View Full Version : There is Hope !!
I just wanted to post something positive about Citalopram and say "There is Hope !!".
All too often when people get better they fail to go back and say good things - people will only complain and moan about the bad.
It's the Bad Service Mentality - if someone has a bad experience they tell everyone, but who ever says anything when they have normal / good service.
I've now been on Cit for nearly a year and it does work, well it did for me.
The real healer is "Time" and the Cit acts as a Crutch while time passes.
The early days of Side Effects were horrendous and still make me shiver now, but if you stick it out it does get better.
I've been on 10mg now for about 4 or 5 months, I did try coming off completely and started to get side affects again so freaked out and went back on.
It's a small price to pay for some Normality in your Life - taking a small 10mg tablet every day.
People have said to me the 10mg is doing nothing so you may as well stop taking.
Well I say even if it's just a Psychological Support - it works for me !!
I've now been on Holiday, which I never thought I'd do again - this helped immensely and I felt a completely different person on returning.
I can go out, go for family meals again and go to the Pub with friends !!
I even drink alcohol with the Cit and it has no Side Effects - although this is not recommended.
I think my real saviour was the Dr Claire Weeks Book - this got my Life back.
It helped me understand what I was suffering and helped me deal with it - not Fight it.
It also taught me "to let time pass".
I now only need to find a Job and I'm back to normal.
I no longer find this a daunting prospect and panic - I'm looking forward to getting back to work and being with people again.
I really hope this gives other people hope, just remember "It takes Time To Heal".
Take Care and Good Luck on your Journey, PotNoodle.
PS - I actually think the experience has made me stronger and a better / more empathetic / understanding person.
cathycrumble
05-09-11, 14:27
Hi pot noodle
It was great to here of how good you now feel. I am on 40mg of cit and like you the side effects were/are horendous!! I've been on them now 11 or 12 weeks only been on 40mg 7 or 8 weeks. I just want to be back to my normal self.:D What book of Claire Weeks did you find helped you? I have her books and she's amazing but I just wandered.
Cathy xx
Hi Cathy, I ordered "Essential Help for your Nerves", this is basically 2 Claire Weekes Books in one "More Help for your Nerves" and "Peace from Nervous Suffering". So very good value for money and it's only just over £5 with Free Delivery on Amazon at the moment (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Help-Your-Nerves-Overcome/dp/0722540132 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Help-Your-Nerves-Overcome/dp/0722540132)). This book has been Life Changing for me, I can not praise it enough. Good Luck !!
cathycrumble
05-09-11, 16:04
Thank you
I have self help for your nerves and as you say she is amazing
Cathy xx
cityinadream
06-09-11, 03:19
I'm really glad you've had a good experience, and that you've gotten over/are getting over your illnesses. (:
I'm glad citalopram worked for you!
Thanks for the positive message (:
Thanks for Positive Feedback - much apprecited.
I have an Interview next week :ohmy:
First one in about 8 years !!
Any tips on how to remain calm would be appreciated.
Under normal cicumstances I would "Walk" this, BUT ....
I have Diazepam (only 2mg) which worked well during the early days of Cit and really helped with the Side Effects ... But I don't really want to take any additional meds on top of the Cit ....
Hi potnoodle, thanks for such a positive post, i am on citalopram 35mg, and have been for nearly a year too, i am feeling much better, and very slowly reducing my dose not quite 100% but time is a healer, good luck with your interview, i'm sure as it has been 8 years the nerves you are feeling are normal for anyone, i too have 2mg diazapam, but don't use them often now, but if it helps it is only one little tablet, just to take the edge off, don't be too hard on yourself, good luck and take care :hugs:
happycamper
10-09-11, 10:58
Well done PotNoodle and thank you for sharing.
I'm interested hearing from people who are merrily taking 10mg citalopram, I've been on the same dose for about 4 months also, with reluctance to come off altogether right now.
