Today I wanted to take the time to follow up with the medicine prescribed to me by the naturopathic doctor.
In case you missed my recap of my experience you can find it here.
I just finished the “shots” of Unda. Better said by Cait as secretly being shots of Vladamir and that’s why I it “calms me.”
Truth be told I don’t feel so calm. I no longer have stomachaches when I get anxious and after all isn’t that why I went in the first place?
I suppose it was. But, I supposed what I really wanted the doctor to do was hand me some naturopathic drug that would rid me of my anxiety and make me more comfortable with rolling with the punches rather than freaking out if something doesn’t go according to how I planned it out in my head.
Oh the mind of someone with anxiety is somewhat of a trip!
I will never forget the first ever race I was about to swim. I think I was around 6 years old and all I had to do was 1 lap of freestyle. I remember running over to my mom crying and saying I couldn’t breathe. She assured me it would be fine and I would do well. Guess what, I survived. I survived many races after that but every.single.race I had the same freak-out. If only my 6 year old self knew what my 25 year old self knows now. So I guess we could say I have lived with anxiety since I was young and as I have gotten older I have been able to identify it better.
I’m trying to tolerate it on my own, after all I have for 25 years.
At times I definitely think I need a Zanax. My boyfriend would tell you I need one all the time and he means that in the nicest way possible.
Maybe someday I will go to the doctor and get that zanax. But until then I will continue to drive my boyfriend crazy while I go nuts and he puts things into perspective for me.
Long story short, I am over the medicine the naturopathic doctor. One day I will get that zanax. But for now I will continue to do things that keep me sane.
Such as:
Going to the gym.
Writing this blog.
Going to yoga. Yoga used to make me feel ADD, now it centers me and it is glorious!
Walks with my dog
Being around family and friends
Do you struggle with anxiety? What do you do to keep yourself sane?
Have you ever been prescribed medicine for it?
I'm Kaitlin a 25 year old health coach with a passion for all things food and fitness related. I love to cook and bake, I am all about healthy recipes and definitely guilty pleasures here and there. My goal is to give women guidance to healthier nutrition that will ultimately help lead to a stronger sense of self.
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Anxiety meds were the death of me. I was prescribed over five different types over the course of two years trying to experiment what would work. Sadly, I never really got a great reaction to any of them which is why I started going to a more natural doctor. that is when we started to address the stomach issues and overall body function. it is so strange how it all comes back to one another
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I know, it really interests me. That is why I started with the naturopathic doctor first, what I got helped my stomach stress but not my mentality. But I think anxiety will always be apart of me.
I’ve never been on medication for anxiety because a) it isn’t really ruining my life at all and b) my parents are strongly against any form of drugs. Aka I’ve had two surgeries in the past couple of years and I wasn’t allowed to take the prescribed medicine. But your swimming experience is SO similar to mine. After junior year in high school, I started having anxiety attacks behind the blocks. Sometimes I’d be fine, but other times I’d swim the race bawling my eyes out and would swim pretty terribly. It went away for most of freshman year in college but came back at conferences and stayed with me all of last year. Needless to say, I have said goodbye to my swimming days.
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I try not to take medicine unless I absolutely have to, which is why I took the naturopathic approach. College was the demise of my swimming career, I put waayy too much pressure on myself and it was no longer fun for me. I stuck it out through senior year but I had to take a lax approach to the sport if I wanted to stay sane.
Sometimes I feel like I need anxiety meds, but that thought never lasts for more than an hour or so. I turn to some more natural anti-anxiety meds such as working out or calling some friends. I hope you find some relief soon.
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I usually say I need meds in the misted of freaking out, afterwards I am fine. I guess thats why I have never felt the need to take it further but at this point in my life I guess it is something I should consider.
This is great! I struggle with anxiety myself and definitely prefer to handle it naturally rather than with medication, although sometimes medication is needed. I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you!
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I am hoping I can stick to the natural way but we will see how long that lasts.
