myiguanodon
17-08-10, 21:10
Hi, I'm new to the site. Not really sure where to start, today hasn't been a particularly good day, I'm frustrated yet again, I want to be myself again and it's just not happening as quickly as I'd like, or as easily for that matter. I've always coped with anything life had to throw at me in the past and I struggle to understand why I can't just bounce back this time.
I've been signed off work for 8 1/2 weeks now with a "stress related problem". I'd been stressed out for a while before that, it had been building up for a long time and I just kept ignoring all the symptoms, not letting myself accept I needed to do something, until one morning I was driving to work and ended up parked outside the doctors surgery waiting for it to open as I just couldn't cope with any more.
The first two weeks just seem like a daze now, I couldn't settle, if I was in the house I was restless, if I was out in public the noise of everyone getting about their day to day lives annoyed the hell out of me. As I started to wind down into the 3rd week (with the help of exercises from a self help book the doctor advised me to use), I started to feel a pretty much constant feeling of anxiety and dread, and started to get anxiety attacks over really minor everyday things, I couldn't even manage to negotiate a weekly shop at Tesco.
At the start of week 4 I went back to the doctor and we agreed to start me on Citalopram at 10mg. The following couple of weeks were a bit of an emotional roller coaster, as well as quite a few side effects (which thankfully all seemed to subside). The third week on 10mg was more level, the anxiety attacks became less severe, but this constant feeling of anxiety and dread stayed.
At the start of week 7 I went back to the doctor and asked to take up an offer of a referral and also to up my dose from 10mg to 20mg. The following week was again a bit of a roller coaster, not helped by having to go and see the medical officer at work, which caused a anxiety attack the worst I'd had in weeks and vomiting again for the first time since I got signed off.
Things seemed to be improving towards the end of last week, I started seeing a counsellor, Wednesday wasn't too bad, Thursday I actually felt like myself, motivated, confident, no anxiety, Friday and Saturday were so so, but then the last few days I feel like I'm back where I was with this constant underlying feeling of anxiety and dread. Though I do seem to be controlling the attacks much better than in previous weeks.
I've never been the most patient of people, and I just feel so frustrated right now, not knowing when I'll feel better, whether I just need to be patient and things will improve, whether I need to ask my doctor about upping my dose again, and what to? Whether it's the right medication for me?
I'm hoping there's someone online who's been through similar and has any advice. Sorry to bore you with my babbling, normally I keep all this stuff inside, but the past while I just seem to want to talk to anyone who'll listen.
Thanks
Dale
I've been signed off work for 8 1/2 weeks now with a "stress related problem". I'd been stressed out for a while before that, it had been building up for a long time and I just kept ignoring all the symptoms, not letting myself accept I needed to do something, until one morning I was driving to work and ended up parked outside the doctors surgery waiting for it to open as I just couldn't cope with any more.
The first two weeks just seem like a daze now, I couldn't settle, if I was in the house I was restless, if I was out in public the noise of everyone getting about their day to day lives annoyed the hell out of me. As I started to wind down into the 3rd week (with the help of exercises from a self help book the doctor advised me to use), I started to feel a pretty much constant feeling of anxiety and dread, and started to get anxiety attacks over really minor everyday things, I couldn't even manage to negotiate a weekly shop at Tesco.
At the start of week 4 I went back to the doctor and we agreed to start me on Citalopram at 10mg. The following couple of weeks were a bit of an emotional roller coaster, as well as quite a few side effects (which thankfully all seemed to subside). The third week on 10mg was more level, the anxiety attacks became less severe, but this constant feeling of anxiety and dread stayed.
At the start of week 7 I went back to the doctor and asked to take up an offer of a referral and also to up my dose from 10mg to 20mg. The following week was again a bit of a roller coaster, not helped by having to go and see the medical officer at work, which caused a anxiety attack the worst I'd had in weeks and vomiting again for the first time since I got signed off.
Things seemed to be improving towards the end of last week, I started seeing a counsellor, Wednesday wasn't too bad, Thursday I actually felt like myself, motivated, confident, no anxiety, Friday and Saturday were so so, but then the last few days I feel like I'm back where I was with this constant underlying feeling of anxiety and dread. Though I do seem to be controlling the attacks much better than in previous weeks.
I've never been the most patient of people, and I just feel so frustrated right now, not knowing when I'll feel better, whether I just need to be patient and things will improve, whether I need to ask my doctor about upping my dose again, and what to? Whether it's the right medication for me?
I'm hoping there's someone online who's been through similar and has any advice. Sorry to bore you with my babbling, normally I keep all this stuff inside, but the past while I just seem to want to talk to anyone who'll listen.
Thanks
Dale