View Full Version : Hi my name is Jenni I feel awful
Hi my name is Jenni. Panic attacks are nothing new to me; I suffered from agoraphobia for 16 years during the late 1960's & 70's. During the years I occasionally had a panic attack, but coped with it. I developed depression after the death of my father. I was prescribed Seroxat, which I was told was NON ADDICTIVE. I was only supposed to take it for 6 months, in fact it turned out to be 6 years. In January this year I decided to come off Seroxat and gradually reduced the dose, until I was finally off this addictive drug in June. In August I became anxious and one night I woke up with a panic attack, something I had never experienced before. Then I started having them when waking up in the mornings. Insomnia set in and I became afraid almost to go to bed. I bought a couple self hypnosis CD's specifically for dealing with panic attacks. I found these really helpful and I thought I was on the way to panic free nights. Not to be, things are so bad now I am awake for hours during the night and despite practicing all the relaxation techniques for panic attacks, eventually they win. I have been unable to eat for the past 5 days. I am living on Complan and Horlicks. In desperation I reluctantly went to my GP yesterday who has prescribed 20mgs of Citalopram and 5mg of Diazepam to be taken at night. I am not happy to be on medication again, especially as I had gone through the withdrawal process of coming off Seroxat. I asked my doctor if coming off Seroxat had any bearing on my condition. He said no, the time gap was too long. I took the diazepam last night and looked forward to a good night's sleep. Sad to say, I woke up several times and was finally awake at 2.45am, unable to go back to sleep. Panic set in and today I feel awful. Sorry to make this such a long introduction but being almost 70 I have a long history. I find the forums really helpful and just to know there are so many others out who are fellow sufferers and understand just what having panic attacks are like, makes me feel I am not alone.
Regards Jenni
nomorepanic
31-10-06, 18:47
Hi Jenni
A warm welcome aboard and you have found a very friendly, helpful site here.
Sorry to hear you are suffering again at night. See if any of these posts help....
Night panic
Nothing like a panic attack at 3:30 am (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2701)
Sudden nighttime attacks (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=24)
Waking Up With A Panic Attack In The Night (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5211)
Bad Morning !!!!!!!!!!! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5692)
Panic attacks during sleep. (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5796)
It's Back! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5769)
Waking Startled at Night (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5951)
Panic Attacks....During Sleep (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6385)
panic attack in sleep (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7118)
I think you could be our oldest active user at the moment so lovely to see you here!
People will forget what you said
People will forget what you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel
Nicola
honeybee3939
31-10-06, 18:49
Hi Jenni
A BIG warm welcome to you, lovely to see you here, you are in good company, you will find some great advice here while making new friends on the way !:D
Love
Andrea
xxx
hi jenni welcome to the forum.you,ll meet lots of friends here that feel the same way
take care
rachel x
LickeyEndBlues
31-10-06, 19:00
Hi Jenni
Welcome to NMP. I'm newish here and have found it really useful. It sounds like you have a lot to offer in terms of experience and no doubt stuff to learn to. There is no way you are alone here.
Iain
Laisez les bon temp roulez
Hi Jenni and WELCOME you are among friends here
kaz x
keepemlaughing
31-10-06, 20:00
Hi Jenni,
I know how horrible it is to not get any sleep and then have to get up and try to function normally. I recently started on Seroquel and it is amazing. I don't wake up drowzy at all and I do get a great night's sleep. I also take Lithium for the other problems. This site is very helpful and all the people treat you like family. The chat line is a great way to get to know "us". Good luck!
Sheryl[B)]
Sheryl
Hi Jenny a big warm welcome to the site. You will get lots of help and support here.
Take care
Luv Barb xxx
Hi Jenni,
Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends.
Take care
Trac xx
'Live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten'
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and advice. I thought I might be your 'oldest' active member.
I think it is wonderful there is so much support and helpful advice. I'm glad I am now a member.
Jenni
Hey Jenni welcome - its a great site and already although its only been a few days my other half has renewed hope with his panic attacks. Its lovely to see so many people willing to help. I hope that you find it as great as I have found it with helping him.
Hi Jenni, welcome---i have a daughter called Jenni, thought she was the only 1 spelt that way lol !
Karen:D
Thanks Ianey and Karen for your welcoming messages.
Karen my name is Jennifer, but family and friends shorten it to Jen or Jenny, Jenni. I like Jenni.
Hi Jenni,
Welcome to NMP, I am sure you will get lots of help here.
Hugs to you
Lynnann
Hi Jen,
I can totally relate to what your going through and from my experience I would say alot of your probs could be related to coming off seroxat.
