Mediphobe Answers Or "How to Overcome Pharmacophobia"

This article is intended to go along with another at this site about Cognitive-Behavoural Therapy. You’ll see why in a sec.

So you are thinking about taking medicine. And you panic. That’s okay, that’s actually pretty normal. It’s a phobia; it’s called Pharmacophobia. Hey! It’s got a name! J If it’s got a name, we can fix it, right? The best way to overcome a phobia is with Cognitive-Behavoural Therapy. (read that article for great Question and Answers!!)

Even thinking about getting a prescription filled or putting a pill in your mouth, or even touching a pill sets off an automatic thought. You don’t know this is happening; it’s all-undercover deep inside of you. So you panic. The automatic thought can be anything! Just for example:

· This is going to kill me!

· I’m going to pass out and nobody will find me!

· What if I have those horrible side effects?

· I just can’t do this, I’ll throw up, I know it!

· Medicine? I don’t need medicine, weak people need medicine.

So, after that, you have a behavioural response, an action that you take, knowingly or not. You don’t get the prescription filled, you don’t swallow the pill or touch it, you dump all of the pills down the toilet and flush it, and this eases the anxiety.

But wait! You were supposed to take that to feel better! Whoa. Vicious cycle you’re in there. Let’s see what we can figure out to help you get through this.

You are having automatic thoughts, which stem from some belief, those ones I mentioned that are rooted deep inside of you and you have no idea that they’re happening most of the time. You might be thinking it will make you weak, or that it means you’re weak, that you should be able to do this on your own! Or maybe you think doctors just like to push pills on people without really thinking about other solutions. Or maybe you think you only visited this doctor a few times, how could he know me well enough to tell me what medicine to take? Quite possibly, you don’t like being told what to do…your doctor might say do this and you think, “no way! I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do!” Another is that all too well known feeling of things being futile…why should you bother trying medicine, nothing will work anyway.

Well, medicine can work, if you stick to it and give it a fair try. But nobody can do this for you, sure they can support you, but you have to do it yourself!

Taking Medicine Does Not Mean

· That you’re weak, crazy, messed up, or broken in anyway.

· That your doctor is just trying to rush you out of his office without thinking your situation through.

· That you’ll become an addict, die from side effects or need to be on it for the rest of your life.

You might be thinking that you should always solve your problems by yourself or shouldn’t rely on something artificial, a drug, or a chemical of some kind to make you feel better.

Here’s a frightening thought…many of you may be thinking this: “If I take medicine and I get better, that means I have to BE better, but that’s not all that good really because then I have to go back to work, face the real world, people will expect SO much more of me, and maybe even have to face the fact that my marriage isn’t all that great. I might get better then I’ll want to get out of my comfort zone…that’s scary! I don’t wanna !!!!!!!!”

Okay, that’s completely normal for us. It’s a fear, it’s deeply rooted inside of you, but it’s not uncommon. I mean, it makes perfect sense, really. You don’t want to leave what you know, your comfort zone, you don’t want to lose control of your life…even though it isn’t all that great right now, at least you know how it works and how to get around in it…facing change, even the good change of having a medicine work for you and change all that, IS scary.

You won’t lose control of your life because you take medicine prescribed for people with panic disorder. The goal is to GET BETTER, and your doctor knows that and realizes that’s why you are there. You want to get better, you’re giving effort, you’re trying, and that is HUGE, it’s major! You’ve started down the right road.

Don’t let your fears get in the way.

Medicine is not just for crazy people, used as a last resort, it doesn’t make you into a zombie and it doesn’t have side effects that are going to ruin your life. Working with your doctor, finding the right medicine, and TAKING it, giving it a month to work, is key to getting to a place where you feel better, and hey…maybe even “normal!”

So. What Do You Do?

Time to ask yourself a few questions.

· What concerns do you have about taking medicine?

· What concerns do you have about taking a particular medicine?