You say time is a healer which is certainly right in many peoples cases who have a severe episode, but I'm wondering if this also applies to those who may be particularly anxious people in which case time spent learning strategies to manage the anxiety such as CBT or self help reading such as the Claire Weekes books, is the only thing that can really help in the long term and if this isn't achieved, no matter how long has passed time wise, the anxiety is at risk of rearing it's ugly head again.
I knew little about anxiety just over a year ago, so been one big learning curve since then, hence my questioning.
Best of luck with the job interview, practice the breathing exercises!
Hi HappyCamper,
I've also only been taking 10mg for 4 or 5months.
I've never suffered any sort of Anxitety previously up until about this time last year.
Initially I thought it must be related to a Physical problem as most do - there's just no explanation for how you feel.
I'd been through a lot with a very traumatic close family loss and lots of other small issues, including losing my Job all at the same time.
Prior to this I was very confident - if anything over confident, so this knocked me for 6 to say the least.
I also knew nothing about Anxiety and it's incredible how many people you see it in after you've suffered, I never even noticed the tell-tale signs before.
It's been a bit of a journey, but at the end of this I feel a better person.
My only concern now is it coming back one day, hence the reason for staying on the 10mg.
I will at least stay on it until I find work again.
The 10mg definitely stops my heart racing, waking up suddenly at night in a sweat, mind blanking, brain chatter and all the other terrible stuff.
I've also been to Grief Counseling for the last year or so and this has helped tremendously also.
So the Cit is just 1 of the many tools / weapons to help beat this.
I just hope it never comes back, this was just a one off probably triggered by the loss, but who knows - fingers crossed.
Good Luck, Pot Noodle.
Hi potnoodle, thanks for such a positive post, i am on citalopram 35mg, and have been for nearly a year too, i am feeling much better, and very slowly reducing my dose not quite 100% but time is a healer, good luck with your interview, i'm sure as it has been 8 years the nerves you are feeling are normal for anyone, i too have 2mg diazapam, but don't use them often now, but if it helps it is only one little tablet, just to take the edge off, don't be too hard on yourself, good luck and take care :hugs:
Hi PinkDove,
Many thanks for the support and hugs ... Much appreciated ...
Pot Noodle.
Hello potnoddle, I just ordered Claire Weekes book from Amazon for my daughter. She is in her first job as a floor nurse and living on her own about 1 hour away. She has always had anxiety for social phobia and now is having extreme anxiety about living alone. We have been through therapy together and medications through her preteen and teen years but ... I am hoping that she will find comfort and support from these books. She tells me she doesn't have the energy to deal with her fears/anxiety anymore. Her boyfriend is now living with her, but this is not the best relationship to say the least, although she is not as panicky. I just found this site and hope that it gives me more effective support than what we have had in the past. Congratulations on your success.
I have been on cit for 13 days and had a really bad day today felt really panicky with my mind racing also dizzy for a few hours dont know if this was tabs or just panic. I used to be on stelezine for anxiery attacks for a while and was able to go out with friends and shopping with my daughter but they have stopped making them now so doctor put me on 10 mg of cit and told me to up my dose to 20mg on sunday but i dont know if to stay on 10 until side affects calm down. also i keep getting thoughts keep repeating in my mind and they make me really panicy i told doc about them and she said to try and put up with them, does anybody else get this. need some encouragement to keep taking them as i feel as bad as i did before i started taking stelezine, i never wanted to feel like this again
Hello potnoddle, I just ordered Claire Weekes book from Amazon for my daughter. She is in her first job as a floor nurse and living on her own about 1 hour away. She has always had anxiety for social phobia and now is having extreme anxiety about living alone. We have been through therapy together and medications through her preteen and teen years but ... I am hoping that she will find comfort and support from these books. She tells me she doesn't have the energy to deal with her fears/anxiety anymore. Her boyfriend is now living with her, but this is not the best relationship to say the least, although she is not as panicky. I just found this site and hope that it gives me more effective support than what we have had in the past. Congratulations on your success.
