View Full Version : Just about to give up :(
Been suffering for nine months now and tried a few different meds but nothing seems to be helping , been on cit for 4 weeks first few were 10 mg and two weeks at 20 mg , finding it hard to sit still and not really eating and lost nearly 10 pounds now :( I also take propananol and diazipram as required and jut feel very scared I'm loosing the battle , also still coming off venaflaxine which doesn't help
Hang in there, Tristan. It takes finding the right drug, along with other types of work in order for recovery to begin. The side effects can initially be hard on people taking citalopram but they will eventually go away. It generallyntakes two to three months for the drug to really begin to work in your system.
Are you doing any type of meditation or relaxation? What about therapy? I know those things all helped me.
What sort of theropy did you have ? Think I need proper help now :(
I had personal one on one therapy with a psychologist and I also had a course in CBT. The one on one therapy helped me to identify some background issues that gave me problems and the CBT helped me to manage my thoughts surrounding events and symptoms so to lessen their impact.
I first started on this 9 months ago and after a while had a good 3 weeks and thought I was cured , had a blip but didn't understand that it would happen so told doctor they wernt working so she changed them with out question or trying a higher dose , been on a few since but no joy so back to start again on cit so fingers crossed this time round
Tristan,
I'm two months into my 20mg and still feeling quite up and down. The last two weeks with Christmas and the dark evenings has been so very tough. I've not even dared to go up to 30mg in case I mess everything up.
I'm finding even if I miss a single dose of my medication I end up feeling rough again. I've lost 17lbs since I started the citalopram. I'm not overly bothered - I just make sure that anything I eat has good nutritional value. Pretty much anything I eat gets covered in peanut butter.
I've found exercise has helped me greatly - I mostly run for about an hour every other day - I joined a spin class too and I managed to pluck up the courage to get my bike out for a night ride last night!
I've also been paying for counselling at a private wellbeing centre at my local gym which has helped immensely - just being able to talk to someone impartial and look into ways of managing my thoughts.
How come you're still on the venaflaxine too? Are you tapering it down?
T
Have to come off it slowly and not sure when to stop taking it as not back at doctors till 7 th jan . Been the worst year of my life ever and so scared for the future
Think my children have picked up on it now and keep giving me cuddles and that makes me want to cry .
How did you get on with the Valium ?
Yeah - the valium worked a treat. I tried 2mg on Christmas morning and it did absolutely zip so tried 4mg boxing day and yesterday which just seemed to nicely take the edge off and get me through the worst.
Felt okay this morning so not taken it.
How old are your kids? I've told my two that I'm just unwell - just like when I had flu. To be honest cuddles in our place are fairly common anyway and when I was drinking I was a totally useless parent anyway.
Depression and anxiety are just an illness - they take time to heal.
What's the best thing for me to eat ? No interest in food at all
---------- Post added at 12:26 ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 ----------
Kids are 12 , 7 and 5 and all boys who just want daddy back
I've been having rice pudding, custard, soft fruits (banana, berries), yogurt - anything that goes down without too much trouble. I find crumpets with peanut butter on quite nice too. Anything that's too dry is just impossible. Porridge is another good one to try. I just had some smoked salmon too left from Christmas which went down well. Soft cheese is another options. Cheesecake is a good one too! Cottage cheese too.
I'm also drinking lots and lots of fluids - mostly sugar free fizzy orange drink in my case.
The trick is to try and keep your blood sugar stable otherwise that'll simply add to your problems and remembering you need to be eating a balanced diet - in whatever form it comes so go easy on the refined sugar - I know it's difficult at the moment. Plain cold yoghurt was a godsend in the early days.
Are you taking any vitamin supplements?
I eat bananas and drink build up twice aday , got to go to a friends party tonight and dreading it but will put on game face and go with the flow .
Not at the moment would you surgest I do ?
Hi Tristan I'm also at the point of 2 weeks on 20mg. What is the longest you have been on any dose of any SSRI?
I also find it hard to eat, I've lost 5kg in the past 2 weeks. Mornings are a right off, it's the worst time of day for my anxiety. I usually eat a dry biscuit before I have my tablet then a glass of juice or flavoured soy milk. At lunch I try to eat a bit of protein like chicken and fish and at dinner some vegetables.
If you aren't eating right you should try taking a supplement to make sure your body is getting nutrients.
Do you have any anxiety free periods throughout the day? I find going for a walk helps, in the late afternoon. My anxiety is bad all day, like a niggling feel through my whole body, it's worst when I think about it. People tell me to think about something else but it's not that easy when you are worried that the meds aren't working.
Hard physical exercise has been a salvation this year for me, even before I started on the citalopram. I quit smoking in September 2012 and started exercising (even though I was still drinking a fair bit).
Early 2013 I was cycling 20 - 30 miles a day, sometimes 50 - 100 miles in a weekend.
Towards the end of the year when I was de-toxing I was still running 5 - 8K and now I'm still doing spin classes and 8K runs and I did 25 miles on the bike the night before last.
It does really help. Even just going out for a good walk will clear my mind and make me feel human, especially if it's a bit sunny. Make the most of the daylight.
NorthernGeek
30-12-13, 00:10
Five weeks on 20mg did almost nothing for me at all, except make me very tired. The week before Xmas my doctor suggested doubling the dose to 40mg & it finally started to work.
After almost two weeks on 40mg, I still feel generally depressed with bouts of anxiety, but it's manageable now & I also find it much easier to distract myself when the negative thoughts try to hijack my mind.
Not sure if the depression will eventually start to lift as well or this is it, but it's still such a big improvement compared to just two weeks ago when I was almost permanently on the verge of tears & could barely cope at all.
I have an appointment with a clinical psychologist in February, so if things haven't improved by then, hopefully she will be able to suggest other treatments without having to resort to even stronger medication.
At least for me, the only real side effects from the stronger medication seem to be tiredness & excessive yawning, especially for the first few hours after I take my morning tablets, which isn't too bad. If 20mg isn't enough for you, then in my opinion it's well worth trying a higher dose, as it made a huge difference for me.
Hope things improve for you soon.
Have spoken to my doctor today and going up to 40 so fingers crossed , thank you x
TooMuchToLiveFor
01-01-14, 17:12
Hey Tristan,
Just wondered how you are doing today? Wanted to encourage you with the dose increase, and also wanted to remind you what you already know.....an increase may cause some yucky side effects and increase in anxiety for awhile.
Anyway just thinking of you and wanted to send you well wishes for a good start to 2014!
Hey Tristan,
Just wondered how you are doing today? Wanted to encourage you with the dose increase, and also wanted to remind you what you already know.....an increase may cause some yucky side effects and increase in anxiety for awhile.
Anyway just thinking of you and wanted to send you well wishes for a good start to 2014!
How's things going Tristan? Hope things are improving.
Thanks for the thoughts guys , still having a rough time at moment but staying posative for 2014 and felt a bit of improvement yesterday but still early days , doctor has cut me down on diazipram which I think has helped and only take 2 mg a day now.
Starting new dose next week so will keep you posted
Much love x x
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.