· How likely is it, do you think, that this medicine will work?

· How likely are you to actually take this medication everyday?

Yes, knowing why you’re scared is a good place to start. Honesty is a good thing to have when you’re answering these questions, since really, you’re the only one who’s going to hear the answers for now anyway, you don’t want to lie to yourself, that isn’t good.

Do you already know you aren’t going to take a medicine? Do you already know you aren’t going to even call a doctor and talk to him about taking a medication? Are you lying to your doctor now about taking things that he’s prescribed for you in the past?

Instead of doing that, try using your imagination and see what kind of reaction you get.

Imagine you’re taking a pill. What kind of feelings are you having when you think about that? Write them down to study later.

Write down the pros and cons of taking medicine. Imagine you’ve been prescribed Paxil – one dose in the morning, and Xanax – three times a day. What would the pros and cons be of that?

Some pro’s might be:

· You’re going to feel better.

· Your mood will be better.

· Fewer anxiety symptoms.

· Fewer panic attacks.

· Increased ability to function at home, work, shopping, etc.

· Improvement in all of your relationships: spouse, children, coworkers, etc.

· Enjoyment in life. (remember how you used to love to lay in the yard and soak up the sun? That’ll come back!)

Possible Cons:

· Weight gain fears.

· Side effect fears.

· Cost. (A biggy! But you’re worth it!)

Your list will differ, of course. But all of the sentences on your “cons” list that have the word fear or scared in them can be helped. Those are things that people can help you through. A quote from a website that I researched this on, states this:

“A patient who fears gaining weight due to medication needs to reflect on the degree to which her life would be negatively impacted by weight gain versus the degree to which her life is, and could remain, negatively impacted by her [panic] disorder.”

It’s an excellent point. Okay, if you gain ten or twenty pounds but are able to sleep through the night, go shopping and driving again, attend your children’s school plays, work, etc, isn’t it worth the extra weight? And the weight can be very temporary…you will feel better, you won’t worry so much that when you exercise your heart will beat a million beats a minute and you’ll die of a heart attack. That’s what the medicine helps…those irrational fears, it beats them back.

Next.

Ask someone to help you. Even if it’s your husband, wife, neighbor, sister, friend, or online buddy. Ask them to call YOU every day and ask you if you took your medicine. If you say no, then talk it out with them, they should know ahead of time that your intention is to stick to the intention of taking the medicine for at least a month to see if it is helping.

Sticking to it, taking the medicine every day, is the only way it is going to help. You really can benefit from the support of others at this time. If you feel like you’re being a bother, try not to feel that way, there are people in your life who love you, and you doing this is an example of you wanting to take back control of your life. They’ll view that as a positive thing. And if they don’t, if they despise medicine for whatever reason, seek your support elsewhere, you don’t need any negativity at this rough time!!

My mother hated that I took any medicine for my panic attacks … I’ve been called a druggy behind my back by my own family, and you know what, I know that taking my panic disorder medicines helps me, I know that it gave me my life back, and I know that I’m NOT a drug addict. If I were diabetic they wouldn’t feel like I was being weak for taking insulin, and my panic disorder is just as serious as diabetes.

So, talking things out really does help, I found my support through my husband, my sister who also has panic attacks, my online friends and my doctor. (I highly recommend the doctor as a support person! It’s very reassuring and it’s their job to do that, remember YOU pay THEM for their service. Without patients, they’d be out of business, so don’t feel like a lowlife or anything for going in to their office, you’re giving them MONEY for their services…remember that!)

So, if you think medicine won’t help, here are a few things to talk out with a friend or a psychologist or yourself if that’s all you can do for right now:

· What’s the evidence medication won’t help?

· What’s the evidence on the other side, that medication could help?

· What the worst that could happen? What’s the best? What’s the most likely outcome?

· What’s the effect of your believing medication won’t help? What could be the effect of changing your thinking?

