Scared to take medication for anxiety

Hi there,

It's always hard to except medication when you haven't needed it before.. Not sure if it's because it's a mental health thing or what...I had it explained to me as this, if you had high blood pressure, you would take medication to bring it down without thinking twice. This is the same thing, you have a problem that needs attention so possibly, you need medication..

Ive had Anxiety my whole life and then had a couple of nervous breakdowns followed by the onset of panic attacks.. I tried to deal with it on my own until I had to get help.. I felt so embarrassed taking medication for it at first..didn't tell anyone.. when I got the right medication, it felt like the weight I'd been carrying around my whole life, I was nearly 40, was lifted off my shoulders and I'd look at other people and think, this must be what normal people feel like..lol..

I have been on a few different AD medications but started on Escitalapam in Jan this year..it definitely helps with anxiety and worrying. I'm only on 10mg... I have found it different than the other AD a i've been on before...it seems to be popular too... If I could live without taking medication, I would do that in a heart beat but life with panic attacks and constant anxiety was crippling.. I also know there are many things I could do but couldn't because of my anxiety..it was so frustrating..

Only you can decide what to do but if you choose to try Escitalapam, I would try a low dose first and see if it helps. All the ADs are different and while some are good for one, another person doesn't like it .. and vice versa.

Definately treat the root of the problem if you can too...in my case, I don't make enough seratonin so although cognitive behaviour therapy definately helps, it doesn't stop it.

I also think, from experience, it's better to get help before you get to the point of a nervous breakdown.. you can always decide to stop if you want to..

I hope this helps in some small way...this forum can be very helpful 😊

I sometimes feel this is a flaw in society more than in us, along with all the people in the world who experience this. The world is not designed to relieve mental illness. So it seems, it is creating more and more darkness and disaster in people everyday. I wish there was a positive way to harness the darkess and turn it into a positive force to be reckoned with... and to connect people with.  Wouldn't that be something 

Hi there! I'm a 23 yo female who has been trying to fix her panic attacks for over a year now. From the panic came 24/7 anxiety. New to feeling anxiety all the time, but truly it was there from the beginning.

As everyone has said, yes of course each med and treatment is different per person. I would suggest if there are certain things you have anxiety over, such as a fear or phobia, or certain place or situation, try looking into hypnotherapy. You're already seeing a therapist which I think is a good step and yes, medication may be involved if anxiety is messing with your daily life now. But I got into hypnotherapy (after trying weekly acupuncture and daily yoga and medications) and it is helping me so far nail down the specifics and diminishing the fears and anxieties related to those. I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out to me whenever.. I'm here for you! It's quite a journey being us isn't it!