Is medication a necessity? Or can therapy do the trick alone for this anxiety?

[lilysmith123]

Hey guys,

Pretty new member here, but longterm sufferer of HA. Recently I had my worst 'flare up' if you will of all time. I had what felt like weeks straight of panic and crying, unable to do anything including sleep. I, like the rest of us, hyper focus on stuff and catastrophize. And I realised, this is ridiculous! So I've began seeing a therapist for CBT. I'm only a few sessions in and its so nice to feel acknowledged and see my thought patterns on worksheets etc, knowing that this is *real* and not just me!

However, I've tried SSRI anti-depressants in the past, and had horrific side effects with them and had to come off. My therapist asked me about going on one, but I explained. She said it wasn't a big deal, and the real work is in the therapy and that medication in a personal choice. However, my GP disagrees, and says it's very rare to hear of someone recover from anxiety WITHOUT medication..

Just looking for some real life experiences. Have any of you had success without medication? Maybe a dumb question but hey ho!

Thank you.

[NoraB]

I couldn't tolerate the side-effects of the meds, so it was therapy for me. That, and the determination to kick HA up the arse!

In answer to your question, yes, therapy alone can, and does, work.

Your therapist is correct in that the real work is in therapy, but I don't agree that medication is always a personal choice. Sometimes medication is required to settle the symptoms of severe anxiety before therapy can be effective.

My anxiety was severe, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects (fibromyalgia) so I had no choice in the matter..

[BlueIris]

After one bad experience, I spent years in and out of therapy trying to wrangle my GAD, panic attacks and Health anxiety. It worked, but I could never get it to stick. Finally, I was sufficiently desperate that I told my GP I was open to medication. I started on citalopram, and it was a game changer. I'd had a really dreadful time with paroxetine, but cit genuinely hasn't been a problem - when I went on and when I upped the dosage, I had about 48 hours of feeling lightly stoned (actually pretty pleasant, just not conducive to office work!) followed by a couple of weeks of nausea. The increased sleepiness lasted a little longer, but that might have just been sleep debt from when the anxiety was running riot.

I think it's a good idea to try therapy first, but don't beat yourself up if you find yourself needing something extra.

[lilysmith123]

I couldn't tolerate the side-effects of the meds, so it was therapy for me. That, and the determination to kick HA up the arse!

In answer to your question, yes, therapy alone can, and does, work.

Your therapist is correct in that the real work is in therapy, but I don't agree that medication is always a personal choice. Sometimes medication is required to settle the symptoms of severe anxiety before therapy can be effective.

My anxiety was severe, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects (fibromyalgia) so I had no choice in the matter..

Thanks Nora. I really appreciate this comment. Yep similar to you, I just cannot tolerate SSRIs. I have asked about others like mirtazipine which I don't think is an SSRI, but I'm determined to beat this monster with therapy and have been working hard with her. I'm struggling to shake the anxiety around 2 weeks of frequent urination and burning that I had (which had no medical basis) even though it's stopped and stopped as soon as I was in hospital for stomach pain when I was distracted. I know logically that if there was something organic wrong, it wouldn't stop when my anxiety eased, but anxiety is a real bugger so I'm working on this really hard!

So good to talk to someone who has beat their HA!! So happy for you.
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[lilysmith123]

After one bad experience, I spent years in and out of therapy trying to wrangle my GAD, panic attacks and Health anxiety. It worked, but I could never get it to stick. Finally, I was sufficiently desperate that I told my GP I was open to medication. I started on citalopram, and it was a game changer. I'd had a really dreadful time with paroxetine, but cit genuinely hasn't been a problem - when I went on and when I upped the dosage, I had about 48 hours of feeling lightly stoned (actually pretty pleasant, just not conducive to office work!) followed by a couple of weeks of nausea. The increased sleepiness lasted a little longer, but that might have just been sleep debt from when the anxiety was running riot.

I think it's a good idea to try therapy first, but don't beat yourself up if you find yourself needing something extra.

I'm so glad it worked for you!! I've had a few friends who sing the prises of citalopram and wish I could take SSRIs to join in the bandwagon lol.
Thank you, I hope that therapy does work for me. I may even look into herbal calming tablets, whether they're placebo or not!

[pulisa]

It doesn't matter whether they give the placebo effect or not. If anything works, make use of it!

I can't take SSRIs but am able to manage HA now. I only let the GP refer me for tests if they are based on clinical need and if I have red flag symptoms. I don't want the stress of unnecessary tests for reassurance purposes. I don't consult Dr Google. I'd rather feel in charge of my own health rather than opening up a can of online worms..

