View Full Version : Blips...
Hi all, I've been on Cit. for 2.5 months now - initially 20mg, now on 40mg (last 4 wks). On the whole, feel so much better but still having wobbly days. I think I am bouncing back faster from them but they still really shake my faith that I'm getting better and will stay better. Are these blips just an inevitable part of recovery - just scared that I'll be dealing with these episodes for the rest of my life. Thanks for reading.
Yup. Most of us seem to blip every so often. They come and they go but rarely stay for long.
There is no miracle cure. the meds give you time and capacity to develop strategies to manage yourself better.
Personally, I've suffered from depression and anxiety since I was about 6 (now 49) but am determined to sort things as well as I can this time.
Sadly it's not a sprint but a marathon. Every time you get through a blip you get a bit better at managing them and a bit stronger.
Thanks Mr B. It's so tough to have all the bad symptoms again - hot and cold sweats, knotted stomach, light-headedness - when I'd had had 3 good weeks. Last time I had an episode like this my dose was increased to 40mg - I really hoped to have stabilised on this now. Is it a case of riding it out and I'll get back to steadily improving again?
I tink that riding it out is the only option. You don't need to be passive though. Find things that make you feel better, if only temporarily.
As always, talk through with your GP if you feel it's more than you cn manage. Mine's been brilliant.
I'm speaking with my GP tomorrow. I think I need some reassurance that nothing needs to change medication wise - last time I hit a wall like this my dose was upped. I need reassurance that it's still possible to have a bad patch without my long term recovery being compromised - i.e. the meds haven't stopped working, I've not stopped getting better, it's just a setback. Any positive blip stories out there?
Just bumping this, any words of encouragement?
We all get blips, coping with anxiety and depression is a long road, with ups and downs. It takes time for us to find the correct dose, if on meds, and we also need to help ourselves, whether that be counselling, exercise, self help books etc. Don't get despondent if you get a blip, because you will get good days again, its all part of it, just hang on in there!
thank you heavenly - 3 days into this now and it's hard. This doesn't mean my meds have stopped working though does it? Can you have a bad week, stay on same med and dosage and still come out the other side and continue to recover?
You have only been on your current dose for 4 weeks Turquoise .It can take up to 8 weeks to get the full benefit of a dose .Having a bad spell doesnt mean you arent ever going to feel better again .It will pass .Its just your body adapting and it will setle down soon .Have you been offered any CBT? /Therapy If not it would be a good idea to ask your Dr . Medication is only part of the process of getting well again .Take care and try not to worry . luv Sue x
can't stop crying - feel so despondent, so pathetic and needy. I'm seeing my doctor this afternoon. Keep reading stories about people endlessly changing meds and dosage and never finding lasting happiness, so afraid I'm heading down this road. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Meds are different for everyone Turquoise, sometimes its just a case of getting your dosage right, doctors don't like giving too much too soon and then if they don't seem to work after a while your GP may even put you on a more suitable medication, But yes, we do all get blips even with the right medication but once it kicks in and you relax, feel well in yourself you may even come to a point where you can slowly wean off them and see how it goes but always tell your GP how you feel first because they will be able to decide whats best to do x
thank you heavenly - 3 days into this now and it's hard. This doesn't mean my meds have stopped working though does it? Can you have a bad week, stay on same med and dosage and still come out the other side and continue to recover?
Of course, the meds will take time to settle in and you will still have good days and bad days, even when you are on the right dose. Its all about whether the good days outweigh the bad, after you have given the meds time to settle in. If the bad days outweigh the good, then the dose will need to be looked at.
