Afraid to take medication

[DB34]

I've suffered from anxiety/health anxiety for nearly two years and am starting to get a grip of the syptoms, realising they're harmless.
But one thing I'm struggling to shake is the fear of taking new medication. I went to see my GP because of a neck injury today and he gave me some strong anti-inlfamatory drugs. I read the leaflet that accompanied them and it said "may be associated with a small increased risk of heart attack or stroke". I took the pill and then sat waiting for the heart attack to happen. With anxiety able to mimic your worst fears with symptoms that seem to be the real thing, it was terrifying when I got the usual anxiety related chest discomfort. The tablets can also cause stomach bleeding, so surprise suprise I now have images of me being taken to hospital with internal bleeding.
I now find that anytime I'm perscribed medicine, I read the worst possible side efffects and believe I'm going to get them. Because of this I usually stop taking the medication or else be gripped by fear of death.
Obviously the GP would never prescribe something that was going to kill me, but it's not always easy to think so rationaly

[Corinne]

I know how you feel. I react strongly to medications, and as a result, I'm terrified to take anything new.

Remember, out of millions of people who have taken your medication, if one person happened to have a heart attack, and it is reported, they will list it as a side effect -- even if they are not sure that person't heart attack was necessarily caused by the drug.

As for the bleeding, I think you would have to take the med in high doses for a long time for it to cause bleeding. That's a side effect of plain old aspirin too. I take a lot of aspirin and I haven't bled to death!

[Lauz]

Please do not be put off by those comments as they have to write that by law as it is a posibility but a VERY VERY VERY SMALL one!
You have nothing to worry about, take the meds and let them help you feel better :)

[marley]

An 'increase in risk' is hardly something to lose sleep over. As people above have mentioned, that terminology is used to cover legal bases - if there was a meted risk of you suffering such harsh side effects, the drugs would have been withdrawn from the market a long time ago. Anti-inflammatories are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world - I had some for shin splints a couple of years back. Some anti-inflammatories are common and over the counter, like aspirin and ibuprofen; others are stronger and incredibly versatile (for example, some steroidal anti-inflammatories are given as treatment to immuno-compromised people, they are also used to treat skin conditions and arthritis).
They are nothing to fear, and you should be taking them as per your doctor's advice.

[tnt808]

I always get asked if I want the side effect pamphlet when I get my meds- and I refuse it now. It stopped me from taking Effexor- I am now on a different med- but I will not read the side effects ever again!

[Carys]

Just wanted to say SNAP ! I am exactly like you about taking any medication. I am terrified about any reaction at all (though I've never had one ever!), anaphylaxis being my worst fear. I don't even need to read the leaflets now, as I can imagine what 'might' happen and create side effects myself LOL. This has stopped me even taking one plain and simple paracetamol over the last 12 years ! I wish I could believe the logic that people have talked about below, about the rareness of reactions, but my mind (like you) always thinks that I will be that rare case.

[mummy4]

i can relate to this soooo much.

i had a blood test done few weeks ago which came back my iron count was low (19) so was prescribed iron tablets and they are still in the pot and ive not taken one! so well done you for putting the first pill in your mouth. i also read the leaflet and it said it bad cases can cause collapse and this has frightened me grrrrr i do find it very frustrating!

[DB34]

Haven't taken another pill since the first one. This is partly because my neck feels better, but also because of the mini panic attack that came on after the first one.
It's always reassuring to know other people are suffering in a similar way.
I suppose remembering the ratoinal that the harsher side effects are extremely rare, as posted on this thread by a couple of you, is the key to getting over this. Also, as has been pointed out, it may be better not to read the side effects part of the leaflet at all!
Healthy anxiety is a strange one...I went from being wreckless about my health, feeling invincible, until a recreational drug-related hospital admission left me only too aware of my own mortality.
I had the x-ray on my neck today and all I could think about while I was there was am I'm going to become ill from over-exposure to radiation? What if the radiographer makes a mistake?
So far this week I've been worried about heart attack, stroke, arthritis, ms, radiation poisoning and lung cancer.
I'm 34, in great shape, go to the gym 5-6 times per week, eat healthy, have the occasional social cigarette, stopped all recreational drugs for nearly two years now and rarely binge drink, yet still worry about my health.
Furthermore, in the past two years I've had two echocardiograms, two exercise tests, one 24-hour tape, three chest x-rays and umpteem bloods and ECGs yet still worry about my heart. I've been told on several occasions that my ECG is perfect, as is my blood pressure, and I have a low heart rate because of the running I do.
I was diagnosed with paradoxical atrial firbrilation, though this really only comes on when I've been drinking and is pretty minor.
For all this I can't help but fear a heart attack could strike at any moment. Part of the blame for this lies with the cariologist that first examined me two years ago. He told me I should be concerened for my health because of my prior drug use and because I had developed an irregular heartbeat, which disappeared 24 hours later anyway. This sent me spinning into a sensitised state - as perfectly described by Clair Weekes in her book Self Help for Your Nerves - where any suggestion such as atrial fibriliation increases the risk of stroke left me mortified, in fear that I was about to die. Several more visits to the hospital followed. In one way the cardiologist did me a favour because I kicked all drugs, but the way it was dealt with left me with pyschological scars.
It's not all bad though, like I said in my original post I'm a lot more comfortbale with the symtoms these days and have had three-month spells with none at all. Sometimes it comes back and when it does I plough through Clair Weekes' book once more. I've had CBT and counselling yet believe her book to be by far the best strategy. She nails what it's like to have anxiety perfectly.

