I must admit that I was very reluctant to take any medication because of stigma and future prospects, but in the end it was a matter of enjoying my life once more or to carry on struggling. In the end after months, if not years of deliberation I decided to take medication. I know there are some out there who say "natural remedies are best", "medication isn't good" and so on. But, I had tried everything possible; herbal remedies, exercise, breathing techniques, visualisation, changing my diet, CBT, hypnotherapy and counselling. Although the CBT was the one thing that benefited me the most, nothing was making a massive difference. The continued absence from school and nothingness in life was no way to live and thus it was advised that medication was the way to go.
Luckily, the first medication I was prescribed was the one for me. It took a few weeks for it to work and to get the dose right, but after that it has been a great help. I can only describe it like a miracle. I am now going to school more often and it is less of a struggle than it was, I'm also doing things I used to do with more ease. I'd be lying if I said "I don't struggle anymore", but anxiety is less present. I still have bad days and there are things that anxiety still interferes with and things that I struggle to do and avoid. But, this is just something I still have to work on.
What people often forget is that mental illness is often an imbalance of chemicals and medication helps to balance this out, just like taking medication for thyroid, for example. I think people see it as a problem because people cannot see mental illness and thus don't believe in the devastating effects it can have on the person, there is still the use of stereotypes and there is also the belief that all medication is addictive and makes you lose yourself. Of course, this isn't true.
Medication has improved my life more than I could have imagined. I was extremely skeptical at first, but it's better to enjoy life a bit more than to worry about the stigma. Please don't forget if you feel you are struggling, see the doctor and do what's right for you. Don't give up.
Medication has improved my life more than I could have imagined. I was extremely skeptical at first, but it's better to enjoy life a bit more than to worry about the stigma. Please don't forget if you feel you are struggling, see the doctor and do what's right for you. Don't give up.
Best Wishes,
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