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Panic Attacks and Anxiety Resources
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mummytoben
Preferred Member
Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Posts: 300
Location: uk
Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:10 am
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Hi
marianne.farley- I felt terrible for the first week when starting the meds, the second week was better and now I feel like my normal self. Although I am still anxious, I feel I can cope with them better. The first couple of weeks I had no appetitie at all and just lived on cups of tea, but it will get better.
Oceanus- I'm sorry to hear your stopping your tablets. I was scared at first taking them, but now i'm feeling better in myself (although still feeling anxious). It's your decision whether to take them or not and I hope you make the right one. It is difficult to know if we are doing the right thing or not because I keep thinking what will happen to me when I stop taking them. I must admit though I am still feeling abit emotionless and as though I can't feel anything (if you know what I mean?), but as long as they are helping me feel more upbeat anything is worth a try. Let us know how your getting on.
Take care everyone
Vicky x |
homer
New Member
Joined: 30 Dec 2005
Posts: 12
Location: london
Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:49 pm
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Hi folks
my doctor agreed to let me double my dose of citalopram yesterday to 20mg. Have been on 10mg for 2 weeks now but the depression has been getting unbearble.
So yesterday I took another 10mg at 9pm as I had already had 10mg in the morning. Big mistake...woke up 1.30am completely feverish; hot flushes every few minutes along with the usual morning high anxiety. Could not get back to sleep. Absolutely knackered this morning so called in sick for work and tried to get some sleep. Still kept having the hot flushes but feel a bit more rested now.
I wonder is this is side effect or just another manifestation of anxiety...am not so sure now.
Took only 10mg citalopram this morning as was quite nervous. May try 20mg tomorrow morning if today goes okay.
By the way, I would also like to know if anyone has tried the Linden Method?
And good luck Oceanus. let us know how you get on. |
Khay
Junior Member
Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 57
Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:17 pm
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Hot flushes seem to be a common side effect. I had them, more so the first day or two. Lots of medicines can do that though.
Like I said before, its easy to pin the "normal" anxiety on citalopram once we start with it, where we would have once said X is caused by Anxiety, one might now say X is a side effect of citalopram.
The only assured side effects I have and can pretty much certainly put on citalopram are..
Occasional hot flushes
Occasional mild headaches
Feeling tired, drowsy and kind of run down .
Possible...
slight drop in concentration and motivation
What I have noticed positivly...
A defined drop in Anxiety and constant worry.
Deeper sleep.
I was worried that taking these would somehow make me lose myself, change me. I feel totaly myself just at times a little hungover like.
Still not sure if they are for me or not, but I think I will give them at least two weeks to see if , as many say, the slight side effects improve and vanish. |
suemarieee
Full Member
Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 122
Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:19 pm
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| Hi everyone |
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Wow citalopram certainly seems the popular thing to prescribe people!!
Ive been reading what uve all written in the last few days, and i dont think u shud stop taking the tablets yet. Ive been on them for about 6 weeks now. They take at least 4 weeks to work!
anyway ive been sufering from anxiety and panic for 11 years, maybe citalopram will work, and maybe it wont. But what have u got to lose? If they dont work for me then i will quit them after a few months. what have i lost? nothing! But imagine if i suffered from anxiety for 11 years, had the chance to treat it and gave up at the first hurdle? then what? what if i coulda cured this and i blew it? You're stronger than that, all of u! Dont give up yet.
I dont think its as simple as taking a pill and ur better. But the pills are just to help us while we do other treatment like anxiety management to learn how to handle anxiety beter.
i dont think citalapram numbs emotions at all, all it does is change a few processes in our brains that make us over sensitive to anxiety. I dont think it sedates us either, its not like valium. Some days on citalopram i feel like i have loadsa energy. i was worried citalopram wud make me a different person, but it realy doesnt! I feel more like myself than i did when i was having a virtual breakdown 2 months ago!
anyway i dont know if the citalopram has helped me or not, and if in a couple of months i dont feel its been a huge benfit i will come off it.I havent lost anything.
i went to see a community nurse today that my doc referred me to. She is gonna teach me anxiety management and relaxation. She says i really need to practice breathing exercises and change my thought paterns. She says u really have to practice it and bel;ieve it, not just do it half heartedly like i have done in the past and say it doesnt work!
Anxiety is hard to treat, but u know i have had it for years and thought with the right treatment i cud get over it. But now i think, yeah treatment may help me along my course to my goal, it may make me see my course clearer. But at the end of the day there is only one person who can cure us of this condition. That person iss ourselves. my therapist made me realise that its up to me to get over this. I have to consciously change the way i think about stuff when im anxious, i have to kick these bad habits that i have let myself get into over the years. Its like any bad habit, smoking, chewing nails. I have to stop reinforcing my anxiety by avoiding situations and running away from them.
This miracle cure that i have always hoped for to get rid of my anxiety doesnt exist. If u want something good then uve gotta work for it! it doesnt just happen. My miracle cure isnt citalopram, it isnt councelling (although they may help me reach my goal) its within myself.
im not sure if im even making sense anymore, i think im just rambling on But seeing a therapist today just made me think about how i cant just expect someone else to come up with a miracle cure. Its not like that, its up to me! |
deccy
New Member
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 1
Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:54 pm
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Hi i am new to this, but have been on 20mg citalopram for 4-5 months and it helped me within4 weeks, the first 2 were so scary!!
