Anxiety led to depression, now prescribed meds and scared to take them!

[CBH]

Hi all :)

I had been suffering from severe health anxiety for most of my life, and a particular episode lasted for months until April this year when I had a course of CBT. Now, the health anxiety has gone, and I have been left with a complete sense of numbness and depression... it's like all the voices in my head have gone silent, and I have been left with nothingness. I am functioning, going to work, cleaning the house, making dinner, but it is like the dial has been turned down on all my emotions and I am unable to feel happy about anything, get excited, or just feel anything.

So I went to the docs this morning and was prescribed Citalopram, 20mg. I've been reading up on side effects though and I'm terrified to take it! My mum, dad and grandparents all suffer from anxiety and depression and are on antidepressants, but I am scared nonetheless.

The other question is do I tell my manager that I have started taking antidepressants in case I have bad side effects at work?

I'm not sure what response I'm after, perhaps some reassurance that other people have been in this situation and come out of it?

---------- Post added at 09:27 ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 ----------

Oh, also I am going on holiday to Cornwall with my family and boyfriend for three days tomorrow, should I hold off starting them until I get back, or would it be good to have my family around me when I start them?

[suzy-sue]

Hi ,I understand how you feel ..Like you I felt like that before I started on Cit ..My advice is to wait until you come back fro your holiday before you start them ..Also it would be advisable to start on a lower dose and see how you feel before increasing ..You may feel a bit rough for a while but they will help you fee better .S/e s vary from person to person so try to stay positive .you may only have mild ones .The meds forum has a sub forum on Cit so please dont be afraid ,You will get plenty of advice and support to help you through this ..Enjoy your break and think about all this when you get back. Look forward to speaking to you again ..Tc/Sue x:hugs:

[BobbyDog]

I agree with Suzy-Sue, you need to be at home when starting new medication.

Hope you have a great holiday:D

Being with people who understand your illness must be a comfort, a kind of safety blanket.

[purplesky]

I can only speak from,my own experience of Citalopram, which has been on the whole, positive. I started taking it 4 years ago at a dose of 20mg/day, and like yourself, being a long time anxiety sufferer (prob for different reasons), took 4 or 5 days to pluck up the courage, having read loads on the net. As it turned out, taking the tablet was great for me, because I had also been self medicating with alcohol for a long time, and was desperate to stop drinking. Taking the Citalopram made me feel relaxed within hours, and believe me, I was waiting tensely and nervously for ANY side effect to rear its head. None did, and I felt as if enveloped by a warm blanket. There were certainly no horrible side effects then. I did develop some over time, but they were never horrible, more like itchy skin which was irritating if anything..

All I am trying to say, is that they will affect people in different ways, but they might just help more than they hinder if that makes sense. So the positive effect may be more than any side effects. And remember, that some people get no side effects.

It is hard, and I can relate to that, but it is your choice when to take them. I was recently prescribed another medication and had to go away for a few days, so waited until I was home to take it, but you may feel it is worth taking them now to start the process of helping to alleviate your symptoms. Good luck :)