Anxiety ruining my life ...

[nellyad]

It's causing me so many physical symptoms.
Aibu to think I can't do it and start medications?
Does anyone take meds anxiety /depression?
What do you take?
Dosage?
Side effects etc ?

Nellyad, yep. Yep, yep to most.

I feel you, the physical symptoms are ever changing and can make life hell,

I’ve tried most antidepressants, to not much avail. I am currently on propranolol to help with some of the physical symptoms, diazepam, and venlafaxine.

This is about as good as I feel like it’s going to get for me. I couple this with exercise each day, meditation and CBT techniques.

The medication you may get may differ completely. I do have asthma and a family history of addiction which somewhat inhibits what I’m given much of the time.

Oh I’ve also had another medication which helped with the headaches, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it is.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

If yoga and mindfulness cured anxiety and depression, the NHS would prescribe them to everyone. They can help you manage, but they aren't a suitable treatment for a chemical imbalance.

It took a while to find the right meds and the right dose for me, but it made such a difference that my GP actually apologised to me for not prescribing sooner. I took anti depressants and anti anxiety meds, including venlafaxine.
I dont want to say too much about the side effects because I was on a very high dose, so it wont apply to you. I did have some weight gain, but now I'm off the ADs now and the weight is coming off.
I have a prescription for diazepam as and when required, because I don't find it addictive. Its just there if I need it.

I also had therapy including CBT and mindfulness. The CBT was more useful.

I also just want to point out, you may not get medication the first, second, third or even fourth time asking. It’s taken me 8 struggling years to get the help I’m currently getting.

Dd is on Sertraline. It helps enormously. But do be aware that the first month can be very very difficult.

I'm having cbt and I take propranolol (not sure if it helps ) I still struggle to get over my mams death 17-18 years later.
I'm terrified of side affects but can't be any worse than living like this.

I'm on a combination of venlafaxine and mirtazipine, and it's worked wonders for my mental health. The mirtazipine did make me put on a bit of weight (I hear that's common) but otherwise I have zero side effects. I've been on venlafaxine for years (the mirtazipine was a recent addition) and have held down a professional job in that time with no problems at all. In fact I was a lot less anxious about anything than most of my colleagues! (stressful work environment).

I honestly don't understand why people struggle on and on, when there are meds that can help. There seem to be such negative connotations around people taking anti depressants and it's not helpful. Most people wouldn't hesitate to take medication for a physical ailment but somehow you're seen as "weak" if you take medication for MH. That whole attitude needs to change.