I kept thinking i was going to die all the time !!
My wife has been brilliant, especially as she cannot fully understand it !...so my kids also keep me afloat ,a and i think you have to try and keep things as normal as possible in your life and to keep busy as usual... I get horrible thoughts sometimes and get terified , but its notm r e a l !!!! It is in our heads ...
So from a true "pro" lets aall take a deep breath and chiiiiilll...........
<Edited by Site Admin to remove capitals> |
justinx
New Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
Location: london
Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:32 pm
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ive been on citalopram for 3 days and i dont believe its gonna work! i need it 2 work now or i cant go 2 work till it does i heard the linden project is the only thing 2 cure it can ne 1 help??? |
Khay
Junior Member
Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 57
Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:00 pm
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I stopped today.
Before I go on I will say this, to most, the side effects I experienced would probably be unoticed, even to me they were mild and I would reccomend them to anyone .
However, for me, my anxiety seems to revolve around a few key issues.
Fear of losing control.
Fear of serious mental health issues (like Schizophrenia or at least the vision of it I have built up as this nightmare)
Fear of changes
Etc.
Now,on Citalopram I did feel mildly sedated, I had headaches and head pressures, and felt...well, just rundown.
The problem for me is, and I relize that this is my old fears of Anxiety distorting the importance of these tablets side effects, I just do not feel comfortable with them at all.
Perhaps this stems from the experience that first set me off down the path of recognizing my anxiety. I was at a "rave" in 1990 and foolishly agreed to take an LSD tablet. Now to cut a long story short, the actual LSD didnt cause my anxiety, that was already there , underlying, but I experienced a panic attack there, and then for months felt odd as anxiety and depression overtook me. Problem was I didnt know back then that it was anxiety , I thought that the LSD had changed me, was making me go insane etc.
I think these fears built up then, and no doubt that were enforced in childhood, listening to tales of "the local nutter" etc are why I do not feel comfortable with things that , as I would say "mess with your mind".
The rational me knows that caffine, Alcohol, nicotine, Kalms, St John Wort, Paracetamol do exactly the same, if not more severe, but something in me accepts these as the norm.
Its all pretty complex stuff but bottom line is, I just dont feel that medication of this sort is right for me, not yet at least. I prefere to think that by cognitive therapy and by gritting my teeth and challenging anxiety, I can overcome it without the need for SSRI's etc.
I am not ruling out trying them again, but for the moment, I will try other routes.
Best of luck to all you . If its right for you then its right. |
homer
New Member
Joined: 30 Dec 2005
Posts: 12
Location: london
Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:12 pm
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Took 20mg of citalopram this morning. Fell almost 'normal' today.
Just a bid fuzzy headed. Hopefully it has finally kicked in properly.
Fingers crossed |
Oceanus
New Member
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 15
Location: UK
Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:42 pm
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Hi All
KHAY........... I understand completely the LSD and how it made you feel. I used to dabble a bit in drugs when I was in my twenties and the last time I ever took drugs was the night I did LSD. I had the most enormous panic attack you can ever imagine and for weeks after I couldn't work or go out the house. I lived on porridge because I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't drink alcohol or even see my friends. Then I went to see a hypnotherapist and after 12 weeks with him, the panic attacks went. I live in fear of the fear of ever having that feeling again. I live in fear of not having any control over my brain/mind because on that night I lost everything. I went from being fearless and strong to someone I didn't recognise. After hypnotherapy I lost the intensity of the panic attacks and now, every so often when I am really scared, I have small ones which I can control. Maybe it could help you. I think this is why I had to stop the medication this time, because I knew my mind wasn't really my own and I was scared of that.
Being off these tablets has made me realise how much I need something to calm me down. I don't have huge anxiety, I have aggitation and depression. I get wound up too quickly and hit rock bottom at the slightest thing. I'm no where near as mellow as I was last week when I was on the tablets and I am still extremely tired all the time because my sleep isn't good sleep but I won't go back on them just yet. I have my final law exams in three months and need to be sharp not fuzzy. Maybe after my exams I will take some time out and try them again. I'm going to try a herbal mixture in the next few weeks and see if that helps. If it does I will let you know. I think though, if the LSD made your anxiety worse, there is a better cure for you out there than medication.
My hypnotherapist said the LSD released in me, fears that were there in my subconcious which I had never dealt with. Maybe this is true for you. WHen you get the therapy hopefully it will work so I wish you luck.
HOMER..........sorry you had such a bad time of it the other night but I'm glad you feel better from it and I hope this feeling continues.
Everyone is so different on these tablets. I guess we can all only do what is right for us.
