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How do I get over a fear of taking prescribed medication?

I was recently diagnosed with a UTI, and was prescribed an antibiotic. Know the consequences of not taking the medicine.... I still didn’t take it because I was afraid of the side effects. I have a habit of looking up even the WORST side effects of every medication I am prescribed and I scare myself out of taking it. And IF I do take it, I have panic attacks because I convince myself I’m experiencing the side effects.

What do I do? I have to get over this fear.... I need to take my medicine. Please help.
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Avatar universal
I agree with Carl! I've had problems with anxiety and the only things that would get me through it is CBD. I vape it but there's loads of ways to use it.
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I've said this on other questions, but because I'm considering CBD for myself I've done a lot of research on it, which is easy because very little research has been done.  I wouldn't vape it.  Recent problems have been found with vaping, especially with marijuana and CBD, but some also with nicotine.  It might be the devices, it might be additives because what you're buying isn't pure, but for now, I'd avoid that route since you can easily just use a tincture.  But take care not to use too much too often -- one thing we have learned is from the one approved FDA drug that is CBD oil for those with particular forms of seizure disorder, and there have been a fairly high percentage of liver problems with it.  Probably not a problem if you use it occasionally, but don't overdo it, and don't use really large amounts.  And it does appear to be a serotonin affecting drug, so if you're taking other meds just be aware that it doesn't seem to affect the same receptors as THC.  Lots to learn about it, nobody ever took CBD oil historically, they used marijuana as medicine.  Peace, all.
I've tried to research it for my son as well who has anxiety and unfortunately, it's hard to research because it really isn't very well studied. And now you have all these shops muddying the water so there is so much trash information about it that it is hard to fully get a picture of it's efficacy and safety.  I wouldn't recommend it for anyone at this point until they add in some science backed research to determine what you need to know to use it properly.  
I agree with Mom's analysis of the research but disagree that nobody should use it.  I recently connected with an old friend, and he has an anxiety problem that only occurs when he can't sleep, which is often because of apnea.  Using CBD oil solves his anxiety problem and his sleep problem pretty much.  He doesn't need to use it all the time, and there are brands out there that have good reputations for purity.  They are expensive, though.  I also met another person who solved a very bad anxiety problem using CBD oil.  There are a lot of studies out there, and the results are almost uniformly positive.  The problem with them is they are small, short term, and yes, finding a dosage is really hard to do.  But the drugs we take for the same problems are also based on small short-term studies that didn't have all that great of results as well, and are far more dangerous in fact than CBD oil is in theory.  Many antidepressants are also liver toxic, and most drugs of all kinds are toxic either to the liver or the stomach or cause bleeding or cause death or cause pain.  If it's a choice between trying something or suffering trying nothing when nothing else has worked, so far as we know CBD is a whole lot safer than virtually any drug out there.  Which doesn't mean it's safe, just that if you don't take too much of it, and you can learn what is too much by looking at the studies of the FDA approved drug, and you can do what you would do if you took acetaminophen regularly or tricyclics  or statins or tons of other drugs, which is you have to go see your doctor every few months and get your liver enzymes checked.  If we wait until we are certain about CBD, those of us suffering now might very well be dead, because as long as there are conservatives in power all over the world, there will be no great marijuana or hemp research.  It just is.  Each person has to make this choice for themselves, but what I don't like is the evangelical and naive fervor of those who posit that marijuana or CBD are completely benign and fix everything.  That isn't at all true, those people are worse than the pharmaceutical company shills and I think they are just pot users who want badly to believe it is never a problem.  What is true is that it's much less of a problem than most other drugs, including pharmaceutical products, but less isn't none.  Peace.
Paxiled. There's loads of ways to use CBD! I have a CBD spray for my son and that works a treat. He has severe anxiety and whenever we're out to eat he has to go home there and then if it gets a bit loud or else he'll have a panic attack. CBD just calms him down.

He doesn't use it every day but in those types of uncomfortable circumstances, he'll bring it with him, 2 sprays and 5 minutes to let it affect him and he's good to go.

Find a brand that specialises in Anxiety though, they are the most trusted ones.
Don't know how old your son is, but know that using any drug that affects brain neurotransmitters on young people who have not yet fully developed their brains can be harmful.  Again, know the risk of things.  Sometimes we can't help but use things that aren't ideal, but just know the risk.  CBD affects serotonin, so be aware of that.  It's milder of an effect than an antidepressant, but it does affect that brain neurotransmitter.  I'm sure very occasional use is probably not a problem, but regular use for the very young might be a problem.  Or not.  And there is no such thing as CBD products that specialize in anxiety.  There are breeds of marijuana that claim that, but CBD does what it does, there isn't some that is better for anxiety than others.  Quality is a matter of the integrity of the company that is marketing it, not what it treats.  Be careful out there, folks, and be aware.  Peace.
Avatar universal
CBD oil has helped me! It's very misunderstood due to it being in the cannabis family! THC get's you high, CBD doesn't. It calms the anxiety, depression and sleeplessness.
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973741 tn?1342342773
I do 'sort of' get this.  More so chronic medications that I'd be on for a long while.  But a short term antibiotic to get rid of a painful UTI, oh ya.  I'm taking it because I find UTI's excruciating.  That's very motivating to me.  

There are lots of people that try to muscle through without meds and lots of things can get better on their own without them.  But if the health concern is quite uncomfortable (and my UTI's always have been, I can't get relief fast enough!), then it is worth taking it.  All medications have side effects but for things like antibiotics, they have a short half life.  Which means it washes out of your system pretty quickly. :>)  

Do you have health anxiety in general?
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1 Comments
I do. I’ll get a random pain that goes away in seconds but I still have to research it. I try to self diagnose all the time which is the WORST arguing you can do. But even when I find out what’s wrong I’m horrified of medicine. But I don’t want to be.
Avatar universal
I'm not sure everything you're doing is such a bad thing.  Everyone should research their meds before taking them, so that part is just prudence.  You can learn a lot your doctor doesn't tell you (and often doesn't really know) by doing your homework.  Antibiotics, for example, are notorious for being prescribed for things they don't treat and aren't necessary for and they do have some consequences that have to be taken into consideration.  On the other hand, when a medication is necessary, you need to take it and need to take it as prescribed.  With antibiotics, for example, your doctor usually assumes you're going to do what's recommended, but many people start their course of them and then stop before it's finished, which is not a good thing to do.  There's no way for anyone here to know if the particular UTI you have can be treated in some other way or not, they come in many different varieties and there are different ways to treat some of them, but if you have one that needs antibiotics waiting can result in harm.  Once you get to the point where you've decided with your doc that medication is the best (and often only) way to proceed, that's the part where you need to put your concerns aside and protect your health.  So I'd say you have a two-part situation here, one that is not a bad thing, doing your homework, and one that isn't serving you at all, which is not doing what you need to do for your health.  For now, if you need the med, just take it, and for the future, you have a phobia here and therapy for it would probably be a good step for you to take.  Peace.
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