I also struggle with anxiety but have found different ways to cope with it other than medication. I see a therapist regularly who has really helped. I definitely am not against medication though. I know tons of people who are on it regularly and see huge benefits! It’s every person’s choice!
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I saw a therapist in college and it was seriously the best thing ever! I need to look into that, the only thing that holds me back is the co-pay I would have to pay.
Thanks for your honesty and for updating us! I love my shoutout, I like to think that taking quick shots of yucky cold meds as a kiddo trained me for college, right?!
I’m glad that you aren’t having the tummy issues anymore but know what it’s like to always have ongoing anxiety present. I was an anxious kid but about the weirdest things. I feel like anxiety meds and “take a Xanax” and all that are what people think about when it comes to medication but there are different forms of it. For me I have been on Sertraline, a generic form of Zoloft (an SSRI) for almost 2 years. It’s not for acute anxiety or moments of anxiety but just overall I take a set amount each day. I actually recently increased my dosage slightly when I was having a REALLY tough time (around the time my stomach stuff was going on). Im’ not saying to go on it but just wanted to let you know there are options other than acute anxiety meds. Antidepressants are not really just for depressed people – the SSRI helps me with my rigid thoughts. At this point maybe it’s partially placebo effect or maybe I’d be fine without them because I went on them at my very lowest weight in an effort to just get myself to be able to eat more to get to a healthier weight. But I’m not ready to abandon them and do just therapy yet, when I had to increase them about 2 months ago! They definitely don’t make me feel numb like some report but everyone is different! Let me know if you ever have any questions.
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Thank you soo much for sharing this!! I assumed there was other options then xanax, (because honestly that isnt the route I would want to take) but never really looked into it. I think I need something that calms me all over, I can be ridiculously anxious over the silliest things for example when someone says they will be here at 5 and are 10 minutes late! Things that are out of my control can be hard for me to handle, I try very hard to let up but once your brain turns you just have to ride it out. I dont want anything that makes me numb so when I do go to my doctor I will bring this up. Thanks again for sharing, I am sure I will come up with questions.
I really think that you should look into seeing a psychiatrist to talk about your medication options. There are a lot of low-dosage anxiety meds that have very few side effects and don’t mess with your body that much.
I’ve been on anxiety medicine for four years now, and I absolutely love it. I was hesitant at first, like you, but it was a great step for me — it’s completely changed my life.
Obviously what’s right for me might not be right for you, but if you’re already at this point, I think it’s worth it to have a consultation with a psychiatrist to see what they have to say. It can’t hurt, right?
People tend to think of stuff like Xanax when they think of anxiety medication, but that’s a really intense option that probably isn’t something you need. There are so many other kind of meds that might be a better fit for you and your lifestyle. If you do talk to a psychiatrist, just make it known to them that you’re worried about medicine vs. natural remedies and I’m sure they’ll take that into consideration.
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Thank you for all your advice!! I really appreciate it! Don’t worry I won’t be taking Xanax! The side effects of that med scares me in itself!
Thank you for being brave enough to write about something many people deal with! What helped me was taking a multivitamin, taking a vitamin D and running. I honestly think my life changed from these three things. Running became a literal outlet, a path for my anxiety to flow out of my body. It seems like exercise helped for you too. Also, vitamin D changed my immune system and my mind. It’s our first, and in my opinion, most overlooked vitamin.
Thanks again!
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I love vitamin D!! I agree I think it really helps!
I know that feeling. I have it when I have a relapse, which means, I had it several times a week in the past, today only about once a monts. I never wanted to take meds, but I can understand if someone feels like taking them. I took very soft, natural ones, which I could get in a drug store without receipt. And I only took them when I really thought I can not make it anymore. I think you are doing the perfect thing by keeping you safe with your routines that you listed. It is all about finding out how t deal with an anxiety when it comes up.
Thank you for sharing ur experience. I’m definitely all about doing as natural as possible but it’s not always easy.
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