[Cell block H fan]

Yes, I sympathise. I NEVER ever take meds without reading the leaflet first, I would be even more anxious if I didn't read it tbh. But there have been times when its been risky not taking the meds, like when I was given the morning after pill years ago. I couldn't take it as I am Emetaphobic (fear of vommiting) so I risked not taking it, luckily I wasn't pregnant.
The thought of taking things like antibiotics fills me with dread. Touch wood I haven't needed those for years.
Actually biting the bullet & taking Citeraplam (cant remember how its spelt) years ago put me off meds even more because after 2 days I had side affects that had me thinking I was going to die in the night. Am a single parent so kept thinking of my kids finding me dead, was horrible. I just had to be one of the rare ones that got the body shocks or whatever they're called with them.
It sucks doesn't it.
My teens both cant swallow pills. Not sure what thats about because they dont know about my HA. And they've seen me taking Nurofen, but ive been using those for years so I dont worry.
x

[Carys]

You sound incredibly fit and well, in better shape than most of us will ever be LOL ! It isn't suprising that you feel this way about taking medicines, after having experienced nasty side effects from recreational drugs and having the cardiologist make you feel really fearful. The thing is, the way I've dealt with my past HA, is to remember that any of us 'may' develop something in our lives but all we can do is minimise the risks we create by being sensible, eat well and exercise. The rest is down to luck unfortunately - BUT - the positive side is that medical care nowadays ensures that each and every one of us is very likely to survive until a good age and have our ailments successfully treated even IF they do occur.

Your post was very topical for me, as my daughter was prescribed her first ever antibiotic course a couple of days ago. I was determined not to pass my fears on to her, although I was incredibly nervous almost to the point of not wanting her to take the med (of course I never told her this!!!), but continued to give it to her.

I think it is a fairly natural human reaction to not want to ingest something that we are uncertain about - it taps into our 'poisoning' fear which is designed to keep us, as a species, from eating uncertain things that could harm us. I think for some people it is hard work to get over that inbuilt fear, and rationalise it, so I entirely understand where you are coming from.

[Typer]

That has been a recent find and really applies to people who have taken them for very long time or have to take them indefinately. It is good to take them with food though, as they can cause stomach irritation. With food they are fine.

[Cell block H fan]

You sound incredibly fit and well, in better shape than most of us will ever be LOL ! It isn't suprising that you feel this way about taking medicines, after having experienced nasty side effects from recreational drugs and having the cardiologist make you feel really fearful. The thing is, the way I've dealt with my past HA, is to remember that any of us 'may' develop something in our lives but all we can do is minimise the risks we create by being sensible, eat well and exercise. The rest is down to luck unfortunately - BUT - the positive side is that medical care nowadays ensures that each and every one of us is very likely to survive until a good age and have our ailments successfully treated even IF they do occur.

Your post was very topical for me, as my daughter was prescribed her first ever antibiotic course a couple of days ago. I was determined not to pass my fears on to her, although I was incredibly nervous almost to the point of not wanting her to take the med (of course I never told her this!!!), but continued to give it to her.

I think it is a fairly natural human reaction to not want to ingest something that we are uncertain about - it taps into our 'poisoning' fear which is designed to keep us, as a species, from eating uncertain things that could harm us. I think for some people it is hard work to get over that inbuilt fear, and rationalise it, so I entirely understand where you are coming from.

How old is your daughter? I actually never worried about mine taking antibiotics.
/bad parent :yesyes: & the worst that happened when my son was a toddler was the runs with them! Didn't bother him lol
I think that probably indicates that deep down we know nothing bad will happen. Its all psycological. I cant even spell that :doh:

[gtrgrl3369]

My pharmacist and I have an agreement that he doesnt put it the warning paper in my prescriptions. He knows I am scared to death of new meds so I just go get them and go on my merry way. In my case being ignorant to the side effects is good for me. I cant fear what I dont read.

[Carys]

How old is your daughter? I actually never worried about mine taking antibiotics.

HI there. She is 12 years old, and this is her first ever prescription. Worryingly, she has developed an itchy rash after 2 1/2 days of taking it and I have to monitored as 'they' don't know if it is allergic or a non-allergic side effect.