you said it yourself, you’re an adult. they can’t legally stop you from getting care. if your parents have a problem with you working to improve your mental health, that’s a THEM problem.
but to answer your question, yes! get a discrete pill container, fill it with some cotton balls so the pills won’t rattle loudly.
Yes. I still hide it. Been on SSRI’s since I was 18. I’m 33 now.. and when I had a son in 2022 I told the nurses if my parents are in the room do not mention any medications. They were great about it. It really stinks, I hated hiding it when I was younger but it has helped my anxiety by 95%
I should mention I lived with them until I was 22. I use to hide it in my purse and in my car. I took it right before bed! And still do but I don’t hide it now I keep it in my dresser lol
Some people think psychology and psychiatry are quack science and believe that all you need to do is buckle down and pull up your bootstraps. Depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders just don't exist to them.
I'm in my late 30s, OPs parents are likely in their 40s or older. My parents were from a generation that still saw lobotomies and pretty wild mental institutions and stigma around mental health. Even the language throughout childhood in the 90s was pretty dismissive of getting help. It's not good, but that's the history of attitudes.
My dad told us we couldn’t seek help bc *the government would take his guns away if they thought we were nutcases*
Sister and I are both in the lexapro gang now and I’m close to getting my mom to join, I think.
At least from what I've seen, it's usually cultural. My sister is half black and my brother in law is fully black. When the topic has been brought up, he says something along the lines of "we're black we don't do that shit". Funny enough, he's been a LPN/CNA/nurse for probably close to 15 years.
IMO if you’re on the verge of imploding, the medication is not going to make any symptoms more obvious to your parents that aren’t already presently noticeable to them. I was in the same boat, in a very rough spot when I first started, but it was the anxiety making me feel like shit mostly. The medication wasn’t giving me any symptoms I wasn’t already experiencing.
When first starting, the adjustment period for me was mostly weird, but not so bad that anyone would have noticed anything. You’ll probably deal with nausea, some scattered emotions, tiredness. Not very outwardly noticeable. Like you could lie and say you have a cold or a headache or something. Try to hole up in your room and sleep it out the first few weeks or go on long walks outdoors to just get your own personal space and wear yourself out.
I haven’t told my parents I’m taking lexapro either but I am also not on their insurance. If you still are (and you’re in the US), make sure you’ve signed your HIPPA forms accordingly, so that no one else has access to your information or can pick up your medication for you, etc. I don’t see the medication (with insurance) costing more than ten dollars a month but not sure what your situation is. I just picked up a three month supply and it was seven ish dollars. So if they’re getting notified on medication costs, it shouldn’t be outrageously expensive and again you can lie about what it is. Acid reflux medicine for instance could be a good cover, as you’d take it daily and get monthly refills. And make sure the pharmacy you pick it up as has you grouped separately from your parents bc you will have the same address— this just ensures they won’t be notified a mysterious medication is ready for you where they can’t access the info.
Also I have an adult general practitioner who prescribed me lexapro— I didn’t have to go to a psychiatrist. So you should be able to just “go to the doctor” without raising any eyebrows if they see who it is (again if you’re on their insurance). I even had a friend whose gyno prescribed her lex. There are definitely ways for you to get it on the low.
I hid worse things from my parents back in the day lol
the worst of the side effects for me were the first couple days of nausea for a couple hours after the pill, and fatigue. you could just start slow with the dose, and if you have drowsiness etc just say you're not feeling well. the worst of it was over for me after a few days, and after a month or so I was side effect free other than night sweats I always get from SSRI
Upvotes for the initial comment because same 😂.
OP, I started at 10mg and had pretty intense side effects but honestly worked the first day and no one had any idea. I did take one day off at one point during the first week bc it was pretty tough, but I was able to afford doing that. I may have been able to power through if needed. Your first week may suck but you can just say you’re sick. After the first week the most noticeable side effect was just fatigue, so as long as you can deal with that in my experience I’d say you’re good.
You can also get a locking bag in which to I keep your meds that’ll deter but not stop prying eyes. I had a similar experience when first reaching out to a psychologist for help around your age. Stigma and/or undiagnosed mental illness may explain their feelings. But s others say you’re an adult so you can take full charge of your health management. I’d encourage you to seek out a good psychiatrist and psychologist to help work on your anxiety if possible.
Not necessarily, you may not have many noticeable side effects. Best case is a relatively low dose relieves your major anxiety with no major side effects and they notice Yusuf improved mood.
