I think we should officially name it New Med Anxiety (NMA!)
Let’s be real, the anxiety around starting a new medication can be immense…
Will it make me sicker?
How many side effects will I get?
Should I definitely be trying this one?
What if I react to it?
Is it worth the risk?
How might it affect my mental health?
Oof, it’s A LOT.
Especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past. I’ve had new medications and combinations of medications that have landed me in the ER more than once.
Does that mean we should never try anything new?
Of course not.
But that doesn’t mean we should feel shame around the anxiety of starting a new medication, and health professionals should be understanding towards that. It’s not a small decision for us, nor should it be.
Anything that messes with our 'baseline' levels of illness can really throw a spanner in the works! We still have a life apart from our illness, and sometimes we can not drop everything in order to manage how our body may react to starting a new medication.
The reality of living with chronic illness is often feeling a little like a ‘lab rat’, especially for those of us with less understood or researched illnesses. Trying new medications is a ‘trial and error’ process which can be an extremely difficult, confusing and disheartening time.
We are given no choice but to balance the hope of a new medication helping with the prospect of it potentially hurting.
‘Do no harm’ is all well and good if you’re not at the depths of illness, trying for anything to give you a lifeline.
Sometimes we have to go the extra mile, and this can have harsh consequences.
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Your medication anxiety is welcome here.
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