Take care all
Oceanus xx |
suemarieee
Full Member
Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 122
Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:40 pm
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I spose if u dont feel the tablets are helping u then there is no point in taking them. They work differently for everyone. Ive never taken any drugs like LSD or ecstacy in my life, i always knew theyd give me the most horrendous panic attack, if i get panicy about taking a legal drug id be out my mind taking something like LSD! Its not surprising u got panicy taking that stuff, its bound to give u a bad trip if ur an anxious person . But i dont think that wud cause ur anxiety, it just made it come out from ur subconscioys like ur therapist said.
How do u go about getting hypnotherapy just outta interest? I would like to try it, does it cost a lot?
im gonna stay on my citalopram for at least 3 months i think, and then maybe ill see if i think theyve really helped or not. |
Oceanus
New Member
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 15
Location: UK
Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:13 pm
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Hi Suemarieee
There is like an official hypnotherapist membership association which mine belonged to (http://www.hypnotherapists.org.uk - The National Council for Hypnotherapy (including the Hypnotherapy Register, est. 1973). .
I got his name from the yellow pages and then checked him out to make sure he was the real thing. Didn't want some dodgy person. If you get one that really cares they can be quite cheap. I was unemployed at the time and he only used to charge me £10 when he normally charged £40 an hour. Well worth it though. Gave me back my life for about 10 years. Now I have depression not panic attacks so he probably wouldn't work for me this time, but I haven't had a major panic attack since until being on the tablets so he definitely worked for me.
Worth looking into if you get anxiety and panic attacks. Hope that helps.
Oceanus x |
Khay
Junior Member
Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 57
Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:10 pm
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Yeah,
Thats basicaly it. LSD etc does not cause mental health issues, certainly not without long term use, but what it can do is open a psychological flood gate, just the same as a berevment, stress, traumatic incident can.
The problem is, ypu might not know you are an anxious person when you take them, and when pretty everyone else is at it, it becomes socialy acceptable.
Some people will take an LSD tablet, and think it is an amazing experience, they accept it, they welcome the shift in mood and feeling and will not make a psychological decision that the experience is bad. Others, who are naturaly more anxious may react badly, and the existing anxiety will have a new playground.
So, where nothing bad actually did happen to me that night, I did not have what you would call a "trip" I did feel terrible . The cocktail of ale, anthetamins, LSD, Poppers, coupled with a very very crowded strange place far away from my own town basically resulted in panic. I lost track of my friends in there, everything went a blur (much like it might on a drinking session etc) and the whole package was too much. For 6 months to a year I was in a real state, unsure what was wrong with me and feeling my life was over.
However, gradually I started to get back on my feet, and for 3 years everything went back to a good way, really good in fact(though I did always from that day always have a sub-concious feeling that there was something wrong with me) Then out of the blue, one christmas, the symptoms of social phobia began top emerge. To cut a long story short...Naturally anxious + Hungover + Stressfull time + going to town to shop = a panic attack in a shop and my social phobia began.
Anyway I digress,
Citalopram didnt do anything bad to me, in fact it certainly instantly made me feel more relaxed, but I just hated the fuzzy feeling and the rundown feeling. That on top of my irrational fears of drugs and my need for control just made me make a decision to first try other paths.
Oceanus,
I once asked my old Doctor about Hypnotherapy, years ago before my Anxiety had become so destroying. He said we will look at other things first and cast it aside instantly . I got the impression that he wasn't interested.
Anyway I will be trying the cognitive things I already know (or just being positive if you like) I will try herbal solutions like St Johns wort, perhaps Hypnotherapy or accupuncture. I will wait to get my appointment with the psychologist and in a nut shell, I will do my best just to do my best and to allow myself to enjoy stuff in spite of anxiety, irrational thinking, negativity and all the rest of it.
As an aside...
Took Citalopram for 4 days 20 mg. Stopped instantly, felt no withdrawal problems, yet 2 days later strill feel more relaxed, sleeping well , all just without the fuzz. |
Rockbessie
Preferred Member
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 775
Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:45 pm
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| Citalopram |
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Hi
Just thought I would update everyone as to how I have been getting on. Had two weeks on 10mg and I honestly have never been as ill in my life - I had an upsurge in anxiety to the extent I was shaking 24/7, vomiting, no sleep, couldn't eat or go anywhere. I was in short suidical and I had to be watched by my family all the time. I was nearly hospitalised. This was a huge increase to the anxiety that I had previously suffered and I had NEVER felt suicidal before. It has been the scariest and worst time of my life to date.
I went up to 20mg at the start of this week and I don't want to tempt fate but I think that I am gradually improving. I am sleeping through. I don't want to get up though and I would say that I am depressed more now than anxious which I wasn't before. The day is very long and I retch every morning which puts me off getting up. I am hoping that I will gradually improve over the next weeks. I had a few PVC's yesterday that set me back a bit and I am hoping they don't come back as they are not typical of my anxiety symptoms.
Anyway I hope that anyone starting Citalopram is not put off completely by my post - a lot of people get no side effects at all and I am sure that the underlying anxiety based a lot of mine. I hope that we can all get well. This illness is horrendous. I cannot imagine getting through this without the help of my very supportive family. |
disaster
Junior Member
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 95
Location: Amesbury UK
Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:08 pm
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i took citalopram for 2 years and it seemed to do nothing (sorry not too positive)
im now on venlafaxine and it works alot better! |
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