Please help with a question I have......

[hamish1]

I have had anxiety for over 6 years now, started with health anxiety and developed from there. Eventually my GP recognised my problem and prescribed anti depressants and I sorted of got my life back. Now I am anxious what if they stop working what will I do and my anxiety get really bad and I couldn't cope. Has anyone taken SSRI's long term and do they continue to work or do you develop a tolerance to them and then they became ineffective. If I had to take these tablets for life do you have to keep chop and changing tablets or keep on going on higher doses!

[BriarRose]

Hi Hamish - no, I don't think you develop a tolerance to them - and very few people are on them for life!!! However, i would suggest you talk to your GP about other treatments to go with the anti-depressants - counselling, CBT, relaxation - there's lots out there and, although you might have to wait to see a counsellor, it's not as long as it used to be.

You could also look at some on-line courses - all based on CBT, which seems to work very well for a lot of people. One you can access on your own computer, at home, is Living Life to the Full - just a series of exercises you work through on your own which might help with your anxiety. Worth looking at - they're not for everyone, but give it whirl - go to:-

llttf.com/

and just have a browse round the site. There are others, but you usually have to be referred for them, so this one is quite good in that you can do it when/where you chose!

hope this helps, and good luck!

Love

Rose

xxxxx

[swanlinnet]

It always helps, I believe, to give your body a break from any medication where tolerance may develops. That way, if you really needed them, once you go back taking them tolerance would have not developed.

That said, I would check to see if that the particular drug is a medication were tolerance would be a problem.

Not all drugs are the same, in this regard.

SL : )

[hamish1]

Thanks I just feel that I have been on medications for 6 years that i will on it forever.