Stress Center Peer Support

I can't understand why i go to the Dr's for my anxiety and when she perscribes me something to take I leave with a possitve attitude untill I get the pills home. There they sit on the counter for days. I look at them and say maybe I will take it tomorrow. I have tried several in the past and had not so good reactions. This is a hard discision to make. Yes I need something but I don't want to feel any worse then I do now. I take valium once in a while for really tense days. I have been living in denial for so long that I thought I was living a normal life. I can't go anywhere without my husband. I don't drive and I hate to be left alone. This is all due to having vertigo for 12 years. I have been vertigo free for 2 months and I thought when it was gone I would be able to persue a normal life. All these phobias I have are stuck in my head and i can't seem to break out of this shell. Im sorry i am going off track here. Some days I think I need something and other days I feel fine, I think. I don't know anymore. I am so confused with how I really feel. Any advice, HELP

Hey Spun,

Your not alone ! I fight with myself all the time,but it the other guy who wins.I do the same thing as for going to the doc's,feel better for a while the feel bad with or without meds.Although you should at least give the med's a chance.I take valium as well and don't think it does much at all,but at least it's there.My phobia's seem to come and go and vary in degree.Don't expect someone who really has not experienced these type of things to understand either I've tried Best thing I can think of is to maybe list your phobia's on paper then set out to conquer them one at a time.There are usually triggers associated with phobia's.Phobia's = fear in the end.Trigger of the thought or past experience then fear.I've done it over and over again.Try to catch yourself at the trigger stage,try to recognize the triggers.Self talk helps,and the chance theory ,of how is it likely this will happen again.

Hope some of this helps

This is what my psychologist said to me-but you must work very long and very hard at rethinking. It can sometimes seem it will drive you mad. It's a lot of work every second of every day. Actually is just sucks! And most especially during a crisis of anykind, big or small. Think of tomorrow as the first day of your new life, like a newborn. For 10 months a newborn is floating all warm and toasty and comfortable and all of a sudden-his oven busts and his world becomes dry and he becomes very stressed. He is being pushed out of his world. He is stressed. He doesn't know WHAT is happening, he just knows it's big and different and scary. His system is shocked and his new learning begins. As soon as he is clean and wrapped up again in warm blankets, his crying stops. It passed. He moved on to sleep. With each new sensation, he is perplexed. He cries or laughs about every new noise, sensation etc. But once they realize those things are not a threat, it bothers them no more. Once it they find humor they look for it again. The move on. When I look at myself from this perspective, it makes obstacles easier to deal with. New isn't bad. New is just new. It's scary, but it is simply just something different. We will have anxiety, but it will always pass. It will not always result in a bad thing. You may find happiness on the other side of that obstacle. It's harder for adults as we have an encyclopedia full of knowledge. And one day we woke up and someone said-OOPS! Wrong Volume!! Do Over! Yeah right! Behavior and thinking modification sucks. It's just that simple. You have to practice every second of every day until you learn everything backwards, trying to ignore most everything you know. If I had a phobia, I'd have called it quits a long time ago. Just give me drugs! When I got confused about what was me and what was meds, I weaned off of them all and started over. It was they only way I could see to find a clearer perspective. It worked for me. I hated meds and 98% I couldn't take. I got sick of drug jumping. Almost all anxiety meds(I take Alprazolam)cause depression to some degree, period. Read the pamphlets. Low, correct dosing is relevant. Addiction and withdrawal, to some extent, is likely. Antidepressants cause anxiety and mood stabilizers have horrible side effects. We're screwed. We need relief and we hate drugs. The program is why I lowered my dose to severe anxiety and panic only, when I just can't stand it and I can't control it and something to help turn my brain off at night so I can sleep. One pill every 24 hours. I take Lamictal-1/2 the prescribed dose-for the once a month menopausal mood swing from hell. It helps enough that I won't take more. That's all. The program is why I keep trying to stay off meds. I felt 100% better after I got off all of my meds, than I did when I was on them. I am on way less and feel so much better. I am more comfortable and feel safer now. I will not ever increase or add to my current meds again if medically possibe. We can do this. We are doing this. Do not lose hope or faith in yourself. Keep working at it. You are not alone.

I too was afraid of meds and one day I said screw it, it cant be any worse than I feel now, and you know what? I was right, the meds have some SE, but it wasnt anything I couldnt handle and was no worse than the anxiety I was already having. In the long run, the meds (Lexapro) have worked wonders, I feel great, no anxiety, no SE, just feel like my old self. I am so glad I tried and stuck with it.

thanks for your advice. Its a toss up between lexapo or celexa. I am so sick of being me. If i could just get the pill in my mouth....

Lexapro has the least amount of SE, if that helps at all, and it is generally well tolerated by most people. Seriously you have nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point, so try it and stick with the meds. They are not a miracle they take time to work but they allow you to get better over time. Good Luck!

I too hate meds. I do the same at the doctor too I so bad want something to stop this yet so scard to take anything. A few years ago I took lexapro and it was great. but now the dr dont seem to want to give me that even if i request it cause he says its not for panic only anxiety and depression. He did give me paxil and that lasted one dose(that was even after looking at it for a week). You are not alone in any of this so be strong eveyone here will help and support you any time you need it. good luck!vicki

I finally broke down and took the klonopin. I took it friday night, slept all day saturday and now its Sunday and I still feel wiped out. Im not taking that anymore. If felt good to relax but I didn't like the dah feeling and I waisted a day away. This med is in the garbage now

Hi my suggestion is very different i was always scared of meds and i still won't take an advil for a headache lol, but i was severe agoraphobic i didn't drive and wouldn't leave my house. Everyone said i needed some kind of nerve pill and i said no way and you wouldn't believe the panic i was going through. I'm on session 10 now in the program and i'm leaving the house and driving its not very far yet , but that ain't the point i'm still doing it and i was stuck in my house for over a year thanks to the program its life changing!!!!!!
and it will do the same for you as well....GOOD LUCK,Brooke aka wd_woman

dear spun2tite,

i know what you mean with klonopin.

my dr prescribed me a small dose 3 years ago when i had my first panic attacks, and it always knocked me out.

it would put me into such a deep sleep i would drool- no lie.

i took it maybe 2-3x, and that was it.