Pharmacophobia (fear of medication )

[angelfingers51]

Does anyone else share my fear of Pharmacophobia (fear of taking medication) I feel like I am going mad. When my doctor prescribes medication I just can't put the first pill into my mouth it really scares me so much. I have been prescribed pencillin for a throat infection but I just can't take it, I break out into a cold sweat with palpitations etc. am I going mad, Please does anyone else have this fear.
hugs
Carol

[rick]

HI, carol

I have a fear of new meds, so I understand. I had an allergic reaction to a med years ago, and it was a frightening experience, made even moreso by an exremely uncaring MD, who said, well you'll just have to let it wear off.

Bummer.

Anyway, this has carried over with me for years. If I find I absloutey HAVE to take something new, which, as i said, is extremely hard for me, here are some tips that may help:

1. Don't be alone - in other words, have a friend or family member around so, in case something happens, there'll be someone to rescue you. And, you don't even have to tell them what you're doing. Just the comfort of not being alone may help immensely

2. Make sure the doc has covered ALL that may or may not happen with this med (Thanks to bryan for allowing me to plagarize this one!)

3. Remember, with just the first dose, most meds, unless they are extremely powerful, won't kill you.

4. Take the med in a place where you have a phone, cell, or convenient window you can scream for help thru if needed. (Bet you a dollar - or pound- that you'll never need it. Its just for the comfort factor of knowng you can get help if you need it.

And, last, but most important, as I unfortunately found out the hard way -

5. NEVER GET ON THE WEB AND DO DEEP RESEARCH INTO EVERY ADVERSE REACTION, CAUTION, INTERACTIONS, OR STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT CAN HAPPEN!!!!

This doesn't mean, don't be uninformed. Sure, you need to know what your med is and what it can or may do, but set limits. As i was so kindly told on this site once, concerning this same subject, a litte knowledge is fine - too much will drive you bonkers!!

As I said, I know how you feel, so I'm just not popping this off to try to expound great philisophical knowledge upon you. Its just I know what its like to feel bad, need a med, and be scared to death to take it for fear of what it may do. (Which it probably won't)

Take care, and hang in there

Love ya

Rick

[benoo5]

hi carol,

this seems to be a very common problem,as its another form of anxiety...firstly,you have strep throat,which is something i personally hate getting...the quickest way to relieve this,is to take penicillin,your gp will have checked to make sure your not allergic,so its quite safe for you to take,and trust me,you will feel better in 2/3 days...but with all medications,it is how you feel about it,if the thought really upsets you,then dont take it....but one last word on the subject...penicillin is one of the greatest discoveries of the modern world,and has saved many millions of lives...its your choice...i wish you well..bryan.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Carol

I hate medication and I like you am very scared of taking anything other than over the counter stuff like aspirin and throat sweets.

I recently had some strong pain-killers for a cracked rib and just couldn't take them cos I was terrified of the side effects. I do have a good reason for this cos my panic came back last year (after being very mild for over a year) when I started taking high blood pressure tablets. The side effects were very much like panic attacks so it freaked me out.

I agree about not reading up too much on the Net cos it makes you worse but just be aware of what you are taking and whether it is suitable for you. I.E. I am allergic to Penicillin so I know not to take it.

I cannot offer you a solution cos I wish someone could convince me that taking drugs is ok and I won't get all the side-effects. I know that a lot of it is in mind but the symptoms are very real.

Rick's advice is very good so I should take it too.

Good luck Carol with the drugs


Nicola

[Laurie28]

Hiya Carol,

i am exactly the same with medication it scares me senseless. I will be taking the advice above as well.

Good luck let us know how you get on

Love
lucky

[pauline]

Hi carol

I'm just like you have a draw full (mostly for anxiety) of tabs because i think right i'm taking them. They just might help but that is as far as it goes. Just started taking Cipalopram for anxiety and was given 10mg but have cut up to 5mg and so far its ok. This will be the first med i have taken that has been given to me by my doctor that i have decided i'm going to try and stick to taking it. Don't stress about taking your tabs you need them or your throat will get much worse.

Take care
Pauline

pjpriest

[Meg]

Dear Pauline,

You might want to check the expiry dates on your drawer full of meds and take any umwanted or expired ones to the chemist for safe disposal.



Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[stimpy]

It's understandable you are going to be frightened of medication you have never taken before. I was given Venlaflaxin, it didn't like me and it scared me to death. It did such a good job scaring me that I didn't want to take the medication I am on now, and only agreed to take it because my husband wanted me too.

Try to stay calm, relax and make sure some one is with you. Tell them what you are scared of, and tell them what medication you have taken.

[angelfingers51]

Thank you everyone for your replies they were all really helpful and reassuring and yes I did take the antibiotics. Thanks again

hugs

Carol

[Laurie28]

carol,

im glad you plucked up the courage to take them!!

I hope your throat infection has cleared now!!

Love
lucky

[emo]

hi carol,
i only take paracetemol and asprin and too be honest i think doctors hand out medicines and anti biotics far too easily,im a big believer in the body's ability to heal itself,in my experience most minor infections and bugs clear up just as quickly with lots of rest and fluids.the only time in recent years that ive taken antibiotics was for an abcessed tooth and the pain was so awful i had to force the tablets down.but apart from that i try to let my body do the work instead of medication.
love em xx

[bab]

i know this is an old post but this is totally me - i am so scared of meds and of them and of the side effects

[AliBlack]

me too! I used to have no problems taking drugs, rarely had side effects, but as I've got older I get side effects more than I used to, usually nausea, which isn't great when you have emetophobia. It's probably because I have a sensitive (IBS) stomach, although I have read that if you suffer long term anxiety it can alter the chemicals in your body and drugs can have more of an effect. For me it isn't psychosomatic as I wasn't worrying or thinking about side effects, it's the other way around, I started getting side effects and then became phobic about it.
I can't take anti deps or anxiety meds as they make me ill, I tried seroxat and it was a nightmare, on the other hand years ago when I didn't get side effects so much I took prozac without major side effects.



i know this is an old post but this is totally me - i am so scared of meds and of them and of the side effects

[oxana]

I had an allergic reaction to anti naseau medication four years ago and I nearly died it was definately the worst experience of my life! Ever since then i am terrified of other medications and even touching someone or something that has been in contact with medication that i have never tried before! I wont even wear clothes that were in contact with the clothes i wore when i had my allergic reaction because i fear that they might be contaminated by anti naseau medication! i really dont know what to do anymore this has really changed my life in a bad way:weep:

[m.draper]

I have the same fear, I have a ear and sinus infection and I have to take Zithromaz and i am scared to death of taking, I am more scared that I will have a reaction to it(not being able to breath) than anything else. I cant even put the pill into my mouth. SO your not alone it is the most frighting thing to allow this much fear contol a persons life. I have no clue how to deal with it I just keep praying that god will help me before this infection becomes very serious.:blush:

[sweetbabynrs]

wow lots of good information here. I also suffer from pharmacophobia but to a lesser degree than you. i have extreme apprehension about taking new medications. being a nurse, i understand the necessity and beauty of modern medicine, they truly do work miracles. in YOUR case, unless you unsure weather or not you are allergic to the antibiotic, you must take them. letting an infection get too severe can eventually lead to hospitalization or even be life threatening. antibiotics save lives, you HAVE TO feel the fear and do it anyway.
MY fear of new medication stems from one terrifying reaction that i had to one. it will follow me for the rest of my life,i've never been so afraid. ever since that one experience i can't even get my hand up to my mouth to take a pill if i've never had it before. all meds i've already taken before, like antibiotics, are fine for me. i don't want to get into the details of what happened because i don't want to make you any more fearful of drugs than you already are. take the antibiotics. even if you're afraid. feel the fear and do it anyway..
best of luck to you

---------- Post added at 22:57 ---------- Previous post was at 22:51 ----------

i had the same experience and it was with an anti-nausea medication! actually, it was an antipsychotic (haldol) that they gave me in the ER. when i questioned them about it they said that is has the "side effect" of stopping nausea. which it did. and also caused the most terrifying experience of my life. just like you i can't bring myself to take any medication i've never taken before. even over the counter.

[kittikat]

I am exactly the same, never knew there was a name for it though. I also had a horrifying reaction to clomipramine about 5 years ago and have a terrible fear of taking anything now. Also have a cupboard full of prescription meds never taken because of my fears. :wacko:

[annette1]

So that's what its called!

