Side effects vary greatly from med to med and person to person. There is a whole lot of trial and error involved in finding an adequate med therapy.

I share your anxiety over med dependence. I came of age in the early 70's when the world was still reeling over the wave of prescription drug addiction which proliferated in the 60's. That body of propaganda is still with me and changing the word, "drugs" to "meds" didn't change my prejudices a bit.

Still, in the late 80's and early 90's I submitted to drug therapy (the name had yet to change) and it helped tremendously. It helped me establish an emotional baseline to shoot for in the rest of my therapy. I was able to wean off the drugs without a problem and am still benefiting from that emotional baseline.

Gentle support while you decide what is right for you, Charlotte.

I am on so many (11 right now) that it is. hard to tell which side affects is atributed to which combination. I know that with the anxiety and beta blocker my blood presssure drops and I get vertigo when I stand most times. It passes in about 15 seconds but you better hold to something or you will go down.

Try the drugs and see what side effects you get, then decide for your self.

Hi Charlotte,
If your doctors have said multiple times to try medication, I think you should give it a try. Anxiety medications can really calm your anxiety, which in turn helps you to get through your daily life so much easier, and it can really help you. Taking medications is not a sign of weakness, it can really help people. Anxiety can be caused by a chemical imbalance and this will put you back in balance.

I've been taking anxiety medications every day for over 20 years.

Give it a try, with doctor's supervision. You may find that you feel a lot better! Good luck.

I too have been on meds for nearly 20 years now. Initially I didn't like the idea, but I was in so much distress that I was willing to try anything to make it stop. I have since come to accept that my anxiety is most-likely biological... for whatever reason, the way my brain produces/uses chemicals means I'm super prone to anxiety, and really intense anxiety at that. So, I take some meds to balance things out. I don't see it as being any different than a diabetic taking insulin or any other chronic condition.

There may be side-effects, there may not be. You may find a drug that works for you right off the bat, you may need to try a couple different ones. Only you can decide what's right for you, but I would not dismiss meds out of hand. They've worked wonders for me.

Keep a daily journal to help you keep track of what works when and what does not work.

When so many doctors offer the prescription to help reduce the anxiety, it probably will provide the means to drop the acute symptoms down to within normal range thus giving your body and brain a chance to refresh, recover, and balance naturally.

Best wishes.

Betablockers are blood pressure medication that can lower your heart rate---they can also increase your odds of getting type 2 diabetes. I would skip those---but I am having good luck with lexapro right now. The side effects are rough in the beginning. So my Dr. said I could "ween" up until I got to full dosage. The only side effect now might be slight dizziness---not sure about that because I am also having neck issues on and off that could be causing it.

I was resistant o meds at first. I didn’t take them as prescribed or at all now that I am stable, I cannot imagine being without meds. Actually I can imagine and it’s not good. Side effects vary from person to person. I have very few side effects from my meds but I take anti depressants anti psychotics mood stabilizers and a prn for anxiety. You’ll never know until you try. I say give it a shot but give it a few months as it can take a while for a new medication to kick in. Also you may need the doses adjusted to see any results but I say give them a try.