Like you I was told i'd be on it for about 6 months (for panic attacks and anxiety) was left on it for 4.5 yrs ...well a yr of that was trying to get off it! Since then i've had more probs than before going on meds! When i first came off and was drug free the anxiety and restlessness, emotional roller-coaster was unbelivable I dont know how I got through it and yes sleep became a big prob which i never suffered with in my life ..i'd be awake for nights on end and feel awful. I had huge problems eating everything felt like it stuck in my throat and this turned into a fear when eating which i have been left with to date. Most other probs have improved greatly but it's definately been a long tiring journey. I have'nt taken any other meds although like you I was offered these immediately after coming off seroxat I dont know if this would have made things less difficult and I cant honestly say never to drug therapy again ...they can help with bad anxiety and depression but they do seem to cause a minority of people alot of distress when coming off. Hope this is helpful to you ..feel free to pm me anytime .Take care Jodiex
J Baker
polly daydream
01-11-06, 12:10
Hi Jenni and welcome to the forum, glad you found us.
Best wishes,
Polly
Hi Jenni,
A big warm welcome to you.
Take Care
Mandyxx
Jodie
It was with great reluctance I started up taking medicine again. As I said in my original posting, my doctor said my anxiety and panic attacks were not related to coming off Seroxat. I don’t totally agree with that statement. I took almost 6 months to wean off the drug, although the doctor said most people only need 3 months. As I was only on 20mgs, reduction was extremely gradual. When I got down to 10mgs I asked for liquid Seroxat, as this would be easy to measure out in a precise dose. Cutting pieces off half a tablet just wasn’t accurate enough. The doctor was surprised when I asked for the liquid type, I don’t think he had been asked before. I learnt about it when researching withdrawal. This info might be useful to other users.
I have now been taking Citralopam for 3 days, together with one 5mg tablet of diazepam to be taken at night. I feel dreadful, the diazepam does not work all night. I was awake this morning at 2.30am. Maybe I am expecting too much too soon.
The panic attacks are bad enough, but being unable to eat any solid food because of lack of appetite is concerning me. I am living on Complan with a raw egg in it. This may sound off-putting, but if the mixture is well whisked you cannot tell there is an egg in it. I also juice celery, carrots, apple, orange, pear and root ginger. In addition I take a multi-vitamin tablet. Does anyone know if having a liquid diet is bad for you.
Jenni
hi jenni,
i have not tried to come off seroxat yet, am trying to deal with coming off temazapam. there is a forum called 'benzoisland' which gives advice about tapering seroxat etc.
yorkylover
01-11-06, 14:23
Hi jennI and welcome to the forum.you will get some very helpfull advise here.We all know how you feel pet.
Take care
Ellen XX
Hi Jenni
A big, warm welcome to you.
You are truly amongst friends here who understand where you are coming from
Take care
Elaine x
hi jenni,
i have not tried to come off seroxat yet, am trying to deal with coming off temazapam. there is a forum called 'benzoisland' which gives advice about tapering seroxat etc.
scoobygirl2005
01-11-06, 17:08
Welcome! [^] :D
Scooby2005
x x
Hi Jen,
My doc said the same about it not being the drug causing the problems and saying that you cant have these problems for so long after stopping ...believe me i followed all the guidelines for coming off and also used the liquid form of seroxat to decrease dose as my symptoms were so disabling. I dont want to open a whole can of worms on here as I know others have and do still take seroxat and have no issues with it as with any other anti-depressants (as they work in a similar fashion) but i beg to differ strongly with my G.P. regarding my own experience. There are dedicated sites on the net that deal with the issues of problems after coming off seroxat but sometimes this can make you feel worse so it's your choice if you wish to explore these avenues. I think you should perservere with your current medication and hopefully you will feel the benefit from it soon. There are of course talking therapies which can help some I dont know if that is an option for you or not but sometimes people even go for this while on meds so that they can have the tools to cope with underlying issues when coming off AD's. You may of already tried this in the past and like everything else it works for some but others dont find it useful. Regarding liquid diet it's obviously not the best thing but i coped like this for months (i lost alot of wieght mind you) complan is good and ensure nutrition drinks (you can get from chemist bit dear though)liquidising food also is ok. Regarding the sleep problems sometimes the more you worry and try the harder it seems so I would just go downstairs sit up and read/watch tv and slowy things started to get better as i was'nt totaly focussed on getting sleep anymore so the worry lessened and I started to fall to sleep and I still do the same now if ever i get a blip I sit up and dont bother about sleeping and sure enough i would drop off sooner or later. I hope these tips might get you through this rough time ...Jodiex
J Baker
mad_shell66
01-11-06, 17:45
hi jenni, welcome to nomorepanic mate
you are in the right place
you will find lots of useful information and you will get all the support you need
shellxx:D
Paddington
03-11-06, 15:44
Hi Jenni,was wondering how you are feeling today??I do hope you are feeling less anxious,have you spoken to your dr at all?Just to let you knowi ma thinking of you.love mary rose.xxxxxxxxxxx
we are all in the same boat and can guide each other ashore
Hi Mary Rose
I still feel extremely anxious, the mornings are the worst, I am finding I get less anxious as the day wears on. I haven’t been to the doctor yet. I will just wait and see how I go over the weekend.
