Meds and side effects... anybody else like this too?

[tsos82]

About eight years ago I was having anxiety and panic attacks... my mom gave me a pill that she said would calm me down and I took it (I know you're not supposed to take another persons medication but she suffers from anxiety and panic disorder also so I figured why not) thinking it would help but it only made me extremely sick to my stomach, I felt horrible for the rest of the day and tried to sleep it off. Since then I have this "thing" about taking medications because the most common side effects are nausea/vomiting. I never had a problem taking anything before but now I even get hesitant to take cold medicines, tylenol, even vitamins etc. Was just wondering if anybody else out there sometimes feels this way about medications. I especially am not a fan of antibiotics, partly because I am allergic to a lot of them but they also make me sick, so I feel like I drive myself crazy trying to stay as healthy as possible in order to avoid even the mildest of meds... sometimes it just gets a little tiring.

[ewilkins]

I have noticed that n/v is a possible side effect for just about ALL of them. As a result, I just take it and hope for the best. If I read the side effect hand-out, it will drive me crazy with worry. So far, so good.

[claire43]

I try not to read the side effect leaflet. There is nearly always n* or v* on there & so I tend to just take the tablet & wait to see if I get any unpleasant side effects. Theres been many meds over the years that Ive needed to take but would not have had I read the leaflets first.

[Kinetic]

I remember reading the leaflet for my contraceptive pill, and waiting anxiously after taking my first tablet for the 3-4 hour period where n and v were most common in bad reactions. I went to work and stood there literally waiting to v. Now I just skip over the 'side effects' part and let my body absorb it without precedent from my anxiety

[asianeko]

I let my boyfriend read the leaflet on any new medications. My doctor knows about the emetophobia, and she doesn't prescribe me anything that has a good chance of nausea or vomiting unless she absolutely has to. At my request, she doesn't tell me if it will or not unless I ask her straight out. My boyfriend reads the side effects, so I tell him if I feel funky at all (this includes chills, dizziness, etc.) and he'll tell me if it's because of the medicine or not. That way I don't psych myself into feeling gross.