I wish you well with your therapy, lily. Meds may or may not lessen your anxiety but ultimately your thoughts and reactions are where you need to focus.

[lilysmith123]

Thanks Pulisa!!

Yep I've dumped Dr. Google too.. It's definitely hard to accept something is anxiety for me, like how can this pain and stinging and misery be anxiety?! But the less I google, the more my logical brain can say well - hey people can go blind with anxiety, why couldn't it cause this?!

I hope that in time, I'll have a good handle on things. I think stress from unwell family members has triggered this flare up unfortunately - but hoping to get through it soon.

[Fishmanpa]

Your therapist is correct in that the real work is in therapy, but I don't agree that medication is always a personal choice. Sometimes medication is required to settle the symptoms of severe anxiety before therapy can be effective.

Nora, I totally agree the real work is in therapy. I also agree that sometimes medication is needed to help the sufferer to get a better place for therapy to work. But ultimately, even with input from the professionals, it is a personal choice. They can be recommended and prescribed but its up to the individual to follow the advice and medication guidelines. Unless you're sectioned, no one can make you take them.

Most here have had to make such a choice. Some, like yourself, couldn't tolerate the side effects and it made things worse. Some just plain refuse and some, while suffering some minor symptoms, benefit. Personally, when I was suffering from depression after my illnesses, the meds proved helpful in addition to therapy. Meds also proved helpful after my cancer and dealing with "scanxiety" and when my wife was in the hospital for three months?... Thank goodness for Xanax!

There are some here that have taken the dragon by the horns and had the inner fortitude and discipline to dig themselves out of the rabbit hole without meds. I look at mental illness like other illnesses and physical issues in that it can be treated with medication, hard work and discipline. My doctor said to me when I was complaining about how many pills I take a day.. "Be thankful we live in an age where a pill can prolong and improve your quality of life". I look at the meds as an addition to the work it takes to recover (physically and/or mentally).

Sorry... long winded... :blush: Bottom line is do what you have to do to get better. At 61 with real health issues, my mortality is imminent and the reality of how fast time is passing (2020 has been a blur!) is becoming more evident every day. We all deserve peace and happiness and we should pursue the things that get us there... My signature says it perfectly...

Positive thoughts

[lilysmith123]

Nora, I totally agree the real work is in therapy. I also agree that sometimes medication is needed to help the sufferer to get a better place for therapy to work. But ultimately, even with input from the professionals, it is a personal choice. They can be recommended and prescribed but its up to the individual to follow the advice and medication guidelines. Unless you're sectioned, no one can make you take them.

Most here have had to make such a choice. Some, like yourself, couldn't tolerate the side effects and it made things worse. Some just plain refuse and some, while suffering some minor symptoms, benefit. Personally, when I was suffering from depression after my illnesses, the meds proved helpful in addition to therapy. Meds also proved helpful after my cancer and dealing with "scanxiety". When my wife was in the hospital for three months, I thank goodness for the Xanax!

There are some here that have taken the dragon by the horns and had the inner fortitude and discipline to dig themselves out of the rabbit hole without meds. I look at mental illness like other illnesses and physical issues in that it can be treated with medication, hard work and discipline. My doctor said to me when I was complaining about how many pills I take a day.. "Be thankful we live in an age where a pill can prolong and improve your quality of life". I look at the meds as an addition to the work it takes to recover (physically or mentally).

Sorry... long winded... :blush: Bottom line is do what you have to do to get better. At 61 with real health issues, my mortality is imminent and the reality of how fast time is passing (2020 has been a blur!) is becoming more evident every day. We all deserve peace and happiness and we should pursue the things that get us there... My signature says it perfectly...

Positive thoughts

Thank you so much for the comment Fishman! Glad to see you've come out the other side of things :hugs:I'd love to be able to take medication to give me that extra helping hand, but unfortunately none of them have agreed with me! So it looks like I'm going to just have to dig in with therapy and kick HA out of my life.

True, I love your signature. We are very lucky that we can take pills and medicines to give us a good quality of life, and the worst part of HA is we're worried our anxiety induced symptoms mean a long life of chronic illness/imminent death, when really the only thing reducing our quality of life is HA! The real monster.

Your comment, along with Nora's and BlueIris and Pulisa's have really helped me out. Thank you all.

[ankietyjoe]

Health anxiety is a habitual, almost OCD form of anxiety so it's the behaviour that needs sorting out first. And that starts with the not googling etc.

It's 100% possible to recover from any kind of anxiety without medication, as long as you accept that no cure is immediate, and requires months of effort.

