so hacked off!!!! anyone else

[janie]

hello friends

I had been soing so well, came off meds and feeling positive, but a few little traumas and i feel like i'm back to square one. i'm thinking of going back to doc and seeing if i need to go back on meds for a while. Maybe i came off too soon??

Chest pain back, feeling very mortal at the moment! Had all the tests and all ok but omg that niggling doubt is a nemesis for me.

I am totally hacked off with everything. My family are fed up, i'm fed up itsd just such a sodding downward spiral.

Thanks for listening. Hope everyone is ok

janie xxxxxxxxxx

[vernon]

Hi Janie, I reduced my meds (Cipralex) about 4 weeks ago; I dropped from 20mg to 15 and feeling pretty rubbish. Breathing problems chest and back pains, I did try to reduce my meds a couple of months back but my son was in a nasty accident while on holidays in Las Vegas, at the time they didn’t think he would last 48 hours so I didn’t carry on trying to reduce my meds. He isn’t 100% but is now home and is much much better so having another go. Did you stop your meds all at once? I think the longer and slower you try to come off the better. How long have you been stopped? If I was you I wouldn’t go back on the meds the side effects will go it time, but if you really cant cope I would say just go back onto half dose you was on to start with, then next time you want to stop come off them very gradual and slow. Hope you feel better soon. Vernon

[janie]

Hi vernon

Thank you for your reply. So glad to hear your son is now home and making progress. I was on prozac and propranolol for about 4 months and cut them both down very gradually, even cutting propranolol into quarters for the final week.

I felt really good and then my son went to uni and hubby had nasty rugby accident and my anxiety is really riding high. My anxiety was kicked off by a very stressful year, starting with smashing my left leg to bits in a skiing accident in Colorado, 2 days before my wedding!!!

I have CBT and feel very rational some days but the chest pain keeps haunting me. Indeed I woke up early this morning in a mess and resorted to taking one propranolol (i'd kept some just in case). I have felt better over the course of the day but i'm dreading tonights sleep already.

I have found the doctors to date to be good, although I paid for a second opinion when I was pulling my hair out. I also go private for CBT because the waiting list is so long in my area.

My dad died of a heart attack aged 64, my grandfather also so it is something I worry about, but blow out of proportion.

Thank you again for your kind words.

Janiexxx

[Hexia]

Hi Janie.

When I came off Propranolol, I had the worst panic attack in ages. My therapist told me that the most scary thing is giving up your meds, as you use them for reasurrance. In other words, you don't feel that you can trust yourself to control your body, but you know the meds can control it for you.

I don't know you, and it might be right for you to go back on meds. But judging from my own experience I would say, stick it out, you are strong and you will get through it.
If you go back on meds you will only have to face the fight some other time.
Just my two cents.

"You can't yell loud enough to make me shut up."

[vernon]

My Dad also died of heart attack at 64 and my cholesterol is always high and this does make the chest pains scarier. I had real bad left arm pains and across my chest about 8 months ago, Went panicking to the doctor who got the nurse to give me an ECG, the fear was so unbelievable when she done the ECG because this made me think the Doctor also thought I was having a heart attack. Anyway the ECG was clear, the Doctor said come back next week if the pains continue. The pains were still very bad so Doctor sent me to the hospital and they did an ECG while I was on a treadmill and some other tests and all was clear. The doctor ended up sending me for phisio therapy, the pains baffled them to and after a few months the pains just went lol. I think us with health anxiety just think to much about pain we and everyone ells get, and the anxiety and fear we get just keeps the pains alive. I am 57 now and have had these symptoms on and off for about 40 years, so you would think I have learned by now to ignore these symptoms. Take care. Vernon