Can my anxiety get better without medications?
At some point most of my clients ask me the question.
“Can I get better without having to take meds?!“
I’ll spare you the anticipation and immediately share a LOUD Yes! Anxiety can get better without having to take medications. In fact, many of my clients decide to try therapy and other approaches first, reserving medications as a ‘last resort‘. Despite the alternatives to medication, you may still decide to take that route during your symptom treatment- and that’s ok too. Medication is not a magic pill, but for many people it gives them enough breathing room to put their other coping skills into practice. Thinking over these options can bring relief to some and terror to others; like most nuanced things, it’s complicated.
You might feel good knowing that it’s OK to take medications. It might feel reassuring to know you can stop struggling and use this resource to help ease your overwhelm. It can be a major breakthrough to give yourself permission to accept this kind of support. You do not have to avoid medications to prove you can handle symptoms on your own.
Or maybe you’re on the opposite side, this medication conversation makes you feel bad about yourself. To consider the possibility that you could be on a medication indefinitely feels heavy, like a prison of dependence. Maybe you think it makes you weak to use the help of medication or it is such an unfamiliar concept you struggle to make sense of whether it is right for you. Whichever of these sounds more familiar- here are some helpful things to consider when deciding which option is right for you and the current season of life you are in.
My best advice is to make the choice that suites your life. Talk to your doctor about your concerns, ask all the questions about your lifestyle and what to expect if you decide to take a medication. Getting all your questions answered will help you to make an informed choice. Ultimately this is just that, your choice, but try not to put too much pressure on yourself or shy away from getting the details you need to feel comfortable.
Factors to consider:
Personal Values
If you struggle internally with whether you believe medication means something negative about yourself, this could point towards a conflict of your values. Sometimes we need to weigh the different values we hold and decide which takes priority. An example of this is feeling torn between being independent/ relying on ourselves versus accepting help. It is useful to journal or discuss this inner conflict with someone you trust so that you can decide how you feel before making your decision. Value conflicts also come up a lot if we feel differently compared to others around us. Many of my clients have expressed wanting to take medication but worrying about judgement from close friends or family. Others have shared that they grew up in an environment that was very comfortable taking medications so they feel pressured to but want to try a more holistic approach instead.
Risk vs Gain
We all have our personal calculations that factor into what feels risky or beneficial. Ask yourself these questions to gain clarity around the issue- How much do your symptoms impact your life? Do you feel it is enough to outweigh the potential downsides of medication? Considering that you may experience possible side effects, does that bother you? Will you struggle remembering this new step in your routine? Do you feel you can be consistent? Did your doctor share information about possible dependency or adverse health impacts? Making a list of pros and cons sounds cheesy until we see it on the paper and realize how much it helped us to weigh our options. Try writing things out to see if that is useful during this process.
Other options
Alternatives to taking medication include improving your stress management habits, therapy, reducing alcohol/ caffeine/ smoking and learning coping skills. Most alternatives to taking anxiety medication take several weeks to months in order for us to see progress. I consider many of these options a slow and steady approach. And regardless of whether you decide to take medications or forgo them, you can still try these methods of symptom management. Combining multiple coping skills, resources and lifestyle changes allows us to experience which methods are best suited to us and which we prefer.
Deciding to take anxiety medication or not is a very personal decision. I hope this helped you get a little bit closer to clarity in making your decision.
