Diaries of an Emetophobe

no problem!

I know *exactly* what it is like, to be consumed by the anxiety that comes with emetophobia. I have battled this phobia for YEARS. 

Mother of God, Milk of Magnesia is some of the most awful stuff on this Earth. 

but let me tell you, that stuff gets the job done.

So apparently Miralax is super popular in the Eating Disorder community. 

I was searching the tag, trying to find user opinions for this product, and all I am finding is eating disorder related stuff. 

In order to save you all from reading too much about me, I have had IBS since I was a baby. My mom is a Registered Nurse and keeps telling me to take Miralax. I have tried it before, and had a weird dry heaving spell on one of the days I was taking it, and automatically assumed that the two were somehow related.

I may try the product again, and see how things go. Maybe I will cut the dosage in half. 

oh for crying out loud, I had an amazing response all typed up and ready to send, and then my internet crapped out and I lost it all. *sobs*

Ok, I will try to retype this and make it just as good as the first try. 

I have been on Paxil since the 5th grade, and it was prescribed to me for my panic attacks and anxiety. When I started taking it, it took 2-3 weeks for any noticeable changes to be seen. When it did start to work, my parents and my family were very excited and often commented on how much more "outgoing" I had become. I would still experience mild anxiety, but it was much much less severe then before. 

My doctor says though, that I have been on it so long that I really do not need it anymore. He seems to believe that my brain is producing the right amount of chemicals again and wants me to try to ween off of it to see how I do. 

Paxil is one hell of a drug, and the side effects when starting it are awful, and the withdrawal symptoms are just as awful if you do not ween off of it properly. 

I would suggest speaking with your family doctor about your concerns and how you would like to try a medication to help you out with your anxiety and phobia. There are a lot of other medications out there that are not as brutal as Paxil, but do just as good of a job of treating anxiety/panic attacks/etc. 

I have come a long way over the years and have made tremendous progress with this phobia. I owe a lot of it to constantly practicing meditation techniques, and using certain "mind tricks" to calm myself down. 

My mom bought me this book several years ago, and it is honestly one of the best books on the subject of anxiety and phobias that I have ever read. I highly suggest you check it out as well (along with everyone else who may be reading this message.)

http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Workbook-Edmund-Bourne/dp/1572248912/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339739728&sr=1-1

oh I totally know how hard it can be.

Last year I began to ween off of it, and it took several MONTHS to ween myself from 30mg down to just 10mg every other day. But then I had a *severe* panic attack that fall due to college and boyfriend related stress and my mother made me up my dose again.  In retrospect, I don't think that the panic attack was from me weening off of the drug, because I had been weening off of it for the previous 8 months VERY slowly and without any issues. 

I have done a lot of reading up on the drug itself and withdrawal symptoms, etc. Many people say that they will experience what *feels* like panic attacks, but in reality it is just their bodies adjusting to living without the drug. My own doctor has told me that since I have been taking it for so many years, that my brain chemicals have more than likely re-stabilized themselves and this is what prompted him to suggest that I ween off of it.

I definitely feel those horrible withdrawal symptoms though, if I miss a day taking it. When I was 14yrs old, I missed something like 3 or 4 days in a row of taking it, and I thought I was going to die. It was the most horrible feeling ever. 

lol, so I got my anxiety medicine refilled and they now only offer 90 day supplies. I also am at a 15mg dosage, so this means I have to split the 30mg pills in half. This means I will now have 6 months worth of anxiety medicine.