feel pressured

[tricia56]

hi i ve got severe anxiety had for few years now and it has been quiet bad for a few weeks again now bbut i have had a lot of stress and worrie over the past 6wks so i think thats why its been bad , but i have 3 friends who also have anxiety and panick attacks and are on meds and they keep telling me i need pills cause my anxiety is bad and i feel that because they keep telling me to get meds off my doctor i m starting to think that i should take them as it will make me better. but i dont want to take pills ive started cbt which im hoping with help me alot better.i know i sometimes feel i cant cope with the anxiety some days when it is bad .but they are making worse buy keep telling me i need pills and i dont know wat to do now as i feel im being pressured into taking meds can any one advice me wat to do please

[mtatum4496]

Tricia, before being pressured into any type of treatment, you need to see your doctor for a complete physical. Anxiety can and does often occur because of the way we handle stress and emotional trauma, but it can also have an organic component, with the classic example being a thyroid gland that is not functioning properly. Have blood work done and make it a point to have your potassium levels checked along with the general condition of your immune system.

While the meds may be helping your friends, there is no reason to assume your anxiety is triggered by the same factors. If there is an underlying physical reason for your anxiety, treating that directly will go a long way toward alleviating the anxiety without the need to get on anti-anxiety meds.

Even if there is no underlying physical issue, that doesn't automatically mean that meds are the best option in your situation. Explore all your options with your doctor first, then you can make an informed decision of whether medication is the right way to go.

In my case, I was a complete physical wreck, having spent a few years running down my immune system and in general straining my nerves. Unfortunately, I did not seek help until the damage was done and my physical issues had triggered a range of emotional responses that led to anxiety, depression and agoraphobia. So it wasn't an either/or situation for me but a combination of factors to deal with. For me, the scope of treatment involved addressing the underlying physical causes and using medication to manage the anxiety and depression even as I got therapy and made lifestyle changes in order to start on the road to recovery. I'm not completely healed yet, but I am getting there.

Don't let anyone talk you into doing something that doesn't feel right. Get some solid facts first, then you can make a decision of what to do next.

[nomorepanic]

Don't take the meds in my opinion

get CBT help

[juiceyloop]

Hi hun i've had mental health issues for a while now, i suffer from anxiety ona day to day basis but i've learned to control it. I point blank refuse to take any medication because the way i figure my brains mashed enough! Stick with your therapy, my new thing when feeling anxious is reading i often fo through one book in two nights and it really helps. Don't be presured into taking pills, its your brain only you know what you need huni. Good luck xx

[tricia56]

thk u everyone that replied ur advice has made a diffrence to me . i have had my bloods tested but not sure of if my gp as one all the tests but they came back ok and he has reassuerd me that i have got anxiety . i did go to gp thurs because of theway i was feeling thinking im not coping and how i felt imotionaly andi told him my friends keep telling me i need pills and i asked him if i did need them and
, he didnt say that i needed them but could give me some pills called amitrptine just to take the edge of it but i havent took them im just going to stick with my cbt and hope that will help me as im scared to take any kind of pill because i am petriefd of going or being dizzy and as soon as i see the word dizzy in the leaflets that comes with the pills thats it i get very anxiouse and scared and wont take them

[juiceyloop]

I'm the same hun, i wont even take pain killers! :doh: