Meds forever

[sandii100]

Just wondering if anyone has been on anxiety meds for 15+ years? Are you worried about long term effects?

[philly101]

Unfortunately all medication has side effects. Not saying that you will have effects because I am not a doctor. Every body is different. Have you ever considered coming off the medication and trying to deal with anxiety on a different approach?

[Lm92]

I've been on anxiety meds now for the better part of 20 years. Mostly SSRI type antidepressants, but I also take a low dosage of Xanax when I have breakthrough anxiety. I used to freak out a lot about the unknowns, such as how they can only guess as to how SSRIs work and then a study came out about how Xanax can cause dementia. Then I started taking Benadryl/diphenhydramine to help me sleep because that's what my psychiatrist reccomended because I was too afraid to take anything strong, but then a study came out about how it can cause dementia type illnesses, too. Like someone else said, every medication has side effects. The way I look at it now is that my anxiety and depression were beyond debilitating. I had no life when it was at it's worst, and now I can live somewhat normally. If that cuts a few years off my life, then so be it, but it's better than living in a constant hell of fear.

[sandii100 in reply to Lm92]

Thanks, that's what I tell myself too. It's constant worry about harming my body by taking meds. I've been on Zoloft and Prozac which stopped working and now cymbalta for a total of about 15 years. My doc says it's safe but I can't ignore the research either

[EdanaBrietta in reply to sandii100]

Hi sandii100, I had to reply to you because I've had the same fear and I spoke with my doctor about it. Just this morning I got freaked out about my birth control, so I understand where you're coming from. Some things that you might find helpful for your peace of mind to remember are:

1) Your doctor is a professional and, speaking as a form licensed professional myself, it is a requirement of your doctor's license (and a general expectation of employers) that they remain up-to-date on the latest research that is most likely to impact their patients. So, they've most likely read the research reports themselves and are well informed about the risks to you and your health with long-term SSRI use. I would trust your doctor if they have not made decisions previously that you know are egregiously inappropriate/wrong (I once had a doc that wanted to give me an antibiotic for a virus, so I never went back to see him).

2) You need to remember the difference between the terms correlation and cause. Correlation means that there is some form of relationship between the two variables, whereas cause means that a change in one variable causes a direct change in the other. So far, all the research has only shown that there is a correlation between SSRIs and dementia. It is uncertain whether taking SSRIs increases the risk of dementia or that people who suffer with dementia are more likely to take an SSRI because they are depressed/anxious because of the effects of the disease.

3) With medication, as with anything else, doctors do a cost/benefit analysis. Basically, they think "Does the potential benefit of this medication/procedure outweigh the potential costs?" and make the decision based upon the answer. For example, for someone who is extremely suicidal, the benefits of placing that person on a medication with many side effects outweigh the cost of the side effects. So, the doctor makes the decision to use a medication that has many side effects as it will most likely save the person's life. Your doctor has most likely done this and found that the benefit you will experience on an SSRI will outweigh the potential side effects and slim chance that it will cause you to develop dementia.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Your doctor can only counsel you. If it truly upsets you to take he medication, I suggest talking with your doctor about it.

I hope this helps. Take care!