New girl, old problem

[StrawberrySundae]

Hello, I came across this forum while trying to find out why I felt so bad having started on Citalopram 20mg. During the first 5 weeks on it I suffered from an agonising attack of thrush, extreme tiredness, complete shutdown sexually, vivid and disturbing dreams, anxiety attacks and latterly suicidal thoughts which I have never had before. This was the final straw and I threw them away. That was last weekend and frankly I feel like I have been hit by a truck since then. There's NO WAY I am going back on anything like that and so my question to members is what can I do to self treat the aftermath of PTSD, anxiety and chronic depression, which I have suffered from since my teens without resorting to chemicals? I have had CBT and EMDR to treat the PTSD and I have ongoing talk therapy but I still don't function properly. I've joined a walking group and a local womens' group because my doc says socialising is as good as anything but I do find it very difficult to make the first move in actually talking to anybody. Anyone tried amino acid supplements, st johns wort etc? what dose? Any other suggestions? Thank you for reading :)

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya StrawberrySundae 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:

[fduop]

Good morning StrawberrySundae. I read your post and I'm sad to see you going through this. Medication can be a tricky thing and sometimes what looks good in test and studies doesn't always work on everyone. My situation is different then yours in that I suffer with panic and anxiety and I treat it with medications and cognitive therapy.

My suggestion for you would be if you're set on continuing a non-med path continue with cognitive therapies and educate yourself as much as you can. I've suffered with p&a for over 17 years and the best thing I've done for myself is educate myself about the who, why, where, & how's of my condition.

Another suggestion I have is using meditation and breathing techniques. I've found that the traditional Buddhist practice of mindfulness works well for me. At first it was hard for me to focus on just breathing but after a while I've found that it really helps me. There are many great sites on the Internet that are not-for-profit that can show you the basics of mindfulness.

I hope this helps, the thing is create your own path to being a better you. Educate yourself and be proactive in your treatment. Ask questions and fight for answers. All the best to you StrawberrySundae on your journey.