Paramedic Student hell

[Hambo]

So this is the first time I've really posted on one of these forums so I'll try and keep it brief :)

Basically I've always been a nervous person, but I was always able to deal with the anxiety and 'keep a lid on it'. However, last year I started studying as a Paramedic student and that's when things started to go downhill.

Part of the course requires us to go out on ambulance shifts and get some hands-on experience. I was fine with this throughout the first half of the year, becoming more and more confident in myself. However, there was one week in August when I attended 4 cardiac arrests, one of which was a child that hung himself (we could not resuscitate him). That kid was the first person I'd ever tried to resuscitate and looking back it wasn't something that an 18 year old student should have to be asked to do. Anyway, after that week I was understandably tired but felt fine. But then I started to feel tired all the time and lightheaded.

Initially, I thought I was ill or just worn out. But I then started struggling at course. I failed an assignment twice and was almost kicked out of the course before I told my tutors what was going on. It was honestly handled very badly as I feel there is still a stigma towards 'mental health' here in New Zealand, even among paramedics.

I was often lightheaded and nauseas (my usual anxiety symptoms). I saw my doctor about 6 or 7 times and he had no idea. It was only after seeing another doctor that I was finally prescribed Citalopram (20mg) and after 4 weeks of that I'm kind of feeling better. But still nowhere near 100% and certainly not ready to go back out on ambulance shifts :unsure:

So my question is: Will the medicine take more of an effect in the next few weeks? I'm also thinking of seeing a psychiatrist too.


Oh and by the way, I had counselling after the arrests and the memories of them do not bother me at all. I have no nightmares/flashbacks, I just can't 'control' my anxiety anymore

Thanks.

[Vega]

Hi Hambo, that sounds like a rough experience to go through, counselling or not. I feel like I know what you mean when you say you've always been nervous but generally managed to deal with it, probably a good way to describe my life too, except every now and then it gets a bit too big to deal with on my own.

I could be wrong, but from what you've said it sounds like it took a while before you were properly diagnosed, and now it's only been a few weeks that you've started your treatment, after experiencing anxiety symptoms for some time? I can't answer about how long medications take to work, but the doctor who did diagnose anxiety and prescribe medication might be good to talk to about that, or a psychiatrist.

[Hambo]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah the symptoms have been going on for a year now. And my previous doctor never really explored the anxiety aspect. He was simply trying to rule out all the nasty stuff but unfortunately he never ruled anything in.