Health
Medication for Anxiety: Why We Don’t Really Talk About It
The Personal Belief and Autonomy Problem
No matter what I say about medication for anxiety, I’m going to oppose someone’s personal beliefs and challenge their right to make their own choices. That’s not okay.
As a therapist, one of the first things we learn is that every client has autonomy. We’re not here to tell you what to do or what’s right for you. Only you get to decide that. This principle extends to content creation too.
If I mention that some people recover without medication—which is true—people who are emotionally invested in their medication, who believe it’s working, who are living better lives because of it, might feel attacked or invalidated. They shouldn’t have to hear someone they’ve come to trust accidentally challenge their choice.
On the flip side, if I talk about how many people find medication helpful and improve their quality of life, people with strong feelings against medication—maybe because of horrific side effects or difficult withdrawal experiences—will feel dismissed.
Here’s what I want you to understand: medication for anxiety is an incredibly personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. Everyone gets to make their own choice, and everyone gets to respect everyone else’s choices without questioning them.
Your experience with anxiety medication is not someone else’s experience, and theirs isn’t yours. They never will be.
It’s Way More Complicated Than You Think
The second reason I don’t discuss specific medication advice is simple: it’s incredibly complicated. There are so many variables that go into these decisions.
Medical variables: Your physical health, other medications you’re taking, other medical conditions, your history with psychiatric medications—these all matter.
Social and family variables: Your family might be strongly for or against medication. They might be invested in Western medicine or Eastern healing philosophies. These beliefs impact your decision.
Financial variables: Not everyone can afford ongoing medical care and medication costs.
Cultural variables: Especially in today’s climate, medication and pharmaceutical companies have become cultural issues that divide people.
Lifestyle variables: I don’t know if you have kids, demanding jobs, elderly parents to care for, or community commitments. Medication side effects might impact your ability to live the lifestyle you want.
Your specific presentation: While the principles of anxiety disorders are similar, how they show up in your life is unique. Your obstacles, your functioning, your specific challenges—these all factor into medication decisions.
Think about it—there are so many variables that it seems absurd to think some person with a microphone talking to thousands of people could know you well enough to give actionable advice about anxiety medication.
Qualifications Matter
Unless you’re getting information from a medical doctor, someone in pharmacology, or specifically a psychiatrist—someone with extensive qualifications, training, and knowledge about psychiatric medications—you probably shouldn’t be asking about psychiatric medications.
As a therapist treating anxiety disorders, I have medication discussions with my clients all the time. But there’s a specific scope I must stay within. I can help them work through uncertainty, provide base information to help them make well-informed decisions, but I can’t tell them what medications will or won’t work for them.
I’m not even sure about that when it comes to people I work with intimately for weeks, months, or years. So it’s simply not possible for someone in a one-to-many environment—one person talking into a camera that thousands watch—to know enough about you to give safe, ethical information about your medication needs.
Everything Changes Over Time
Here’s the third crucial reason: you change, and everything changes.
Your body changes naturally over time. Your mind changes, your beliefs change, your experiences get factored into how you see the world. Your morals might shift, your cultural affiliations might change, your risk-reward calculations—which every medication decision involves—will change.
Anxiety recovery and mental health aren’t static, point-in-time issues. They’re long-term propositions.
The decision to take medication, continue medication, change medications, adjust doses, or discontinue medication is an ongoing issue that changes as you change. Sometimes you might think you need more, sometimes less, sometimes a change entirely. Sometimes your doctor will suggest changes. This all happens over time as everything about you evolves.
We cannot look at medication for anxiety as a single moment in time when you ask, “Which medication should I take?” or “Do I need medication at all?” You’re asking about something that’s a long-term proposition.
A Better Approach to Medication Questions
Unless your favorite content creator is a physician trained in prescribing and managing psychiatric medications, and unless they’re going to check in with you regularly to watch how you change over time and help you adjust accordingly—which no YouTuber, podcaster, or social media influencer is doing because it doesn’t scale—don’t ask them about medication.
When you interact with content creators, you’re seeing us in one small snapshot of time. We see you, we never see you back. We simply have no voice or role in your medication decisions or management.
What You Can Do Instead
If you’re struggling with questions about medication for anxiety, here are some suggestions that might help you move forward:
- Work with qualified professionals: Consult with your doctor, a psychiatrist, or a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders
- Seek well-informed consent: Whether you’re considering starting, continuing, or stopping medication, make sure you have comprehensive information
- Remember you can’t make a wrong choice: You can always change course and adjust as you learn and grow
- Focus on what you can control: Whether you use medication or not, the principles of anxiety recovery remain the same
The Bottom Line
I won’t answer your medication questions because I don’t get to counter your beliefs, I don’t know your complex circumstances, and I can’t be part of your long-term journey in the way that’s necessary for medication management.
This isn’t meant to dismiss your concerns or tell you to stop wondering about medication. It’s to help you understand why seeking answers from qualified professionals who can get to know you, your circumstances, and your changing needs over time is so important.
Your anxiety is real, your questions are valid, and you deserve proper support in making these important decisions. That support just needs to come from the right sources.