been doctors diagnosed anxiety ocd

[worrier 82]

Hello I just been back to the doctors and seeing a different doctor she has said I have anxiety stress and ocd . She has put me on citralopmol or however you spell it :blush: 20mg and gave me a number to ring to self refer for counselling. I'm really anxious about taking tablets anyway but have heard these ones give bad side effects so don't no whether to take or not. Any advice from people who have taken or is taking much appreciated thankyou.

[cpe1978]

It depends what you mean about bad side effects. Drugs do have side effects yes, most do in fact. Whether you experience them or not is entirely down to the individual. However side effects are reverseable, in so much as if you stop taking the drugs you stop having them.

The question I would be asking myself is whether or not what I am doing the moment is working in terms of recovery from anxiety, or whether there are other things you could be doing other than medication.

FWIW I have taken Citalopram. I had some side effects on taking them, insomnia (dont take them in the evening), dry mouth and loss of sex drive. However with the exception of the last one they passed and then when i stopped taking them that returned too!! However on balance at that moment in time they are what I needed to get back to some degree of sanity and I would do the same again.

Similarly on withdrawl I experienced some side effects, but they all passed and were of no real consequence. Your Dr. should manage a steady withdrawl with you to manage any potential effects.

It is a perverse outcome of anxiety, that as anxious people we question everything that might make us better. So, if you dont take them, what alternative treatment are you going to follow etc etc.

[worrier 82]

Thankyou for your reply. I do feel as if I need to take I don't want to but need to if that makes sense from what I have read on here The side effects if I do get them should pass and that a good sentence you said they are reversible I can just stop if they to bad I suppose but I want to persevere I want to get better and hate these symptoms I am currently getting.

[cpe1978]

Allow time for them to work, but I have to say that when they did for me, i had the most phenomenal sense of relief. The best way I can describe it was a feeling of indifference about things that had bothered me before. I just found that I couldnt get upset about anything any more.

[worrier 82]

Ok thankyou

[swanick15]

That's strange that the GP gave you a number to self refer my GP did a referral letter

[worrier 82]

Hello yes I thought it was strange to but looking on the website its called iapt they see you within 4 weeks is a scheme by nhs and government I think to improve access to therapy.

[cpe1978]

It is indeed. There is a recognition in the NHS that the health service does not treat mental health well, often particularly the low level non acute mental health type stuff. IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) is a programme of work to try and tackle some of this.