Please help!!

[Deli]

I have been suffering with GAD & panic attacks for 4 years I have never taken medication for this as i have a fear of them making me worse and they all seem to have very unpleasant side effects. I have had counselling, hypnotherapy and CBT years ago but lately it seems to have gotten worse, i can't stop crying, i don't want to be around anyone because i do not have the energy to "put on a brave face" so to speak, i just don't want to leave the house (because its safe) I am just feeling so alone with no way out. I can't see the point to life anymore because no part of it is enjoyable and i'm also off work sick because of this. I went to my doctors the other day woh prescribed antidepressants Citalopram but when i looked them up on the internet the side effects were awful so i have decided not to take them because i do not want to feel any worse. I advised the doc I didn't want to take tablets but they just do not listen what else can i do apart from tablets? please help!

xxxx

[Asha1979]

Hi Deli. Im sorry you are feeling this way. I am on day 3 of citalopram and the side effects have gone apart from tiredness. Not everybody gets bad side effects. I was on them last year and I genuinly believed they saved my life as I was so so depressed and like you had panic attacks and GAD. I have started on 20mg as last year I started on 10mg and its really not strong enough to take effect for me. When we read too much about side effects and we are already very anxious its like we are training our brains to expect the worse so I would ask you to take your medication, stop reading about side effects and dont read them on the leaflet. Just start them and drop into this site as often as you can as there are lots of us starting and who have been on this medication that can give you lots and lots of advice and be here to chat. Id also like to add that the side effects are bearable and leave in a few days and I withdrew from this medication after 8 months without a single side effect. Try and be positive about it. There really is a point to life and if you give this a chance you will start to see just how good life can be again for you as you as a human deserve the very best xxxxxxxxx

[Deli]

Hi Asha Thanku so much for taking the time to reply to my thread, I read about Citalopram on the internet and it has really scared me into taking them, so i have bought some herbal tablets today and hope they help they are called Passiflora! Even if the side effects are bearable of Citalopram i dont feel i could cope with them at the moment and if i have any more time off work i am gooing to be sacked (whichis added stress that aint needed) have u taken any other tabs in the past or jus Citalopram? also the doc said thy wont work for 4-6 wks :weep:

[freakedout]

Hi Deli

Citalopram was one of the first antidepressants I took, when I was at the height of my panic attacks, still working and trying to carry on as normal. I can honestly say that I had mild side effects initially and they were NOT as bad as the anxiety and panic I was already experiencing.

Obviously you want to make an informed decision, have a look at Bills thread on ' Medication or not' in the anxiety forum that might help you decide too.

It does sound like you have some symptoms of depression which the meds might help to alleviate. It would take between 2 - 6 weeks roughly for antidepressants to be therapeutic, I found that the initial side effects I had were lethargy and yawning which lasted about 2 weeks. I was already extremely anxious but this did not worsen at that time.

I hope I have helped a little.

Freaky