Antidepressants for anxiety

[el17]

I’ve been struggling with anxiety for a few years now and have wanted to try every avenue I could to try and get better without the use of antidepressants.

I feel as if I haven’t gotten any better. I’ve tried exercise, eating healthy and self help books. I was okay for a bit but I have gone back to square one.

Who has taken antidepressants for anxiety and what do they feel whilst on them?

I’m tossing up the options currently and want to make sure the decision is right. I know everyone reacts different to them. What are everyone’s thoughts?

[baet123]

Hi El,

Sorry to hear that you have been struggling as of late. Anxiety is far to common in our society. Have you spoken to anyone about your feelings and emotions before or is this your first time? If so, that is amazing and it takes a great deal of bravery and courage to do so.

Is there a reason why you have wanted to avoid medication? Have you been to your GP and discussed treatment/intervention methods available? If you do not want to take medication maybe you can consider seeing a psychologist and approaching your condition through gradual exposure therapy and/or CBT and the like.

Medication worked for me and so many other people I know. Medication is a great tool recovery/maintenance tool available to us and when you combine that with other professional help (psychologist, counsellors and the like) this is often the best path to take. It is amazing that you have taken important self-care steps (exercise, health eating etc) however, pairing that with medication may be something to consider. I believe that once your anxiety is negatively impacting your mental health and emotional well-being then medication and professional intervention is the way to go.

Not one glove fits all, the same with medication but medication is a great asset when used correctly in consultation with your GP/specialists.

Hope this helped and look forward to hearing back from you.

All the best,

Nick.

[el17]

Hi nick,

i have wanted to avoid medication as I have heard conflicting opinions about it. Some people say they have very negative side effects, while other people swear by them.

I have been seeing a psychologist for almost a year who has been giving me strategies to try and cope. She believes medication would be a good idea for me.

At this point, I am very much considering it as most days I am very anxious to the point where I’m withdrawing from my social life and spending my time at home being anxious about the next day and what it holds. It’s like a cycle which I find difficult to break.

Thank you for your advice and feedback. I really appreciate it!

[geoff]

Hi El, sometimes we have a belief that we can get through depression without needing any medication, but if this happens we aren't able to form a balanced feeling, but if we take the AD's they help you get your life back on track, especially if you have some counselling.

I know that my circumstances have changed over the years but I couldn't have coped without them.

I don't want you to think that by taking AD's means anything than to help you get your life back on track, isn't that what's more important.

You can try them and see how you go, I hope this helps you.

Geoff.

[baet123]

Hi El,

I believe the overwhelming majority of people who have been prescribed medication for anxiety/depression and other mental health conditions have had positive outcomes as a result. There are some negative effects of course, but I think it is worth a go like Geoff said. Without medication, I would feel whole body pains, consistently throughout the day except for when I was sleeping. Medication saved me and improved my well-being at a time where my mind was playing games but there wasn't anything actually "physically"wrong with me which was causing the pain.

Ultimately, you want a better quality of life and deserve a better quality of life. If medication which has a proven track record of improving people, why not? Please do consult your GP/specialist and as long as they deem medication appropriate for your situation, I would absolutely consider taking medication.

All the best,

Nick.

[blondguy]

Hello El17

You have written a great thread topic and there is a lot of support from other members too 🙂

Just to let you know that I was prescribed AD's for anxiety about 22 years ago and they helped me

• reduce my anxiety by approx 60%
• helped me succeed in my career and being promoted too
• my personal life....the AD's have been a huge help to find some 'balance' albeit a small dosage of an SSRI

The AD's are never a fix all though. It took me over 12 years to accept that the meds were there to help build a strong foundation on which I could heal more effectively using frequent counseling with my GP/Counselor

Just for me I was bull headed for refusing them for so long unfortunately.

Thankyou El17 for being a part of the forum family 🙂

Paul