Scared I'm going to pass out at my own wedding

@Courtney blood pressure meds only help if there's a blood pressure issue. There is one medication that can be used for blood pressure and anxiety, but again, if there are no blood pressure issues, it's not the best choice because it can cause fluctuations in blood pressure.

There's a wide variety of SSRIs. Some are better for anxiety than others, but they are a first-line therapy for anxiety. The problem is, you have to give it time and many people don't. Even if you give it time and it doesn't work, the next step is to try a different SSRI because you can get benefit out of one when others have failed.

Acupuncture has always worked well for me for a lot of things and anxiety is a big one.

As for the wedding are being afraid you may pass out, I was too.

What we did was have a nice white chair up by the table that had the unity candle. There just in case I needed to sit during the ceremony. Plan was to just continue on with my sitting if I couldn't stand.

It's your wedding, you day. If you need to sit and take some water or something, just have a list of nice music to play while that happens. No harm.

If you're worried about it looking out of place, you could even decorate it with flowers.

In the end, I didn't need my chair and turned out people thought that a empty chair was some sort of symbolic part of the ceremony.

Symbolic part of the ceremony, I like that can't do that in a Greek Orthodox church, I don't think, but will ask the priest about it just to be safe.

So since last night when I posted this I've been really thinking about what you girls said about the meds. To be honest all my friends have been heavily critical of them and all I've been hearing were horror stories that enforced my own negative, albeit short, experience.

I'll discuss it with my therapist tomorrow.

I hope you can find something that can work for you. Every person is different, remember that. Your therapist will be able to steer you in the right direction. (Not sure if you are going to a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist.)

Psychoterapist since June last year.

I am planning on having a glass of champagne before walking down the aisle. I also get anxious (no fainting, though) and it really helps me to relax.

Regarding the meds -- keep in mind that while your therapist can give you his/her input, you really need to discuss this with your doctor (medical doctor), preferably a psychiatrist.

One tip, make this open to vendors, there may be some who have experience with anxious brides and might have better tips for you since they work with a LOT of different brides and it's their business so they may have some good points.

Otherwise, no. And as for fainting when you put on your dress... I got "sick" every time I put on my dress after it was altered, it was too small for me, maybe that was part of it?

Those saying medications are first line treatment for anxiety are mistaken. Western society's first line treatment for everything is medication because we are a culture of immediacy.

Sure you can suggest medications such as a fast acting Xanax, but maybe she doesn't want the bubble head side effect of idgaf on the day she marries her best friend.

I spend too much time trying to help people off these dependency encouraging medications. People who use Xanax and lorazepam can have perpetual anxiety for years because of the side effects.

She has some time still to address this in a healthy and effective way.

@Pam the majority of medication posts are talking about SSRIs and NOT benzos. In fact, there are posts talking about benzos not being first line or benzos being a poor choice for long-term treatment. SSRIs are not addictive and they are, in fact, helpful for anxiety. That's not an opinion. It's a fact.

@Elizabeth SSRI's are possibly worse in the cases of the type of anxiety she is having. Not to mention the 3 weeks of build up they take to show effectiveness and the likelihood her genetics may not process it well. Unless she does a saliva dna test prior to starting to determine efficacy of certain SSRI's she will be as frustrated as she had in the past. I am qualified to speak on this and the armchair psychologists in this thread need to sit down. This issue is best addressed by her current therapist.

@Pam take your own advice and sit the hell down before you assume that you're the one qualified to speak on this and no one else is. You know what they say about assumptions. Chances are you're not the most qualified person in this thread. At least two of the people on this thread are professional psychologists and at least one is a medical doctor. And FYI, since you didn't bother to read the posts, many of us told her to talk to her DOCTOR about medication options. We simply told her what's out there and what the treatment options are.

And FYI, until you educate yourself on treatment options, don't spread false information like SSRIs are worse for anxiety.

Please consult your doctor and therapist for what will work best for you.

Meh. After reading The back and forth this armchair psychologist suggests edible weed. Helps with my anxiety! And the edibles are easier to control dosage!

I take Prozac for my generalized depression/anxiety. I never took a dna test but it worked for me.

As I stated before, IF you don't want meds I suggest opening this up to vendors and asking them. Some are officiants and I'm sure they have some ideas.

@elizabeth your assumption that I am neither of those above mentioned professions is your error. I am just not going to put myself and my license out there by giving medical advice on a forum. I too gave her several treatment options and I am not against recommending medications when appropriate. I too recommended she speak with her current therapist, which is in fact the only person who should be advising her medically. If her therapist is good and ethical she can coordinate with her doctor as well.

No one gave her medical advice. No one. So quit lying. We told her what options were available and told her to speak to her DOCTOR. That is not advising her medically. And no, you didn't do the same thing. You misunderstood the posts, went on and on about a class of drugs debunked on the last page, gave false information about a class of drugs that actually are first-line for treatment of anxiety, and then ranted at the rest of us. Also, I never assumed you weren't one of the above mentioned. What I did was say "Chances are you're not the most qualified person in this thread." And you're likely not, based on your posts. I stand by that 100%.

And I also disagree that her therapist can advise her medically. Her therapist can advise her psychologically, but only a prescriber (MD, DO, NP, or PAC) should be advising her medically.

Weed

LOL Eleanor.

Spirit, I hope you can see the passion in this post and know that people here are trying to lend you support. Can we provide you therapy? No. Can we provide you with the best treatment option? No. What we can do is help you feel confident in the choices that you are going to make and support you along your journey. There are differing opinions and that is perfectly fine. None of us here know your medical history and therefore cannot say without a doubt whether or not medication is your best option. I mentioned my medical history briefly not to sway you but to show you that it does not make you a failure. (Which we discussed above.)

I hope that you can get all the help that you need. I really do hope that everything works out for you! Stay strong!

Lol @Eleanor