Considering antianxiety medications can bring up a lot of concerns. You may worry that these medications will just mask your symptoms, that they will make you less sharp at work or less close to the people you love. You may feel as though you should be able to handle anxiety without medication, or worry about becoming dependent on the drugs. Many people have these feelings when they think about taking anxiety medications for the first time.
A new way of thinking about antianxiety medications
One way to approach the question is to think of trying anti-anxiety medications as an experiment. Instead of fearing that these medications will be a permanent part of your life, you can work collaboratively with your prescriber and perhaps also with other members of your care team to structure a time-limited trial.
At Cardigan Mental Health, we’ll work with you to identify the factors that affect your experience of anxiety and to establish goals.We can plan a trial for a specific length of time with check-ins along the way to evaluate your progress toward your goals.
Benefits
Approaching the trial as an experiment with clear goals — perhaps reducing panic attacks to a certain number — allows you to enter the trial with a sense of curiosity instead of a fear of failing.
Deciding on a length of time for a trial lets you move through early side effects and adjustments without pressure to decide whether to continue.
Ongoing evaluations let you experience your reactions to the anti anxiety medications as useful feedback. You’re not committed to a longterm solution and there are many possible outcomes.
Medication management
During these check-ins, we can discuss other treatment and self-care options that can support your goals. We will collaborate on an exit plan when you’re ready.
While some people find that longterm use of anti anxiety medications is a good solution for their needs, there are other possibilities. Cardigan’s collaborative, person-centered approach respects your needs and goals.
A.B. Merritt
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