An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Guys! I was just watching This Morning where they were doing a phone-in about living with depression and anxiety.
A lady called in who suffers with health anxiety, and the psychiatrist in the studio discussed this with her. She said it is classed as “instrusive thoughts” which is part of the OCD spectrum.
The psychiatrist said this....
“There is a treatment available, and your GP may not know about it, but there is a drug called SEROMYCIN, which is an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis.
Now what we think happens with that drug is, there is an area of the brain called the medulla - which gives you the fear response. For some reason, people who take that drug, it starts to minimise the fear response, so with psychotherapy or with therapy you start to get a physiological break in that fear experience. So I would definitely speak to your GP about that.
There is also a treatment called Transcranium Magnetics Simulation which sees fast results, but you will have to pay privately for it. However, it is NICE guidelines approved so you could push your GP about it and see what happens”
So yeah.... has anyone tried either of these treatments or heard about them? I’m always excited to hear about new options! SSRIs havnt really agreed with me up until now, so looking for other options!
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
I saw this and will definitely ask my gp.
I've also started cbt
Glad you posted, because I couldn't remember the name of the antibiotic.
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pb
I saw this and will definitely ask my gp.
I've also started cbt
Glad you posted, because I couldn't remember the name of the antibiotic.
I literally paused the TV and grabbed a pen!!!
Will you let me know what your GP says? I’m not seeing mine til March 2nd.
I’ve looked up some research articles on the drug, and it seems it’s good for “unlearning” fears when used alongside exposure therapy or similar.
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
My appointment is also the 2nd March x
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
You take such a strong antibiotic ( for Tuberculosis, no less), and pave the way for getting Clostridium Difficile Infection, which sometimes ( depending on a person), can be deadly. Great remedy for anxiety - NOT. Whoever would willingly take antibiotics when they are not absolutely needed, opens a gate for other health problems.
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lana
You take such a strong antibiotic ( for Tuberculosis, no less), and pave the way for getting Clostridium Difficile Infection, which sometimes ( depending on a person), can be deadly. Great remedy for anxiety - NOT. Whoever would willingly take antibiotics when they are not absolutely needed, opens a gate for other health problems.
I’m with you on this one Lana! I’ve had C Diff three times and it is HORRIBLE! I’m not to take any antibiotics unless it’s an absolute must and/or a life and death situation. I am terrified of antibiotics and it’s been seven years since I’ve had C Diff. It gave me PTSD and although I’m better, I still tend to obsess over my bowel movements from time to time. I have IBS so if I get a bout of diarrhea, which is frequent some weeks, I still get a bit nervous. It’s crazy!
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
StephA
I’m with you on this one Lana! I’ve had C Diff three times and it is HORRIBLE! I’m not to take any antibiotics unless it’s an absolute must and/or a life and death situation. I am terrified of antibiotics and it’s been seven years since I’ve had C Diff. It gave me PTSD and although I’m better, I still tend to obsess over my bowel movements from time to time. I have IBS so if I get a bout of diarrhea, which is frequent some weeks, I still get a bit nervous. It’s crazy!
I agree 100 % , only a person who did not experience C Diff , can take antibiotics nilly - willy. I also had C Diff , 4 years ago, and the same here: never got over the fear of that horrible, horrible infection. And yes, I too - and many, many people who had it- remain with pretty much severe PTSD. I was on the forum for C DIff, and it is almost across the board; eternal fear from it, and fear that one day, God forbid, they will have to take antibiotics. All the best to you StephA, and let's hope and pray we will never again have to take antibiotics.
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
I don’t think the idea of taking antibiotics for severe health anxiety is taking them ‘Willy Nilly’
Thousands and thousands of people take them and do not get Cdif !
Surely a Doctor would be best to advise.
My dad had cdif so I know how horrible this is .
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lana
I agree 100 % , only a person who did not experience C Diff , can take antibiotics nilly - willy. I also had C Diff , 4 years ago, and the same here: never got over the fear of that horrible, horrible infection. And yes, I too - and many, many people who had it- remain with pretty much severe PTSD. I was on the forum for C DIff, and it is almost across the board; eternal fear from it, and fear that one day, God forbid, they will have to take antibiotics. All the best to you StephA, and let's hope and pray we will never again have to take antibiotics.
All the best to you as well Lana!
pb, you can do as you choose, but C Diff isn’t the only issue that can stem from unnecessary use of antibiotics. Overuse, unnecessary use or whatever you want to call is poses bigger concerns as well. Why do you think superbugs are so common? I’ve spoken to all my doctor’s since they know my history, and they all say antibiotics are to never be used unless you have a bacterial infection. They’re way, way over prescribed, and that is the main reason there are many superbugs. Anxiety is NOT a bacterial infection. Not trying to jump all over you so please don’t take offense. Again you do what you choose and I wish you the best. Nobody understands C Diff unless they’ve been through it themselves. Not saying you’ll get it and I’m not trying to scare you or be an ass about it, but those of us who have had it and talked to doctors about it know that it’s becoming way more common than you think. My own doctor who is well versed in C Diff, with many years of experience and training even told me she wished they’d take a couple of antibiotics off the shelves and although some antibiotics are less likely to cause it, they ALL have the risk of causing C Diff. Just FYI though!
Re: An antibiotic to treat anxiety?
Can I join in here? I genuinely think I'd rather live with the worst of my anxiety than contribute to the ever-growing antibiotic resistance problem. Severe health anxiety is hell, but it's a lot less likely to kill you than an untreatable infection, and those are going to get a lot more common in days to come.