Depersonalisation crisis

[KK77]

It sounds to me like your days of not being a fan of anyone have come to an end.

I'm feeling a lot better today, thank you. I'm currently at work feeling decent. Saying that, I finish late tomorrow and on Friday and this worries me a lot as I don't want to become dependent on Rivotril again just to get through the day.

I've been on a lot of different medications over the years, but am now currently on Venlafaxine... can't quite figure out the exact dose I'm on (as I can't do Maths ) but I'm on a higher dose than you. I take 2.5 75 mg tablets daily.

I'm sorry to h ear Ven hasn't been working well for you. :( Are you planning on not taking it any more and changing medication?

Ah, so you take 187.5mg. I don't plan coming off Ven or swapping to another med because I've been on so many over the years like you. I might drop back to 75mg later on but don't fancy idea of brain zaps, which is usually the case with these meds. It's been effective for chronic pain at higher dose though.

I've also taken Clonazepam but not for long. I know how addictive benzos can be. I do take sleeping med, however, and that's just as bad

Glad you seem to be coping and hope anxiety/panic continues to ease. Keep posting updates

[ana]

At this point, I'd be willing to undergo lobotomy if it meant not experiencing dp any more!
I'll see what my therapist makes of this medication issue. She took me off Escitalopram once she'd seen it wasn't working.

Anyway, I'll most certainly keep posting updates. I wouldn't want to deprive my fans of the juicy content.

[KK77]

Ummm....do you print "ANA" T-shirts by any chance?

How long have you been on Ven now? Think you should definitely discuss situation with therapist if it's been 6 weeks or more.

Hope the rest of the week is better for you though.

[ana]

T-shirts with my name on them? That sounds like a very good idea! I'll link you to my merch store as soon as I set it up.

I started taking Venlafaxine in February this year and I've been on the 187.5 mg dose for a month, I think. I'm seeing my therapist next week, so I'll ask her about the medication.

I'm having a really bad day today. I'm full of anxiety, panic and restlessness. I can't seem to be able to keep it together, and I've got an afternoon of work ahead of me... :(

[ana]

After having been on 10 different medications over the past 17 years, I'm just wondering if anyone has found any type of medication (other than SSRIs which apparently don't work well for depersonalisation and derealisation) that are NOT benzos (was addicted to Rivotril, was taking it for 9 years) and work for these terrible feelings of unreality?

Rivotril is the only medication that is able to make me feel normal, grounded, calm and completely present, but alas, I must keep away from it.

[jarisgap]

Hm...interesting. I’ve only been on Risperidol for the dissociation. Had bad side effects so got off of it after a month. Was also prescribed Lamotrogime but never took it. I ended up feeling better a couple months later but it took some unwinding and calming down.

[fishman65]

I remember having DP in the early days of my anxiety career, though right now it exists as a condition in it's own right. And there is no safety in having curtains drawn/doors locked that shut out my usual social anxiety, DP pursues me everywhere.

DP for me first re-emerged during the summer of 2015 which coincided with the reunification of family members from whom we and more specifically myself, had received abuse and persecution. The summer of 2016 saw it active once more and again now it's present. However, while it can trigger panic, once the panic hits the DP vanishes

[ana]

DP pursues me everywhere, too.. Although, I have to say, I've been feeling slightly better since I made that post. I've been put on Seroquel recently, and I feel like it's been making a difference. However, whenever I'm faced with a challenging situation, my mind 'takes me out of it' by creating feelings of unreality. :(

[Boydo]

Mine is unexplainable.
I can get a stressful few days which progress to shakiness and fatigue from the anxiety ... and suddenly dp kicks in, My mum for example came visit us this weekend & i dont see her often and i just finished have a anxious episode.... as she talked to me i was so detached and felt like she not my mum but some stranger... i then feel like i am nothing and try and grasp concept with reality .... i just power through it now as it not killed me yet and the more i learn it the more it become normal to the point were wont even care.

[ana]

I'm reluctant to use the word 'breakdown', but I wonder what it is that I'm going through... I've been having really bad panic attacks that, more often than not, come in sequence, in waves, as I like to call it, of sweating, racing heart, numb limbs and, worst of all, depersonalisation and the feeling of being trapped and losing my mind. I'm familiar with all these symptoms, of course, as I've sadly had 16 years of practice in dealing with them, but.... why now? Why has it got bad now when I'm on 2 types of medication (Venlafaxine and Seroquel) and when things are well at home and with my partner.

My best guess is that it's an accumulation of things, as I've had a few bad months this year, so maybe it's a delayed reaction to things combined with burnout from work and the Christmas holidays (which I always struggle with)? I spent an entire session with my therapist last week, panicking like I'd not panicked in a long time, right there in front of her. At the end of the torturous session, she suggested reducing Venlafaxine, but some of my best times last month were on the dose that I'm on now.

Anyone relate?

Oh I almost forgot to mention the unsettling thoughts... It feels as if my legs aren't mine, as if the ground is not... all the way down, if that makes sense, like it's either floating or is false in some way. I've had these thoughts before and they're really really EXTRA, SUPER EXTRA annoying!!