Hang in there you will recover- I'm living proof!

[Mick081081]

Hi All,
It's been a while since I was on this site but thought I'd rear my head again to let people know you can and will get better I'm living proof.

To cut a long story short Xmas 2011 I had a nervous breakdown and was bedridden for 5 weeks, I was put on Citalopram 20mg and had a horrendous time with the SE's but stuck it out. My GP told me I'd start feeling better within 2 weeks but unfortunately it took me 10 weeks before I saw even the slightest glimmer of hope so don't be disheartened if after 2 weeks nothing has happened we are all genetically different and in different states of mind when we start.

Anyway the anxiety/panic and depression was by far the worst thing that's ever happened to me and I remember thinking 'This is how I'm going to be forever' so for anyone reading this now and thinking like I did here I am to tell you been there and I've come out the other side and back to normality.

Here's the best piece of advice I can give anyone, BE PATIENT with yourself and let time work its magic, I can't stress this enough as I wasn't known for my patience prior to this experience so fully understand how it is to want to feel back to normal straight away! You can't wish a broken leg better it takes time and that's also the same for the old grey mush!

I paid for private counselling as the waiting list was 4 months on the NHS, I know this isn't an option for everyone but if you can afford to do it it'll be money well spent! I'd never spoken about how I was feeling ever but to suddenly open up to a complete stranger seemed to help me through the dark days! It's a man thing we think we can't talk cos for some reason it makes us weak, Get that thought out of your head and tell someone as a problem shared truly is a problem halved!

I'm now 15 days med free I had a few withdrawals the first week or so but I'm now pretty much back to how I was before all this happened only with a better understanding and better outlook on life in general!

I'll stop rambling now.

Remember you will recover and live to fight another day! Be good to yourself, Don't punish yourself for how you feel and fight through those nasty start up effects. This site helped me so much so thanks to all the admins and the great people I've met and keep in touch with from on here.

Be PATIENT!

[Bekzie]

That is great to hear, very comforting.
Congratulations on overcoming your breakdown!

[smit]

Awesome news Thanks for this! xx

[Serenitie]

Congratulations! I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better and making progress I agree that patience and perseverance are very important. Recovery is a process and takes time. I wish you every happiness & continued success

[cazzy]

well done you !! its breaking that anxious cycle , i know , ive done it 2xs before , it is patience you need ....thank you for this post ,very reasuring and i remember patience is a virtue ...well done you xx

[Catherine84]

Thank you for writing such a positive post and I am so glad you are getting better

I am having a really rough time at the moment and it is so reassuring to read stories like yours.

Best wishes,
Catherine x

[nippy70]

Hi. This is to say Mick is a star... I too have had a bad time on cit. Im downbti 5 mg from 20mg. Mick has helped me thru it. Giving me advice when i needed it the most. His help has been to valuable ti me when i had no one else to ask. Nevervgive in just give it time and u will see that hes right. Thank you again Mick for your help... I couldnt have done it without it x cheers

[karenp]

Wondeful news, I have been there 3 times before on Citalopram and it took at least 6 full months for me feel 100% normal but it's a great feeling the day you wake up and feel great hey.

[cmc46]

Thanks for your encouraging post Mick, your posts were a great help to me when I went onto citalopram back in July, I have to see the GP in the next few weeks and I think he will probably talk about gradually coming off of them, I just wondered how long your withdrawal took, did you go from 20mg to 10 or did you have a few weeks on 15mg inbetween? I am so glad that you are feeling so much better.

[Noddy]

Good news Mick! Hope things are still going nicely for ya!