Any advice?

[Angeldelight123]

Hi there, I struggle with anxiety issues, which I have just began therapy for and I was wondering I could please get some advice, you guys have been helpful and I'm so grateful for that.

I do enjoy sex, and I take my pill faithfully and correctly every single time, but I am really worried incase antibiotics (flucloxacillin) affected my pill, I'm am no longer taking the antibiotics but I am still afraid as my withdrawal bleed is due next week.
I've been getting conflicting information, the majority of people that I've asked e.g some pharmacists, my local sexual health clinic "no it doesn't affect the pill", but there have been a few which have said there is a possibility that the antibiotic could've affected my pill, since it has been such a big assumption for years and now they say there is no interaction. This is why im anxious because of all the conflicting information is confusing me and I don't know what to trust and it isn't helping the way I feel. Can you please help me with any advice possible?
Thank you for your kind patience and time, I know I'm being a pest and this can be irritating.

[Karyn]

At this point, I'm not sure what else we can say that we haven't already told you: I and other staff here have made it clear that we do not think there is cause for concern with this particular antibiotic and the pill, and you have heard that from your sexual health clinic and multiple pharmacists. Too, even if your pill had been affected, there is nothing you can do now besides dealing with the anxiety that you're experiencing, and perhaps make different sexual choices that you are likely to be more comfortable with moving forward.

You're in therapy for anxiety - have you had a chance to talk with your therapist about this anxiety you have around your pill specifically? Have they given you any strategies to try to deal with these worries when they crop up?

[Angeldelight123]

So does that mean I should try and get it into my head that there's nothing to worry about? Since you did say there isn't a cause for concern with these two medications. My pill leaflet also doesn't state that particular antibiotic either.

[Karyn]

That's correct: I do not think you have anything to worry about here. However, one thing that we know about anxiety is that it can interfere with our ability to absorb and accept facts, and continuing to seek out facts and information (and reassurance that those facts are correct) isn't actually helpful in the long run. We've talked about the pill and antibiotics a lot with you, and it seems pretty clear that going over and over the same information isn't helping you, so I'm going to set a limit here: we will no longer discuss the details of your pill and the antibiotic you were taking. What we can talk about is bringing this specific worry up with your therapist, and how to make choices around sex so that your anxiety is not triggered until you have learned some tools to manage it.

[Angeldelight123]

Thank you Karyn.
I do deeply apologise for the constant posts etc. Yes my anxiety is a bummer and it does stop me from listening to people and taking in the right information that I should accept, it is quite embarrassing to be honest.
I've only just started therapy, so I haven't gotten well in to it yet, my second appointment is next Friday.

[Karyn]

No need to apologise, or be embarrassed: this isn't about you being annoying or irritating, it's about all of us here doing our best to ensure that we're giving you the best help we can.

Would you like to talk about either of the things I mentioned in my last post?

[Angeldelight123]

My therapist is away of my pill worried etc, so that is definitely something we're going to discuss next week. To be honest I don't really want to change my sex life. Sex is something to be enjoyed and not just an anxiety trigger. I should be able to have fun with my partner, it isn't fair. This is why I am really cautious and always double checking information etc.

[Angeldelight123]

EDIT: sorry, meant to say my therapist is aware of my pill worries etc

[Karyn]

It's great that your therapist is aware of your worries about the pill, and that it's on the agenda for your next appointment.

As far as changing your sex life goes, you're right, it is kind of unfair that your anxiety-brain won't let you just enjoy sex without worry, because yes, sex ideally is something that brings enjoyment and pleasure into our lives. But unfortunately, keeping on doing the things that are making you anxious won't make the anxiety go away, and can even make it worse. Sometimes, in order to get to a point where we can really fully enjoy something, we have to take a break from it first. Maybe it would help to think about it this way: if you were really into a sport, and then broke your leg, you wouldn't keep playing that sport, would you? You'd give yourself time to recover from the injury, going back into exercise gradually as you felt able, because continuing to play, even though it might be enjoyable in some ways, would be pretty painful and not-great for you in the long run.