Help Needed Please

[Craig Smart]

Hello im new here today im 23 years old, please any reasurance or opinions welcome

ive been suffering from what i think is social anxiety for about 5 years and sometimes i have panic attacks, i got to a point where the panic attacks were very rare and controlable. 3 years ago i decided to ask my doctor for anti depressants and he gave me citolapram, i managed 2 tablets and they made my panic attacks so servere and regular i stopped straight away. It took me about a year to get my anxiety back under control. About 2 months ago a girl asked me out and i was so anxious and nervous i couldnt say yes so i decided maybe i should try medication again.
My doctor gave me 50mg of sertraline, just 2 hours after my first one i had an extreme panic attack but that was pretty much the only one, i also had nausea and my whole body was shaking all day and night. I only had about 2-3 hours of sleep that night but from then on it improved day by day i was geting more sleep and less side effects i only had a few minor panic attacks which past very quickly. Today is the 21st or 22nd day and it started fine but after i ate dinner i felt anxiety creeping over me and starting having bad panic attacks, pins and needles in my hands and all down my legs (the usual side effects that come with major panic attacks) Im now really terrified they are not working and making me worse, i feel like a life with social anxiety and feeling uncomfortable around people is preferable to panic attacks, a dependency on medication and i should have never taken this medication. Is this just a bad day and normal?

[Bexmumto3]

Hi & welcome to NMP

It sounds like you have been through a really tough time settling onto medications, I can relate so much to that as I had reactions to Paroxetine & Citalopram before finally settling onto Fluoxetine, I got to the point where I wish I had never started to take any medication as it was making me feel so much worse.
It can take 4+ weeks for the meds to start working so try to persevere with them now that you have been through the initial rough ride but if you are not feeling better soon maybe another visit to the GP so that they can maybe increase your meds or try a different one for you.
It does sound like you are having a particularly bad day today & I still get them even on my meds, have been on them about 6wks now (this time) & they did get worse before they got better, try to think positive about things, they will get better soon.

[Craig Smart]

i had a doctors appointment booked for 3 weeks from today but ive changed it to next week now, i just feel like i wasnt so bad before and ive made a huge mistake trying medication again. Today is the worst day ive had since starting medication, i thought the first 2 weeks were the worst and i was over it

i feel like giving up and just doing the psychotherapy, but i know if i stop i will suffer with anxiety and panic attacks for a long while after like last time

[hallam11]

Hello,

Firstly I am sorry that you are having a rough time lately.Please try and persevere with the medication, it can take a while to get into your system. Anti-depressants are not addictive so you will not be dependant on them, the only way you would be is if it were psychologically and you felt like you couldn't be without them and that is usually not the case. Please remember that panic attacks are not harmful, they are awful and really feel bad however they will not harm you so remember next time you have one to breathe through it and when you have calmed down treat yourself, watch your favourite tv, movies, grab a choccy bar. You are not alone in feeling like this, many of us go through terrible stages and it usually does get worse before it gets better!!!! Please persevere and come on here for support. Oh and if you do decide these aren't the right tablets for you then decide along with your doctor.

Take care xxxx

[Craig Smart]

thanks for the advice guys, ive actually calmed down alot now im gonna keep taking the medication and hope for the best

if by my doctors appointment next week im still suffering with anxiety and panic attacks ill talk to my doctor about stopping it and concentrating on therapy i think

[crazyhayz]

i think u shouldve given citalopram a chance to work properly, i like you hadf awful, heightened anxiety straight after taking it, for approx 2wks, (which is normal and a side effect of the meds), but after 2 wks it was the best thing in the world. It really is amazing, and has helped me so much. Along with many other people i know whom are on it. An ambulanceman advised me to ask for it as it is the best one for anxiety with least ongoing side effects and its well known for being so good ! Give it another go, if not, then i think carry on with the meds ur on at the moment and try n accept (i know its v.hard) that this will get better but you have to go through alot of bad stuff to get the good stuff!! lol. Take care :)

[Havo]

i am actually in the same boat myself. i was on lexapro for 7 months with little improvement. my main issue is health anxiety and worrying over every bodily sensation i get. i was also on cymbalta for a few months, stopped this also, did not suit me, then tried prozac and zispin, none of which worked for me. i have not taken any of these anti anxiety/depression meds since xhristmas. coming off these is not pleasant it takes time and courage. i now take lexotan if i am having a bad day, these tablets, even a half one are just brilliant, although they are not a long term solution, they loose there effectiveness if taken regurally so doctors are reluctant to give them out. i am doing CBT now and my doctors are insisting i take some other anti depressant. i am refusing. i hate the bloody side effects of these tablets and if anything they only made me worse. i am trying to face my fears as a way of getting over my anxiety, it is difficult, but i am going to persevere. it is so easy to let anxiety get the upper hand of you, and if you have to take meds by all means do they do work for some people. my own opinion on them is that they are a bandage to mask our fears, whatever they may be. Aside from all that it is vital to remember that the solution to our anxieties comes from within ourselves, whether we need meds to face our fears or not is ultimately irrelevant, do what you have to do, keep the spirits up, and stop dwelling on the negative, and accept ourselves and our problems. once we accept our problems and see them for what they really are "irrational thoughts" and distorted perceptions, only then can we move on.