The need to get out of my head!

[Chris2000]

Hi everyone.

Well up until March last year I always suffered from health anxiety to the point where I ended up with daily tension headaches which drove me mad. I ended up going on Citalopram In March and well that all changed. I convinced myself the meds were going to make me suicidal........well within a day I was having anxious thoughts about knives and death etc my anxiety was through the roof. I stayed on them for a few weeks before getting off them. I struggled on for around 7 months with these thoughts waxing and waining in intensity and I think I became depressed with it. I have been on venalfaxine for 4 weeks now and I feel a bit calmer but my thoughts are all over the place What ifs mainly. Im hoping these meds will help somewhat its so frustrating when every day is spent in my own head trying to work everything out!

[bellabessnjet]

Hi,
dont know if this will help, im currently having cbt so this is something i'm doing. Try challenging your thoughts, and questioning them like a court. for example, I'm a useless person, better of dead. You then write the evidence down for that, in my case, I let an ant phobia ruin my life. then write the prosecution evidence, Yes but you look after your family, you help your friend, your always there when needed etc,etc. and then look at it all weigh up the evidence, and look at facts. Sometimes our thinking becomes distorted, you need to start loking at the good and recognising its good. Dont I make it sound easy!! lol. Its not its hard it can be draining but after a few days you do feel a little better, then you have a set back, and have to restart but its not as difficult. We (unfortunately) have our minds set to negatie mode, so when something positive happens we either dont recognise it or ignore it. I hope this make some sense. Please PM me if I can help in anyway.
All the best
Angela

[Carys]

Hi Chris

Venlafaxine worked for me, where many other meds failed (this is going back 12 years now when I started taking them) Originally I was on 225mg a day and for the last 7 years I've only been on a dose of one 37.5 mg tab daily. I really hope they continue to make more and more positive difference for you. 'Getting out of your head' i.e. forgetting your HA and other assorted negative thoughts is so so hard to do.

Distracting yourself with other activities is a good idea, something creative or puzzles, something that takes concentration ? Easy thing to say I know, and harder to accomplish. At first it may only be a few seconds that you manage to really concentrate on the activity and not on yourself. As you keep practicing, over time, you can retrain yourself out of the patterns of focusing on yourself immediately. It took me a couple of years, to develop interests that could take me 'out of my own mind' and focus on something else.

[Anxious_gal]

Citalopram really scared me! i was having the same thoughts and fears as you too!
also when on them my mind was racing, i know it was the drugs because it was so intense!
for me i go up town and see my friends, I'm awful anxious when I'm on my own :-(

[Chris2000]

Hi everyone thanks for your responses. Well the thoughts have quitened a little but Im still very low and extremely tired all the time which must be the meds because I wasnt beforehand Im struggling to get up before lunchtime........dont know whether to hang on a bit longer or admit defeat with these!

I did do some CBT back in March it helped a bit but not enough I didnt think.