In the past two weeks, I have spoken to at least four mom friends about anxiety medicine. And that isn’t uncommon for me; if anything, I would say it’s becoming the norm. The conversation usually starts like this: “I know we have talked about your experience with X prescription in the past – but would you mind disclosing if you are still taking it and if you would recommend it?”
SURE THING. Hi, my name is Kate, and I’m proud to say I take Zoloft every morning. I don’t have any qualms about sharing what I take, my dose, how long I’ve been taking Zoloft, or anything else about my prescription.
I am not a medical expert – clearly. I know the decision to take a prescription for anxiety/mood/depression/OCD/etc. should always be discussed first and foremost with your primary caregiver. I also know that it is a private, personal, and often emotional decision. But why, after a trained medical expert indicates that medicine might help you, might make your day-to-day life easier, do so many women still resist that help?
I bet if I walked up to a group of 10 mom friends, at least half of them would tell me that they either have a prescription for anxiety medication that they haven’t filled, are trying to get off their medication, or struggle with the idea of taking medication indefinitely.
Here is my question:
why can’t we normalize this?
One of my best friends just recently began taking Prozac. For a while (maybe years), she resisted medication and had with regularity asked me about what I took, how it made me feel, etc. I asked her if she could share with me why she waited as long as she did to make a change, and this was her honest answer: “It was hard to accept the fact that I needed more help than the Calm app, talk therapy, and long walks could provide. Acceptance was key. Now I am committed to finding the best med/dose for me so that I can live a better life.”
Sing it, sister. This mom/life thing is hard. I love my therapist (Hi Mary!) as much as the next gal, and I am so inspired by how much our country is embracing therapy and mental health, especially in the wake of COVID. But let’s consider what 50 minutes a week can tackle versus a daily chemical infusion that kicks the calm app to the curb.
Maybe it’s important to share why I’m so passionate about this and why I’m so proud to talk about taking Zoloft – because I know with 100% certainty that it makes me a better mom and a better wife. I’m less jumpy, I cry less, I get agitated less frequently, I don’t sweat the small stuff, and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night panicked over an issue that wouldn’t even give my husband a second thought.
Let’s face it. We women are hormonal people. We are raising tiny tyrants who don’t care about our schedules, meal plans, or anything else that could make our day easier. And many of us are married to men with one-track minds who simply can’t understand how debilitating it is on our brains to multitask as much as we do from the moment we wake up, until we can finally stop roboting and convince our brains to allow us to sleep.
I’m not here to be your drug dealer, and I’m not saying medication is a solution for everyone; in fact, I know it isn’t a great fit for a lot of individuals. But for the mom in the thick of it who can and will benefit from a daily anxiety prescription, let’s show encouragement, acceptance and openness so that anxiety about an anxiety pill is one less thing they have to worry about.
