For me, I got on anti anxiety medication first. Then therapy next, later on.

Because I needed immediate relief, which medication provided for me. As in, relief that same day!

Ask your therapist if they have a referral to a psychiatrist. They are medical doctors and all they do is anxiety and depression type of medications. They can help you with which kind of medication would be best for you. Some you take "as needed" (the Benzos) and that starts to work in 20 minutes and lasts for 4 hours. The other kind you take once a day, for 24 hour relief (SSRI's).

Best wishes and good luck. Let us know how you're doing.

Had it not been for meds, I don’t know where I would be right now. Had it not been for a well meaning aunt, I would not have known about medIcation help or what was even going on with me. So I’m grateful for the extra boost I get from my meds. If you feel you should be on medication, ask for a referral to a psychiatrist and talk to them about it. But you should be aware that meds do not cure anxiety, they just help ease the symptoms. Meds don’t change the way we think, or our core fears, which is what causes anxiety. Therapy is good, but not many therapists are geared toward helping us understand anxiety, why we have it, or a treatment plan based on known effective methods to achieve anxiety recovery. Don’t get me wrong, I am in therapy myself. But i find that therapy does not help me understand anxiety at all. I embarked on my own research and found alternative methods to anxiety recovery not used in mainstream mental health organizations. With the resources I found, my therapist, and meds, I have been able to enter recovery and continue to improve. I never thought it possible. So ask for yourself the referral or see your family doctor who can prescribe meds or refer you to a psychiatrist. Sometime we do need that extra help.

I went on medication for immediate help with the worst symptoms and into a long term treatment plan to help me do better naturally.

Writing it out is important to help sort through the differences in what's happening.

I'm having a pretty rough week, too, but, with a little help from my therapy support network, I believe I am holding steady through the storm. Just believing. . . There are several free-speakers in my life with radically different opinions on the validity of my course.

I started psychotherapy in the early 70's, a goodly while before "Drug Stores" became "Med Stores." The drug/medication abuse in my family was and remains nothing shy of epic. I fought the idea of drug therapy (dependency), tooth and nail, until the late 80's.

I knew it was time to rethink my prejudices when I was so badly beaten that I looked more psychotic than the most drunken/drugged of my siblings. To this day I don't know which was more healing: trusting the help being offered or swallowing those pills for a few years.

More and more, I don't believe it matters which aspect was more healing. It is enough to be grateful that healing happened.

I never want to take meds--but when I can't function then I start asking--actually, the first time I was on anxiety meds specifically--my legs were bouncing around uncontrollably and my therapist suggested I find a psych who could prescribe.

I'm struggling with a new episode of severe anxiety. I am already on escitalopram and my doctor increased the dose. It's been three weeks and I'm hoping it helps soon. I'm signed up for therapy as I know it helps. Having to take lorazepam when things are unbearable. Medication really does help

I’m going to bring it up tomorrow in my therapy session. I got to afraid at my last session. But over the holiday break I’ve had too much anxiety due to my mom having gotten covid, amongst other worries. And I remember during my episode telling myself: Yep maybe medication would help. Because I’ve also just started noticing when I start to overworry about other things and telling myself “Um… i acknowledge what you’re worried about, but now is not the time” and it happens quite more often. I’ve been scared because I feel like my mind gaslights itself into saying “Pshhh nah you don’t really need it” when in reality I probably do… I feel like I wanna see if maybe it would help me? I know therapy really has so far, but I think I might need a little extra help from medications? does it sound weird to say that I’m anxious about anxiety medications? Like I’m worried about the side effects?


Anyways, I hope you all have stayed healthy and well. Thank you all for your comments, and my apologies for the very very late reply back.

Thanks for the update!

I do understand about worrying about the side effects! Here's some info that I hope helps you.

If they put you on a Benzo (such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan). You take it, and in about 20 minutes you just feel more relaxed, maybe even sleepy at first until you get used to it. You just feel calm. It doesn't cause any more anxiety for you. Just makes you kind of sleepy and calm. These kinds of meds last for 4 hours. (This is all information from my psychiatrist. Will you be seeing a psychiatrist? Because they know all about anxiety medications).

If you start on an SSRI (such as Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro.... these are the brand names), you wouldn't even feel it right away. These are for longer term use, and they take a few weeks to "kick in" and the most beneficial effects will take over a month to feel.

So, either one, there is only relief in store. They won't give you any additional anxiety. My best advice is to take the medication and right away go do something else. Do what you normally would be doing. Take it and forget it.

It's when we "wait around for side effects" is when we trick our minds into thinking we have side effects.

Please let us know how it goes. You don't have to keep suffering with anxiety, when there are hundreds of anti-anxiety medications out there. Just try it. If you hate it, you don't have to keep taking it or anything. I've been on a Benzo and an SSRI every day, for over 25 years.

Good luck!

How did it go with you going on the anxiety medication? Hopefully, it is helping you a lot by now.