How to overcome medication anxiety when you need it to help with awful anxiety? Vicious cycle!

[Thetoasterhasbroken]

I have had anxiety (various types) for years and have limped along living a half life because I have a huge fear of medication and nothing else (hypnotherapy, counselling, CBT etc) has helped.
However, the last 5 years have been very tough and I am getting to the point where I am very, very much struggling with everything.
What with balancing work, helping my teens navigate life, working on my marriage, looking after my mum who has Alzheimer’s and dealing with physical health issues (Daily, awful IBS, horrific heavy periods which caused extremely low ferritin and iron (just had infusions and an ablation) and probable Perimenopause, I am 49), I am literally just about holding my life together.
I know I sound melodramatic but I honestly feel I am very close to a breakdown.
Yet! Ridiculous as it’s sounds, I am petrified to take the meds which may help me.
Because I can just (literally just!), hold my life together the fear of taking a medication and ending up with additional side effects just fills me with such anxiety that I can not move forward from that fear so am stuck in this bloody awful limbo land/half life situation.
I am my own worst enemy but just can not move forward from this? I suppose it’s part of the health anxiety?
How do I overcome medication anxiety?

I had that too. You just have to be very brave unfortunately and try different medications until you find one that suits you. I found that using a pill cutter and having a quarter of one tablet helped. Then very gradually working my way up to a whole one.
i didn’t get on with Ssri’s, they made me ill (physically not mentally) but then I tried amitriptyline- just 10mg and it made all the difference. It was incredible.

Hi @Thetoasterhasbroken, you sound like you’re not in a great place but you’re not sure medication is the answer? I think that’s an ok position to take! It’s worth making sure that it’s the right thing for you before you take it and to shop around a bit before you make a decision.