Back on Cipralex Tuesday without my clonazepam what the hell am I gonna do? HELP ME!

[Micko]

Well it's Sunday and I've just taken my half a 0.5mg Clonazepam just to take the edge off since weaning off Mirtazapine (not a ssri) 45mg to 30mg for a week and coming off Clonazepam my anxiety is sky high can't sleep, function, worried sick on Tuesday I re-start taking my Cip 5mg but I won't have any Clonazepam to take edge off what the hell am I gonna do it's a few things, the Cipralex won't kick in straight away, may take weeks (god) the side-effects, will they do owt cos originally when I first went on em' 5/6 yrs ago was drinkin' everyday stopping em' suddenly brought on the anxiety that drove me to try to commit suicide back in Oct that lead me to be in the mental hospital for 2 months they put me on Clonazepam twice daily and the belief that my hand/s would recover kept me going today my anxiety is sky high and it's not even Tuesday and like I've said won't have my Clonazepam and if the Cip makes my anxiety worse what the **** am I gonna do for a few weeks my shrink thinks I'll be ok easy to say please help/advise/reassure can't take much more it's a ****in nightmare!!!!!! climbing the walls at mo just watchin' TV can't cope please please help! panicking like mad sorry to go on but scared stiff even talkin' to people on phone makes me anxious, breathless it's awful I just hope and pray that the Cipralex will aleviate/cure all these awful symptoms the clonazepam takes the edge off a bit but come Tuesday I won't have it just the Cip 5mg during the day and the last of the Mirtazapine 15mg at night for a week (weaned off) then it will be 10mg of Cip the week after then prob up to max of 20mg crying myself to sleep everynight a lot of it is the realisation that my hand is ****ed but if the Cip kicks in then hopefully be able to try and accept it! please please someone reply about my concerns and put my mind at rest, just struggling so much getting worse daily "roll on Tuesday" ????? thankyou. x

[MarlaJ]

Hello my friend, one more day! Are you excited? This is it, the worst is over!!!!! Yeah!!! Don't fear the side effects, they really aren't that bad. Two weeks for me, one at full dose, and the worst is long gone. You are almost there. I am really proud of you, you are an amazing individual:D (I don't think the cip will make your anxiety any worse than it is today. The last time I went on this stuff I was in a really bad way - didn't even notice it at full strength. This time I went on earlier trying to prevent a full on panic mode. Ha ha. It backfired. I'm sure you won't notice anything worse than you already have.) I also have a script for Lorazapam to help when things really get crazy. Maybe that will help you? Not familiar with the other meds you take, so I really don't know. But I do know that the worst is almost over, and everyday after Tuesday will be better. One more day buddy, hang in there!:bighug1:

[Micko]

thanks Marla just so rough today feel sick, stomach's churning, dry mouth etc crawling the walls once I start taking it tom gotta stick with it can't keep stop/startin/changin and as you know won't have the Clonazepam to take edge off (barely) just scared they won't touch it, kick in, side-effects or make me worse than I am or worst scenario make my suicidal thoughts worse but cos of my background surely consultant shrink would'nt put me back on I never asked to go back on I did mention I'd been on em' over a year ago but she decided to put me back on god Marla hope they help with the anxiety, depression and now severe agaraphobia cos I was so active decorating, walking, etc etc now can't even get on a bus or go out and I pray they won't affect my breathing, gasping for breath etc thanks Marla, trust you thank's xx

[MarlaJ]

There is no way that that little cipralex is going to make you feel worse than you do right now. I find that if I concentrate hard enough on anything, I can make it real. So if I sit here right now and question whether or not I feel good or bad, I can actually make myself feel really really bad. If I concentrate on how much better I feel than yesterday, then I feel pretty good. You need to remind yourself that this medication worked for you in the past. You need to tell yourself that it is the answer to your prayers. Stop questioning all the things that it could make worse, and start being very very happy that this is the one medication that is going to make every day better than the one before. If you wonder if it is making you sick, you will feel sick. If you question whether it will make suicide a thought, well, that is the thought already in your head, so it will be your focus. You need to find one thing that is very positive, and you need to hang on to that thought until the meds kick in - and they will! It isn't going to happen overnight, but then, how can it? If you have felt this bad, for this long, it only makes sense that it will take some time to get better. Anxiety is a sneaky little bully, and it will keep finding ways to hang on. The trick is to not let it. When scary thoughts start going around, you need to find a way to put them on pause. I will think about this, and deal with this latter. But not today. Today I will find something to occupy me until this goes away. It really is a lot like quitting smoking. If you can find something, anything, to do in a moment of neagative thinking, it will fall to the background. If you can do that enough times in a day it helps break that habit. It sure isn't easy, but it gets easier each day. The cipralex will help with those intrusive thoughts, but you have to help it too.

