Posted 7/30/2010 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
I've been here on HW for I guess a few weeks now and I've noticed that medication is a popular topic. There are also a number of people who are not fans of taking medication. At the same time we all recognize that our panic and/or anxiety necessitates some kind of action. Whether it's for general medical care or specifically panic and anxiety there seems to be a great divide between holistic and allopathic (western or mainstream) medical practices.
Personally I am a fan of holistic care whenever possible. If I can take something natural as opposed to a chemical and the effect is the same I will choose the natural item every time. I'm also nervous (which means anxious) about all of the many sometimes very serious side effects that come with many of the allopathic psychotropic (mental health) medications. On the other hand holistic treatments are so varied, usually milder, and often take more time so it can be tough to find what works (and if it works) for you. You could see an herbalist, a massage therapist, an acupuncturist (or accupressure), a homeopath, a naturalist, etc....
In my case I worked with a holistic MD initially that prescribed some herbs and minerals. The herbs helped but only minimally. The minerals actually made my heart race which made me feel even more anxious, not less so. I then tried a homeopath and found some success with that for about a year. Eventually despite some significant progress things (the panic) got worse and I gave in to allopathic medicine feeling very desperate at the time. I'm now trying out different drugs (Ativan, Xanax, Wellbutrin, Zoloft) trying to find the right combination that works for me. But it seems like a guessing game. The Wellbutrin caused more anxiety and a host of other side effects (confusion, faintness, nausea, etc). The Zoloft so far hasn't caused any side effects for me but I haven't been taking it long enough to know if it'll help wit the anxiety. Whatever your preference I guess it just stinks that there's no way to KNOW for sure what the right path is for you. I wish there were some kind of test you could take that would tell you do A, B, and C and that will work best for you specifically. In the meantime we have to deal with side effects, contraindications, wondering if there's something better out there we haven't yet tried...
So what do you think of these two schools of medicine? Would you ever consider the other?