Anyone ever been prescribed medication for anxiety?

[Jarofflies]

My doctor today said I had severe health anxiety and recommended I go on something called "Sertraline" for a month and report back in a month to see how I got on

Anyone been on it? It's also called Zoloft apparently

[ankietyjoe]

Yes, I was prescribed antidepressants three times and beta blockers twice.

I did not take them.

[Fishmanpa]

I took Zoloft (100mg) for around 6 months for some depression after my 1st heart attack and bypass. It helped quiet my mind and allowed me to focus on the therapy I was in. Side effects were minimal at worst (dodgy stomach).

The way I see meds, and I take a LOT due to my real physical issues, is why not? If you had a bacterial infection, would you not take antibiotics? If you had high blood pressure, would you not take a BP med? Why would you refuse to take something that could help you?

Positive thoughts

[nomorepanic]

We have a whole sub-forum about it:

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=54

[ankietyjoe]

The way I see meds, and I take a LOT due to my real physical issues, is why not? If you had a bacterial infection, would you not take antibiotics? If you had high blood pressure, would you not take a BP med? Why would you refuse to take something that could help you?



Well I'll bite.

Antiobiotics, sure. The chances are that if you don't take prescribed antibiotics for an accurately diagnosed bacterial infection, you're going to get into trouble fast if you don't take them.

BP meds are covering symptoms at best. They may help lower BP, but they're not addressing the cause (almost always diet/lifestyle related). In your case, I'm sure it was take them or place yourself in further danger? I don't know. But BP should be treated as a symptom of something else, not a problem in it's own right.

Antidepressants have a mediocre success rate at best, and again....they're not addressing the patients ability to cope without them. In some cases they will help, the patient will take them short term and then all is good. This is not the majority though. The OP's Doctor even said 'try these for a month and see how you get on'. Not exactly encouraging. For some people anti-depressants make things a lot worse, and for some people it's absolute hell coming off them. I know three people who the latter has happened to, and watched one screaming and licking a wall trying to come off an SSRI.

Now I don't wish to scare the OP as the medication may well help, but there is a specific and identifiable reason 'why not'. Everybody should weigh up the possible ramifications of starting a course of anti-depressants. You appear to be very lucky with rarely experiencing any negative side effects to the medication you have been asked to take.

[Fishmanpa]

Meds alone as a treatment? Works for some but not for all. Meds with therapy and follow ups on therapy? Yes. It's worth it if it can help you lead a more normal life.

Positive thoughts

[MagpieWitch]

I think anxiety meds can work if taken very briefly during times of crisis for people that need to get through them (like a loved one dying sent a friend of my family in depression so they gave her anti depressants. my mom took anti anxiety meds when she was going in her MRI)

But in the long run I don't think they can really help. They might help some people but getting addicted and going off them is actual hell. So I am with one foot in. I do take anxiety meds (Xanax) only when I really can't sleep for days but otherwise my therapist and GP don't encourage me to take them

[Jarofflies]

I know I shouldn't have read the side effects, but some of the ones that are rare (1 in 1000 people) are really horrible and it's putting me off

I'm not sure if I should bring it up with my doctor again or just ignore

[MagpieWitch]

I am all for medication but not for extended periods and also while working on your mental health with a professional through CBT

[ocdbaking]

I've been on medication for years. I am not addicted and have come off medication previously. I cannot however stay off medication successfully - it takes the edge off of my OCD and allows me to function relatively normally. I have had several bouts of CBT and counselling.

As far as I am aware, you do not become addicted to antidepressants (though please correct me if I'm wrong). I struggled initially with the idea of having to stay on medication as I believed it made me failure, that I should cope without it. That made me very very ill.

If people need to be on it for a short while, wonderful. But please don't judge others like me who cannot function without a low dose in the system.

That is not aimed at any poster in particular by the way!

[rebelleepoque]

Hi Jarofflies,

I take 50mg Sertraline every day and am happy to talk about my experiences. 50mg is a fairly low dose; my PCP (GP here in the States) would I think like to up the dose to 150mg, but I am getting on pretty well with 50mg and I am out of state at the moment so can't come in for a consultation. I was prescribed Sertraline along with a beta-blocker when I complained both of panic attacks and obsessive anxieties. I find that both have improved my quality of life immensely, but I also did experience side effects for about the first 2-3 weeks. I started on 25mg and moved up to 50mg after 2 weeks.

