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by mrcancelled_Archive
llllllllllllllllllllllll wrote:I don t see how I can dig myself out of this hole without some kind of medication.llllllllllllllllllllllll wrote:I ve kind of accepted that I m never going to be normal, but I m tired of living like this, and I m not going to wait until I ve lost everything to pick up the pieces.I was in what sounds like a very similar boat as you for a long while. I'd been suffering from anxiety at least since my pre-teen years. I'd tried therapy, regular exercise, changing my diet, meditation, breathing exercises, supplements, and made life changes to avoid any of my anxious triggers. Really any alternative to medication, I had put time and effort into. These things helped, absolutely, some more than others. But I still felt very unhealthy mentally. I ended up talking to a doctor that was recommended to me and hesitantly ended up trying an SSRI. It absolutely changed my life. I feel "normal". I knew anxiety was an issue of course, but looking back now I really see just how miserable I was. It affected my sleep, relationships, triggered addictions, and just generally made my life so much shittier. Taking a pill every morning that magically makes my biggest problem much easier to deal with--on paper, this makes me just a tad ill-at-ease... and I'm always hesitant to recommend medication to people. But I truly believe that without medication, I wouldn't be able to function at 100%. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that you've tried an SSRI that didn't work for you--unfortunately this is common and it can take trying out several different meds (all with potential side effects) in order to find the right one. And you have to give them each a couple of months to start taking full effect, unless of course the side effects are unbearable. Dosages can be something you may have to adjust too. This can be a grueling process for people, I was incredibly lucky in that the first one I tried worked well for me. But, if you're going the medication route, I can't stress enough to not give up. Doctors aren't really able to determine what SSRI/SNRIs will work on an individual level. But if you find one that clicks, I promise it will have all been worth it. It's always been recommended to me to take meds in conjunction with therapy. A medication that works is one thing, but having a good therapist that can also help you change your thinking patterns will be most beneficial in the long run. Admittedly I've not started going back to therapy yet but you know what, shit, I'm going to start researching some tonight. Good luck!