Please read and help in some way

[MadKad]

I am unsure where to post this, its a long read but please read and help if you can

I started to come of my Clomipramine a number of weeks ago after I have been on them for a long time and found that I was getting good results in my behaves, I was starting to go out and feel a lot better in my self, along with Clomipramine I also take Propranolol I was on the highest does I could be for both and still am on the highest does on the Propranolol, as I was feeling good in my self I thought it would be a good idea to ask the doctor if I could come of the Clomipramine and look into quitting smoking using none smoking tablets called Zyban as I couldn’t take Zyban and Clomipramine together, I did as the doctor ordered and lowered my Clomipramine dosage over 3 week periods, last Friday I went back over a number of weeks to see my doctor as all was going great we talked and he said to stop now taking my last Clomipramine tablet that I was taking a day, the next day I wasn’t to bad but since then I have felt really unwell, I hope to start taking Zyban on Thursday as quitting smoking is something I really want to do and all the other things I have tried have failed.

OK so since quitting Clomipramine I have started to feel really unwell, I have still been doing my tasks that I have been set by my CBT therapist and I have found that they are what are making me really ill, so I have come to the conclusion that I am getting really bad anxiety problems and that the Clomipramine was helping a lot more than I thought and that it wasn’t just me controlling it, the anxiety is becoming a massive joke now on my life and coursing me and my girlfriend big stress problems, I have spend the last 2 and half days in bed after doing very little in the morning and now I will be shortly entering my bed again, I am now again missing out on doing things with my son and I really don’t want to have to go back on Clomipramine again as this will only slow things down again in my life.

When I become ill I get symptoms like feeling very sick, savvier head aches, shake and blind vision along with a number of other symptoms like palpitations I don’t mind palpitations as these have never really scared me in any way, these palpitations are the biggest I have ever had but I still don’t mind them, I am also getting intrusive thoughts but again I am dealing with them, the main thing I need to know are is this the side effects of coming off the Clomipramine or has the Clomipramine been covering up the anxiety that I need to deal with?

If this is the side effects of coming off the Clomipramine then I think I can hold out till they go, but if this is the full anxiety I will be getting then I am really screwed in a big way and I don’t think I am going to coupe as I feel I have gone back 99% of the way, I don’t want to live on taking Diazepam to deal with these problems as I have manage to not do so far but I also don’t want to spend time all the time in bed.

Can you help me in some way as I am going crazy and I feel like I am screwing my life up and not just that my sons as he also is living with this as he just stays in because I am not able to do anything with him.

Also to add I have found that keeping my self bussy in my house has stoped me from keeling over, I have been cleaning the house and at a stupid crazy speed, it gets my blood pumping and keeps me going but there is only so much I can do and not only till its done but until I have no more energy to do any more and still end up ill, I feel that this is not helping my O.C.D. as I then also get angry at any mess I see, I am getting so frustrated as I just want to feel like I used to feel along time ago.

[maxine]

Ok i don't have any experience with the drugs that you have been taking but i do know that most have side effects when you are coming off them which can last quite a few weeks, if you are still not feeling well you need to go back to your GP and discuss it.
Partners usually find it very difficult to understand anxiety if they haven't dealt with it, I know my partner is struggling to help me ( he just doesn't know what to do) so it's putting strain on us to.
You need to make sure you are talking to your girlfriend and telling her how you feel etc, try and explain to her whats going on, if your son is old enough tell him daddy aint feeling to good at the moment but will get better, obviously if he's older you can give him more details.

Also maybe now is not the best time to try and quit smoking it's usually stressful enough without you having to deal with all the other stuff too!

Have you been offered a counsellor or anything to help you get to the root of all this?

Sorry i'm the crappest person to help here!

Maxine

[sheba2]

Hi there sorry to hear that things are not so good for you. If you have been on the meds for a long time it is possible that you have come off them too quickly. My son is on paroxetine. He has been on them since the age of 14 he is now 25. A few years ago he tried to come off over a six month period gradually reducing the dose even going onto a liquid dose. However as he came right off his symptoms returned and his life became unbearable again. His gp put him back on the meds and has suggested that he will be on them for life. This is depressing but his life is so much better whilst taking them. He now looks on them as necessary as yu would insulin if you were diabetic. I think that if you want to come off your tabs you may need to do it more slowly and need to discuss this with your doc.

[MadKad]

Hi I havent been offered a counsellor.

I have been told by my CBT that quiting smoking should be left for now, but the truble is we cant afford to smoke as we struggle to by milk or even gas for our house and I think that smoking needs to be stoped as I cant offer anything else for my family allready.

My son is nearly 3 and I do say to him I am not well but this also is like a broken record with me and I feel its very unfair on him I have been ill since he was born, I just dont know what to do any more as I feel I am becoming a joke in life and I need to be how I was 3 years ago and make my son's life fun along with my own and my g/f's.

[MadKad]

Well I was ment to go to my doctors today but I have been to ill to get there, he phoned me insted to talk about my problem as it had got wors and not better, he gave me two options:

1. ride out the fellings and see if they get better (I wanted to do, but aparently I am no use to any one)

2. go back on the dam tablets and carry on taking them (so yes back to squire one, this is a poo idea as what do i do then)

So I had to take option 2 as I am no use just in bed feeling ill, so now i cant quite smoking using the Zyban tablets (the doc says there are other ways) so now I have failed again and will be back on to taking a stupid amount of tablets along with what I take allready,


SO yes I failed to even get more better and will what looks like it live the rest of my life on tablets and never get back to my good old self like I was over 2 and a half years ago all because of a stupid fat lorry driver smashed into my car and then said he didnt see me, when i know dam well he did as he stoped 2 times for me behind in the traffic jam we was in, I should have killed him when i had the chance as i bet he is loving the fact that he is still working and enjoying his life with his family why I spend every minnit missing my sons life and having fun with him.................

[artistguy]

Zyban is actually another anti-depressant which is used in the UK to stop smoking. Maybe that is why the doctor said you could had to come off the Clomipramine.

[MadKad]

yer I know.

well infact it was brought on the market as an anti-depressant and people that smoked started to stop but working as an anti-depressant it didnt do anything.

That is why I was coming off Clomipramine to take Zyban, lol I said that up there. any way forget about Zyban now its all out of the question, just let this thread die

[sarajane]

Hi I haven't got much to add at the moment because I am also going through a bit of a rough time myself.

I just wanted to let you know that Zyban is not the 'magic' drug to stop smoking that some people think it is.

I tried zyban 5 yrs ago and I still smoke unfortunately, plus a few of my friends also found it didn't work for them either.

Hypnotherapy is the most successful method that I've heard of.
Good Luck, I understand how you are feeling.
Hugs Sarajane