[Real_not_perfect]

Recently my therapist has been thinking about having me take medication for my anxiety, and I've never taken meds before. I personally feel like I should get through it myself rather than relying on meds, but I've been thinking about asking if I could for a bit, since I do feel like it could help kind of control my emotions. (I did explain this to my therapist and she understood) I do want to, but I'm still not sure if I should. Should I go for it? And is there anything I should know about meds that would be important to know?

[Sometimes psychotic]

Depends on what you're taking...they all have drawbacks in addition to helpful properties. So one common short acting med for anxiety are benzos....things like Xanax Ativan etc....these have terrible withdrawal symptoms and tend to be addictive....as in you may have increase your dose to keep up with them....personally I would,have to be separate to use these. Another might be a on ssri like Paxil....I'm not sure how well these work for anxiety but they do for some....generally these are pretty benign....lots of people use antidepressants and they aren't addictive...there is something called ssri discontinuation syndrome which means you need to taper to get off meds and can still have a type of withdrawal....

So for me deciding to go on meds primarily depends if you ever want to go off them if not....

[Altered Moment]

It depends very much on which med like somtimes psychotic says. Did she mention which one. There is Buspar which is the only newer one for anxiety. You might try that before a benzo. The SSRI's are not that effective for anxiety. For some people they work but not many.

Benzo's are very very effective for anxiety but they can be addictive and have horrible withdrawals when you decide to stop if you have been on them a long time. Not everyone gets the withdrawals but it is very common. I am a recovering addict so it is dangerous for me but I take Klonopin. It has worked like a miracle. I take it exactly as prescribed and no more. I don't feel I am addicted at all and I have not had to increase dosage because of tolerance. I should be taking it PNR (as needed) now to keep my use minimal.

Klonopin has a longer half life so not as addictive as say Xanax. Maybe a low dose of Klonopin taken only as really needed is right for you. Or try Buspar first.

[kiwi33]

Real_not_perfect, I think that whether psych meds are a good idea depends on how severe the illness may be.

If your anxiety is in the mild-moderate range then talk-therapy alone may be effective. On the other hand, if it is severe then meds may help as well as talk-therapy.

The way that my clinical psychologist explained this to me is that if somebody is at the severe range then meds may help to "build a strong foundation" which other therapeutic modalities can add to.

I think it depends how severe the anxiety is, if its bad then u might wanna try medication but if its not u can probly work through it in therapy.

benzos work good from what my sister has told me. but my uncle told me they have bad withdraw and when u come off of them he said the anxiety could return even worse.

there was an anti depressant I tried at a low dose for anxiety but it gave me sexual side effect within a few days of taking it, I forget what the med was called.

I was on buspar but from my experience it gave me a weird feeling, but it might work for u , as everyone reacts to meds differently.

sometimes anti psychotics like thorazine or stelazine are also used at low dosages for anxiety.

oh the med was Lexapro.

[healingme4me]

As my T has described, there's the types of anxiety that can be managed with techniques alone. Then there's the anxieties that have a physiological response. Meaning, can, at times be beyond your control.

Meds can be addessed with a PDoc(Psychiatrist) . They are medical doctors, and will take into account your therapy and your medical history, trying to help match you to a med that suits you and your medical need.

[hopelovely]

Medication is useful, if you need it. It can make a huge difference, or it can just make things worse. If you feel like you need a little boost everyday, then go for it. But if you feel like you can handle it on your own, then I wouldn't bother. You never know how you will react on medication, so go with your gut. Good luck!

[vans1974]

Originally Posted by Real_not_perfect

Recently my therapist has been thinking about having me take medication for my anxiety, and I've never taken meds before. I personally feel like I should get through it myself rather than relying on meds, but I've been thinking about asking if I could for a bit, since I do feel like it could help kind of control my emotions. (I did explain this to my therapist and she understood) I do want to, but I'm still not sure if I should. Should I go for it? And is there anything I should know about meds that would be important to know?

Hey, I went on meds when I realized I couldn't survive without them. For anxiety I love the benzo's obviously, and Buspar, and Neurontin is actually pretty good as well...best of luck!