tigerlark
16-01-13, 17:10
Hello everyone! My name is Sarah.
I have been experiencing anxiety since I was about 17 years old, but I only recently (about 7 weeks ago) started experiencing panic attacks. At first, they were REALLY intense and scary, but I have improved a lot since then, and I haven't had a "full-blown" panic attack since Thanksgiving Day.
At first, I was given clonazepam (klonopin) to keep the big bad panic attacks away, but I am now on a tapering program to get off the clonazepam, since it has the potential to become addicting and damaging. I am ALMOST to the point where I can just take it as needed.
3 1/2 weeks ago, I began taking citalopram hydrobromide (Celexa), which is an SSRI (anti-depressant) and that's actually how I found this site. I was looking for information about citalopram when I stumpled upon the Citalopram Survival Guide, and I've pretty much read the whole thing. lol
I am also going through two types of therapy to aid in my recovery: CBT and EMDR. They have both been AMAZING tools, and my mom (who has also recovered from panic/anxiety) said I've been moving at "warp speed." At times, I feel like it's taking to long, but I'm learning to enjoy the journey.
Finally, and most importantly, I am a person of faith. Without my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't think I would have been able to survive this. I have been in some really dark places, but He has pulled me out of them. One of my favorite things to keep in mind is a quote by Beth Moore (a popular Christian author) from her book Get Out of That Pit:
"Beloved, let this one sink in deeply: if God allowed you to be thrown into a pit, you weren't picked on; you were picked out. God entrusted that suffering to you because He has faith in you. Live up to it. All the way up."
The Lord is using this dark time in my life to rip the fear out of my heart by the roots so that it will never grow there again. I hope that, by joining this forum, I can both be filled with hope and give hope to others. We're all in this together, and we will overcome.
I have been experiencing anxiety since I was about 17 years old, but I only recently (about 7 weeks ago) started experiencing panic attacks. At first, they were REALLY intense and scary, but I have improved a lot since then, and I haven't had a "full-blown" panic attack since Thanksgiving Day.
At first, I was given clonazepam (klonopin) to keep the big bad panic attacks away, but I am now on a tapering program to get off the clonazepam, since it has the potential to become addicting and damaging. I am ALMOST to the point where I can just take it as needed.
3 1/2 weeks ago, I began taking citalopram hydrobromide (Celexa), which is an SSRI (anti-depressant) and that's actually how I found this site. I was looking for information about citalopram when I stumpled upon the Citalopram Survival Guide, and I've pretty much read the whole thing. lol
I am also going through two types of therapy to aid in my recovery: CBT and EMDR. They have both been AMAZING tools, and my mom (who has also recovered from panic/anxiety) said I've been moving at "warp speed." At times, I feel like it's taking to long, but I'm learning to enjoy the journey.
Finally, and most importantly, I am a person of faith. Without my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't think I would have been able to survive this. I have been in some really dark places, but He has pulled me out of them. One of my favorite things to keep in mind is a quote by Beth Moore (a popular Christian author) from her book Get Out of That Pit:
"Beloved, let this one sink in deeply: if God allowed you to be thrown into a pit, you weren't picked on; you were picked out. God entrusted that suffering to you because He has faith in you. Live up to it. All the way up."
The Lord is using this dark time in my life to rip the fear out of my heart by the roots so that it will never grow there again. I hope that, by joining this forum, I can both be filled with hope and give hope to others. We're all in this together, and we will overcome.