Please is someone awake? I don't what to do

[IrishLondon]

I'm so sorry to right a post like this, I don't know what i expect to achieve by doing it, but I'm in such a terrible way I feel I need to do something. I haven't slept all night. I feel so anxious I feel like I'm going vomit. And its all because my legs are burning so badly, my arms were burning a bit overnight as well. Can anyone relate to this? Is it really anxiety??

I just don't know what to do at this stage. I can't cslm myself down. I can't sleep. I can't do anything. It's like I'm stood in front of a brick wall with no way out.

---------- Post added at 08:05 ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 ----------

If anyone could just say they are there, id be so grateful. I'm writing to just stop myself from going crazy right now.

[bluesdevil]

Hey

google mental health podcasts. Top results should be fro the mental health foundation. A really good set of podcasts that i use regularly.

If you've an android phone you can download podcast addict to access them as well.

I can assure you i and others have felt ( and do feel ) this exact same way.

[MrH]

And its all because my legs are burning so badly, my arms were burning a bit overnight as well.

Yes this is something I've experienced, although my leg burning happens in the evenings rather than in bed (we all seem to get this differently).

Be calmed not worried if your symptoms start to spread like that - all the nasty things we worry about tend to limit themselves to specific areas. The fact it's moving round your body is always a pointer to anxiety. Positive thoughts and hope you're feeling better.

[Serenity1990]

Yes this is something I've experienced, although my leg burning happens in the evenings rather than in bed (we all seem to get this differently).

Be calmed not worried if your symptoms start to spread like that - all the nasty things we worry about tend to limit themselves to specific areas. The fact it's moving round your body is always a pointer to anxiety. Positive thoughts and hope you're feeling better.

This is very true. The fact it's in both arms and both legs, and that it comes about at a particular time of day should be very reassuring. :)

[IrishLondon]

Thank you for your message. Knowing someone is going through something similar helps.

I've wound myself up into a right state. Reading stories on the Internet of people who have similar symptoms. Why do I do that to myself.

I'm at a low point and not sure where to go from here. I've read too much information, and whatever the Doctor recommends I'll probably question. I wish I hadn't read anything.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This could be part of the start up side effects, you know. Did you get anything like this last time? Does it say anything in your PIL about these?

[IrishLondon]

Hi Terry

These symptoms first staffed back in October and at that stage I had already been on Sertraline for 7 months. The doc did think it might be a reaction to the Sertraline so she told me cut down to 25mg. That along with taking the pregabalin started to improve things. I had a few good weeks and so decided to drop the sert down to 12.5 and then to nothing. I even managed to go on quite a big trip during this time. But shortly after dropping to zero I anxiety and insomnia setting in and the burning started to return. So I've gone back on the 25mg. Have an appointment with doc tomorrow so going to see if she thinks I should increase the pregabalin and maybe look at a different AD.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Ryan,

According to Drugs.com, its listed in the Less Common section of the standard side effects (not the ones that you have to tell a GP about immediately) so its one of those that should go once the side effect window has passed.

Since you have just restarted and you've done it at double the dose of what you had tapered off from, maybe its a start up side effect that will pass. When you dropped from 50 to 25 last time, had you waited 4 weeks or was it less? If less, it might have passed but if it was unbearable then maybe you needed to taper upwards because of sensitivity?

Its worth raising this incase you would be better suited to a different one but this may pass. Perhaps they will say to adjust the preg until it passes? Just like how some of us take a few Diazepam to take the edge off when the start up is really rough.

I can sympathise because when I tapered up from 30-60mg of Duloxetine I suffered one of the less common ones, adrenaline rushes and my anxiety was the worst it had ever been for 8-10 days. It was very very hard.

[IrishLondon]

Thanks Terry,

I can totally sympathise with the adrenaline rushes. I've been having those as well over the past week...before when I was taking no sert and after reinstating the 25mg. I think I may have to change as these sensations originally started after I had been on 50mg sert for 7 months. I had been on citalopram before for several years and it did really help so I might ask to go back to that. Although to be honest it all just feels like trial and error at the moment.

How's things with you just now? I'm just off a nightshift...definitely not helpful when my anxiety and insomnia are both bad. :(

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, sadly medication is all guinea pig stuff as its so individual and they still don't fullly know how these medications work on us, just that they can do.

Usually they tend to head back for the med that helped before because they know people can struggle on any of them.

If you had been on sert for 7 months and still had those side effects, something is wrong there. Sometimes people have these problems and the GP's usually change their meds because they aren't suited to that one. Anything over a month to 6 weeks of side effects is too much really although I suspect we still get some of them a long time afterwards as I still get the adrenaline build ups from time to time but its uncommon for me since I got past the side effect window.

Sometimes people go back on them and struggle more. Look at Nicola's thread on the ven board that is going on at the moment. She dropped he dose and when she restored it, she had a loads of problems with adrenaline & greatly increased anxiety that she never had before when going to that dose.

Its just all so unknown and its bus that end up feeling worse for it!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Ryan,

I was reading about something about medication last night and it mentioned how it takes 4 'half lives' to reach saturation level when you start or increase a dosage. Your seemed to develop after a few days so this probably explains the onset delay in this case.

[IrishLondon]

Thanks terry.

Another night of no sleep again. My doctor yesterday changed me from Sertraline to Citalopram.

My insomnia is currently terrible and it's difficult for me to know what to do at this stage. I feel close to going crazy. :(

[MyNameIsTerry]

I had bad insomnia at first when I went on Citalopram. I ended up with a Crisis Team visit and they advised my GP to prescribe Zopiclone to give me some respite. This helped a lot at first.

I learnt later that people tend to take this med in the mornings to avoid insomnia and I was taking mine at tea time.