One of the most challenging aspects of going on antidepressant medications is the waiting game. None of them work especially quickly, with the general consensus being that they typically take between 4 to 6 weeks to take proper effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety. So you start a medication knowing this, but still hoping you might be one of the lucky ones who gets some good results more quickly.
The other challenging aspect is that you also need to give antidepressants this time to find out if the particular one you are trying is going to be right for you.
It’s a scary time. It’s a time that you try to maintain optimism and hope that you are on the right antidepressant to recovery. The optimism is hard when you are still feeling lots of anxiety... because you haven’t been on the antidepressant long enough yet for it to help with that!
I am choosing optimism. I am working hard on believing that Effexor is the right medication for me. I am reminding myself daily that I firmly believe this. Each morning when I take the pill I am telling myself that I am one day closer to feeling much less anxious. It had only been one week so there might be a lot more days I have to tell myself this before it comes true. But I remain hopeful and believe that I am on the right path and I just need to be patient.
Yesterday I was reminded that it is too early for tbe medication to have taken affect when I attended an appointment with my Psychiatrist and was extremely nervous about having to leave the house. I was anxious on the trip there, anxious for the duration of the 15 minute appointment (I think my Psychiatrist cut it short because she could see how distressed I was), anxious on the trip home and then experienced residual anxiety for some hours afterwards.
And that’s why I’m pinning my hopes on Effexor being the medication that will take away the worst of my anxiety and allow me to start working on exposure therapy and getting out of the house and back into the world top start living again. Because being agoraphobic is no way to live a life and I am so ready to start living again.
So, if you’re thinking what can you do as my friends to help me, please send some positive vibes my way that I am on the right medication and it will start to work for me sooner rather than later. Or send positive vibes that I can remain patient until the medication does its thing!
Patience is a virtue... one I usually have but at the moment it’s proving a challenge.
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