i'm scared to take medication

so lately my depression has been getting really bad. it's gotten to the point where my gf (who is the first healthy relationship i've been in) is trying to get me to talk to my doctor about maybe getting medication for it. if i'm being honest i'm really scared of medications. i was in residential treatment for 6 and a half months, i've been forced to take meds so much i'm not really sure i can handle it. i know i need to take them, but just my experiences with the meds and doctors have scared me away from it. i'd really appreciate if anyone could give us some tips for this

P.S. it's the same thing with doctors, i've never had a doctor who actually respects me.

It's way different taking them outpatient than in inpatient or I'd assume residential would be similar. Because it's a lower level of treatment and more on a voluntary basis, you have a lot more control and power and voice over what you take, when you take it, how much, etc. and it's nice. If you research the meds yourself you can even kinda be your own doctor and your doc will just prescribe them to you (this is pretty much what my doc and I will do, but sometimes I get a little resistant to treatment, different than treatment resistant, so she has to push me "don't you want to see if this helps you sleep?" "don't you want to see if this helps your moods stabilize?" "do you really want to keep dealing with the hallucination because it sounds stressful" etc so a good pdoc you jive with is important--personally I'm a control freak and if I wasn't in control of my meds I would rebel)

((((lowkoak))))

It's hard to deal with doctors sometimes and advocate for yourself.

Suggestions?

- Write down your questions / concerns ahead of time and bring them to ask the doctor.
(I use ChatGPT sometimes to help me brainstorm a list of questions I should ask, based on my circumstances. I use a pseudonym for privacy.)

- Could you bring someone to the appointment with you for support and notetaking?

- Talk to other people on here about what meds they're taking.

One of the meds I take is Prozac (and it has a good side-effect profile: meaning there are many and, in my case, I haven't notice any.)

Do you know whether your depression is situational or biological or both. Mine is both.

Will you be seeing a family doctor or a psychiatrist?

i'm going to be seeing a psychiatrist, i haven't seen a family doctor in a long time bc of some stuff that happened. and my depression is both, i've been feeling bad for a long time and school isn't helping that in any form or fashion

I'm sorry that you're not feeling well and haven't been for a long time.

There are pathways forward. There's hope! Many of us here have been in the darkest of tunnels and we are still here.

I've heard it said that depression is a liar and not to listen to it.

It's good you are going to see a psychiatrist.

Once you stabilize with some medication, you'll be in a better frame of mind to deal with the situations that are contributing to your depression.

But, ask your psychiatrist to help you find a therapist or social worker who can help you navigate, not only dealing with your emotions, but life's challenges and school issues.

One step at a time.

Hang in there...

And give yourself credit for reaching out for help by seeing a psychiatrist and being on here.

Keep us updated about how you get along.

wrong forum

Like others have said it’s different when you see a Dr on a volunteer basis. It might help if you write down which side effects you found troubling and which you are willing to live with. Also be aware that there are side effects that will go away as your body gets used to the medication. The best thing you can do is be open and candid with the Dr. write down your symptoms and which symptoms are the most troubling. Drs now can concentrate on those symptoms that bother you the most.