Show 301 - Self-Medication Pro and Con

Having to live with anxiety symptoms is not easy. I can't speak for you but I have sometimes been shamed, embarrassed or felt hopeless after a bad bout with those rascals.

My self-medication of choice is food. I kinda have to deal with that because it isn't an effective way to deal with the problem. I've been around this bend before so I know I can do it.

Will I? Probably.

You see my symptoms are flaring up again. Big time.

And yes, I do breathe. 

Go out side and walk a bit.

Fill my head with music so I can get from point A to B.

Most times it works, sometimes it does not.

I used to think that self-medication was a bad but understandable idea.  I’ve kinda moved to the center of “it depends, and what are your other options?”

So in this episode, the questions that I've asked myself and maybe you should consider is what are the benefits and liabilities of self-medication?

There are the obvious ones

• Stopping or hiding symptoms
• A rest period
• Ability to focus
• Relief

And the cons

• Dosage, how much and not knowing when it is too much?
• Dependency, could be adding on an additional problem.
• Financial, the cost of trying to control your symptoms instead of treating the problem. 
• Affect on the Body, does the treatment of the symptom cause more harm than good?

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Post Covid Anxiety Is Real is on the Psychology Today website about how hard it seems to be to reintegrate back into the public space.

Helpguide.org is a non-profit organization and website that provides information about mental health issues.  They have a post on Self-Medication and there are some questions to be considered. 

You should know that they believe in investigating other options before taking medication. 

There is a page on the Good Rx website that talks about self-medication and alcohol. 

It is a good article, however the main purpose of the website is to connect users with coupons to use for medication from pharmacy vendors. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.