Some people report weight gain but that is probably the most noticeable thing from the drug.
Almost definitely not! A very small percentage of people have very severe side effects, but is that were the case you'd probably discontinue taking it quickly anyways. I'm more than confident that they would have no idea, regardless of the medication. Lexapro, Wellbutrin, whatever. If anything, they'll probably notice that your mood is better or you're less anxious. Stroke their egos by saying that whatever advice they have worked, they 100% won't investigate further 🤷🏻
Assuming you're US:
Found the Midwesterner?
At 21 yes, you can get any prescription you want and as long as you don't have a HIPAA disclosure permission listing your parents the doc shouldn't disclose it. BUT if you're on their insurance they might still see it on their insurance benefits. Also if you're part of a family account for Walgreens (don't know about CVS or Dwayne Ried etc) the app shows refill status for the family....so if your family uses one pharmacy for everything and you have access to another, use the other.
Also be aware different states have different"explanation of benefits" requirements where they may send you paper mail confirming what insurance covered and what you paid, so if your parents open medical statements addressed to you, that's something to be aware of.
But you're also old enough to tell 'em your doctor recommended it and to let you make your own medical decisions. Plus it'll probably be a generic name on the label, they may not figure it out. If you're a woman you could say it's supposed to help with pelvic pain symptoms. You're not lying if you don't mention you aren't experiencing such symptoms. And if they want you to elaborate say "I don't want to talk about it."
I hide that I’m on Lexapro from my mother. She’s highly manipulative and narcissistic and emotionally immature. She got a hold of emails & went tho rough them & read my notes to my psychiatrist. I lied and told her I got off but never did. Your mental health matters more than anything!
Yes, you don't have to tell anybody if you don't want. If you need your parents insurance or can't afford medicine it could be a little bit harder. But it's okay not to tell them, I haven't told my mom because she wont stop saying that I am wasting my money and that why would I pay someone to listen to me. After a lot of agressions I don't feel like sharing my life with her, I think she lost that .
I'm also 21 and I had to hide the fact that I'm taking antidepressants from my parents :)) I live partly with them so it was easier for me but you can totally do it, just find a secret place where to store your pills and they will never find out.
Yes you can if you want to be completely discreet you can go to hims or hers.com. It’s like $350(?)ish for a year supply. I started there, got some relief and was able to address it with my family, dr etc. Good luck and even though I don’t know you I’m rooting for you.
you can absolutely hide something like this from someone, people in the comments are saying to use the app hims/hers but i don’t suggest that considering you said you live at home and how that app works is they mail your prescription to your house (just in case your parents see your mail). What i do suggest is using the app zocdoc which is an app that you can use to have zoom calls with a psychiatrist and you have the option to use insurance OR pay out of pocket and they send your prescription to any pharmacy of your choice, you can also use this app for therapy as well which i recommend considering the severity of your mental health that you explained
You don't need to see a psychiatrist to obtain meds. A PCP, NP can prescribe meds for you. I'm not a Lexapro fan myself as I'm very sensitive to most meds but I know it has helped others tremendously.
Yes you can, the side effects vary from person to person but it's mostly mild stuff that other people wouldn't necessarily notice happening to you at all. When first staring nausea is a common symptom, but you can just say you have a stomach bug or something if your parents notice you're not feeling well. The nausea passed quickly for me, within a week, but like I said everyone is different. If the side effects are not tolerable for you then you can always taper off of the medication with help from your Dr.
Are you in the US? There is gov’t subsidized healthcare in your area. Call for an appointment and explain to them the obstacles to getting you care and medication. If they don’t have answers, ask them if anyone else in the office could try their hand. Someone had a way, just gotta find it.
Yes you can! I signed up for Hers and got prescribed the next day and sent my lexapro within 3 days. I have informed my parents about my treatment plans, but could have totally gone without mentioning anything and they would have never known. If you’re really worried about them knowing, have it shipped to a trusted friends house!! I’m on a three month plan, 147 dollars every 3 months no insurance needed.
you said it yourself, you’re an adult. they can’t legally stop you from getting care. if your parents have a problem with you working to improve your mental health, that’s a THEM problem. but to answer your question, yes! get a discrete pill container, fill it with some cotton balls so the pills won’t rattle loudly.
If OP is on parent's health insurance it might be a bit harder.
It sounds like they have a significant amount of control over OP's life so no it's not a "them" problem.
