My therapist has suggested I could go to a psychiatrist to see whether medication might help me. My first response was "no" but now I'm wondering if I should consider it.
She suggested it towards the end of last year when I felt pretty depressed - I felt very disengaged, disconnected, unmotivated, low, flat, exhausted etc. I took anti-depressants for about 18 months about 15 years ago...tried about three different sorts, I think I found one in the end which did help,(unless I just improved over time?) though I didn't especially like the permanent flat line feeling, plus I experienced quite a lot of SI while I was on them, plus there were some other side effects that weren't great. And coming off them was a pretty horrible experience.
I told my therapist about this previous experience and she said that something for anxiety may be more suitable than an anti-depressant.
I occasionally take Valium - usually when I'm in bed at night and my mind and heart are racing. I find that really helps. But that's a very occasional take as and when needed because, obviously, you're not supposed to take them often and it's difficult to get more than a few on prescription.
I am feeling super-anxious at the moment - but I also have a couple of stressful things going on, so it's not surprising that my anxiety is currently soaring. So, I think I need to wait until those couple of things are sorted/have settled down and then see how I feel.
In the meantime, I'm wondering what anti-anxiety medications anyone takes (particularly if you're in the UK) and how you find them in terms of effectiveness and side effects etc. Apart from the odd Valium, I've never taken anything for anxiety so I don't know anything about the different options available and don't know what to expect from them.
Also, if I decide that I do want to pursue it and look at medication options, do I really need to go to a psychiatrist or will I do just as well going to my GP?
Thanks.
She suggested it towards the end of last year when I felt pretty depressed - I felt very disengaged, disconnected, unmotivated, low, flat, exhausted etc. I took anti-depressants for about 18 months about 15 years ago...tried about three different sorts, I think I found one in the end which did help,(unless I just improved over time?) though I didn't especially like the permanent flat line feeling, plus I experienced quite a lot of SI while I was on them, plus there were some other side effects that weren't great. And coming off them was a pretty horrible experience.
I told my therapist about this previous experience and she said that something for anxiety may be more suitable than an anti-depressant.
I occasionally take Valium - usually when I'm in bed at night and my mind and heart are racing. I find that really helps. But that's a very occasional take as and when needed because, obviously, you're not supposed to take them often and it's difficult to get more than a few on prescription.
I am feeling super-anxious at the moment - but I also have a couple of stressful things going on, so it's not surprising that my anxiety is currently soaring. So, I think I need to wait until those couple of things are sorted/have settled down and then see how I feel.
In the meantime, I'm wondering what anti-anxiety medications anyone takes (particularly if you're in the UK) and how you find them in terms of effectiveness and side effects etc. Apart from the odd Valium, I've never taken anything for anxiety so I don't know anything about the different options available and don't know what to expect from them.
Also, if I decide that I do want to pursue it and look at medication options, do I really need to go to a psychiatrist or will I do just as well going to my GP?
Thanks.
