New to all this

[Tilly Trotter]

Hi everyone I am suffering from stress/ anxiety/depression which was brought to a head by an event that happened over a period of 2 months a few weeks ago! I also almost stopped eating during these 2 months because I was so tired/exhausted/stressed by the task that I had undertaken! At first my GP gave me 14 diazepam to tied me over and then later she gave me another 14, but said I could have no more, I still have 3 left! After things should have gone back to normal they just got worse & I went back & saw another more sympathetic doctor who unfortunately was just a locum and whom I knew I could not see again. We discussed my eating & she advised me to eat a high calorie diet little & often, easier said than done when you have no appetite! She also prescribed me Citalopram 10mg which she said were non addictive and that I should probably take them for 6 months. I have been taking them now for nearly 3 weeks & can't say that so far I can feel any improvement, occasionally I have a better day but often I am exhausted. My sleep pattern is completely shot at which probably happened at the start of this nightmare previously I never had any trouble sleeping & I have never had any mental health problems though I have always had a problem with alcohol. Apart from the lack of sleep the Citalopram seems to have given me a dry mouth which disturbs me during the night because I have to sip water several times & then go to the loo. A few days ago I decided to start taking the pill in the morning instead of at night so now I have the dry mouth at night and during the day. I am having private counselling which is costing me a fortune because I could not wait to see a NHS one & because I often do not feel well enough to go anywhere. I know this is a bit rambling but just wondered if any one had any tips or advice that might be able to help me. I am so fed up of being like this and just want to go back to being normal again. I am seeing a GP tomorrow but am not confident that she will be able to do anything more to help last time she said it could take 6 weeks for the meds to work! My partner is losing patience with me because he has to go to work & I am doing next to nothing round the house.

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Tilly Trotter and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[emily67]

hello.

welcome to the forum x

[dedalus]

I have never had any mental health problems though I have always had a problem with alcohol.

If alcohol is a problem for you then perhaps you might consider going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The AA program can help enormously with emotional and spiritual well-being. It is also completely free apart from making a small voluntary contribution at meetings (when the bag is passed around). The only requirement for attendance at an AA meeting is a desire to stop drinking by the way. You don't have to be down and out and living rough or anything.

Anyway, maybe that might help you. You would probably meet a lot of people who are having a similar experience to yourself.

It's up to you anyway. I wish you the best.

[Tilly Trotter]

Thank you for that reply I am not drinking at the moment especially as I am taking the Citalopram! I have not been drinking for over 3 months and my therapist thinks this may have been the catalyst for my breakdown that in the past when I came upon stressful situations I always overcame them by drinking & this time because I wasn't I was unable to cope. AA does very good work but I am not sure it is for me at the moment.

[dedalus]

You are welcome. AA is something you could consider in the future if alcohol ever became a serious problem for you. In my experience drinking only makes matters even worse.

If you wanted to learn more you could try reading the Alcoholic Anonymous, the 4th edition, also known as the "Big Book". It's available for the Kindle or there are PDF versions that you could download for free as well.

Anyway, the best of luck to you :D

[Pepperpot]

I could have written this lol.

Firstly, stop being so hard on yourself. My hubby was the same - impatient as I didn't have the energy to do anything, and it was new to him as my panic/anxiety came out the blue. The housework will be here another day. Just make sure the very basics are done. You won't get better instantly - the meds will take a while to work. I don't take meds, and I'm slowly getting better 4 months down the line. I suggest you try and go for the NHS therapist too as it seems the money is an issue and probably making you feel guilty :( x

[Tilly Trotter]

Hi Pepperpot! Thanks for your comments so nice to know I am not alone in this struggle! No the money for the counselling is not really an issue though I could think of nicer things to spend my money on! Also I have a cleaner & other help in the house which OH doesn't mind paying for so really have a lot to be grateful for! Just want to get better xx

[kellie39]

hi Tilly, how are you feeling today? xx

[johnny1964]

Where you are is where I am. We are going through a journey which we want to end as soon as possible. It can only be described as hell, but remember, it is considered a moderate disorder because the vast majority of people get better and regain full health. Citalopram is a very effective SSRI for a lot of people. I took it 10 years ago during my last period of anxiety and made it back to full health. It takes time to work and different people respond to different amounts. I have moved through to 30mg daily and fully expect to move to 40mg daily in four weeks time. This was my effective dose 10 years ago. My advice would be to put together a tool kit of things to help you recover and use these tools on a daily basis. You can see my tool kit on the anxiety/depression forum. As for your partner, they cannot possibly understand or comprehend what you are going through, nobody can unless they have been through it themselves. I often think that partners should swap with sufferers for 1 day and then they would understand. Good luck.

[Tilly Trotter]

Hi Johnny!
Thank you so much for posting your comments, I felt so encouraged by your words! I have been taking Citalopram for just over 3 weeks now & often despair that I will ever feel any better! I usually start in the morning feeling dreadful, sometimes I improve as the day goes on & sometimes I definitely don't! Wednesday was ok then Thursday I was exhausted could have slept all day & went to bed at 8 even though I am not supposed to go til 10! I will look at your toolkit now. Once again thank you

---------- Post added at 19:45 ---------- Previous post was at 19:36 ----------

Johnny can't find your toolkit! Help!