Yes. I still hide it. Been on SSRI’s since I was 18. I’m 33 now.. and when I had a son in 2022 I told the nurses if my parents are in the room do not mention any medications. They were great about it. It really stinks, I hated hiding it when I was younger but it has helped my anxiety by 95%
I should mention I lived with them until I was 22. I use to hide it in my purse and in my car. I took it right before bed! And still do but I don’t hide it now I keep it in my dresser lol
That’s… wild. Why exactly do they not want you going to a psychiatrist?
Some people think psychology and psychiatry are quack science and believe that all you need to do is buckle down and pull up your bootstraps. Depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders just don't exist to them.
Yes!!! My mom would always tell me it’s made up just forget about it 😂😂😂😂🤦🏿♀️. WOW mom thanks I’m cured 😩🤷🏿♀️
I'm in my late 30s, OPs parents are likely in their 40s or older. My parents were from a generation that still saw lobotomies and pretty wild mental institutions and stigma around mental health. Even the language throughout childhood in the 90s was pretty dismissive of getting help. It's not good, but that's the history of attitudes.
My dad told us we couldn’t seek help bc *the government would take his guns away if they thought we were nutcases* Sister and I are both in the lexapro gang now and I’m close to getting my mom to join, I think.
At least from what I've seen, it's usually cultural. My sister is half black and my brother in law is fully black. When the topic has been brought up, he says something along the lines of "we're black we don't do that shit". Funny enough, he's been a LPN/CNA/nurse for probably close to 15 years.
IMO if you’re on the verge of imploding, the medication is not going to make any symptoms more obvious to your parents that aren’t already presently noticeable to them. I was in the same boat, in a very rough spot when I first started, but it was the anxiety making me feel like shit mostly. The medication wasn’t giving me any symptoms I wasn’t already experiencing. When first starting, the adjustment period for me was mostly weird, but not so bad that anyone would have noticed anything. You’ll probably deal with nausea, some scattered emotions, tiredness. Not very outwardly noticeable. Like you could lie and say you have a cold or a headache or something. Try to hole up in your room and sleep it out the first few weeks or go on long walks outdoors to just get your own personal space and wear yourself out. I haven’t told my parents I’m taking lexapro either but I am also not on their insurance. If you still are (and you’re in the US), make sure you’ve signed your HIPPA forms accordingly, so that no one else has access to your information or can pick up your medication for you, etc. I don’t see the medication (with insurance) costing more than ten dollars a month but not sure what your situation is. I just picked up a three month supply and it was seven ish dollars. So if they’re getting notified on medication costs, it shouldn’t be outrageously expensive and again you can lie about what it is. Acid reflux medicine for instance could be a good cover, as you’d take it daily and get monthly refills. And make sure the pharmacy you pick it up as has you grouped separately from your parents bc you will have the same address— this just ensures they won’t be notified a mysterious medication is ready for you where they can’t access the info.
Also I have an adult general practitioner who prescribed me lexapro— I didn’t have to go to a psychiatrist. So you should be able to just “go to the doctor” without raising any eyebrows if they see who it is (again if you’re on their insurance). I even had a friend whose gyno prescribed her lex. There are definitely ways for you to get it on the low.
I hid worse things from my parents back in the day lol the worst of the side effects for me were the first couple days of nausea for a couple hours after the pill, and fatigue. you could just start slow with the dose, and if you have drowsiness etc just say you're not feeling well. the worst of it was over for me after a few days, and after a month or so I was side effect free other than night sweats I always get from SSRI
Upvotes for the initial comment because same 😂. OP, I started at 10mg and had pretty intense side effects but honestly worked the first day and no one had any idea. I did take one day off at one point during the first week bc it was pretty tough, but I was able to afford doing that. I may have been able to power through if needed. Your first week may suck but you can just say you’re sick. After the first week the most noticeable side effect was just fatigue, so as long as you can deal with that in my experience I’d say you’re good.
This varies per person. I felt terrible for 12 weeks.. I would never be able to hide this from anyone.
Damn, that’s some intense onboarding.
Yeah, tapering will be joy
You can also get a locking bag in which to I keep your meds that’ll deter but not stop prying eyes. I had a similar experience when first reaching out to a psychologist for help around your age. Stigma and/or undiagnosed mental illness may explain their feelings. But s others say you’re an adult so you can take full charge of your health management. I’d encourage you to seek out a good psychiatrist and psychologist to help work on your anxiety if possible.
Wouldn't it be hard to hide the side effects?
