Mental Health Medication phobia

[noone1]

What do you do if you're so anxious that anti-anxiety medication gives you anxiety?

I've been taking .125 of xanax twice a day for about two weeks for anxiety. It helps but I keep obsessively reading about benzo withdrawal and side effects and then start panicking thinking my use will lead to having a seizure and dying. It kind of makes the point of taking them moot.

I think on some level I don't want to get better. DBT is really fucking slow and I am fighting it all the way. I hate the uncomfortable feelings it brings up even while on medication.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Maybe ask for a less addicting anti-anxiety drug? Xanax can create anxiety...

DBT is great. Don't fight if you can. Just immerse. The uncomfortable feelings may mean that it's working.

 

[noone1]

Maybe ask for a less addicting anti-anxiety drug? [ANCHOR][/ANCHOR]Xanax can create anxiety...

DBT is great. Don't fight if you can. Just immerse. The uncomfortable feelings may mean that it's working.

I don't really care about "addicting" it's the side effects that scare the shit out of me. Per my other thread about maybe doctor giving me opiates I think even that is doomed for failure as I cannot see myself taking any medication for long without freaking out and wanting to get off it no matter what it is.

I can barely even drink alcohol anymore. Even sugar and junk food set me off. I am "forced" to live a straight edge lifestyle by my neurosis and "clean living" really does little for my anxiety. Everything seems more and more hopeless.

I suppose I am getting more into "dark side" territory here I think maybe I am more depressed than I realize.

 

[pentouch]

The clean living is the right option,when you need to get things in order,when body is healthy it is easier for your brain to work,because it is all the part of your system. Dont think too much about uncomfortable feelings,because anxiety will cause more anxiety,and then your brain will 100% program itself for you to worry most of the day..as well you know there is "positive thinking method" on the other side,its the same programming,it works only with time,when more and more the part of your day becomes stress free,little steps,because it is what makes your brain to adjust. As for nooow,you probably googling all the bad side effects of medication,it is always good for people to educate them selves ,but dont get into too much,because "freaking out" is a product of constant thinking about the negatives. You need medication because you can not coup by your self AT this part of your life,untill you will understand that theres no logic in your anxiety and fear,that theres living,then you will be off this medication gradually at the right state of mind it is easier than in chaotic "freaking emergency get me off this med now" style

 

[onetwocatpoo]

I had a fear of starting on meds, I got put on SSRI's and it's the best thing i ever did.
I don't think i'd be here now without them.
You might have to try a few different things first to find the right meds for you. A while after i was put on an SSRI they added an antipsychotic as well, (i'm not psychotic it was more for agitation and some anxiety) . I tried 2 different meds for that and decided they both weren't right for me. Different people need different things, some people just need CBT, some Meds and some need both, it's all case by case dependent.

Don't forget that mental health issues can take a longgg time to sort out or get to a manageable/happy level. It can take a long time but if you stick to it and find what is right for you it could make a huge difference, also in regards to the xanax, don't forget it can take time for you to get adjusted to it and used to it when you do take it.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

What do you do if you're so anxious that anti-anxiety medication gives you anxiety?

I've been taking .125 of xanax twice a day for about two weeks for anxiety. It helps but I keep obsessively reading about benzo withdrawal and side effects and then start panicking thinking my use will lead to having a seizure and dying. It kind of makes the point of taking them moot.

I think on some level I don't want to get better. DBT is really fucking slow and I am fighting it all the way. I hate the uncomfortable feelings it brings up even while on medication.

If you were diabetic, you would have no choice but to take your insulin each day otherwise you would die. How hard is it to pop a fucking pill? Until you give these medications time to work, you will always be anxious. I think your time would be better spent telling your psychiatrist what you are telling us.

One time I was prescribed an anti-depressant that made my heart race. I told my doc the next day and he took me off it and put me on something else. My point is that, if you want to get better, then open and honest communication with your treatment team is the only way to do it.

 

[noone1]

I do tell my doctor everything I am telling you guys. They don't know what to do with me.

 

[pentouch]

what caused you to search for medical help?? I ask because xanax i pretty potent drug but you have really low dose

 

[Cliffy78]

Hi noone, Xanax just doesn't work for some people, in some it even make them more anxious. You should call your dr and let him know how the med is making u feel and he may try u on a different med cause that's a pretty serious side effect considering the med is supposed to do the exact opposite of that. There soooo many different meds and classes of meds for anxiety and with your depression coming on strong a change may work much better for you. Your far from alone here, a lot of us are all dealing with some kind of mental illness that's treatment resistant. I tried benzos too but no matter how many I took they didn't really help my anxiety at all looking back. Just give your dr holler and see if he can help ya out. I wish u all the best, god bless

 

[aq.]

