hoping for advice!

[miss elemis]

Think iv already posted somewhere in all new to this!!in 28 and Iv suffered with panick attacks for about 10 years but have never effected me until the last 6 months they got progressively worse until 2 weeks ago i had a sudden attack whilst visiting London which left me with sudden severe anxiety and agoraphobia i was in a bad way i couldn't even leave the hotel, the feelings have carried on at home, i was dragged to the doctors and have been put on 5mg of citalopram been on this 9 days would like to up the doseage but scared as i had bad side effects just at this dose and i need to go back to work as self employed! Any advice would be great.

[Marty_67]

Cit takes some getting used to. I have used it for a while, main side effects for me are sleep disruption and nausea.

Been on it over a few years now....was 10mg then 20mg and after a recent 'episode' spoke to the doctor who agreed I should take 40mg per day.

It takes 3-4 weeks to really kick in and I was told by the doctor that it's not addictive but you might want to check that.

Nice to meet you,

Marty

[miss elemis]

Thanks for your reply, all this has been a big shock to the system...i have increased my dosage tonight, hopefully Il b fine, just hard waitin for these to kick in, iv been given diazepam by the doc for the panic in the mean time but i cant get on with diazepam at all!

[LunaLiuna]

:welcome: I'm sure you'll get all the advice you need here, take it easy. And try not to think about the side effects to much :)

[Xeno]

Hi! Although I am pretty new to the 'Depression World', I am happy that my accidental acquaintance with this site happened in time. I am trying to help myself, and believe that this is the most important thing to do. I am learning from other peers here and that's a vital support.

[Annie0904]

Every time I go to London I say Never Again! The last time I was there I had a terrible panic attack on the underground. I have promised myself i won't let it beat me though!
I don't know what type of self employed work you do but is it something you can get back into gradually? You might find this online CBT course helpful, it was a major factor in my recovery. http://ct-online-info.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fct-online-info.com%2F&reauth=1

[Tanner40]

Miss Elemis, congratulations on taking that first step. Medications work differently for everyone. Citalopram has generally taken 2-3 months to fully kick in for me, when taken at an adequate dosage. Medication is not a cure all. I have found it very helpful to employ a set of tools to assist in reducing the anxiety. As Annie said, CBT can be extremely helpful and the online CBT course is quite good. Progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises are very helpful but need to be used regularly. There are many good ones on YouTube. The key is to practice these tools on a daily basis. You are retraining your brain and it takes time. Good luck on your journey.

[miss elemis]

Thanks everyone for your advice, in actually a beauty therapist i specialise in massage so you would think i would be the one who could relax in always the one telling everyone else to slow down etc, iv started meditating which iv found quite helpful and i have had a look at the course thanks for the link, my goodness what an eye opener! IM going to try go back tomorrow even though i no this is ambitious and if it doesn't work out then i just come home and take more time i guess!

[Annie0904]

:D I am a holistic therapist too and can advise others on relaxation but can't do it myself. I do find that doing aromatherapy massages relaxes me though. I also have to be careful doing hopi ear candles as if I look at the flame it makes me sleepy :D

[Deckardblues]

My side effects have been pretty bad, if you read my forum. In early days of taking Citalopram, but after two weeks it does get better apparently, but its a long two weeks i know.