Your breathing woes sounds like anxiety pure and simple. That is one that I have struggles with for years. It is the scariest feeling on the planet! But it is still just the anxiety bully. All your other symtoms are nothing more than the effects of coming of your other drugs. That will get better! Here comes Tuesday! You made it my friend, the worst is past! How long are you to be on the 5 mg for? You won't even notice it, it is such a small dose. Then on to 10mg. It noticed slight effects for the first day, less the second day, and no side effects really by day 3. They only thing I still notice is that I am more tired, less energy. But really, after being so wired and edgy for so long, being lazy is actually kind of a treat! Don't be scared my friend, be happy. The good is just around the corner!:hugs:

[Micko]

Thanks Marla, felt sick, dizzy, not sleeping, eating much etc I took my 5mg of Cip today about 11.45 think you have to take around same time? don't think it matters too much had the last Clonazepam yesterday still having to take lowest dose of Mirtazapine for a week alongside the Cipralex then next week up to 10mg of Cip definately feel bit rougher today prob cos the Clonazepam is'nt there just feel, shaky, hot and cold and that sick feeling is back I know I have to stick with it this time it's gonna be rough for a bit I guess to ill to venture out at the mo Marla can't function at mo and obviously cos of my ****ed hand it does'nt help god Marla don't know how I'm gonna get through these next few days/weeks hope they kick-in soon! just can't think about going anywhere or doing much at the mo you understand don't you! x

[MarlaJ]

Micko I DO understand! You have it so much worse with having to switch all the meds around. I can't imagine. But here it is, Tuesday! By next Tuesday you will be truly on the road. I am on day 8 of 10mg, & I can honestly say now that it is helping. I wake up in the morning and that feeling of panic is just not there. My mind chatter is going away. That takes some time to get the racing thoughts out, because that is also habit. I still find that when I wake up I am "probing" - looking to see what is wrong, what is bothering me. THat doesn't help, but it is going also. I actually noticed last night that I felt relaxed! It was the greatest thing! I was watching TV with my family, and it dawned on me that I wasn't forcing myself to sit still and get through it, I was actually relaxed! My days are still a little edgy, I still have to force my mind to stop dwelling and focusing on negative ideas throughout the day. Had a bad spell at work yesterday, but I got through. Each day is better, and in a weeks time I look back and I certainly see a huge improvement. They say it can take 4 weeks or more to get the full benefit, and I can't wait to see it, as I feel this much better in just a week.

I take mine at about 6pm. That was because it doesn't bother my sleep at all, it actually makes me tired. Also my anxiety became a problem in the morning when I started taking it, so I didn't want to add the med at a time when I was already buzzy. I think it is important to take it at the same time each day.

I am finding that each day food is looking better! I don't eat much in the earlier part of the day still. I try to force myself to eat little bits as I'm sure that having low blood sugar makes you feel shaky and sick. But by evening, I am actually hungry now. That is kind nice. I am sure that a lot of what you are feeling right now is just the effect of getting all the other drugs out of your body. But this is it my friend, you made it to Tuesday! Congratulations, I know it has been a bloody battle, but you turned the corner. By next Tuesday you will start to feel better. By the Tuesday after that you will feel better still. Don't dwell on the bad stuff, it will all wait until you are feeling better, then you can tackle that stuff. Just think, by this time next year, you will be a new person!:hugs:

[Micko]

Hope so Marla, just feel so anxious and edgy almost like the Cipralex today has heightened it? just so scared that I've started to feel sick again like I did when I first became ill crawling the walls for some Clonazepam to take the edge off it! but know I'll have to stick it out and not stop/start/change again! still find it so difficult to accept the damage I've done and will never decorate, guitar, roll me fags again etc Sandra's so worried I'm scared the suicidal thoughts will get worse and I'll end up back in you know where! gotta keep taking em' otherwise my shrink would'nt have prescribed em' could be on em' forever but so be it! hopefully next week when I'm finally weaned off lowest dose of Mirtazapine I'll just be solely on Cip and that might be better but I remember when I was solely on it before still went outa control and did what I did mind you I had stopped em' suddenly after 5/6 years gone back on stopped/started/changed/back on my anxiety is sky high at the min tried watchin' TV but could'nt chain smoking nearly hope tomorrow's better than today! 10.00 off to bed anxiety's too much to bear trembling struggling to even watch TV oh Cipralex please kick-in dreading tomorrow! keep thinkin' I might have serotine syndrome stupid eh but surely the shrink would have known if I had what a bloody nightmare! please help/advice/support anyone! thanks.