I have the same issue. when I take a new med (for anything really) I get super anxious about it. usually it goes away once I realize that it's okay, but it's not immediate.

alprazolam just may not work for you. talk to your doctor about other option.

 

[noone1]

what caused you to search for medical help?? I ask because xanax i pretty potent drug but you have really low dose

I'm actually supposed to be on a much higher dose but I can't bring myself to take it as prescribed. The thought of having to be on a medication for the rest of my life really pisses me off.

I have the same issue. when I take a new med (for anything really) I get super anxious about it. usually it goes away once I realize that it's okay, but it's not immediate.

alprazolam just may not work for you. talk to your doctor about other option.

I intend to. Maybe medication is not for me. But therapy alone just isn't working.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

The thought of having to be on a medication for the rest of my life really pisses me off.

A lot of us have been here. Like I said previously, until you are able to accept this fact and move on then you will probably always suffer from anxiety. There is nothing wrong with taking a pill every day. Once I found a medication regimen that had minimal side effects, I realized that it really isn't so bad. Like popping a multi-vitamin every morning.

It's all about quality of life, really. If you want to be happy, then you will find a way to make the medication work for you. If you want to be anxious and make excuses for everyone and yourself, then keep going down the road you are on. It's a long and miserable one.

 

[Erikmen]

What do you do if you're so anxious that anti-anxiety medication gives you anxiety?

I've been taking .125 of xanax twice a day for about two weeks for anxiety. It helps but I keep obsessively reading about benzo withdrawal and side effects and then start panicking thinking my use will lead to having a seizure and dying. It kind of makes the point of taking them moot.

I think on some level I don't want to get better. DBT is really fucking slow and I am fighting it all the way. I hate the uncomfortable feelings it brings up even while on medication.

Maybe Xanax isn´t the medication you need. Have you tried Valium? Anxiety is a very strong state of mind and the body demands much more than a dose of Xanax to solve with that.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I do tell my doctor everything I am telling you guys. They don't know what to do with me.

It sounds to me like your doctor does know what to do with you. You are the one not taking your meds as prescribed. And if the med isn't working, it's up to you to ask your doc for something else. And if you feel your doctor is incompetent, then its up to you to get a second opinion or even a new doctor. Just because you suffer from anxiety does not mean that your excuses are going to work on this forum.

 

[Erikmen]

A lot of us have been here. Like I said previously, until you are able to accept this fact and move on then you will probably always suffer from anxiety. There is nothing wrong with taking a pill every day. Once I found a medication regimen that had minimal side effects, I realized that it really isn't so bad. Like popping a multi-vitamin every morning.

It's all about quality of life, really. If you want to be happy, then you will find a way to make the medication work for you. If you want to be anxious and make excuses for everyone and yourself, then keep going down the road you are on. It's a long and miserable one.

Well said

 

[noone1]

A lot of us have been here. Like I said previously, until you are able to accept this fact and move on then you will probably always suffer from anxiety. There is nothing wrong with taking a pill every day. Once I found a medication regimen that had minimal side effects, I realized that it really isn't so bad. Like popping a multi-vitamin every morning.

It's all about quality of life, really. If you want to be happy, then you will find a way to make the medication work for you. If you want to be anxious and make excuses for everyone and yourself, then keep going down the road you are on. It's a long and miserable one.

It sounds to me like your doctor does know what to do with you. You are the one not taking your meds as prescribed. And if the med isn't working, it's up to you to ask your doc for something else. And if you feel your doctor is incompetent, then its up to you to get a second opinion or even a new doctor. Just because you suffer from anxiety does not mean that your excuses are going to work on this forum.

You're probably right. In my heart I would rather die than go through the pain of changing. But at the same time I do not want the negatives that come from living the way I do.

I will just have to hope therapy eventually changes my mindset. I guess there is nothing else to discuss.

 

[Erikmen]

It does change, from my perspective. But it takes a while. Maybe more time than we would wish for.

 

[Shrooms00087]

The fact is there is no medication that will not come with severe drawbacks. These are just the tough questions you have to ask.