Are you considering anxiety medication?
Medication can be a good option for some people experiencing anxiety and panic disorder. The decision to use anti-anxiety medication, or to make changes to your current dosage, should always be discussed with a doctor.
Hopefully your doctor will also make you aware of these considerations:
• Medication may 'cover up' anxiety and other negative emotions, but
will probably not remove the underlying cause. Eventually that submerged iceberg
of a problem will probably crash through to the surface again, unless you take
steps to resolve those issues while you're medicated. Unfortunately, medication
can often dull the desire to take such action.
• Are the emotions that you're feeling normal for the situation? Consider
a good friend of mine whose husband was diagnosed with terminal illness. This
of course caused her significant distress, and her physician prescribed [trademark
name drug] to help cope with the feelings. She revealed to me that as she later
sat alone in her room, realizing she was losing her companion of 30 years, she
could not cry a single tear. Do you really want to numb yourself to the feelings
of life? Perhaps what you're feeling is normal for the situation. The Self Therapy
for Anxiety program is excellent for learning to "manage" such emotions.
• The human brain can build up tolerance to prescription drugs. This means
that eventually you may have to increase your medication to higher and higher
dosages to maintain the same effect. If you should choose to discontinue your
medication at some point, you may find yourself experiencing the same amount
of anxiety, or even more than you were before. This could make it difficult
to discontinue use.
• Be aware of the side effects associated with the medication(s) you are
considering. You can usually get a good overview of these issues by reading
the literature provided with the prescription - maybe in small print. Some side
effects can be significant, ranging from sleep disturbance, to nausea, to sexual
dysfunction.
• It is very easy for doctors, often burdened by heavy workloads, to write
a prescription rather than taking the time to explore lasting cognitive or behavioral
therapies for their patients. Resolving an 'invisible' problem like anxiety
may require that you take responsibility for educating yourself or seek input
from more than one doctor.
Again, always discuss your options with a qualified medical professional. And never make changes to your regimen before speaking with a doctor. If you should decide that medication is appropriate for your situation, we strongly suggest that you also make a conscious effort to pursue more permanent behavioral or cognitive solutions while medicated.
