Negative effects of medication?

I have no experience with medication, so I would like to ask experienced people if there are any negative effects to consider before starting with medications?
Would you start again with medication given the choice now?
Thank you

I had the same question when I first started out. Since then, I've tried a couple of medications and experienced negative side effects for some, but not all. It's pretty common and often people will need to try multiple medications before they find the right fit for them. There can also be withdrawal effects too if you miss a dose or if you decide to taper off of medication. Keep in mind that some people can have completely different experiences with a specific medication. For example, when I was on Lexapro I didn't suffer from any horrible side effects. I was tired/fatigued, jittery at times, and had brain fog, but other than that I never got nausea, weight gain, worsened depression, or other awful symptoms that people have reported. Tapering off of it was actually worse than being on it. Currently, I am off of medication after trying a handful of drugs because they weren't very effective at treating my problems, and the side effects were stressing me out. However, I have friends who have really benefitted from medication, including some that I have tried myself, so it honestly depends on how your body reacts and how you personally feel while on the medication. I'm trying therapy for now, but I am open to trying medication again if I feel I need to later down the road. I know it can be intimidating, especially when you're trying it for the first time, but if you change your mind after starting one, let your doctor know and they can help you taper off of it. Trial runs are important and trying a medication does not mean it has to be a lifetime commitment. This is what always comforts me when I start something new. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

I absolutely would go on meds again, if I had to do it over. I'm lucky, I get fairly few side effects from medication. I find I have more side effects when I'm starting a new med, or increasing a dose, and then I adjust and it's ok. I do have some muscle stiffness from one of meds, which is a bit annoying, but the mental health benefits of being on it, definitely outweigh the side effects. But as has been said before everyone reacts to medication differently, so it really is a case of try it and see.

I think you will find on here that there’s quite a few people on addictive anxiety meds that want to go off them but can’t. So my advice is to start with the non addictive anxiety meds like beta blockers and other non benzos

I've taken every medication over the last 35 years and have experienced bad side effects with anti-psychotics (restlessness, akathisia) and some sexual side effects with SSRI's. Been on benzos most of my life and never had a problem with them (and they don't work that well). One of the scariest side effects I had was with nortriptylene where I couldn't feel my emotions.