Starting anti-depressants.
What led to this decision?
I have always thought that doctors prescribe medication for mental health way too easily,because there is not enough licensed mental health professionals available for people in need.
I have been an advocate for talk therapy and other non medicated options like yoga. Most of these options have been already tried out with mixed results. Over the last few years i have joined a support group, was in psychotherapy for tree years, tried a therapeutic online program that helped me to gain access to tools that help with better understanding the causes of my anxiety, I am currently seeing a youth worker and a nurse regularly.
besides all of this over the course of the last few months my anxiety had gotten to a point where i am not able to function properly in day to day life anymore. Not only am i dealing with regular panic attacks but also my nervous system is in overdrive 24/7 and almost everything makes me feel anxious. This is not a good place to be.
Me and my doctor made a decision to start a small dose of anti-depressant that is known to help with both anxiety disorders and depression. I think that the thought of taking a medicine for mental health is so scary because the picture you get from the media is of those seriously mentally ill patients in psychiatric hospitals so heavily medicated that they cant even function properly anymore. The truth is that in most cases very small dose is all it takes to make someone feel better and you might not even get any side effects.
I still think that the first course of action should be talk therapy but i am not against medication when it is necessary. I was offered a medication for the very first time over tree years ago but i never picked it up due to being afraid of it and feeling like the doctor tried to force me to take it. He basically said that it would help with my sensitivity,this most certainly was not the reason what i came to see him for.
Fast forward to today, i just took the fifth dose. It has been five days since i took the first pill. So far my body seems to be responding well. no side effects, except that food tasted weird a few days ago and i had some small changes in my appetite, but those went away. My biggest fear was that the medication would make me feel super groggy and tired as my only experience with these medicines has been the ones that they give you in the hospital before surgery. I did not realize that those medications are completely different type that what i am on. So,no problems with this whatsoever.
I have the first follow up appointment in about a month. Meanwhile i will be taking the medicine and doing all the other things that help with managing my anxiety. Overall i am feeling hopeful about this, also i am no longer afraid of taking the medicine.
I will keep you posted on how i feel over the course of the treatment.
