Simey
28-07-10, 23:10
Hi Guys,
This is in fact my first ever post although I have been lurking on the forum since just before christmas when I decided I needed help with the panic attacks and general anxiety I was suffering.
I've had a few very severe panic attacks, the worst being in 2004 when I went on holidays to New York. I've always been a nervous person, anxious of travelling and meeting new people or going out with a lot of people but it has never really stopped me doing things I've wanted to do, I just accepted i was a nervous person but all that changed when I experienced the attack in New York and honestly thought I was going to die, being so far from home was the most scariest feeling ever, I was taken to the hospital and eventually received some medication (diazepam I presume) which helped me calm down and get me through the rest of the holiday.
The next panic attack I had came last year, it seemed to be brought on by the fact that my parents were away on holiday in Turkey and I started feeling so alone and scared of what was/is going to happen to me, sort of a 'what is to become of me' feeling, I've been to the docs a few times when symptoms have got bad and twice I've been prescribed citalopram and twice I've had to go back when symptoms got worse and was then prescribed propranolol which seemed to help.
Since the last attack I decided I needed to find out more about panic attacks and understand what they are and how they work, I found this forum and took a lot of comfort in reading other members experiences which helped enormously, knowing that other people understand how bad panic attacks and anxiety feels made me feel a lot better. I had one more major panic attack at the beginning of december and again was prescribed citalopram. I want to say that I wish doctors took the time to explain that citalopram won't work straight away, when we are suffering a panic attack or high anxiety we want something that will offer instant relief but i find that they dish citalopram out too easily without explaining what will happen when citalopram is prescribed.
I decided to read up about citalopram myself and decided I would wait until I felt reasonably calm before taking it, I have read many great things about it but that it takes time to work and has to be taken every day, I started my treatment on december 23rd, I had 2 weeks off work so didn't have the worry of that, I felt hightened anxiety for the first few days and then spent about a week in bed, not wanting to do anything or see anyone, I had no motivation to do anything and got to the stage where I thought the tabs weren't for me but I stuck with it. After about 2 weeks I did start to feel better and returned to work after the holidays, it was difficult at first but things did gradually improve and the anxiety subsided.
I found the mornings the worst part, getting up and showered and getting ready for work was a bit of a battle but I stuck with it and things settled down. After about 3 months the anxiety started coming back which prompted me into seriously considering either stopping the tabs or going back to the docs to look into upping my dosage but again I stuck with it and things improved.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the person who posted 'The Citalopram Survival Guide' on here, those posts were a godsend and really helped me so much as I continued my medication so a big big thank you to that person!!
It's now been 7 months since I've been taking Citalopram and I don't have any anxiety whatsoever, I don't have the horrible feelings of doom and gloom anymore, I am much more confident and happy in myself, I've been away for a few weekends and have been fine and my parents have been away and that didn't cause me to have any anxiety either.
So basically, I just wanted to offer a bit of hope to anyone who is feeling low and that the situation is hopeless, I really got to the stage where I felt I couldn't live with the anxiety, I used to feel so trapped in myself, I wanted to enjoy life but started feeling that the only way out would be to end it all but that was something I could never do so the negative thought pattern would spiral out of cotrol making me feel I was going to go under.
So, anyone who has those thoughts, that feel that things are never going to get better, that maybe they feel things are hopeless then I hope reading what I have written will bring a bit of relief to you.
I try not to fear anxiety anymore, I say to myself that I may get another panic attack in the future or the anxiety may return but if it does happen then I know that I have got through it once and I can do it again.
Good luck guys! sorry to go on a bit :blush: x
This is in fact my first ever post although I have been lurking on the forum since just before christmas when I decided I needed help with the panic attacks and general anxiety I was suffering.
I've had a few very severe panic attacks, the worst being in 2004 when I went on holidays to New York. I've always been a nervous person, anxious of travelling and meeting new people or going out with a lot of people but it has never really stopped me doing things I've wanted to do, I just accepted i was a nervous person but all that changed when I experienced the attack in New York and honestly thought I was going to die, being so far from home was the most scariest feeling ever, I was taken to the hospital and eventually received some medication (diazepam I presume) which helped me calm down and get me through the rest of the holiday.
The next panic attack I had came last year, it seemed to be brought on by the fact that my parents were away on holiday in Turkey and I started feeling so alone and scared of what was/is going to happen to me, sort of a 'what is to become of me' feeling, I've been to the docs a few times when symptoms have got bad and twice I've been prescribed citalopram and twice I've had to go back when symptoms got worse and was then prescribed propranolol which seemed to help.
Since the last attack I decided I needed to find out more about panic attacks and understand what they are and how they work, I found this forum and took a lot of comfort in reading other members experiences which helped enormously, knowing that other people understand how bad panic attacks and anxiety feels made me feel a lot better. I had one more major panic attack at the beginning of december and again was prescribed citalopram. I want to say that I wish doctors took the time to explain that citalopram won't work straight away, when we are suffering a panic attack or high anxiety we want something that will offer instant relief but i find that they dish citalopram out too easily without explaining what will happen when citalopram is prescribed.
I decided to read up about citalopram myself and decided I would wait until I felt reasonably calm before taking it, I have read many great things about it but that it takes time to work and has to be taken every day, I started my treatment on december 23rd, I had 2 weeks off work so didn't have the worry of that, I felt hightened anxiety for the first few days and then spent about a week in bed, not wanting to do anything or see anyone, I had no motivation to do anything and got to the stage where I thought the tabs weren't for me but I stuck with it. After about 2 weeks I did start to feel better and returned to work after the holidays, it was difficult at first but things did gradually improve and the anxiety subsided.
I found the mornings the worst part, getting up and showered and getting ready for work was a bit of a battle but I stuck with it and things settled down. After about 3 months the anxiety started coming back which prompted me into seriously considering either stopping the tabs or going back to the docs to look into upping my dosage but again I stuck with it and things improved.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the person who posted 'The Citalopram Survival Guide' on here, those posts were a godsend and really helped me so much as I continued my medication so a big big thank you to that person!!
It's now been 7 months since I've been taking Citalopram and I don't have any anxiety whatsoever, I don't have the horrible feelings of doom and gloom anymore, I am much more confident and happy in myself, I've been away for a few weekends and have been fine and my parents have been away and that didn't cause me to have any anxiety either.
So basically, I just wanted to offer a bit of hope to anyone who is feeling low and that the situation is hopeless, I really got to the stage where I felt I couldn't live with the anxiety, I used to feel so trapped in myself, I wanted to enjoy life but started feeling that the only way out would be to end it all but that was something I could never do so the negative thought pattern would spiral out of cotrol making me feel I was going to go under.
So, anyone who has those thoughts, that feel that things are never going to get better, that maybe they feel things are hopeless then I hope reading what I have written will bring a bit of relief to you.
I try not to fear anxiety anymore, I say to myself that I may get another panic attack in the future or the anxiety may return but if it does happen then I know that I have got through it once and I can do it again.
Good luck guys! sorry to go on a bit :blush: x