[lordgroff]

My story with SSRIs is largely similar, anxiety and PTSD almost at zero. One of the things I didn't realize is that my base level of anxiety was through the roof. I thought that was "normal" and that times when my anxiety really kicked up a notch was anxiety.

And then within a month and a half of taking meds, the constant feeling of impending doom within my spine that was always there, gone.

I had side effects for the first month or two but they're long gone. I also had first sleeplessness and then fatigue, but I found taking meds at night made all the difference, making that issue a thing of the past.

I don't worry too much about my long term dependence on it: even if it lowered my life expectancy, which there isn't really any proof of, but even if it did, I'd take it as a fair trade-off.

[imwillofficial]

It's crazy! I never realized I was anxious until I started anti-anxiety meds. Modern mental health is pure quackery in my experience so far. It's been "let's try it and see what happens"

[splithalf]

It’s the same with all medicine. Pain medication, antibiotics and so on. Doctors try stuff until something works. You may have overly positive views of science if you don’t think it’s being made up as we go. The body/mind split is artificial too.