Is anyone NOT on medication?

[nikkinik]

Hi,

Im just wondering if anyone is trying to get better without the help of medication?:)

I'll point out clearly that Im not knocking ANYONE who is on medication, be it anti depressants, beta blockers, anything at all.

It just feels like the first thing to come out of ppls mouths, or the first written sentence will be 'what medication are you on?' like its the only way, or part of, I find this really frustrating.

Personally Ive tried just about every antidepressant going and they didnt really work, my GP agreeed with me on this, so that route isnt for me..

I just sometimes feel like Im the only one NOT on medication, and I sometimes wonder if thats where Im going wrong as I am struggling!

Im currently waiting for cbt and theres 6 months left of my 18month wait, so i obv feel like im going out of my mind lol But surely theres others trying to go get well without 'meds' through choice or not?
:huh:

[Slothette]

Hi there

I'm not taking anything either. Meds arent for me and my aggora because I feel that they just mask the problems and dont allow me to deal with my fears. I think meds have a place but I have done alot better without them. I'm doing things now which at one point I never thought I would do again. This is through hard work and realising that a PA will not kill me.....Lex:hugs:

[erin31]

Hi.
I'm not on medication at the moment. I came of venlafaxine 5 weeks ago and to be perfectly honest there are times i.e. when the panic attacks are really bad, that I wish I was still on it.
If you are really struggling then there is no reason why you can't ask your doctor for medication. I don't think anyone goes on it lightly and the majority of people have struggled for a long time before they go on it.
I am trying supplements, Inositol, L tyrosine and 5htp but these are all still in the early stages so I don't really expect them to make much difference yet, although my panic attacks are less frequent then they were a couple of weeks ago.
I also tried acupuncture yesterday.
I do find every day is a struggle but it is my choice at the moment to stay off medication. At least for now :unsure:

[guitarpants]

I won't take psychotropic meds at all. I do not believe in SSRI's. I feel causes should be treated, not symptoms. I also feel they are way over-prescribed. The medical community is still in the stone age as far as mental health goes. Nobody understands exactly how the mind works exactly and it's naive to believe medication can be prescribed to solve something we know nothing about. I just feel they do more harm than good.

[Gazman]

I'm not on meds either, was prescribed diazepam and only take 1 if really needed.

I dunno what i need, not been put foward for cbt or anything even though 3 doctors believe i have a psychological problem that needs sorting out, but then again i have to wait till i've seen the neurologist 1st.

[SleeplessFog]

I don't take medication. I tried Lexapro a few months ago and it made me so much worse I didn't like it at all.

Currently I am coping with CBT and a lot of "homework" from my therapist. For me, the medication temporarily helps me with the anxiety, but doesn't get to the root of the problem. So I would rather resolve the problem and face it then use temporary means to make it go away. This is only my personal opinion.

[mumsie]

It's "horses for courses" I suppose. I'm not on any medication at all and have never been. Medication has its place obviously and if someone is in a really bad way then it may be a necessary short term solution but I think it only treats the symptoms not the causes. Also at some point presumably you will have to come off it and then there are the withdrawal issues to consider too. From reading these forums it has obviously worked for some people. Personally I prefer to try and sort things out by other means such as therapy and lifestyle changes, although I would not rule out medication if I suddenly took a nose dive. I have read a lot of books too. Apart from Dr Claire Weekes, whose books are brilliant, I would recommend The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne. It is well written and, as the title suggests, a "workbook" which gives you a structured approach to helping yourself. I have had a course of CBT which was very beneficial but quite hard work in that you have to help yourself a lot. If you are prepared to put in the time and effort then it can be very effective. But be wary of therapists who try to dig around in the past looking for "issues". They can sometimes open up cans of worms that you didn't really have a problem with before, and it can actually make you worse sometimes. I have been reading a lot from the human givens school of thought recently which treats you from the point where you are in your life now, and doesn't delve into the past at all. This school of thought says that if a person's needs are being met, their "human givens" such as security, purpose in life, good relationships etc, then they will be healthy. I can't remember their website but if you google human givens it will come up. I don't mean to sound patronising but the lightbulb moment for me came when I realised that anxiety would and could not kill me. I had been through hell with awful symptoms but I was still here, above ground. Once I fully realised that fact then I could begin to accept the symptoms and in so doing, rob them of their power to frighten me. So much of it is fear of fear, fear of having another attack. Once that cycle is broken then real progress is possible. So if you can carry on without medication then do so. Good luck

[Bill]

I've typed a few posts about meds because it's something I feel quite strongly about.

There is Nothing wrong in someone taking meds if they find it helps them because at the end of the day we all just want to live happier lives and finding what works for the individual is all that really matters. However, we can ALL learn to cope with anxiety without the need of meds IF we feel able and prepared to tackle the causes to our anxiety.

I feel meds can help in the short term to help us feel more capable to recover but there are also dangers such as we could grow to rely on them to stay better after they have served their purpose. Anxiety feeds on fear so we could feel worse after stopping them purely because our anxiety is triggered because of the knowledge that we're trying to cope without our "support". Meds also carry side-effects which can make us feel worse and although the side-effects normally wear off, often our anxiety will still be present so that when "additional stresses" trigger our anxiety so we feel worse, we then feel the meds aren't working so we then either increase the dose or try another med without realising the cause has nothing to do with the meds.

I feel that sufferers are "unintentionally" misled into believing meds are the cure we're searching for because the GP's feel they have to do something for their patients but to treat anxiety takes much longer than the time and expertise they have. This is why they will often suggest meds but also put a sufferer on the waiting list for CBT and other therapies which are more effective.