· If a close family member or friend were as distressed as you are and also thought “Medication can’t help,” what would you tell him/her?

After thinking about these things or talking them over with a friend or doctor, write down your feelings about those questions. Your GOOD feelings about those questions. Write them on an index card and everytime you are getting ready to make that phone call to a doctor about possibly getting medication for your panic attacks, or actually taking the medicine itself, read the card.

Here is an example of a card that I saw on the web, I liked the way it was written … it was friendly and pretty much reflected how I’ve felt in the past.

Before Taking Medicine

I hate to take medicine. On the other hand, I hate feeling this bad even more.

There are a lot more advantages to taking the medicine than disadvantages.

It would be a shame if this medicine could help me feel better but I didn't give it a fair try. I should stick to the treatment plan we set up.

And….

After Taking Medicine

I deserve a lot of credit for taking this medication, especially because I'm doing something that goes against my grain.

It takes a strong person to do things she doesn't want to do.

And I won't ever know whether this medicine could be helpful unless I take it for a month.

It is worth finding out.

I can stand feeling uncomfortable about taking medication for a month.

If it makes you feel more active in your role as the medication taker, journal your thoughts and feelings every single day, several times a day, so that if you feel as if you can not take the medicine, you will be able to show your friend or your doctor or psychologist exactly what your thinking was at the time. Also, write down the good things, like any improvement you felt! That will help, too.

Also, ask your doctor how he would feel about a “check in”. Do you think your compliance with taking the medicine would be higher if you knew you had to call your doctor in between visits and let him know how you’re doing with it? (I know mine would be!)

Work with your doctor on this…he/she can arrange to have his office staff contact you once or twice a week to get an update on how you’re doing with taking the medicine. Or you may be able to just leave a message for him. (“Dr. SoInSo…it’s me, Judy, it’s Wednesday and I wanted to just check in with you and tell you that I took the Paxil every day, but it’s still really scaring me.”)

Another helpful thing is to, at first, take your medicine in front of someone who can stick around for awhile while you make sure you’re going to be okay. (This may be all wrong, but once my husband took a Zoloft so he could prove to me that it wouldn’t kill me to swallow it….now THAT is support.)

Hey, it’s time to get serious, if it means going and staying with a friend for a week who will understand what you’re trying to do, and help you through it, talk you through any side effects, etc, then you’re worth that. Being alone is one of the hardest parts of taking a medication for the first time, you just are so afraid it is going to hurt you. I know.

Some Other Useful Tactics

· Imagine what your life would be like in three months if you kept taking the medicine and it worked.

· Imagine what your life would be like in three months if you didn’t take the medicine at all.

· Imagine what your life might be like a year from now after not taking any medicine, feeling the same, feeling grim all the time, scared all the time, … it really is an eye opener … very good for bolstering your courage. You want to get better, that’s the point.

· If you absolutely can’t comply with taking the medicine, write down exactly WHY you couldn’t, what you were thinking, feeling, etc, at the time you decided not to take it, then share that information with your doctor.

Remember, it’s your thoughts and beliefs about the medicine, or medication in general, that is inhibiting your taking them. There are ways around this, but you need to take the step to call a doctor and try. You really have to try hard. Even though you might have a lot of support, it is up to YOU to take your medication, it is up to YOU to take charge of your life. Nobody can do this for you, unfortunately, but conquering this fear will free you in so many ways.

Sure, you can have a friend make the appointment if you’re afraid of doing that, that’s not a bad thing. Even having a friend go with you to the appointment isn’t a bad thing…you’re still DOING it, you’re taking an active involvement in getting better, and that’s incredible and brave and amazing.

I know you can do this, you can conquer this fear, be patient with yourself, but be strong as well.

I wish you all the success in the world. I don’t have much more advice than this to give, I’ve wracked my brain for three years trying to find the ultimate solution to this dilemma and this article is what I’ve come up with. I truly…TRULY…hope it has helped at least in some small way.