Would you stay on medication...forever?

[dread]

Over the last few years, different Doctors and other GAD folk I have spoken to have all had different opinions on medication....some saying you should only be on them for "short" periods of time, others saying indefinitely if you relapse, etc etc. The battle I have been having with myself recently is questioning if it really would matter if I was to stay on medication...forever?

Im not saying I would or will be...but there seems to be a straight split between people saying you can 'cure' yourself and others saying it's a medical thing with chemical imbalances and nerves not functioning etc etc.

I am on citalopram 10mg currently, previously I was on 60mg and was meds free for the last 2 months but ended up back at square one with PA's, constant anxiety, derealisation, the lot. I suppose really SSRI's are quite modern and only now would people be given the opportunity to be on them indefinitely as they weren't available before, but really what I want to know is, if I can't overcome the source of my anxiety, would it be such a bad thing to be on Citalopram or other for the rest of my life? Pardon if I'm just rambling nonsense but it is something that's been going round my head for a while!

[Annie0904]

If it was giving me a better quality of life, yes I would. I have been on medication for 8 years now and I know I am having a bit of a relapse at the moment with my anxiety but that has been triggered by other factors.

[Thumbelina]

The doctor told me to consider that this is a possibility. Though saying that i took cipralex for 4 years then stopped for over a year and had episode recently. The thing is my life has been very stressful for 8 months now. I was absolutely fine until visit to the dentist that sparked first recent attack. I spoke to the doctor and she said thats absolutely fine that you stopped the medications - she said you felt fine and it was fair enough. Though when 8 months ago the problems started - i should have started slowly small dose as a prevention - as prolonged stress should have most likely led to this situation.
It doesnt mean i cant stop again - it all depends on how we feel. To say that i know that even if you take medicine all life you still can have relapses - but not the same way, no as strong, or maybe for different reasons - like maybe with Annie the medicine for some reason is not working the way it was before, or your body becomes immune to it. Its all possible but it doesnt mean it all can and will happen and at the same time. And even if it does we will deal with it - take another medication, will go through the anxiety time and be happy again and tell our stories.

[BobbyDog]

I have been on medication for 17 years, I started on Amitriptyline, then Citalopram, now I have a pharmaceutical mixture. I don't think I would still be here without the intervention of medication, it makes my life bearable, reduces the severity of my panic attacks. So yes I would take tablets for the rest of my life, unless they started to have an negative impact on my general health.

[london]

if it works i would
god bless

[lleksam]

If it made my life better than yes, no shame it taken medication for an illness.

[ElizabethJane]

I think that I will be on medication for life. I am currently taking lithium and mirtazapine. Prior to that I had a miserable life throughout my young adult life unable to work or study. I have been stable for at least five years now. My life is richer because of medication and I am married and work part time and belong to three choirs. I would only consider coming off meds if I had to. The alternative to meds is not an option. I have also had lots of other therapy over the years including hospital admissions, psychotherapy, CBT and living in two different therapeutic communities. I never thought I would be well and I feel very fortunate now. EJ

[Anxious_gal]

It really depends.
For most people medication just helps you get through the bad bits so you can focus on therapy and getting better.

But then for others, medication is for life.

I really think science has a lot more to discover with mental illnesses.

But if I had a tablet that took away my anxiety I would take it
But I've not found any that work for me.

[Emphyrio]

I'm off meds now. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm determined that I can deal with things through self CBT, exercise, and changes to diet.

But if I discovered that I'd need them to function, and I found a medication with little to no side effects, no long-term health effects and no chance of 'poop-out', then yes, I would stay on it for life.

[Tessar]

I think it's a very personal choice what to do about medication. For some people, it is a case of having a short course of medication to get them through a crisis. For others it becomes a way of life. There are other people like me who use medication at certain times of year to see them through.
I've been on & off fluoxetine for the last 8 years. Mostly on it. As an aside to using it to cope with depression & SAD, I discovered it helps with PMT. This has swayed me into staying on it most of the year with the exception of about 2-3 months in the spring/summer. I try not to stay on it all year round but must admit, every time I come off it, after a couple of months of full-on PMT & just generally feeling rubbish I find I need it again. The gap at least gives me confidence it is still working I suppose.
How to use medication is different for each one of us. From what I have read on this site, What works for me does not work for some other people. I dont seem to get many side-effects at the outset or when coming off it. Once I'm on it, I have no problems. I always come off it very, very slowly which limits side effects to a bit of a funny head for a few weeks. Quite frankly, if the stuff is working, then why not stay on it? My choice is to have this gap but I must admit things were bad enough this year I nearly didnt come off it. As it was the break was shorter than I've had for a few years.
By the time I went back on it in October I'd just registered on NMP. I felt like I'd failed by needing it again but everyone here was very kind & assured me that it was the right thing to do. I tried so hard to manage without it but I have had so much bad stuff go on this year, I just needed it again. I felt that if I couldnt sort out what was going on in my head before taking it, then I'd get happy on the pills & not care about sorting my troubles out. Well that's not what happened. As ever, the medication has helped me through while I sort things out. Meanwhile it's stopped me taking it out on myself too much & kept me calmer generally. That is no bad thing. I mean, if I have a headache (or toothache as I do right now) then I take painkillers. Medications are just things to help you through I guess. So why not take anti-depressants when you need them? If it transpires you need them for a long time, so what? People with long-standing medical conditions take medication for years & becasue their conditions are "medical" & not "psychological", there doesnt seem to be the same questioning of whether the medication is warranted. So why not apply the same logic to "disorders of the brain" (for want of a better description) i.e if they are working, then take them.
There may be a time in the future when you dont need the medication at all & your PA's etc are manageable without it. I have had gaps of up to 6 months without it when I've been at my best. Of course I make it sound very easy but even I know it's a difficult decision. But listening to the advice people have on this site helped me a lot. It stopped me feeling like I'd failed & made me realise I was actually taking care of myself. I'm interested to hear more from you :-)
oh, nearly forgot to say I have found CBT very helpful in helping me to manage depression & what comes with it. So at times I've used medication in combination with that & continue to use the CBT techniques daily.