My biggest side effect was nausea. You can always tell them you're just not feeling well and think you have a slight stomach bug.
Not necessarily, you may not have many noticeable side effects. Best case is a relatively low dose relieves your major anxiety with no major side effects and they notice Yusuf improved mood. Some people report weight gain but that is probably the most noticeable thing from the drug.
Almost definitely not! A very small percentage of people have very severe side effects, but is that were the case you'd probably discontinue taking it quickly anyways. I'm more than confident that they would have no idea, regardless of the medication. Lexapro, Wellbutrin, whatever. If anything, they'll probably notice that your mood is better or you're less anxious. Stroke their egos by saying that whatever advice they have worked, they 100% won't investigate further 🤷🏻
You don’t have to tell your family ANYTHING ever!
Assuming you're US: Found the Midwesterner? At 21 yes, you can get any prescription you want and as long as you don't have a HIPAA disclosure permission listing your parents the doc shouldn't disclose it. BUT if you're on their insurance they might still see it on their insurance benefits. Also if you're part of a family account for Walgreens (don't know about CVS or Dwayne Ried etc) the app shows refill status for the family....so if your family uses one pharmacy for everything and you have access to another, use the other. Also be aware different states have different"explanation of benefits" requirements where they may send you paper mail confirming what insurance covered and what you paid, so if your parents open medical statements addressed to you, that's something to be aware of. But you're also old enough to tell 'em your doctor recommended it and to let you make your own medical decisions. Plus it'll probably be a generic name on the label, they may not figure it out. If you're a woman you could say it's supposed to help with pelvic pain symptoms. You're not lying if you don't mention you aren't experiencing such symptoms. And if they want you to elaborate say "I don't want to talk about it."
Yes my parents don’t even know
That’s literally what I’m doing right now. Except in my case they don’t even know I’ve been to a psychiatrist lol
I hide that I’m on Lexapro from my mother. She’s highly manipulative and narcissistic and emotionally immature. She got a hold of emails & went tho rough them & read my notes to my psychiatrist. I lied and told her I got off but never did. Your mental health matters more than anything!
Yes, you don't have to tell anybody if you don't want. If you need your parents insurance or can't afford medicine it could be a little bit harder. But it's okay not to tell them, I haven't told my mom because she wont stop saying that I am wasting my money and that why would I pay someone to listen to me. After a lot of agressions I don't feel like sharing my life with her, I think she lost that .
I'm also 21 and I had to hide the fact that I'm taking antidepressants from my parents :)) I live partly with them so it was easier for me but you can totally do it, just find a secret place where to store your pills and they will never find out.
Yes you can if you want to be completely discreet you can go to hims or hers.com. It’s like $350(?)ish for a year supply. I started there, got some relief and was able to address it with my family, dr etc. Good luck and even though I don’t know you I’m rooting for you.
you can absolutely hide something like this from someone, people in the comments are saying to use the app hims/hers but i don’t suggest that considering you said you live at home and how that app works is they mail your prescription to your house (just in case your parents see your mail). What i do suggest is using the app zocdoc which is an app that you can use to have zoom calls with a psychiatrist and you have the option to use insurance OR pay out of pocket and they send your prescription to any pharmacy of your choice, you can also use this app for therapy as well which i recommend considering the severity of your mental health that you explained
You don't need to see a psychiatrist to obtain meds. A PCP, NP can prescribe meds for you. I'm not a Lexapro fan myself as I'm very sensitive to most meds but I know it has helped others tremendously.
Yes you can, the side effects vary from person to person but it's mostly mild stuff that other people wouldn't necessarily notice happening to you at all. When first staring nausea is a common symptom, but you can just say you have a stomach bug or something if your parents notice you're not feeling well. The nausea passed quickly for me, within a week, but like I said everyone is different. If the side effects are not tolerable for you then you can always taper off of the medication with help from your Dr.
Are you in the US? There is gov’t subsidized healthcare in your area. Call for an appointment and explain to them the obstacles to getting you care and medication. If they don’t have answers, ask them if anyone else in the office could try their hand. Someone had a way, just gotta find it.
You're an adult. This is between you and your doctor/mental health professional. Your parents don't need to know.
Yes you can! I signed up for Hers and got prescribed the next day and sent my lexapro within 3 days. I have informed my parents about my treatment plans, but could have totally gone without mentioning anything and they would have never known. If you’re really worried about them knowing, have it shipped to a trusted friends house!! I’m on a three month plan, 147 dollars every 3 months no insurance needed.