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OTC anxiety medicine?

I have a pretty intense fear of doctors and especially dentists to the point that I can't sleep before an appointment, my heart races even at the thought of an appointment. I can avoid certain appointments but other I unfortunately have to do. I don't want to go to a doctor to get a prescription because well that's the whole issue. Are there any OTC meds I could try that might help even a little?
9 Responses
Avatar universal
I am not sure I understand what you want. Do you want an OTC to keep you from being afraid to go to some important doctor's appointment? You have a doc appointment coming up?
Avatar universal
I don't know much about non-prescription medications, so I can't help you there, but there are many natural remedies that might help.  There are also relaxation techniques you can learn, such as meditation and breathing exercises, that might help as well.  Seeing  a cognitive behavior therapist or a hypnotherapist might help.  With natural medicine, there's so much out there to try, it's hard to recommend anything.  Some people have great success with these and some don't, just as with medication, so it's very much trial and error.  There's a book called Natural Highs by Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist at UCLA, that can give a good overview of some of this.  There are three general classes of natural remedies I know of for this:  herbs, amino acids, and homeopathic medicine.  Perhaps you might try seeing a naturopath or practitioner of integrated medicine or other practitioner of natural medicine to see if this will be enough for you.
Avatar universal
Yes I want some sort of OTC to help with a couple of doctors appointments I keep putting off due to a rather intense fear
480448 tn?1426952138
Have you discussed your fears with your doctors/dentists?  Dentists especially are VERY used to people having high levels of anxiety about having dental work done.  There are some things they can do to help you feel more comfortable about the appointment.

I would suggest having a frank discussion with your practitioners and see if they can help you start moving past your fear a bit.  Paxiled had some great recommendations too, especially the CBT and hypnotherapy.  

How long have you had this fear?  Was there a specific traumatic experience you had that started this all for you?
Avatar universal
I haven't spoken to any of them about this as that would require me going in the first place. I've always had this to an extent, I can remember even being in elementary school and not wanting to tell my parents I was sick because I knew I'd have to go to the doctor. That being said I think it has gotten worse the past 5 or 6 years. I don't think it has been triggered by anything though. I have ha a diagnosed panic attack before and in the worst cases what I feel rivals that. Even something as simple as a yearly eye exam makes my heart race and I've done that for as long as I can remember. The dentist is a whole different beast though, by far the worst. I know I need to combat this I'm just at a loss for how to handle it.
480448 tn?1426952138
Well, you could start by making a phone call and discussing your situation with a staff member, like the triage nurse.  Are you totally against the idea of trying an anti-anxiety medication?  If so, why if I may ask?

While a medication certainly isn't the FIX, it would certainly help a lot in that it would allow you to at least GET into the initial appointments so you could discuss these issues with the doctors.

Avatar universal
I would love to try medication. I'm just not sure how to go about it since going in to get it prescribed is the biggest reason I need it. If that makes sense
480448 tn?1426952138
AH!  Very good point!  It's certainly a conundrum!  I think maybe making some phone calls and explaining the situation wouldn't be a bad idea, just to see if anyone has a suggestion?  No doc is going to prescribe a benzo sight unseen, but there may be options.  

Is your anxiety any better if you go WITH someone?  
Avatar universal
As far as calling around would you suggest just a GP? I'll admit I haven't even gone for a straight physical since my one before college, I'm 24 now.  So I have to find a doctor to see in the first place.

As far as taking someone with me. It might help a small amount but since most of my anxiety occurs before the appointment so I don't know how much that would help. Although my peak panic time is usually in the waiting room. That is unless I need some sort of procedure or something like a shot, cavity filled, or this summer when I had to have a place removed from my back. Then that is the worst.
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