Hi ThreeKids,
Thanks for the post / reply and positive feedback. I have a 17 year old Daughter and really feel for how you must be feeling. Everything they feel - you feel but multiplied. The Claire Weekes book is a great start - the first stage to moving on is Understanding. Once you understand you can Accept. Onece you've accepted what you are suffering from you can move forward and use the weapons she teaches you to comabt this. The Cit is just there to help her while she does this. If the book hasn't come yet, there are links to Online Audio File to get started right away. I used these and it helped me literally overnight by starting to understand. This may just be for me as I need an Answer / Reason / Logic for everything. Good Luck, Take Care & hope hope all goes well with the book / audio.
Pot Noodle.
Audio Files are on :-
http://www.junior-anxiety-depression...l#HowToRecover (http://www.junior-anxiety-depression-exchange.org.uk/relax.html#HowToRecover)
eternally optimistic
11-09-11, 22:38
Great post, always good read ones like this.
Love the name "pot noodle" by the way.
Onwards and upwards
Good luck with the interview. . . .
Hi Jay Ann,
Thanks for the feedback and support for the Interview ...
I'm not as bad as I thought I would be, trying to keep busy with things not to think about it ...
The idea for "Pot Noodle" came from PsyhcoPoets - Citalopram Survival Guide ... it mentioned the PN as being one of the best ways to get an easy high .... Hot Curries also work for me !!
I was so excited that I found the post and to give PsychoPoet some recognition / feedback I spelt it wrong .... Doh !! :scared15:
All the best, Pot Noodle.
Just to let u know ... I got to 2nd Interview after 60 others ... got down to 4, then the B******s !! cancelled my Interview ... Nice of them ...
It's not just a Blipp - I'm still feeling Great ....
Still on 10mg ....
Never Ever thought this was possible ..
Good Luck ALL and stick with it - it does Work !!
eternally optimistic
23-09-11, 19:51
Hi
Any news on the interview?
Hi Jay Ann, thanks for asking ... got to 2nd Interview ... 60 Candidates to 4 ... Then they canceled my booked Interview as I could not make the one they offered at 1 days notice ... they made a decision on the other 3 ... If I knew it would be detrimental I would have canceled my other appointments ... Hey Ho at least I'm back in the Game !!
10mg's still working well .... Feel a different person at last ... Hope this was all just a One Off ... Fingers X'd ...
Pot Noodle.
Hey pot noodle
It was great to read your post..I'm on 10 mg cit too..slowly Slowly things are getting better. I've just posted about my successful trip out and trying not to stay in the anxiety bubble
It's so brilliant to hear success stories..really cheered me up.We all talk about that flippin tunnel and you're proof there is light. I also agree that our experiences of anxiety/depression make us wiser and more self aware..and I believe also stronger..we must be strong because we survive.
Rambling again
Good luck,stay in your good place and onwards and upwards
Xxx
Hi WotNews,
Thx for the Positive Feedback ... it just takes time ... everyone will get there in the end ... we all just want instant cures from Meds and it aint going to happen ...
BTW - how long u been taking Cit ?
All the best, Pot Noddle.
Hey
It's early days for me..second week of July doc put me on 10 mgs and altho I had awful side effects I persevered. Three weeks later another doc said 10mgs wasn't enough (even tho I was feeling okish) and put me up to 20 mg...I wont bore you with the detail but omg 20 mgs did not suit me so I asked to be put back down to 10. So probably been on. 10mgs since 2/3rd sept. I don't want to increase the dose..I think this is the right dose for me.I've got diazepam for emergencies but haven't felt the need to use them for a couple of weeks. I think it's better for me to just ride the roller coaster..and hope it starts to slow down. But like I say early days..and I agree the meds are part of the solution but not the thing to rely on soley.I've realised since all this hit me just how many people are on citalopram...there's a lot of us out there!!
Ps u asked a simple question and got o long reply...sox
Xxx
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