If I have severe anxiety, should I let myself be medicated?

[lmfao]

I'm about to move out and start university. During the last year of uni I didn't cope very well with life and at some points had suicidal thoughts (but coped better once I was back home with family). I would like to think I've changed since then and learnt from the experience but I don't really know.

I've already been on SSRI's for a while, but its possible my medication would change if I talked to a doctor (e.g. increased). If I go this route, will using the medication mean that I will lessen my chances of making real progress? Or can it act as a crutch which allows me to slowly face my demons at my own pace? Advice from anyone who's used any sort of mental health drugs and/or has made self improvements despite/whilst taking them is especially appreciated (ofc advice from anyone is appreciated). 

 

 

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

How do you think you would be mentally if you tapered off the SSRIs? That’s definitely the optimal route here. 

If you weren’t on them it would be important to maximize a practice of naturally boosting your seretonin and other feel good neurotransmitters, ie exercising, nutrition, sleep, meditation, sunlight.

I feel for you, I know you have the power within especially with knowledge of actualized.org and spirituality you have the tools at your disposal to grow and overcome this. In the meantime, dont let the fact you are on SSRIs at the moment make you feel unworthy or lower you self esteem in any type of way. 

[lmfao]

@TrynaBeTurquoise

15 minutes ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

How do you think you would be mentally if you tapered off the SSRIs? That’s definitely the optimal route here. 

No clue. If I experiment with tapering off I would do it in probs a few weeks when I have settled into new lifestyle. 

15 minutes ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

If you weren’t on them it would be important to maximize a practice of naturally boosting your seretonin and other feel good neurotransmitters, ie exercising, nutrition, sleep, meditation, sunlight.

I feel for you, I know you have the power within especially with knowledge of actualized.org and spirituality you have the tools at your disposal to grow and overcome this. In the meantime, dont let the fact you are on SSRIs at the moment make you feel unworthy or lower you self esteem in any type of way. 

Yeah that last sentence is the most important tbh. The cruelest irony of neurosis is that it is only removed by "accepting" it, the more you feel guilty about it the worse that something becomes, in my experience. Because what's needed is an increase in conciousness, but guilt and low self esteem will cloud your mind even further. 

Yeah I have the theory... Just the application. 

[Ananta]

@lmfao Nothing wrong with taking medication for mental health issues. I'm a nurse and I'm here to tell ya mental health issues are very real and meds can and do help.

So, do what you gotta do and dont worry about other ppl's opinion (especially ppl on here, lol), as they probably dont understand how bad it can get.

[Freakyboo]

I second tapering off them slowly and see how you go. 

Having experienced years of clinical depression myself and been on and off SSRI's, I know there are definitely many ways to come out of depression/anxiety - meditation being number 1.  i understand that they are very helpful in the short-term if you are desperate, but they can be harmful if used too long, just like any other chemical drug because they mess with your body's natural ability to produce seratonin/dopamine or whatever neurotransmitter the drug is targeting, and when you do eventually come off them, you feel much worse than before until you can replenish your natural reserves.

IN the meantime, set up a strong daily meditation practice, exercise of some kind every day, sunshine and a diet/supplements that will replenish your body's natural reserves of seratonin etc.  SSRI's will definitely inhibit your spiritual progress, as they dull and numb your feelings. 

My rule of thumb is, whenever a "negative" feeling arises, instead of distracting yourself or numbing the feelings, feel it fully in your body without paying any attention to the thoughts that accompany it.  This is the natural path to healing the body/mind.  Get bodywork, healings, somatic therapy - anything to get you back into your body, if you can afford it.

Good luck.

"So, do what you gotta do and dont worry about other ppl's opinion (especially ppl on here, lol), as they probably dont understand how bad it can get."

Do you have some special knowledge of what other people on this forum have been through in their lives?

Edited September 29, 2019 by Freakyboo

[Elisabeth]

@lmfao I've been on mood-stabilizing medication for awhile. I'm now off it, because I wanted to experiment with holotropic breathwork and other stuff (where medication is quite clearly going in the opposite direction). During my worse times, I still sometimes doubt if it was the right move, but I know that I've grown both on meds and without them.

I do think medication can be a valuable crutch. 

My opinion is, if you have this important change coming, and your current medication is working, don't change it just because you're afraid it might get worse. Instead, take life-style precautions. Only if your anxiety gets worse despite, don't hesitate to take more medication. SSRI's are quite ok. Anxiety medication is more of a bitch, and should only be taken short-term, if at all possible.

The start of the academic life is challenging in many ways - change of environment & change of everything, isolation from your support people (family of origin), demands of the study program, competitiveness etc., so I suggest these lifestyle precautions:

• Even if you live in a students' dorm, sleep well and eat well (learn to cook)! Do whatever exercise routine is right for you. Of course, do have a meditation habit. (For me, the "do nothing" technique reduces anxiety, but that's just me.)
• If your school has a counsellor of a support group for students struggling with mental health, get into the program - or get therapy elsewhere.
• Try to build some quality friendships, so that you have people to turn to.
• Study regularly during the semester & try to keep up with lectures, so that you don't have to be extremely anxious about the increased workload during the exam period. If you're getting lost in a complex topic, get help.
• Do have a hobby that is very different from studying and helps you recharge. It should be possible to do something you love in addition to the course load. 

