AIBU to want to manage without drugs?

[ProfessorofDarkArts]

I’m currently signed off work with stress and anxiety, GP has prescribed Sertraline but I really don’t want to take it, mostly due to the side effects but also because I don’t believe the problems are in my head. I’ve had an incredibly stressful few years and I know I’ve just hit a point where it’s all got a bit too much. I want to get better by making positive changes not relying on drugs but the GP won’t support that. I’m due back at work soon and don’t feel at all ready to deal with it (a lot of the stress is work-related) but I don’t think they will sign me off for a longer period, they seem to just think drugs can fix what are actually genuine issues in my life. Am I really not helping myself by not wanting to take drugs? I know all the ‘you’d take aspirin for a headache’ stuff but I don’t think it’s the same.

GP’s will always want you on the drugs. That’s their job. Just tell them you won’t take them.

It’s exactly the same as taking aspirin for a headache or insulin for diabetes.

Of course nobody can force you to take them if you don’t want to but equally the GP can only do so much - if you don’t want to try medication they’re not just going to sign you off indefinitely until you get better on your own.

There is nothing wrong with being supported by using medication along with rest, meditation, prayer, whatever works for you, but I certainly wouldn’t dismiss it and refer to it as “drugs” with such contempt. Some of us rely on those drugs to maintain good mental health and not become a burden on the taxpayer.

You say you've had an incredibly stressful few years so you've probably got "shit life syndrome" as opposed to depression. No amount of medication is going to put that right. You are right to refuse the ADs which just numb your feelings anyway - they are useful at times, but not in your case which is obviously situational.

I hope things manage to change for the better for you.

Maybe pretend you are taking them get the prescriptions and don’t use them, tell the dr you don’t still feel well enough to return to work and he may give you longer off and then hopefully you can heal yourself naturally. But if it’s work related I do feel it will just start up again once you return, maybe look for a new job maybe something completely different and part time if you can afford to. X

The evidence for sertraline and other SSRIs is really weak. It performs no better than a placebo in clinical trials. I’ve always refused and looked for other ways - lifestyle changes, therapy, mindfulness etc.

Ask for a redeployment.

When I’m overwhelmed by shit life situations, I find medication helpful. I view it as being like a splint or plaster. It doesn’t fix anything but it helps and supports while you fix yourself.

Unless your stress situation is solved, you need something to help you endure until it is.

Drugs can't fix the genuine issues but they can alleviate the symptoms to give you clarity of thought and a breathing space so that you can make informed decisions. If you are not ready to go back to work, but you don't have any other choice then the drugs might help. If you want an alternative mindfulness and/or CBT can also help.

This. When I was going through some massively stressful family things I got meds. They didn’t fix the situation but they helped me cope and lessened the physical effects of constant anxiety and stress. Life was what it was but at least my intestines could function and I didn’t walk around feeling like the world would implode.

Its hard to say if your mentally ill the drugs will help if you are just going through a shit time and its got to much and you need a break then lifestyle changes will be better. Medication has helped me loads but my problems where not life related if that makes sense.

To be clear I’m really not looking down on anyone who takes these or thinking I know better than a doctor. It just doesn’t feel like the right solution for me and the side effects sound worse than how I am currently feeling. I need time and space to make some changes, I’m not looking to become ‘a burden on the tax payer’.

Honestly? Two short periods on Sertraline in my life were an excellent management tool. I was still going through a messy divorce in period 1, and still dealing with multiple bereavements and elderly relatives in period 2, but the Sertraline helped me handle it. I thought of it as like wheels on a suitcase tbh.

This is spot on. I refused sertraline the first time I was offered it during a stressful work situation, for exactly the same reasons as you describe OP. A few years later another stressful period happened but this time I took them. It was incredibly helpful, just gave me a little bit extra clarity to help me think around the really stressful occurrences and come out the other side with myself a bit more intact. They don't resolve the situation but they do help me to resolve my situation and my body's response to it. I wish I'd taken them the first time round

When I had anxiety I refused AD and was instead given propranolol to take before anything I knew would stress me out. It worked brilliantly, I didn’t become dependent all it just gave me a boost when I needed to do things I was struggling with and I didn’t have any side effects like you can get with AD.

If you do not want to take it, don't take it. You are an adult, and in this case do not need to defer to the doctor.
Sit down and plan out how you are going to tackle the lifestyle changes you want to implement without the help of a doctor. And then do it. If it does not work, you can always go back to the GP.

Best wishes.

I took anti anxiety drugs at a similar time in my life.

they helped me while I was making the changes I needed to (leaving job).

no side effects

Some people, including myself do well on them but you should always always have autonomy in what you put in your body and how you manage your own MH so if you don’t want to take them then don’t feel pressured to do so.
id be confident your doctor will extend your sick leave whether you take them or not, it would be negligible to send someone back to work who is still unwell.
you do have a duty to make actions to manage your MH, not just for your job but for your own sake, id highly recommend finding a good therapist.
good luck OP, I really hope you feel more hopeful soon, sounds like you could be burnt out.
also to add, I have recently found chatGBT really helpful in unpicking and understanding my thoughts x

Indeed. Of course you cannot be forced to take any drugs, however misguided your logic may be. But they're not going to give you an indefinite free pass to do so.

Sertraline was a life saver for me. I was going through a VERY stressful period and meditation and long walks weren’t cutting it anymore. I wish I’d started them sooner.

No-one can force you to take them though.

Of course the GP can’t force you to take anti-depressants in this situation @ProfessorofDarkArts , but there is so much missing info here. Are you asking for other things the GP is saying they can’t give you, and saying they can only offer the ADs? If so then you are being unreasonable and misrepresenting the situation. If you’ve been signed off for a while what have you done about resolving the shit life situation? You can’t be signed off forever, nor is it good for you to be so, and the GP is probably trying to stop you becoming entrenched.

I've had a horrific few years, the least of which has been 5 surgeries. I now have no small amount of anxiety and sleep issues. I went to my GP recently admitting I'm now struggling with everything. We talked it through and agreed that medication probably wasn't right for me. When I'm not in pain, sleep deprived or overwhelmed, I'm still my same happy self. She clearly agreed it's my situation not anything else.

So not all gp's immediately slap you on drugs! I did get emergency sleep tablets for if I get desperate about sleep but I've only used 1 so far and it didn't fix my early morning waking anyway!

Be direct with your GP. Tell them exactly what you need as they're not mind readers!

@Keepingthingsinteresting I’m not sure what you’re asking. No I haven’t asked the GP for anything, I didn’t even ask to be signed off and it’s only been a couple of weeks. I don’t like the implication from a couple of posters that I’m just using this as an excuse to sit on my arse. I’ve worked all my life, never claimed anything and taken very little time off. I realise there’s a bit of a stigma around anxiety and people being signed off while everyone else pays for them but this isn’t me.

Why not try the meds while you're making changes and looking for a new job? Where you're currently at isn't working for you. If you don't like how they make you feel, stop taking them. Taking them doesn't stop you also making lifestyle changes and might even make them easier to sustain?

Sertraline will give you time and space. Just because the problems are real life issues doesn't mean they aren't making your head poorly! I took sertraline for 6 months when I was going through a very stressful and sad period of my life and it helped. Don't take it by all means if you don't want to but don't discount the very real mental health impact of real life stress. Most depression is related to life stress/trauma rather than being spontaneous onset. It doesn't make it less real or less responsive to medication.