I upped from 20mg to 25mg for the past week and feel so much better. I then upped to 30mg today and feel a bit iffy. Its amazing that only 5mg can make such a difference. If I still feel iffy after a while, I will go back to 25mg, that dose seemed to work for me. Its all trial and error.
thank you, you are so kind - and wise. My good days massively outweigh the bad since I've been on Cit. It's easy to forget that when you're right back in the hole. My husband (who is wonderful) says that the gaps will get further and further apart between these bad spells until they go altogether. Because the good days are so good, it makes the bad days harder to handle. Thanks again
happycamper
13-01-11, 13:37
Hey Turquoise,
Blips are normal, I've been trying to get my head around them myself, but after seeing a psychologist yesterday, I now understand they happen and are normal.
I've been struggling with one since the New Year and pretty frustrated and despondent about it, especially as was doing so well and the cit had worked wonders over the previous months, but apparently I'm being too hard on myself. So passing that onto you, hoping it helps, you're not alone. X
Oh Happy Camper that is so reassuring. So your psych was confident that you'd get through this low patch without any med changes - is this your first setback since going on Cit?
happycamper
13-01-11, 18:51
Hi again Turquoise,
The psychologist doesn't really advise on the meds side, she's just been giving me tools to deal with the anxiety, a bit like the CBT. But that is what made me so despondent, all the things she's told me just seemed to go over my head this time round.
I've had a couple of shorter anxy episodes before Christmas, which were the first in months after starting the cit and went pretty quickly. Since New Year I've had a really burning irritated stomach (alcohol could have contributed!), whenever that returns, so does the panic and anxiety, not got on top of it as yet :( Bad thinking habits, but they're difficult to break.
I'm unsure about increasing the cit, reluctant because it's worked so well up to now and I can't bear the thought of feeling more tired than I do, which I think is partly due to the cit.
I understand about the good days making the bad days harder to handle. You've got a benchmark of feeling much better, the blips then just seem worse.
C X
Hello friends. Still struggling this morning - feel exhausted - I'm not eating properly so this is no doubt not helping. My stomach is in knots - yet I have nothing to worry about! I know it's just the anxiety, I recognise it for what it is now, but I'm DESPERATE for it to go away again. Oh, when will this blip pass - day 5 now!
I can definitely sympathise! I've been on Cit for a couple of weeks and been fine - a few 'side effects' (sleep, stomach, etc) but nothing I didn't have before. Then just when it was going well - and I was all prepped for going back to work on Monday - I had a 'funny turn' today, and all the old anxieties have come back. I'm now freaking out about being on my own (driving my OH and kids nuts!), feeling sick and agitated, and getting more and more wound up about work! Nightmare.
Sitting here, I've been thinking that if this is as good as it's going to get what's the point - if it wasn't for my kids... But I have to believe that it's going to pass, it just doesn't feel like it at the moment. When you think about what we've been through so far - and survived - I reckon we can do this too? What d'you think?? :flowers:
Peta xx
Dragonsblonde
15-01-11, 23:02
Hey. My last blip lasted 7 days and then just went away. Having said that I was quite good at just letting it be this time I think. It is true that the more you fight it the harder it holds on
Hey T... I was just wondering how you are getting on.... Im having a BLIP !! been on a different med for 9 weeks, mirtazapine... was doing great, and then friday bang... i was feeling anxious, shakey, weak, feeling of dread.... im determind to ride it out, with a little help of some diazapan.... How are you feeling, has your blip passed ??? Its awful isnt it, esp when you have been feeling so great, i really feel for you, im going through the same xxxxx let me know xxx
Hi there, sorry to hear you're having a tough time too. Still in a rough patch unfortunately but have taken some major steps this weekend which I hope will start to pull me out. Met a freind who has suffered from depression and she said I am focusing far too much on the medication and not enough on self-help. As a result I have booked a CBT course and have my first meeting tonight. My friend also pointed that as bad as I feel now, the meds have helped me enough to seek additional help - I wasn't clear-headed enough to do this 10 wks ago when I started Cit.
This morning was horrible again BUT this afternoon I started to glimpses of the real me again - this must be a result of my changing attitude. Are you doing anything other than taking the drugs? Good luck.
Thats good news with the course, keep us posted! xx
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