These are not imperatives - different people are helped by different stuff. If you can implement some of the points and keep them throughout the year, that's already great.  Just don't let your life fall apart in a lonely, anxious cycle of thoughts where you feel lost and are afraid to get help, ok?

In addition, I think you should go through the specific points of despair you had last year, and brainstorm some solutions that might address your personal hangups. If that's difficult, Leo's pre-mortem video, or a therapist, might be of help. 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Elisabeth

[JustThinkingAloud]

I agree with taking medication to help you while you’re fixing the problems that caused your anxiety. It’s a bit hard to know whether your anxiety has improved while you’re on it. You need to fully understand your anxiety and have ways how to deal with it when it happens without fully relying on the medication. Just be careful not to use the medication to escape and ignore the problems, feeling bad can be a big push to fix things.

[lmfao]

@Anna1

On 29/09/2019 at 4:48 AM, Anna1 said:

@lmfao Nothing wrong with taking medication for mental health issues. I'm a nurse and I'm here to tell ya mental health issues are very real and meds can and do help.

So, do what you gotta do and dont worry about other ppl's opinion (especially ppl on here, lol), as they probably dont understand how bad it can get.

Thanks

@Freakyboo @JustThinkingAloud yeah I'll just have to figure out what to do.

@Elisabeth

On 29/09/2019 at 6:48 PM, Elisabeth said:

@lmfao I've been on mood-stabilizing medication for awhile. I'm now off it, because I wanted to experiment with holotropic breathwork and other stuff (where medication is quite clearly going in the opposite direction). During my worse times, I still sometimes doubt if it was the right move, but I know that I've grown both on meds and without them.

I do think medication can be a valuable crutch. 

My opinion is, if you have this important change coming, and your current medication is working, don't change it just because you're afraid it might get worse. Instead, take life-style precautions. Only if your anxiety gets worse despite, don't hesitate to take more medication. SSRI's are quite ok. Anxiety medication is more of a bitch, and should only be taken short-term, if at all possible.

The start of the academic life is challenging in many ways - change of environment & change of everything, isolation from your support people (family of origin), demands of the study program, competitiveness etc., so I suggest these lifestyle precautions:

• Even if you live in a students' dorm, sleep well and eat well (learn to cook)! Do whatever exercise routine is right for you. Of course, do have a meditation habit. (For me, the "do nothing" technique reduces anxiety, but that's just me.)
• If your school has a counsellor of a support group for students struggling with mental health, get into the program - or get therapy elsewhere.
• Try to build some quality friendships, so that you have people to turn to.
• Study regularly during the semester & try to keep up with lectures, so that you don't have to be extremely anxious about the increased workload during the exam period. If you're getting lost in a complex topic, get help.
• Do have a hobby that is very different from studying and helps you recharge. It should be possible to do something you love in addition to the course load. 

These are not imperatives - different people are helped by different stuff. If you can implement some of the points and keep them throughout the year, that's already great.  Just don't let your life fall apart in a lonely, anxious cycle of thoughts where you feel lost and are afraid to get help, ok?

In addition, I think you should go through the specific points of despair you had last year, and brainstorm some solutions that might address your personal hangups. If that's difficult, Leo's pre-mortem video, or a therapist, might be of help. 

 

Woah thanks for the long response. Yeah I won't start taking anything more than SSRI's I don't think. Good bullet points. I think finding friendships is a hard thing. I don't really fit in anywhere.My interests and personality type is too niche. Even though I'm doing physics at university I haven't really found anyone I click with. I'm in my second year, I just walk into lecture halls in a random place with no friends, and then walk out. 

[LastThursday]

I was prescribed SSRI's at one point, but I just could not sleep on them, so stopped. However, my mood lifted slightly in the coming months, but I was not functioning at a 'normal' level a very long time. 

In the end I had enough and decided to self medicate and started with St John's Wort - after reading the literature that in some instances they were just as effective as SSRI's with less side effects. You don't need a prescription for it here in the UK.

After about three weeks I noticed a marked improvement, especially in the mornings. I continued taking it with hardly any side effects - other than the morning after a bout of drinking the night before, where I would feel slightly euphoric or high, possibly due to a spike in serotonin levels.

After nearly a year of continuous use, I decided to try stop to see what the effects were. I fairly rapidly noticed my mood drop, but nowhere near as bad as previous levels. Since then I've done a lot of work on myself and certain dark thoughts no longer bother me and I've improved my diet and exercise tremendously.

I would say it helped me pull myself out of a dark hole.

[remember]

@lmfao  think about the timing, if you move out and then get off medication soon after, it could be more dangerous than maybe change the medication while you are still at home, where you feel more stable. but if you move out soon, first try to get comfy in the new situation before you change the meds. better too slow than too fast. then you can also see if it`s the meds or maybe that you need more a shared housing what stabilizes you more. of course if it`s shared housing you need to feel into it, what kind of shared housing you would need, some are probably counterproductive to stability aswell.

Edited October 3, 2019 by remember