View Full Version : Cant take anymore
Im at breaking point. The dizziness is worse than ever, it kept me awake all night. I'm sure this isn't anxiety causing these symptoms. I took my first dose of escitalopram 5 mg yesterday and I'm dreading taking anymore in case they make me feel worse.
I've always said I'm too scared of dying and I could never leave my kids so would never harm myself but I'm beginning to think there's no other way out of this living hell. I feel constantly afraid and it's killing me.
katielou80
06-11-12, 08:09
please dont worry. im on 5ml escitalopram too, felt cold and dizzy to start with felt weird. after about a week i felt better, im on them for health anxiety, they have helped, feel free to ask me any questions x
---------- Post added at 08:09 ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 ----------
:hugs:
Thank you. I've been suffering from vertigo in and off for over a month and I'm worried the esc will make it worse and if it gets worse I don't know how I'll cope. I'm constantly crying, struggling to go to work. It's just awful :-(
The first week-ish on the meds might be tough, but it will get better. I was extra dizzy and anxious at first. On citalopram (related). I've been fighting with dizzy and unsteady for months but in the last week I've had a few days where I didn't feel it at all. It gets better. Also the meds have really helped me be able to cope with all the other anxiety symptoms. I was a wreck when I started them. I'm much, much better now. Hang in there.
---------- Post added at 08:24 ---------- Previous post was at 08:15 ----------
The vertigo is a tough one. I so 100% understand. The meds have made it less severe for me, and when it is there, have made me much more able to cope with it.
And slowly, it is getting better...
It's so hard to explain how scary and awful the vertigo can be to folks who haven't experienced it.
But it won't hurt you. I've coined it world wobble now, and just tell myself that though unpleasant, it's not going to get me. :)
Thank you flossie, is your vertigo caused by anxiety? I first had it 7 years ago coinciding with going on a fairground ride but it also preceded my first breakdown. Looking back I'm not sure which started which!
Then I had it 3 years ago after sitting with my neck in a weird position. This time it started after flu and dr said i had fluid in my ears. But ive got a really stiff neck today. I've now developed a phobia about going to bed because the last few times I've had vertigo I've woken up with it. Last night was horrendous. It does help to know I'm not on my own though.
Xx
Hi Mrsg12,
Docs have said it's a chicken and egg scenario. It may have been caused by the anxiety, or have had another cause at first but the tricky thing is that once it starts, it can be tough to get rid of it.
I can say with absolute certainty that now, it is definitely worse when I am under any stress. Also for me, once it shows up on any given day, it then lingers until I get some rest.
I have been getting therapy as well as taking the meds. They have helped me a lot with breathing exercises too. The thought being that if a person is over breathing, and usually shallow breathing, it can make any kind of dizziness worse.
The best thing I can say about the meds, s that now the vertigo doesn't induce extreme anxiety or panic anymore - and this has been a huge relief.
---------- Post added at 09:06 ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 ----------
I know it sounds impossible, but try and tell yourself the vertigo won't hurt you. Try and get some rest. I know i feel the vertigo sensations far more when I'm under slept..
I do better when I get enough sleep and make sure to eat regularly... It's always the simple things... :)
Thank you so much for replies it really helps. I've struggled through work today and tried to ignore the dizziness and I've managed ok apart from a couple of blips but now it's bedtime and I think I've developed a phobia around it as I'm starting to feel anxious again and the dizziness is really bothering me.
I've tried to relax, had a bath, milky drink, distracted myself with tv but I can feel the anxiety hot in my heels. I think it's because every time I've had vertigo I've woken up with it so that's why I'm scared to sleep.
I dreaded bedtime for awhile too, mostly because I could still feel the sensation of motion when I lay down. I found watching how I was breathing helped, placing hand on abdomen and focus on breathing slowly and deeply. I found it helped to calm me down. Though when I get anxious I tend to breathe more rapidly, and also a habit of shallow breathing.. It helped me to focus on breathing from my abdomen and not my chest..
Might not be the case for you at all, but it helped me.
Good for you for getting through your day! Now you can check it off as one point for you, and 1 less for the vertigo and the anxiety. :)
Also I had a hard time falling asleep at the beginning of taking the meds, so you might find after a week and a bit, sleeping and any extra anxiety you are feeling will fade as the meds settle in.
Thanks flossie
I slept all night and woke up ok but then the panic set in and I was too scared to move in bed in case I was dizzy. Eventually I did and I wasn't dizzy at all, it was great. Slowly got ready for work, dropped my little boy at my mums and made myself toast as I hadn't eaten and wanted to eat before taking meds. Then as I turned round everything shifted and that was it. Good mood ruined, panic in place. I forced myself to go to my first appointment but then floor moved again and I thought I was going to faint. The person I had meeting with said I looked ashen and was I ok and I just burst into tears. She made me tea and sat with me while I calmed down but I feel so rubbish and feel scared to go anywhere in case I really do faint.
Keep thinking I've got a brain tumour but then the rational part of me thinks I wouldn't have been able to stop myself fainting if that was the case.
I'm so fed up I just want my life back :weep:
I know it's awful. Before my meds settled I had an awful time while my mom was visiting.. We had just gone into a shop that I have been in a million times, suddenly the floor just felt like it was shifting under me.. I bolted outside and sat in tears on a bench for ages. Not my brightest moment. But what I have found now, is that even when I get those floor moving sensations, because I certainly still do, I am able to cope with them better.
I too worried about bran tumours and such, but my rational self knows that if that were the case, the symptoms wouldn't come and go.
I did stay in for the most part through the first week of my meds. I needed Ativan (lorazepam) to get through the side effects... Mostly extreme increased anxiety for me.
I'm sorry you are having such a tough time. I have been exactly where you are.
It is a good idea to talk to your doc about the vertigo though, they might suggest some meds to try and help with it.
I look forward to the day I can confidently know the vertigo is gone, but that may be a while for me still. I am just thankful that I am much less afraid of it now, it's not as scary anymore.
You'll get through it. Don't beat yourself up for having a bad day. :)
Well we are coming up to bedtime again and I'm scared stiff.
Day 3 of escitalopram and my face feels numb, my mouth is dry and I keep grinding my teeth. I'm seriously thinking of stopping the meds cos I feel awful on them and awful off them.
I really for know what to do every day seems to get worse and worse :-(
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