Has medicine actually helped anyone?

[Hijikata]

So I probably should have done this years ago, but this year has been the absolute worse year of my life (HA wise) due to some very real cancer scares between my wife and I (my wife had a severely abnormal mole cut out which was probably the hardest week of my life worrying about her, and I had a very real colon cancer scare. But as well as this I’ve just jumped from problem to problem, symptom to symptom and now in the depths of the ALS dragon’s bowels I think enough is enough and I need real help. CBT is probably out of the question because I live in Japan, but if there is some sort of medicine people have used that has actually helped them and doesn’t have any long term negative effects I would really like to know peoples experiences with them.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas they would be greatly appreciated. I’m about to start a new job and am planning to have a child soon and I really don’t want to let the dragon **** it all up

[Fishmanpa]

There's an entire sub-forum (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?7-Medication) dedicated to meds and the times I've taken meds, they've been very helpful. There are many here who have benefited so IMO, the answer is a resounding yes. It's something that should discussed with your doctor as what works for one person may not for another. Concerning CBT, unless there's a language barrier, I can't see why you couldn't find a CBT therapist in Japan. It's one of the most widely known therapies going in the world. There's also a FREE CBT (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?211324-9-FREE-CBT-ebooks-for-Health-Anxiety) course here but you have to put in the work and be in a good place mentally to tackle it.

Positive thoughts

[ankietyjoe]

The answer is also a resounding no for some people, as meds will either not work, make things worse or produce unbearable side effects.

Health anxiety is fairly unique for anxiety in that the person suffering from it is often the one making it happen with negative checking habits. CBT is by far the best way forward, even if you are only able to do it via skype/online.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I would suggest posting on the Meds board because there is a very knowledgeable guy on there called panic_down_under and being in your part of the world he might understand more about what you can get out there.

[AntsyVee]

YES for me. I’d be dead without meds AND therapy/counseling. The meds calm my brain down enough to allow me to work on myself in therapy. I take 20 mg lexapro daily and low dose of metoprolol.

[BlueIris]

I'm with AntsyVee - the meds give me that level of distance that lets me use the coping strategies I learn in therapy.

[ankietyjoe]

For point of reference I know 5 people (close relationships, family etc) who have taken various forms of medication for psychological illness. One saw beneficial results, two saw life changingly bad results, two found them extremely negative with unbearable side effects.

[BlueIris]

Joe, comments like these can be very obstructive. I'm really glad you managed to get yourself sorted out, but different methods work for different people. If you were to look at the broader picture on here, I think you'd find a lot of people have benefited from medication.

What I find really unhelpful is the stigma attached to psych meds - this in itself held me back for decades because I was concerned about side effects and convinced they were nothing more than a sticking plaster.

[ankietyjoe]

All I'm offering is a balanced set of opinion. If I actually wanted to be obstructive I would have gone into the details of the negative effects.

I'm not trying to attach stigma, and I have actually suggested people try meds in other posts, but you need to be aware of the potential issues that go along with them too.

My opinion on medication is about as broad as it gets, in that I will advise people to try all other options first before they decide on taking medication.

Edit - I specifically said no for 'some' people. And I'm not disagreeing with the positive results others have. CBT is (in my opinion) by far the better solution to health anxiety (which the OP is posting about) because of the nature of health anxiety, it's a self sustaining issue.

[WorrywartAus]

Yes.
I fought against meds for 17 years.
I too take 20mg Lexapro. I'm a better person.

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[bin tenn]

My oldest daughter takes Zoloft for moderate / severe depression and anxiety. It's had a huge positive impact on her mood, and it has also significantly decreased the negative and intrusive thoughts. My fiance takes a low dose generic Lexapro, and it has helped her tremendously in terms of anxiety. Neither my daughter nor my fiance have had negative side effects from the medications.

[pav1984]

I have been on Sertraline for years. Every so often i think they arent doing anything for me / or that i feel better and i try to come off them. This is when i find out i am not ready to come off them. I am working on fixing my issues but this is taking time. The sertraline is a crutch until i get back on my feet.

I first feared that they would be addictive but they are not (in my experience).

I would speak with your doctor about pros and cons.

Interestingly when i started on them lots of people admitted to having used them.

[Pamplemousse]

I'm on 30mg of Citalopram. It has a side effect for me but that's inconsequential compared to the fact that, along with CBT, I am getting closer to being a normal, functioning human being again.

[carriewriting]

I definitely need medication, but I am so anxious about taking it that I physically can't swallow the tablets! My therapist is working on this. In the meantime, I've been using a meditation app and I think it's helping calm my mind a bit.

[AJG]

I would recommend speaking to a psychiatrist before starting medication. Medication prescribed by family doctors are really trial and error. Psychiatrists can do blood work to see if you will have any intolerance to a type of drug. I learned it the hard way but now I know I do not tolerate ssris. I would also suggest CBT finding natural ways to help yourself. As great as medication can make a world of difference to people, I personally wish I never started. This is not to say that medication is a bad alternative just be careful what you introduce into your body.