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Decide To Start Meds- Who Is On Anxiety Medication? Experience?

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Hey,

So, I finally decided(and have the financial option, hard, but possible) to seek professional help for my anxiety, as it seems I improve it at time, but eventually get back in anxious mode...I went on consultation, and after talking to a psychologist, she suggested that the most effective treatment would be doing side by side some medication(to stabilize and improve how I feel in the present, so I am more capable of dealing with stuff) in combination with therapy(talk therapy and so on...to deal with how this started).
She refereed me to a person that is both psychologist and psychiatrist so they can do both things for me. That way I won't have to pay twice, and the person will have fuller picture of my progress.
But she said in her opinion(after I described how I feel during panic/anxiety attacks) there is some simple medication I can take once a day that would help a lot.

Who here takes medication along with therapy, and how has it been?
I'm afraid of side effects, and in the past would have been reluctant to take absolutely anything,...but I know feel like anything that can help me in getting healthier in the long run, and can make the process less painful or exhausting, is very welcome.
 
Clonazepam and Ativan helped me tremendously. Others, not so much. There is a real concern with addiction with these two drugs. I would suggest that whatever medications they recommend you thoroughly search the internet and look at what types of side effects have been noted for the drugs.

Also, it may be very helpful if you have a person that knows you fairly well, check on you to make certain that they don't see some sort of negative effect from the drug. Things that you may not notice.
 
I'm not so sure about anti-anxiety meds, but if I were you, I'd tread very very lightly if they try to give you anti-depressants. In my experience, anti-depressants are either hit or miss -- and when they miss the main side effect can be feeling suicidal and even more depressed than you would normally be. I had that experience with Prozac and Remeron, as well as a few others that I simply can't remember right now. Some of them can just put you in a stupor and cause de-realization and de-personalization.
 
I'm not so sure about anti-anxiety meds, but if I were you, I'd tread very very lightly if they try to...
Thanks for the advice! Well, currently I have a HUGE anxiety problem (I'm talking panic attacks, rendering myself unable to work from worry for hours/days at a time, and so on) and may be just a tiny bit of depression mixed in. So if I am prescribed anything, it would make sense it's something for anxiety rather than depression. Still, I just need to stabilize myself enough to be able to have energy for life(work and all) and therapy at the same time, but I don't want to over-medicate or anything for many reasons. Still, I can't know side-effects it can cause in me beforehand, so I'll have to put some amount of faith in it.

Clonazepam and Ativan helped me tremendously. Others, not so much. There is a real concern with addiction with these two drugs. I would suggest that whatever medications they recommend you thoroughly search the internet and look at what types of side effects have been noted for the drugs.
Thank you! My appointment is tomorrow, but even if they were to recommend anything, I am going to a 5 day event out of my city from Friday night, and that means I can't start any serious medication during that time, just in case it doesn't go over as planned.
The event is making me (as usual before trips) get in over-anxious over-planning over-thinking non-sleeping mode, which I am starting to wonder how I ever tolerated. So since I can't risk other medication, I will probably try valerian-based otc herbal medication or tea or something, if that may have a chance to calm me a little.
 
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