We have to remember what actually causes anxiety - Fear, Worry, Stress, Lack of confidence, Insecurity, being Intense.

Anxiety can result from emotional stress due to past bad experiences or it can surface due to too much stress in our daily lives at home or at work.

Remember also the symptoms of anxiety. They are identical to the symptoms you would experience if confronted by a lion. The sight of a lion will induce Fear and Worry which then triggers adrenalin preparing us to fight or run. In the modern day, we face other lions such as too much stress at work or at home but when our Worry triggers our Fear, we have nowhere to run so we don't burn off our adrenalin and therefore we develop anxiety symptoms.

What I'm saying is, if meds can't make a lion go away, how can meds then make the stresses in our past or present go away? All they might do is ease the worst of the symptoms but the actual "cure" lies in tackling the underling issues that are causing our symptoms. For instance, if we have too much stress at work, we should look for a job we feel happier doing or look at ways to ease our workload. If at home, look for ways to manage the stresses by developing a less stressful daily routine or by getting more support. If the stresses lie in our past, counselling can help us to learn for ourselves why we feel as we do so we can come to terms and move forward.

I think though the most common stress is "fear of feeling fear". In other words, we beccome afraid of the symptoms which naturally result from too much stress which then compounds our anxiety.

And yes, when I became ill with anxiety I did try most meds which never had any lasting effect. I have learned to cope without meds now for about 8 years by learning the causes to my anxiety and developing plans to reduce those stresses so yes, it's Perfectly Possible to learn to cope with anxiety without the need of meds IF that's what we would prefer.:hugs:

[boobs1967]

I am not on meds trying to manage myself been practising the self help techniques but i do take a seven seas hormonal balance vitamin, i do have diazepam here but i have only taken 1 in 2 or 3 weeks now not sure.

[sarah jayne]

Im not on any meds. Ive tries them but they always make me worse or i have bad reactoins to them. I tried cymbalta last week and it was the worst mistake ive ever made, ive never felt so ill, i ended up in hospital yesterday. Im giving up on meds now.

[nikkinik]

Thanks for all your replies, its nice to know I'm not the only one trying to get better without medication.. sometimes it feels like youre on your own!

:)

[Cat80]

Yes I'm currently trying to get my GAD and emetophobia under control without any meds. I've tried about 6 or 7 different anti depressants and none have worked for me so my Dr thinks I shouldn't go down that route anymore. I've also had 18 months of counselling and CBT which did nothing for me.

Just not sure of my next route, is there anything left or am I destined to have this anxiety and vomiting phobia rule my life?

[kazzie]

Hi There:D

I dont take meds just the odd diazipam when needed

Im pleased you are going to have CBT its deffo the way to go.....Ive had 2 lots over the years and its worth the wait believe me:yesyes:

Kaz x:hugs:

[Meewah]

Hi

I don't take meds. I have had beta blockers but I am so sensitive to differences in how i feel that I cant live with the side effects no matter how mild.

mee

[mystic3178]

I was initially on betablocker to help with my anxiety but haven't been on anything for the last 5 months. I've just been trying the method of accepting the feelings as per Dr Claire Weekes. At the moment, I'm having a bit of an anxiety moment because I have just more or less said 'No' as to whether I wanted to go visit my wifes friend to deliver a birthday present. Having said 'no' I feel crap. This has been part of my initial problem with my anxiety - not having the ability to say 'no' which eventually put me over the edge with stresss and anxiety.

I have diazapan in the med cab but am not going to use it just yet. I'm going to 'cold turkey' it out but I feel so damn guilty for saying 'No'

Mystic3178

[Welsh.Baz]

Well i'm not really on the typical medication, I am taking omeprazole for the acid i've been getting which I assume is down to the anxiety as it started at the same time.

When my anxious episodes started back in ermm May time, I was prescribed 21 diazepam tablets to take when needed, theres still something like 18 of them in the box :)

[andrea thompson]

i recently came off seroxat because i was pregnant as advised by my dr... i have unfortunatly had a miscarraige and my hormones are all over and a lot of the old symptoms of anxiety are affecting me at the mo... but i am trying not to go back for antidepressents gonna try and combat these feelings through rational thought and plenty of relaxation... i want to try and get rid of these feelings for good....

good luck with cbt...

x x

[Alicat]

I'm not on medication either. Partly through choice and partly because the gp wouldn't prescribe them.

I've been on Prozac which only helped for a short while and Citalopram which I had an awful reaction. It made me so much worse so I'd rather manage without if I can.

I don't have anything against people being on meds for anxiety if it makes their lives better.

[MiseryIsAButterfly]

Currently I am not on any medications.
Since the age of 7 I have taken every pill under the sun. A vast quantity of antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, everything.
I have been on over 100 different types of medications over the years, and most all of them made me feel like crap in a way(some more than others) . When I got pregnant I was on Lexapro and the doctor took me off of that and put me on Prozac instead as it would be better for my baby. About 6 months ago I stopped taking the Prozac because I felt like it wasn't really working for me, I was feeling tired a lot and my ocd and depression continued. But now I think I should perhaps start taking it again because my anxiety has become unbearable.
I am also going to try cbt.

[magnesium]

i used to be on venlafaxine for a few years but eventually decided to come off of it because of the side effects. I think if your symptoms are bad enough that they are preventing you from coping with everyday life and providing a roof/food for yourself then id definately try any available medication to see if any of it helps. In my case however, as my problem is more chronic than it is severe and i didnt use the time on the anti depressants to actually deal with my problem then id have to default to trying to deal with it without any further medication (for the time being at least).