New To Medication and Very Scared

[Kahlo]

Hi all. I just came back from a session with my psychologist and I have been in therapy since mid last year and it's cbt focused. I have managed to make many breakthroughs and work through a lot of the trauma but my depression seems to be continually holding me back from consistently managing my anxiety and mood fluctuations. I discussed today whether or not I might have manic depression or cyclothymia but based on my history my therapist ruled that out. So after what feels like so many on-going therapy sessions and my therapist concluding that my depression/anxiety symptoms are not being alleviated, she has suggested I look towards incorporating medication into my treatment.

What I would like to know for my own peace of mind is, has anyone had success with medication to treat their anxiety and depression? I am very scared at taking the leap into a world of meds, mainly because I know nothing about them. Any advice or examples of success and/or failure would be very much appreciated. If possible, please share your stories I don't have anywhere else to turn and my support system has always been against the use of medication. I am very confused and alone on this one.

 

[Deleted member 541]

While meds do help you to keep the depression and anxiety at bay, there are side effects and withdrawals to consider.

Some people do need them and simple can not function without them, others need them to get them through just the rough time during therapy, and others just trudge along without them.

I have been on and off meds several times during my life time, mostly off and currently off of them now. I believe it's a personal choice for each person to make that decision as to whether they want to be on meds or not.

Be informed, read up on the meds that your therapist may suggest, and be proactive with your care...Good luck!

 

[cyndi]

SheCat's advice is good. I've taken meds too. Give it an openmided try and give them time to start working before deciding on your own what you think of them. They can be a very useful tool to help you get to a better place. Try to start them when you have the next day or so off from work if you work so you can adjust a bit. The side affects can be hard at first but know everyone goes through the adjustment time starting them and post away, we'll be here :) I take Klonopin for my panic attacks but am considering more, we shall see. The meds may help get your chemicals back in balance or they may not, you can only know if you try. Hugs.

 

[Lion]

Great advice posted here, I can only stress that you read up on meds and their effects before starting. For me it's been a gamble trying to find one that plays nice, as side effects/withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

 

[UmightKnowMe]

I guess I have been fortunate in my experiences with medication. I started out my search for relief by going to a psychiatrist and it was such a relief to me for her to tell me that I was feeling so crappy because I was clinically depressed and medication would help me. It did help too. I was lucky in the side effect dept. I have been through several med changes...because I seem to be pretty dysthymic and after awhile what I take doesnt work any more. I have never felt that depth of despair that I felt before meds.....and I don't want to. For me anyway I look at it like I have a chemical imbalance in my brain...so I take medication. If I had an insulin imbalance I guess I wouldn't hesistate to medicate that either.

 

[Dylan]

Hi Kahlo,

I'm fairly anti-medication oriented, myself, but here is my experience from this past year and a half:

I went into a tailspin that I simply could not come out of. I tried utilizing all the tools at my disposal (meditation, counseling, working more and more frantically on the form of CBT I work with, exercise, etc) to no avail. I soldiered on for about 5 months, getting worse and worse. Finally, when I had nothing left in my bag of tricks, and was experiencing such abject misery I had to do SOMEthing, I took my counselor's suggestion to look at medication.

My system was caught in an endless loop (my counselor likens it to being chased by tigers: for a normal person, once they get to safety their system calms down. Mine, on the other hand, can get stuck at times and can't seem to stop running from the tigers ....and there I am, caught in the physiological loop).

So, despite leaving claw marks on the path behind me (heh heh), I did end up on medication (Zoloft - for anxiety & depression and Wellbutrin for concentration & depression). The key for me was starting on an extremely low dose and titrating up very slowly. I had minimal side effects dosing this way.

I have been on medication nearly 7 months now and have begun to wean off. I hope to be off everything by mid-end October.

HTH...I was very frightened about medication. I still think it's bad news the way drugs are handed out like candy. I have read that long-term usage of SSRIs can actually cause the brain to down-regulate, which means we end up wither fewer serotonin receptors than we had in the first place! Then, of course, more medication is needed, then fewer receptors, then more medication....Uh uh. No way. Not for me. I think it's intelligent to be very cautious with these drugs.

On a brighter note...welcome to the forum. There is a lot of information
and support to be found/had/given here!

-Dylan

 

[2quilt]

I really like myself better on meds. Yes, there can be side effects.
Amytriptiline stopped my gastrointestinal tract dead. I was severely constipated.
Trazodone made me a sleeping zombie for 72 hours straight with one dose.
After 4 days on Paxil, it made me shake so bad others could see me shaking and I could not sleep because I arched my back and shook violently. I also got waaaay too interested in my own fingernails.
Zoloft was okay for a few years, then it just stopped working.
Cymbalta worked for two years, I took a break from it to join a clinical trial, the clinical trial anti-depressant was (I highly suspect) the highest dose and I never slept for several weeks and I vibrated constantly, so I quit the study. I got back on Cymbalta and life was good again.
Every brain is different, so take your psychologist's advice and try something, if you feel strange, call in and Trust Your Instincts if you think a drug is harming you or wrong for you.

Meds improved my quality of life tenfold. But, they don't do that for everyone. I tried several over the course of 15 years, and found one I live well on, with no side effects.

They work with your brain's neuro transmitters. My brain likes Norepinephrin reuptake inhibiotors much better than Seratonin reuptake inhibitors. If one class of drugs don't do the trick for you, ask to try another class of drugs.

You can do the research online yourself so that you will be more educated when you speak to the person writing the script. You may also feel more in control if you know what questions to ask.

 

[Mel911]

Hi! You need to do what is right for you. I have had to take meds in the past for a serious injury and it only masked the pain for a while. I know my body does not do well on meds, my body never responds like it should on meds so I try to avoid using them if I can. Even my treatment for my PTSD is done without using meds of any type. But every person is different and meds work for some people and don't work for others. You will just have to make the best decision for your self and you might have to try several different options before you find one that works for you. Don't give up and don't get too frustraighted. You'll find what works for you.