Worried about being on medication

Hi @Dee011 and welcome to the forums

I'm glad that you've found this space to reach out and talk about your concerns regarding medication. I think it can be quite common to be hesitant to use medication. There can be a lot of stigma around it, and of course it can take time to find one that works best for each individual.

While I can't speak from my own experience on this, I'd encourage you to express your concerns with your treating team so that you can have that discussion with them and hopefully feeling more confident in whichever decision you make.

I hope that others are able to share their own insights and experiences here too

Yeah it can be a tough thing and there's pro's and cons to all psych meds but it's all about function.

If your getting through things without falling backwards then your doing better than most but if if your finding your life affected by these things then it's worthwhile looking at.

Modern meds will address what your diagnosed with and will take the bite out of things for sure so I wouldn't rule it out. I'm old for example so take meds for cholesterol. I take meds for gout. I also take meds for schizophrenia and depression.......It's the modern world but as I suggested.....it's all about function.....if your mental problems are affecting your life medications can make a difference. They really can.

Thankyou for your advice.

Some days I do feel like I am starting to get back on top of things but other times it feels like it takes so long and so much effort for the simplest things.
I worry that medication will become a crutch but then again, with how hard everything is to do or overcome etc perhaps it will help.

i have spoken to my psychiatrist & they say ultimately its up to me but… I just dont know.

G’day @Dee011 yes it’s your anxiety making you feel hesitant about taking medication :pill:

The doctors have a good reason for wanting to prescribe medication to you.

The improvement process is far from linear.

Our brain’s response is mostly subconscious and unconscious.

@tyme will correct me if I’m wrong, when I say, it is my understanding that the amygdala part of the brain 🧠 controls the fight, flight or fawn response. The amygdala can increase in size due to traumatic experiences.

I have been on antidepressant anti-anxiety medication for a year now.

It has given me the ability to examine my responses and behaviours.

Prior to taking medication, I wasn’t aware of those reactions, responses and behaviours that do not serve me well.

Now that I am aware of these things, I can make better use of therapy.

@Dee011 Good morning. How are you feeling today?

I also want to be very clear about the effects of PTSD and trauma response.

Dee011 it is hard. It’s the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.

I have ADHD, I raised three children on my own, worked and did a university degree. Working through this is harder.

My PTSD is from 13 years of a Coercive Control DV.

For example, I need to transfer $10. to a Community Garden for membership. I have avoided it for two weeks.

I have avoided the post-settlement paperwork for 2 months. I can feel my whole body shaking just writing these words.

The days when everything feels hard and time consuming for me, it is my fear. Depression and anxiety is a response.

The amygdala’s job is to keep you alive. Freeze, fawn, flight or fight.

The amygdala doesn’t like change.

I hope you find your way to the other side of your trauma. ✌🏼

Hello @FnordPrefect23 and welcome to the forums

Thank you for sharing your own experiences with medications. It can certainly be a tricky balance sometimes between being medicated and over-medicated as you experienced.

It's great to hear that you've found a balance that works for you now and that you have what sounds like a pretty holistic approach to supporting your wellbeing.

Just a quick note that we had to remove some mention of specific medications/drugs to make sure your post was in line with our community guidelines. They can be easy to miss when you first sign up, but you can check them out here

Yes @Glisten , that is the role of the amygdala! I used to call myself the 'Walking Amygdala!"