The most prominent side effects, like Fishmanpa's experience, were GI related. Some people find that their hunger increases when initially starting it; I found that I had very little appetite and some nausea throughout the day. I dealt with this by taking it at night and having only small, bland meals, but I did lose some weight so if that's a problem for you it's worth bringing up to your GP. I did find that some of my obsessive behaviors heightened during the first week and a half (though I also started the drug while moving apartments, so that might have been the cause) which other people also report. My PCP told me to call her if I began to feel really bad or unable to cope, but that didn't happen. My GI and mental symptoms are entirely gone now 4 months after starting the drug; I do have some problems with dry eyes, but I had that to begin with!

Sertraline has definitely decreased my anxiety and increased my ability to cope with stress. Just as an example, I was traveling yesterday and had a luggage snafu that normally would send me into a panic attack. I still felt nervous about the situation, but I was able to keep calm and deal with things without completely losing it. I find my health anxiety behaviors, like checking my eyes/head, have lessened as well. I really need to start CBT, and will once my insurance allows it, but I think sertraline has been a lifesaver for me. My situation was pretty debilitating beforehand, so if I need to be on it for the rest of my life to keep me from going back there, I'm fine with that. My dad is a doctor so I'm a better living through chemistry kind of person I guess, lol.

Going off antidepressants can be really difficult, but I have heard that sertraline is one of the easier ones to taper off of, and they do it in the reverse that they did my course--100mg to 50mg to 25mg etc. Again, I think if you are really concerned it's worth asking your GP about, but it is sometimes one of those situations where the doctor feels the benefit to you is worth any possible side effects. It is, as is everything, ultimately your decision.

[Capercrohnj]

I have bipolar type 2 and antidepressants alone make me hypomanic and I get too many GI side effects from mood stabilizers so I'm not on an antidepressant. I'm currently taking cannabis for pain relief but it really has made me "chill". My counselor has noticed my affect was a lot better.

[PanickedGirl]

I've been on Zoloft (Sertraline) for about 11 years now. Initially, I was on 50 mg for a panic disorder.

My dosage got upped to 100 mg this year for severe anxiety over health and obsessive thoughts. It's definitely better manages my anxiety as I see small changes, like my teeth are no longer in pain from subconsciously grinding them all the time. It's also decreased my doctor visits and feeling less worried about symptoms.

It's not a perfect cure, I still get anxiety attacks, but I don't have them as severe and I can better manage them.

I had no side-effects on 50 mg, but I definitely notice some side-effects if I accidentally miss a dose on 100 mg. I just have a minor feeling of weakness (arms aren't weak, just a feeling) when I skip a dose. Everyone reacts differently, however!

[ankietyjoe]

I know I shouldn't have read the side effects, but some of the ones that are rare (1 in 1000 people) are really horrible and it's putting me off

I'm not sure if I should bring it up with my doctor again or just ignore

The thing I would consider here is that health anxiety, possibly more so than any other kind of anxiety is behavioural. I used to suffer from horrendous health anxiety about my heart which effectively stopped me living my life for about 3 years solid. It wasn't until I realised that most of what I was suffering from was my own making that I could recover.

Antidepressants may help you with some of your symptoms, but if you (or anybody) keeps checking symptoms, looking things up on the internet and assuming that every sensation is a fatal disease, then the anxiety will never disappear.

If I were you I would go back to your Doctor and say that you've decided not to take the medication, but that you would like therapy instead. It's going to be far more effective long term in my opinion.

There's plenty of self help you can do as well, which is the route I took. My health anxiety is now 99% gone.

[Carlton]

I have been on meds for years. Different ones. I do get more anxiety when not taking them. But they are not a cure. I have been going to therapy as well, for all this time....heck, for 30 plus years with breaks at times. I take low dose Klonopin (0.5 mg) for my anxiety, once to twice a day. Just put on Trintellix about a month or so ago, and the jury is till out. I've been on Paxil, Wellbutrin for a long time, Cymbalta for a long time, Prozac, Effexor, Pristiq, and others. Doc has mentioned sertraline recently for me to try. Problem is I hate sexual side effects, and that is notorious for them. I have really given up faith that I can truly ever be well, or at peace.

[Ethansmom]

I take 150MG of Effexor. It has helped calm me down a bit. Increasing the dose or just starting the med can initially heighten anxiety. I also take Klonopin twice a day. For right now this combination is working ok and I haven't had a major panic attack. Use the meds if you need to, ask about side effects, and go to therapy. They will teach you coping mechanisms.

[escapeartist]

I thnk it is worth trying. I was so desperate a while ago and asked my GP for something. She prescribed sertraline, which I started. It did not agree with me, but that's not to say it won't work for you. I know of several people for whom it has been a game changer.

My thinking was: try, what was the worse that can happen? Indeed, I got bad side-effects and stopped after 4 days as I couldn't cope, but no lasting damage :)