Realizing you need to be on medication

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I'm beginning to realize that I really do need to be on anxiety medication. My body is in constant fight or flight mode. I have panic attacks lying down in bed many nights. I notice Ativan definitely helps. I definitely need medication probably for life unfortunately. I just hope I can find the right medication to be on.

just my experience, Low dose tranqs , strong allergy med. attention to colon bacteria, acidophilus type products to balance gut flora . possibly clean diet . Helped me alot .. non drowsy allergy med during the day, might try it out?
Personal experience : with Mucinex allergy tablets, Blue and white tab at night , orange and white tab for days.
best wishes.

Thank you for sharing Jakki! You have so much knowledge! I actually have some acidophilus type products I can try. A clean diet would definitely help too. I normally take Zyrtec (Certirizine) for an allergy med but don't take it as frequently as I probably should. I will have to try the Mucinex allergy tablets! I appreciate you sharing that and am definitely going to try those! I was getting scared I might be having heart issues. I found out my cholesterol was 240 on Friday.

Yeah you've gotta do what you've gotta do man and there's no shame in that

Going through something similar myself so you're not alone

Thank you, babybird! You are absolutely right Hope everything gets better for you as well!

Thank you

A different perspective:

I used to take anti depressants from my late teens until my early 20s. I then took myself off.
For nearly 20 years I've been medication free. There have been a few exceptions - I was prescribed
meds by a psychiatrist once and tried them for a week. I did not like how I felt taking them
and ceased taking them after 6 days.

I don't take anything nowadays and feel better. I do get anxiety at times, but I prefer not taking anything unnatural that my body doesn't need.

I came into this world not needing any medications and intend to stay that way.

Good luck!

I had a lot of anxiety a few months ago and couldn't sleep for about a month but fortunately it went away.
I saw my PCP about it and she suggested some non-prescription pills to take.
Most likely I just needed more time.
I think it was helpful knowing that medications were available should I need them.

Last edited by BTDT on 09 Feb 2025, 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My thoughts: I don’t see mental health medications any differently than I see medications for physical conditions, like high BP. Some of us need them; others don’t. Some need them temporarily, others permanently. There’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. It’s about finding what works for you. I wouldn’t say or imply what someone should or shouldn’t do medication-wise because we’re all so different and have different brains and experiences. (Also, I’m not a doctor.) I struggle with anxiety and panic attacks due to my anxiety disorder (PTSD). Knowing that benzos are an option when I’m struggling helps a lot because there have been times when my anxiety/panic were not bearable, so I get it. I’m also thankful for an old antidepressant I take for sleep. I think it can be empowering to figure out what you need and what works for you as an individual.

I recently was in the ER due to an anxiety attack pushing me into dangerous levels of blood pressure. They had to give me Ativan to bring my heart rate down.

My anxiety was extreme from October to mid January. I'm back on meds prescribed for anxiety. Mine is an antipsychotic, anxiety is an off-label use.

Sometimes you just gotta. Same as I need meds and insulin for diabetes.

Thank you for sharing! If I could do it I probably would choose not to be on them but tried to come off a couple times and was unsuccessful. I ended up having severe withdrawal. It might have been how I did the withdrawal but each time I tried it just never worked. I'm glad you were able to come off ok!

Thank you so much I'm glad your anxiety went away and you were able to sleep better. I'm grateful too knowing there are medications that can help.

Thank you for sharing TwilightPrincess I agree with you. My Psychiatrist always made that analogy that it's like having to take blood pressure or Diabetes medication and she and you are right. With chronic conditions medication like anxiety and Depression it can be necessity. Thank you for sharing about your anxiety and panic attacks as well well. The Benzos have greatly helped. I remember the first Psychiatrist I saw when I was 13 put me on them when I was probably 21 or 22 over stress from college. I remember he told me they should "take the edge off". After I had my first major Panic attack in 2019 I used them more frequently when I would have severe symptoms. I'm glad your old antidepressant is helping you sleep. Sleep is so important. I agree with you too that it's very empowering when you figure out what works for you!

Thank you for sharing colliegrace Being in the ER with anxiety is nerve wracking. A month ago I had an ambulance take me to the ER as I thought I was having a heart attack but was just a severe panic attack. Ativan is very helpful in reducing blood pressure. I'm glad your meds are working for you! I am hoping a new Psychiatrist I am seeing tomorrow will be able to help me find the right med. It's definitely like managing diabetes which I know is very very difficult to manage.

If there is any medication I am interested in, it's a medication that
probably hasn't hit the market yet.

Something to prolong the human lifespan. I want to live as long as I can.
There are pharmaceutical companies that research gene editing.
That to me is fascinating.

I'm 40 now. I have so much that I want to do. Many on the spectrum (I imagine people on the spectrum would agree with me)
are late bloomers. My 20s and 30s are gone. I can't get them back. I don't want to sound negative, but I've lived so much of my life in isolation. Up and until my mid 20s, I had enough people in my life through general activities, work, etc.
I still experienced loneliness/isolation, but it wasn't nearly the way it is now.

Into my later 20s and for practically all of my 30s, I've been by myself a lot. That's no way to live. Many of my peers have had relationships, traveled, had careers and started families. I haven't had a job since I was 33.

I want to experience those things. I want science to advance so. that I can live more life.

I still wake up every morning generally excited and optimistic about life. I expect big results and believe in my potential.

It's not much fun, idn't it. I walked out of there with 6 new prescriptions.

Mental health science is still in its early stages, so meds are veryyy much trial and error, even moreso than stuff like diabetes or hypertension meds.
And I do think they sometimes push meds when they're not necessarily needed, but for severe cases like mine or yours, they are at least needed for a time. Anxiety and depression have so many different and varied causes and triggers that are still not well known or understood.

For some with depression, it's a chemical imbalance and the right meds that correct that imbalance improves their quality of life, and it may be necessary lifelong.
For someone else with depression, it may just be circumstantial and something that will eventually correct itself. In that case, meds may still help for a time, even if not lifelong.

Imo of course.