As FMP and others have said, medications can help, but of course they can also hinder. It's a choice.

[NoraB]

Sorry... long winded... :blush: Bottom line is do what you have to do to get better. At 61 with real health issues, my mortality is imminent and the reality of how fast time is passing (2020 has been a blur!) is becoming more evident every day. We all deserve peace and happiness and we should pursue the things that get us there... My signature says it perfectly...

Positive thoughts

Can I just say that you are such a great asset to this forum. I used to come on here when my brain was melting due to HA, and your positive (and logical) approach helped me a lot because I thought, here is a guy who has major health issues and he's getting on with it. If I've never said this to you before, I apologise, but you are pretty damn awesome, Fishmanpa, and I wish you and yours all the peace and happiness there is.:winks:

[Fishmanpa]

Can I just say that you are such a great asset to this forum. I used to come on here when my brain was melting due to HA, and your positive (and logical) approach helped me a lot because I thought, here is a guy who has major health issues and he's getting on with it. If I've never said this to you before, I apologise, but you are pretty damn awesome, Fishmanpa, and I wish you and yours all the peace and happiness there is.:winks:

Thank you for your kind words :flowers:

Positive thoughts

[Allochka]

Fishmanpa, thank you so much for your words! You help and support so many people here! Wish you to stay NED for many-many years to come!
regarding meds - they help me greatly. But every time I slip - it is because I am not disciplined enough. Meds help, but don’t totally cure. I understand I need to make more efforts in addition to meds to beat the dragon.

[glassgirlw]

I have huge issues taking medications that I’ve never had before. So I’m ok with Tylenol and ibuprofen and Benadryl, but as soon as a doc prescribed me lexapro, I couldn’t bring myself to take one. Fast forward two years, had been doing pretty well! Then bam - mental breakdown, massive return of HA, finally gave in after an ER visit for yet another panic attack and agreed to try SSRI’s again. Took one pill of a ridiculously low dose of escitalopram, and ended up nearly going to the ER because I had convinced myself I was having a heart attack. So....I gave up on meds. I’m no good at therapy either, so I found this forum. Did a lot of reading on here, found many tips from a lot of amazing people, and have put them into effect in my life. Also stopped googling my symptoms. Absolutely no googling. So important for me personally. Am I cured, no. But I’m in a 95% better place than I was a couple years ago, and I’ll keep working to get better.

[pulisa]

What a great post, glassgirlw! It's finding what works for you and getting tips from people who have truly "been there" and can share their experiences is a valuable resource.

True motivation to get better does mean rejecting Dr Google's advice though and there's absolutely no leeway on this.

[Fishmanpa]

Fishmanpa, thank you so much for your words! You help and support so many people here! Wish you to stay NED for many-many years to come!
regarding meds - they help me greatly. But every time I slip - it is because I am not disciplined enough. Meds help, but don’t totally cure. I understand I need to make more efforts in addition to meds to beat the dragon.

Thank you for your kind words :) I hear you about slipping. When I was recovering from depression, I often found myself ruminating in negativity and was defeating myself. That's where the whole "Positive Thoughts" (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?173453-Positive-Thoughts) thing came along. Those positive quotes I post I've been reading for 20 years and they really came to fruition after my 1st heart attack and subsequent depression. I did and still do read one every day (I subscribe to them) and often times I use them as a screen saver and/or print and post them on the bathroom mirror and/or someplace I'm going to see and be able to read it.

One of my favorite quotes is....

"We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles Swindoll

The other is in my signature ;) Keep on putting one foot in front of the other and you'll get there ya hear? ;)

Positive thoughts

[glassgirlw]

What a great post, glassgirlw! It's finding what works for you and getting tips from people who have truly "been there" and can share their experiences is a valuable resource.

True motivation to get better does mean rejecting Dr Google's advice though and there's absolutely no leeway on this.

I completely agree about Doc Google. I kind of see the same association that an alcoholic has with their beverage of choice, or a drug addict with their “fix”. An alcoholic must give it up to recover - not one more drink, ever. Those of us with HA are not that different, really. - Google is our “drug” of choice. Have to give it up completely to recover.

People like FMP (and many others as well) have been a saving grace for me personally. I haven’t shared a ton of my own personal struggles on the forum, but I have read hundreds upon hundreds of others, and have commented when I felt I had something worthwhile to add. FMP’s advice in particular is just so irrefutably logical and straightforward that it’s made a huge difference in my steps to recovery. So I’d like to jump on the bandwagon and say thank you to him for that.