To answer the last part of your question we'll need to know where you live.
As for medication having awful side-effects or not working, everybody is different and is affected by medication differently. I wouldn't worry too much about medication at this point as you haven't gotten through your first appointment yet (you shouldn't be prescribed anything on your first appointment and if you are I'd question it). When it comes to psychiatric medication the first medication you're put on might not help you much or at all, this is actually not all that uncommon. Lots of people need to try several different kinds of medication before they find anything that will help them significantly. I myself happen to be one of those people that doesn't seem to get much help from medication and gets pretty much every side-effect, but even I haven't experienced any severe side-effects after a few months of being off of them. Usually people who still experience effects of medication long after discontinuing it are those who are on larger doses for longer periods of time (years and years).
In terms of what to say at an appointment, try writing everything down so you know what you want to say, or writing a letter and just handing it to the person you have your appointment with. A professional will never ignore you or laugh at your face, if they do then they aren't professionals right?