I've always had a reluctance to take meds believing that my body could heal itself with good food & exercise. That was until I developed PTSD & my anxiety levels were ridiculously high, I was scared of everything!

My gp suggested anti depressants on a number of occasions but because of my fathers experience with them, he also had ptsd I simply would not take them & it turned into a phobia which was very hard to explain. Then i went into therapy & my psych raised the subject, we discussed it but i just could not agree to taking them i was afraid they would do me harm & block out my traumas & i'd be unable to talk about them & heal.

After 6 weekly appointments I was still a mess, my T was very patient but on this day she told me that it was going to be impossible for me to completely engage in therapy with out medication & as I was paying privately it was a waste of money, she also said something else that really worried me, that refusing to take meds is a form of self abuse, that really did shock me. Although i agreed with her i just didnt know what to do about it, we'd discussed it so many times. Her suggestion was to do some EMDR http://www.emdrassociation.org.uk/home/index.htm therapy work on my fears of meds, I felt i had nothing to lose so agreed.

The result was amazing, i was able to explore how i felt about my dad's experience & my fears for myself. It took just an hour, I left her office feeling somewhat shocked & very tired but just 3 hours later opened the packet, took my first Citalopram tablet without another thought & havent looked back since.

I hope that gives some of you some encouragement, it is possible to work through our phobias, you just need to find the right person to listen & be prepared to work with you.

:bighug1:

[speckles69uk]

Hi Carol,

You're not crazy, I totally understand where you're coming from. I refuse to take medication, other than the odd paracetamol as I'm scared of the side effects. I read the leaflets and the lists seem endless, possible side effects - blood clots, heart attack, death! Geez, reading that makes my heart race never mund the possibility of what might happen when I take them. I didn't realise it was such a common problem and that there's a name for it, I thought it was just me being crazy. It's nice to know that we're not all alone. I'm glad you found the courage to take the tablets. Take care.

Kindest regards

Rebecca

[anx2005]

OMG!! That is so me!!! I will not take anything. I am surfing the net right now because I have an infection of the gums around my wisdom tooth. It is called pericoronitis. I braved the dentist got the diagnosis and I am freaked out to take the amoxicillin. I have never been allergic to it before but they say you can develop an allergy at any time to penicillin and its the most common allergy.
I have a super ultra huge fear of meds of all kinds. I either take the pill or not but I do have a bacterial infection that, if not treated, could spread and actually kill me!!! I am afraid to take the med because it could kill me. I am so freaked out!!!!!
I have had PCN like a billion times but never once since my anxiety started. I just don't know what to do. I am on the verge of crying. I am in so much pain from the toothache but I have a very real, very irrational fear of this med. HELP!!!! I know I would be the same with any antibiotic. i can't take tylenol anymore because of the fear. I do not take any new meds ever. I can totally relate!

[blueangel]

Hi there

If this helps about the antibiotics, the most common side effects to them are skin rashes and upset stomachs, both of which are completely reversible.

I used to work in a hospital pharmacy and learnt loads of really useful stuff about how drugs are tested before they are put on the market. It is one of the licensing rules that the side effects can only affect a small number of the people who it is tested on, otherwise the company is not given a licence to sell the drug.

My best advice is to STOP GOOGLING :) and to take the antibiotics. If you make sure you take the first one while you're around other people, then you know there is someone there to look after you.

[sheilaanne]

hi carol i have just joined like you i am terrafied of taking medication it started when i had a bad side affect to stelazine my mouth went numb then my body started to arch backwards my toung was flicking in and out of my mouth i had no control over my muscles i was taken to hospital i was told it was arsenic poisening from the stelazine i was in hospital overnight and had to have injections of the antedote every half hour .i was so scared then i started to suffer from fibromyalgia and the side affects got worse i hate being sick it scares me so much a when i am sick i choke and cant breath .when i get new meds i am so scared and i panic i put of taking them then tell my doctor i had a bad side affect i know this is so wrong but i am terrafied my husband just laughs at me this makes it worse i fractured my spine a month ago a wedge fracture caused by osteophorisis i have been given meds to take for the osteophorisis but again to scared i was offered morphine but again terrafied of the side affects scared to tell my doctor in case he thinks ime stupid .