All About Pharmacophobia, the Fear of Medication, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Pharmacophobia?

Pharmacophobia is the Fear of Medication and, like all other fears and phobias, can cause significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

This phobia became much more pronounced during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 when there were a large number of conspiracy theories regarding the nature of Covid vaccinations.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Pharmacophobia, for example:

• You may have had negative side-effects from a prescribed medication in the past.
• You might have picked-up the fear of Medication from a parent who suffered from it as a form of ‘learned-behaviour’.

Although phobias are often described as ‘disorders’, there is no valid scientific evidence that Pharmacophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance as proposed in the biomedical models of mental illness.

On the contrary, Pharmacophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (what you think your experiences mean) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial symptom.

Pharmacophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Pharmacophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Pharmacophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Avoiding taking medication.
• Missing preventative health care checks.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Having heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

Moreover, you may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Pharmacophobia.

Furthermore, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) listed above WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Pharmacophobia?

it is likely that your Pharmacophobia is the result of either traumatic experiences or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

You may, for example, have been prescribed anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication that led to unpalatable side-effects or other problems and now try to avoid taking any medicines.

What’s more, because the Fear of Medication has never been linked to any biological factors, the most likely explanation for your Pharmacophobia is the way that you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences.

Counselling and Therapy for Pharmacophobia

We can offer you a number of different types of therapy and counselling for your Pharmacophobia the Fear of Medication.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Pharmacophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Pharmacophobia
• Counselling for Pharmacophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Medication

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Pharmacophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.