I’m Scared to Take Medication

By Dee Wieninger

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

As Christians, most situations in our lives don’t always seem to start out as a spiritual journey. They begin as a struggle or heartache and as we move through the process seeking God’s will or godly counsel, God works it for our good. (Romans 8:28). Each story becomes a reason to praise our Lord and afterwards encourage others.

I have always been hesitant about taking medications as I ultimately suffer some sort of side effects. When you hear side effects listed on TV commercials, one of the last things listed is death. I find myself saying, “I’d rather suffer the ailment than the so-called cure.”

After battling a persistent dry cough and sore throat, I finally went to see a doctor. (Not my regular gal.) She asked me how long I had been on my blood pressure medicine. I said probably 7-8 years. She said this particular drug was known for creating a cough. She suggested I stop that medication to see if the cough subsided. After 2 days it stopped. It was gone. I was elated! At my next appointment with my regular nurse practitioner, she still wanted me on a blood pressure medication because of my diabetes. So, she prescribed a new medication. After reading the side effects online (probably not the best decision) I became increasingly anxious. I don’t like taking medications, but now this one in particular scared me.

I moved from worrying about the symptoms of the medication to examining the source of my anxiety. I Googled “Why am I Afraid of Medications” and immediately found a podcast on the subject. As believers, we recognize that God brings diverse people into our lives, including non-believers, to strengthen our walk and refine our journey. The podcast wasn’t Christian nor was there any mention of God, but it was a blessing and very helpful just the same. Anxiety Specialist,  Kimberley Quinlin, kindly shared ways we heighten our own anxiety by fretting about things that haven’t even happened yet. She spoke on how we run all the what-ifs and catastrophic scenarios through our minds. Wow! I pretty much live in that world. She graciously reminded us to give ourselves permission and honor our need to ask the questions that we have about the medications and learn how to coach ourselves effectively. We need to challenge our faulty thoughts and beliefs about the medication. By understanding the pros and cons we can make informed decisions. Ms. Quinlin offered a plethora of information on this topic of Medication Anxiety as well as a list of other anxiety inducing situations. If you struggle with anxiety, I suggest you visit her site to see if there is information that would help you.

Ms. Quinlin may very well be a Christian; however, she does not state this on her site, nor does she explicitly apply God’s Word to encourage or assist her readers. But as Christians, we may seek God’s Word to help with our fears, anxieties, illnesses, and doubts. This is an excellent endeavor, but many times the verses offered are very broad and it’s difficult to find their meaning concerning our needs. Example: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8. Doctors and counselors in the secular world seem to break these lessons down to address our specific concerns. Ms. Quinlan addressed the “whatever is true” instruction by pointing out our fretting about things that haven’t even happened yet or challenging our faulty thoughts. We need to recognize the topic of our fears that aren’t “true” and definitely not “lovely or admirable.”  We need to learn to utilize God’s Word to better “coach ourselves.” All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

When we strive to rightly apply  God’s Word to our health and well being, we are blessed to have people in our lives to help focus our thinking and equip us toward greater health care training. Maybe you struggle with anxiety about even going to a doctor or counselor. Consider how God may provide this person to thoroughly equip you in caring for yourself.

“With prayer, wisdom, and faith, I continue forward believing that God equips us for every good work, even in caring for our own health.”

Used by permission (n.d.). I Am Scared to Take Medication (Managing Medication Anxiety) | Ep. 358 – Therapy & Counseling for OCD & Eating Disorders https://kimberleyquinlan-lmft.com/i-am-scared-to-take-medication-managing-medication-anxiety-ep-358/