Would you ever take anti anxiety medication?

[Kitan Etos]

I have a mild form of social anxiety, but I am very weary of drugs. I doubt I want to do that route.

[Edwardo Piet]

Well if they're not necessary and it's really that mild, that's perfectly heatlthy of you to not use meds Kitan.

But if it recommended by your doctor, necessary and becomes more intense, then meds may be a good idea.

[rexbeccarox]

Well if they're not necessary and it's really that mild, that's perfectly heatlthy of you to not use meds Kitan.

But if it recommended by your doctor, necessary and becomes more intense, then meds may be a good idea.

I mean... almost every doc I've had in the past 25 years, including GPs, want me on meds. The thing is: I'm happier and more productive being miserably depressed than when I'm on meds because the meds totally sap my creativity, and that's one of the main things I live for. I'd rather die than have my creativity be inaccessible.

Doctors can't measure stuff like that.

[Edwardo Piet]

I mean... almost every doc I've had in the past 25 years, including GPs, want me on meds. The thing is: I'm happier and more productive being miserably depressed than when I'm on meds because the meds totally sap my creativity, and that's one of the main things I live for. I'd rather die than have my creativity be inaccessible.

Doctors can't measure stuff like that.

I agree but it does depend on the doctor or psychiatrist... not everyone wants to push you on meds

And you do say almost every doc, I do agree there's a lot of crap doctors... it's the same as in other professions... 

I've had like 6 psychiatrists over the years... the first 5 psychs I had all wanted me on Lithium or another strong mood stabilizer and they were CONVINCED that I had bi-polar disorder... the last psych I had was allegedly the most acclaimed psych in the entire north east on England... and he got me down to very low meds and weaned me off them completely. He  believed that I should only be on meds if absolutely necessary, and the absolute minimum is best... he also didn't believe in putting people into boxes and labeling people, and despite him specializing in diagnosis he never wished to label me with a particular illness he said he wanted to focus on symptoms and treatment and he got me off meds, got me healthy and I'm very grateful to him ... definitely best psych I had.... he helped me recover.

[Faith No More]

I was on large doses of benzodiazepines for many, many years. They help great with the anxiety, but they're highly addicting. Xanax would give me the shakes if I didn't take it every two hours or so. When my psychiatrist left his job, the new doctors I got stopped prescribing them to me, because I abused them. I did go through some pretty serious withdrawls from them if I ran out. That's a horrible experince.

I would kill to get a prescription to klonopin or atavan again, but it may be better for me not to have one. I think if I looked around for a doctor, it wouldn't be too difficult to get one that would prescribe them to me. I actually have an appointment with my psych. on Tuesday, and I'm going to let her know I've been anxious lately. Chances are whatever she suggests won't work for shit, though. Nothing works for anxiety like benzos.

[Edwardo Piet]