I did though have more sleep last night. I decided not to take the diazepam at bedtime, but to have it by the side of my bed and if I woke up having a panic attack, I would take it then. I woke up once around 12.30. But thank goodness I went back to sleep. The next I knew it was 5.10am. Unfortunately the anxiety started to build up, but I was so pleased it wasn’t 2.30. I shall do the same tonight.
I am so grateful for all the support I am receiving.
Jenni xx
Hi Jodie
I have to have an open mind as to whether or not coming off Seroxat has caused my current anxiety and panic attacks. Certainly in the early days of withdrawal it was very difficult, I know my husband went through the mill at the time. But when I got down to the really low dosage, I didn’t seem to have any problems, although the ‘head zaps’ were a real nuisance. Of course at the moment I wish I hadn’t decided to come off Seroxat, maybe it kept my anxiety and panic attacks under control.
I’m glad to say I have eaten today, no Complan. Only small amounts, but it is s start. My stomach as still playing up, but I suppose it is to be expected given I hadn’t eaten any solid food for nearly a week.
I admit I do worry about sleeping and being awake in the middle of the night. But the panic attacks are worse then. I have gone downstairs and put on the TV, but I couldn’t focus on the programme. I am sure I programme my mind - will I sleep and will I wake up with a panic attack. Of course it happens then.
Jenni xx
Paddington
05-11-06, 09:49
I am glad you had a bit more sleep at tleast Jenni!Good idea about the diazapam too,use it as you need it.I am wondering why people come off medication ie seroxat.Are there long term problems associated with these medicines?My dr has only ever given me valium?!It must be tempting to go back on it ,i would think??Well you are doing so well with this extra anxiety too,you are obviosly a dertermined person Jenni ,so i am sure that you will succced:).Hope todayis good for you .Take care.love mary rose.xxxxxxxxxxxx
we are all in the same boat and can guide each other ashore
Hi Mary Rose
I slept quite well again last night. I have to confess I have taken Syndol for the past two nights, which is why I have slept. A friend recommended it years ago when I had insomnia, although it is for tension headaches, it works for me like a sleeping tablet. The diazepam just didn’t work; maybe the dosage of 5mgs is too low bearing in mind my current level of anxiety.
Coming off Seroxat is very difficult. I believe it is the most problematic SSRI to withdraw from. I had to pluck up courage to do it. The publicity concerning withdrawal was scary, but I couldn’t see any reason for staying on Seroxat. The drug is not only used for depression, but also for anxiety, panic arracks and OCD. In hindsight it was possibly keeping my anxiety and panic attacks in check.
Interesting that your doctor has only ever given you Valium. I believe some docs don’t believe in medication, possibly yours is one who doesn’t. How long have you been on Valium?
So I have got to wait for the Cipalopram to kick in. I feel a bit flaky this morning, panicky feelings are under the surface. But I am eating now, only small amounts, but that is a huge improvement when I couldn’t eat at all.
I really appreciate the level of support I am receiving. I am waiting for the day when I can support other members.
Love Jenni xxx
Paddington
05-11-06, 10:54
Jenni,reading your posts willbe supporting other members!As others must be coming off their meds too and willbe relievedto know they are not alone with these hightened feelings of anxiety.As for me 19 years now,the valium!Not every day,i only take them as and when i need them ,never to prevent an attack as they make you so zombiefied!!I have 5 mg too,and thatis not very strong ,you are right!I thinkif the syndol works then as long as they dont harm you,that is fine 'what ever gets you thru the night !!'As the song says!Gald you are managing some light food too.As lackof sustanence can make you feel shaky too,and you dont need that!!Hope today is good for you.love mary rose.xxxxxxxxx
we are all in the same boat and can guide each other ashore
Hi Jenni!
Welcome to the forum.
Allie xXx
THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber
hi jenni
welcome
i used to take syndol to help me sleep but found after a while i started to wake up with a headache but that might be because i have migraines and it could have triggered them.
to help you sleep have you tried camomile tea
or putting lavender in your bedroom both are supposed to help you sleep
netty
the dreams of the future are better than the history of the past
Hi Ally & Netty
Luckily Syndol doesn’t give me headaches and I am a migraine sufferer, although (touch wood) I haven’t had one for six months. I use lavender oil on my pillow, I haven’t tried camomile tea. My problem is in addition to waking up I have panic attacks as well
I didn’t take any Syndol last night, I thought I could manage without it. I was awake at 1.30 and then again at 3.15am. Panicky feelings set in and no amount of deep breathing helped, so I took a diazepam which didn’t work as well as it should. I was finally awake at 5.25 and that was it. Result of all that is feel really down today. I am sick of my stomach being knocked out by panic attacks, the past two days I have been eating, today I can’t. I shall take Syndol tonight. I have just got to be patient and wait for the Citalopam to kick in, its only day 7.
Anyway thanks for your posts they are a great help to me.
Love Jenni xx
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