Fear of taking medicine.

[JellyRose]

Been a little bit sinceihave posted but It has been about a month since i had a bad reaction to a medicine i was prescribed for anxiety. Since that night i have had a constant fear of taking any medication that alters my mindset (makes me sleepy or feel funny). It was really bad for the first half of the month that it lead to me being so uncomfortable just being alive. I have gotten slightly better since then taking some vitamins and changing my eating habits. But i just want this continuous on edge feeling to just stop once and for all. I feel like i am so close to feeling better but this feeling does not let up. I frequently get these random spurs of what i can only describe as shots of adrenaline but instead it is fear and slight pain that quickly surges through my body. It is extremely uncomfortable. I see a talk therapist and that helps slightly but i just don't know what to do anymore other than face my fears and take a alprazolam (.25 mg) i have stowed away. I don't want to rely on medicine to help me and i am always thinking of how if i take it again i'll just immediately overreact and let my anxiety get the best of me before the medicine even kicks in (which is what happened with the first med). I should mention i never used to be like this. I used to be able to take these kinds of stuff ( cough syrup and alprazolam, ect.) no problem. It might be the job i had to quit or just a build up of things. I am starting to think i might have a chemical imbalance or something. And if this is the case, what should i do? Any natural stuff i am missing out on. or maybe it is just the winter months that make me worse and for some reason it got outof control this time around. Please help me if you have any advice.

[Agora1]

Hi JellyRose, I never had a bad reaction to medication but I have had the same fears as you regarding taking meds that alter my mindset (feeling sleepy, liteheaded) I want to be in control and not have the meds control me. However, I got to a point where I had no life anymore. I went on medication and talk therapy and it was the best decision for me. I needed that to go forward as well as find out why I was feeling the way I was. So having a crutch to help you over this slump is not bad. Anxiety is basically a chemical imbalance of the brain but there could be other issues that contribute to anxiety getting out of control. The winter months and depression, hormones, thyroid imbalance, family situations as well as work stresses. It's always wise to start with a checkup to see if anything else is going on and then move forward in getting therapy and meds. Your goal will be to eventually get off the medications, take what you learned from therapy and accept that anxiety is the cause of your symptoms that only you can release. It can be done JellyRose. We all have the inner strength, it's a matter of your knowing when the time is right for you to accept Anxiety.

[JellyRose in reply to Agora1]

I completely agree. I just need a bit of money before i can see a regular family doc to check up. Then i will probably try medication if i really need it. It is just so scary for me i guess. I don't want a repeat of last time. But i will definitely consider this fact and try my best to try it out if need be. Thank you for the response!

[Ginger7]

I'm no doctor, but I have been on numerous medications for anxiety and depression for many many years. It sounds like that clearly was not the right medicine for you. Everyone responds differently and some medications just aren't compatible with some people. My advice would be to remind yourself that this medicine is going to help you live your life without all of those negative feelings. Request a different medicine (Lexapro has been the one that works best for me. Plus you take it at night) and just breathe. Remind yourself that this is going to have a positive outcome

[Bluswife]

I hate meds . I have had anxiety and panic attacks off and on my entire life . episodes come and stay for a while and just leave but this is really the first time I have tried meds. Zolft 25 mg and Xanax 0.5 and I hate it. I stopped everything about two weeks ago. I am doing better than when I first started I am doing better than last week but when I start to feel better my mind gives me all these reason I started to feel bad in the first place and I am right back at the bottom again . hang in there and pray

[Dizzykitty]

I personally prefer to avoid pharmaceuticals too, unless I need them to actually save my life. I had a bad reaction to the antibiotocs Cipro and Avelox given to me needlessly, and an immediate reaction after two 5mg doeses of Lexapro, which I went off right away, so I'm hyperaware now. Vitamin D3 is something I take that I think helps with a lot with the depressed feelings. And in the winter you get less of it naturally, so perhaps winter does make it worse. One thing to do is have a genetics test for the MTHFR gene mutation. If one has two copies (one from each parent) it makes one less tolerant to many medications, and there are lists of medications known to be best avoided. There are supplements to take that will help with the affects of that gene mutation. If on the other hand you don't have a mutation, (they are very common tho) then you know you have a better chance of tolerating certain meds, etc.

[kalif]

I too hate medication,I'm frightened to death of it.im lowering my bp with diet,the tablets just made my anxiety worse,I don't get on with antidepressants...I saw someone advertise about about Claire Weeks,how to cure anxiety.i thought I would give it a go,it's excellent,every thing I had been doing to help my anxiety was wrong,it's really good reading,if you can't consantrate order the cd,but the books are excellent...