may have a better handle on anxiety than others. To me your advice to others is always spot-on. You've probably got pretty high standards for yourself though?

[Scass]

I really want them to work!

I will start tomorrow.

Thanks for your kind words! That’s a lovely thing to hear from you. I really find posting on here shows how far I’ve come over the last 20 years.


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[pulisa]

Good luck, Scass! I had to do the same thing myself a few weeks back for a chronic pain condition. I halved the tablet on the first night and gradually built up to the intended dose over a week. I felt more in control that way and had more confidence in my ability to tolerate the med. Taking them now is a piece of cake!:D xx

[Scass]

Aww thanks!
I hope your tablets are helping you.


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[MyNameIsTerry]

I agree with pulisa. You help loads of people on here with excellent advice and it wouldn't surprise me if you set your yourself a high bar. But as pulisa says it's easy giving advice since we don't have to do it but when it's our turn it's just as hard. Someone might seem in a good place because they help on here but it doesn't have to mean they are, but perhaps they are not in the worst of places with their anxiety so aren't so consumed.

If the tablets can be split then it's worth a try. It might be hard to find the confidence to take it or maybe once swallowed you get the worries about not bring able to stop what has started. The former is sometimes just a matter of just marching into the room and saying sod it. Less time to over think and build it up into an issue. The latter, feeling you can't control what happens now since you've swallowed it, will fade just like an exposure event does and you can self talk or distract but this will get easier the more you do it and build up confidence.

I'm the same with taking stuff. For me it revolves around the breakdown and taking some stuff that was too strong for me in my weight lifting days that caused a big adrenaline rush. That festered into being unable to take anything, even the safest of things like vitamin C. But as I worked through various things I've found it gets easier.

I've had a couple of different meds for my newly diagnosed Hypertension and both came with side effects. The first was just itching that wouldn't stop so I was switched to a different type which gave me 4 days of anxiety like I haven't felt for quite some time now (anxiety being a side effect of this med, the previous one didn't have that listed) but it went and what I had learnt pulled me through. What you have learnt will pull you through.

[Scass]

Thank you MNIT, that’s really kind and helpful.
You’re right about just starting them. I can always stop if there’s a problem and visit my doctor.




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[Scass]

So just because I like it when people update their posts: I’m on day 3 of taking them. Side effects are manageable so far - horrid taste in mouth, slight dizziness for the first couple of days and mild nausea. I can deal with the horrid taste. So tomorrow I’ll start taking the full dose! I only took half for the first couple of days, and then 3/4 today.

Thanks for you advice. Much appreciated [emoji846]


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[pulisa]

Glad to hear this, Scass. It's a strategy that works well for me. Hopefully the meds will help you physically now the mental "battle" has been overcome.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think whatever gets you to the end result, even if longer, is better than never getting there. GP's may find it inconvenient but they should always be open to solutions like this rather than rely on manufactured doses.

I would only be wary of the half life issue if these meds can have an impact on your anxiety since it can be harder to judge until you hit higher doses and your blood plasma has to balance the med out and going up before it balances just keeps it unbalanced but over a short adjustment period it's going to keep getting unbalanced anyway so it depends how long you want to take really. Since you are adjusting quickly, it could just stay the way it is and you soon get beyond it.

Good job!