Anti anxiety meds

Just wondering if anyone can advise as I'm a bit lost. My Dr gave me some anti anxiety meds as it was debilitating (6 months ago) but having read Dr Sarno's book I weaned off as I understand I have TMS and completely on board with the concept but still struggling and the anxiety is now giving me gastric symptoms (nausea and IBS). Would it be ok to go back on them for a short while to settle things down while I try to heal or would that be completely counterproductive? I have contacted a therapist to see if they can help with the GA and give me some tips but just wondering about the meds to help in the interim, thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to the forum @Mymily - it looks like you're in the right place

This is a common question, frequently discussed here. Even Dr Sarno said that sometimes, you need a boost from medication in order to get on board, and the general consensus seems to be that if you take it with a short-term goal, thinking of it as a tool to get you pointed in the right direction, then it can be very helpful.

I'll also offer some alternative ideas, starting with a little book by the late great Claire Weekes, called Hope and Help For Your Nerves. It's slightly quaint, having been written in 1969, but it has really helped many of us, and literally thousands of people around the world, with anxiety. I think of it as the second book that saved my life, after Dr Sarno, because he didn't really address anxiety, which many of us now know absolutely goes hand-in-hand with TMS.

I would also recommend adopting a therapeutic breathing practice, very easy to research on the web, often incorporated into meditation apps.

Drink a glass of water or a calming hot drink (probably not coffee) while you mindfully relax and breathe. Meditation is very powerful, and not always easy for those of us with anxiety, but there are other ways to reclaim your equanimity.

If you're having a bad day, try taking an OTC pain reliever, even just a Tylenol. An interesting research study found that acetaminophen was surprisingly effective at temporarily improving emotional well-being. Some days, that's what you need. It might be a placebo, but the placebo effect is actually very powerful, and it can be harnessed with positive impact.

Hang in there and keep us posted. Your other supportive post indicates that changes are happening for you!

~Jan

 

Thank you so much for your kind and supportive words, I wasn't sure if it was kind of "cheating" the program and I should be going it alone entirely but anxiety can have a vice like grip and it's complicated nature is not always easy to understand. I've been doing breathing and mindfulness for months now, which does help but need a bit extra help I think. I'll get the book you suggested, take on board your advice and book an appointment with a therapist for some professional tips for GA, I'm starting to get emotional about this all again even though I know it's TMS and I will be pain free at some point, it's still an awful situation to be in and I'm worried the depression will creep in again, which was the darkest scariest place I've ever experienced. I will go back on the duloxetine if I have to, as you say it's only short term (and not cheating) and if it helps me get my head around this pain then I shouldn't be too hard on myself!

I also feel as if I'm bombarding myself with techniques to rid this pain, I've read about somatic tracking and now visual guided imagery, I think I'm overwhelming myself as getting frustrated results aren't happening quick enough but I'll try and get a handle on the anxiety first, keep it simple do you think? Thank you so much x

 

Yeah, it sounds like you could be trying to take on way too much information too fast. That alone can be anxiety-inducing, and keeping you in one place with indecision. Are you doing a program like our SEP? If so, then just do that, forget the rest (although I do think that Claire Weekes is a great adjunct to doing any program - it's a short and easy read).

I also started experiencing disabling panic attacks and depression back in 2011, "Before Sarno" - both of them for the first time in my life, and I was 60. I'd had anxiety all of my life, something I had not fully recognized or acknowledged until then. Anyway, neither of those particular symptoms has occurred again, not since I did the SEP and read Claire Weekes in the fall of 2011 - 11 years ago.

 

Yes I think you're right, just desperate I think.

No, I don't know what SEP is but I would definitely like to try!!

I've ordered the book. I also didn't recognise I had anxiety, always been a worrier and overthinker but when anxiety and depression hit me literally overnight last year I've come to realise that it's always been there and it's terrifying, I've started my meds again yesterday (short term) until I get get my head around all of this, thanks for your help x

 

Dr Schubiner mentions the use of medication while getting on track, in the interview discussed in this thread:
https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/new-long-and-awesome-interview.26579/ (new long and awesome interview)

 

As long as you clearly understand that meds are an interim prop and not a solution, it is acceptable to go on meds, with full understanding of possible side effects and harms of prolonged use of them.
Meditation is a very powerful tool if used properly. Regular exercise is another important tool, if you can sustain at least 1 hour at a time. As for Claire Weekes, I prefer the audio version of her book, her voice is magic.