can it be reversed?

[Cheeky220]

do u think that if you stay calm and rest as much as possible you will return to your old self without meds??

Just been prescribed citanaprol (dont know if thats the right spelling) but im scared to start this. However my sympoms at the moment are freaking me out. having panic and high levels of anxiety constantly and now im feeling strange, unusal, floating,light, questioning everything like what is our minds and getting caught up on this cant quite connect back to the present its very frightening. is this caused by anxiety and will it ever go away? as we will always remeber it wont we so how will we ever forget it?

need some help and advice think im going mad!!

[Baby_Doll]

It is a very frightening experience isn't it, but it is all part and parcel of the anxiety...even though reminding yourself of that may not be much comfort,it's worth a try :) You're not going mad...it just feels like it sometimes! I felt exactly the same until I knew more about it and found that so many other people were in the same position.

Have a look on the medication section of the forum see if you can find some info on your new meds. Talk to your doctor about other options if you aren't comfortable with the meds, things like hypnotherapy or CBT are great :)

Unfortunately it's not simply a case of 'rest and relaxation' to return to yourself...sadly, it can be bit of a fight sometimes to regain 'normality'.

Most importantly, you can and will recover! There is ALWAYS hope, and like they say 'this too shall pass'. Good luck hun! xxx

[Richd]

Hey, Im in exactly the same place as you, same symptoms and everything, first off I felt it was a depersonalization thing, which then turned to anxiety over the depersonalization, and then I started to get more symptoms like headaches and pressure, and then I find the depersonalization wearing off and the anxiety purely being about the headaches.... it's so very hard.

This time around I'm trying my hardest not to go on meds. The first time I experienced this was about 4 years ago, and I was put on citalopram then. This did give me a lot of relief, but you have to remember that it won't cure you, only mask the feelings whilst you change your circumstances and make your life better. The way it works is it changes the chemicals in your brain, so that you physically aren't able to experience or dwell on the negative aspects of some thoughts and feelings. The best way to describe it is you physically can't think for too long on certain subjects, they just don't stay in your mind and you can't dwell on them. So it's good relief, but I can't say it sat very easy with me, and I wanted to come off them as quickly as possible.

This is only my personal opinion though, the fact is that it definitley does relieve you of your anxiety and depression, no question about that.

This time round I'm in the middle of a CBT course, and am trying my hardest to improve things myself. It's taking a while, and it can be a horrible experience sometimes, the feelings I get and the physical symptoms, I have a horrible dull headache right now, and had a driving lesson earlier which I found so hard to concentrate on, but I know what I have to improve in my life and am working on getting there.

So yeah, I would say if you desperately need the relief then go for the medication, but if you don't want to take it, you can get through it without, it's by no means easy, and you will have hard times, but it is possible.

The best of luck to you!

[learner]

I hope it can has this is what I am trying to do, keep off medication and to keep calm.

I am finding life very hard and sick of being told Im in the wrong and I should be able to sort myself out.

good luck with your fight against the miserable anxiety feelings.

julie

[feels_like_home]

I have experienced all the symptoms you have described. I know how horrible it is. I have been having a few good weeks, but today I am feeling the depersonalization and the fear in the pit of my stomach. I felt it before work. Felt better at work (distraction works best for me) and felt it again after work. You will feel better.

[shortycgs3]

Im suffering at the min but not using medication my second real big test of anxiety attacks and decided i could do it alone but its hard you wonder if you will ever be the same and you can its is just a long process and you have to out weigh bad thoughts with the good and dont let the bad negative ones take over and eventually its gets easier

[Yvonne]

Rest is good if you can manage it with high anxiety levels which you appear to have. When my anxiety levels have been high I personally couldn't rest. If you can then all well and good. If you can get some rest it will help a lot but I reckon you will need something to calm you down. You don't like meds so try something herbal.

I don't believe in suffering and would take any med available to alleviate anxiety.

Don't try to be a martyr by suffering this thing, if you feel you want to try the meds then do so. It's your decision and you know just how much you can take of feeling crap.

Take care.