A troubling subject for many anxiety sufferers is the relationship between medication and recovery from anxiety. Questions often revolve around:
- whether to take it
- which types
- dosages
- side effects
- not wanting to take it, desire to come off
- fear of becoming dependent/addicted etc.
- fears of withdrawal when coming off
Medication is often the first and sometimes the only treatment many people receive—usually in the form of tranquilizers and/or antidepressants. I’m not qualified to give advice or recommendations; I can only speak about my personal experiences and opinions. Everyone must make their own decisions in consultation with their doctor.
My Experience
I took both tranquilizers and antidepressants at various times during my suffering. Antidepressants gave me severe side effects, and I did not like the long-term commitment to taking them, or the potential difficulties coming off. I am sure they help many people, but they were not for me.
I took benzodiazepines regularly however for many years. These “took the edge off” my anxiety, allowing me to function. Though there was still a cost in terms of memory loss, loss of focus, and loss of full enjoyment of life. They dulled my anxiety, but dulled every other emotion too, including joy.
While “benzos” allowed me to function, I really wanted to be off them. I took them because they helped me cope, but I knew they were not a cure.
Can Medication and Recovery Coexist?
It is not necessary to come off medications before beginning the recovery journey. We have more than enough symptoms to practice on. I don’t believe we can recover 100% until we have come off anxiety medications. But we can get a long way towards recovery while on medication.
As we recover, it will become obvious when we are ready to reduce or come off our medication. Our readiness to do so will happen naturally as we become less sensitized.
Claire Weekes, the Australian doctor who pioneered the acceptance-based approach to recovering from anxiety (and a former sufferer herself), was of the opinion that medication can be helpful for some people in recovery. Though of course it is necessary to come off in order to fully recover. My experience was consistent with this.
I continued taking the tranquilizers my doctor had prescribed for me for quite a while on my recovery journey. It wasn’t until my symptoms began to reduce in quantity and intensity that I looked to reduce my medication dosage, and as I continued to recover, I gradually weaned off them completely.
Being Kind to Ourselves
My view is that a big part of recovery is being kind to ourselves. If we are on medication when we start the recovery process, then coming off too soon or too quickly can cause a flood of suppressed thoughts and feelings that can overwhelm us and traumatize us. I don’t think this is helpful, and can possibly hinder our recovery.
It is much better to accept being on medication and simply practice the method until we are ready to taper down on the dosage. We will know when. We should, of course, do this responsibly, and with the support and guidance of a medical doctor.
Personally, I didn’t do this all in one go. I tapered to a much reduced level, and then stayed at that while I adjusted to the increase in symptoms and emotions. Bit by bit, I tapered down with pauses at each new level. When I knew I was ready, I came off the medications entirely, enabling me to complete my journey to recovery.