My love/hate relationship with psychiatric medication.

Hi Folks.

I hope every one is having a good a day as possible.

Threads on medications are something we see a lot of on the anxiety/panic forum so I just wanted to post my experiences with them.

I started taking medication back in the summer of 2007 after a particularly bad time I was having with my anxiety and depression. I had been offered meds a year before this but had declined because I had read up on them on google and had scared myself silly with all the potential side effects i'm sure you can relate on that one?.

I lost my job due to mental health problems and was really at rock bottom so eventually agreed with my GP to start taking an antidepressant. I can remember being really anxious about taking my first pill which I think was understandable but took the plunge. At that time I was under the impression that I would take a pill and it will be the miracle cure I was looking for and I would wake up a different person and finally be anxiety/depression free. I soon released that this was not the case and that the meds would just help ease my symptoms and that I also had to give them time to kick in which was anywhere between 6-8 weeks.

Yes I did get side effects in fact I have had side effects with all the medications I have tried but for me it was a case of weighing up the benefits against the negative side effects and usually but not in all cases came to the conclusion that it was worth sticking with the particular medication as they were enabling me to function better and cope with things. On a couple of occasions I have had to stop taking them as the side effects have not agreed with me and I have changed to a different med.

There was one time that I really wanted to stop taking the medication and I agreed with my doctor to give it a go and slowly weaned of the meds I was on at the time as I was sick of constantly taking pills. It took me a couple of months to wean of the meds and I did suffer with some withdrawal effects but nothing I could not manage. I was medication free for a few weeks but my anxiety increased a lot and my mood also dropped to the point my GP was really concerned and I was close to being hospitalised. I decided to start the medication again and things improved and it was then that I realised that medication was an important part of my management plan and that I did not need to feel bad about that.

So over the years I have been on various medications including benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics and currently on a combination and feeling happy with the combo.

As I mentioned above it's important to remember that medication is not a cure all and that they will only help ease your symptoms so you can manage them better. By far the most effective way I found of dealing with anxiety/depression as by talking to someone and doing some talking therapy such as CBT, CAT, DBT or Mindfulness.

It's also important to remember that deciding to take medication is a personal choice and they may not work for some as well as they do for others.

So that's my journey with meds


Hibee

Hibee,

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge/experiences here for others to read and gain insight and encouragement from!

This will no doubt help many in their journey.:)

S.C.

I hate that I need meds but I've come to accept it. Such a pain in the butt.

Excellent post by an excellent person, Thanks Hibee. Peace

Larry ***

good post mate.

Hi Rrakkma

I'm pleased to hear you are doing well without medication

Hibee

Cheers guys glad you have found it useful.