Back to square one......

[cjw]

Hi all,
After several months of being on sertraline I was starting to feel much better then bang! I started with a cough a few weeks ago and decided it must be lung cancer!! Since then I have had blocked ears, to the point that I'm nearly deaf. Then today I've got up after 8 hours sleep and feel exhausted. I've got a dull ache in my left arm and am obviously now having heart worries. My other issue is that I drink.... A lot. I know this is the worst thing for anxiety but I can't seem to stop myself. I want to quit and I know if can (I gave up for a month in January) . But since then I've been drinking probably a bottle of wine a night, sometimes more. My fear is that if I stop I will get severe withdrawl and even DT's. It's a vicious circle and I really don't know what to do. I'm going to the GP tomorrow about my ears but want to deal with the drinking on my own. I'm 38 years old, average weight and an ex smoke ( gave up a year ago but still use ecigs) any advice/support would be appreciated. Thanks

[snowflake293]

Hi all,
After several months of being on sertraline I was starting to feel much better then bang! I started with a cough a few weeks ago and decided it must be lung cancer!! Since then I have had blocked ears, to the point that I'm nearly deaf. Then today I've got up after 8 hours sleep and feel exhausted. I've got a dull ache in my left arm and am obviously now having heart worries. My other issue is that I drink.... A lot. I know this is the worst thing for anxiety but I can't seem to stop myself. I want to quit and I know if can (I gave up for a month in January) . But since then I've been drinking probably a bottle of wine a night, sometimes more. My fear is that if I stop I will get severe withdrawl and even DT's. It's a vicious circle and I really don't know what to do. I'm going to the GP tomorrow about my ears but want to deal with the drinking on my own. I'm 38 years old, average weight and an ex smoke ( gave up a year ago but still use ecigs) any advice/support would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi cjw,

Sorry things have gotten bad for you again after feeling better on the Sertraline. The drinking thing I can relate too, I turn to booze when I am struggling with my health anxiety. Normally it gets to the point where I am crying/pacing with worry and feeling sick with it then I just want to get drunk to mask those feelings, but I always wake up feeling ten times worse!

With the wanting to tackle the drinking on your own I know where you are coming from wanting to deal with it yourself. It can help talking to others though, even on here if not face to face. If you need to talk with someone who understands I am here.

[cjw]

Thank you for the reply Snowflake x

[luc]

Hi CJW,

I used drink (and a lot of it) to get a short term release from My HA but in the end it was a major problem. It will be one year of abstinance on Friday and it was the best decision I have EVER made.
By the end I was drinking a lot more than you and had to go through quite hairy withdrawal which if I had taken medical advice I would have done under supervision. It was not nice - but I would not change that decision for the world.
Medical support I cannot offer but moral support I have bags of.
Drink in my experience exasperated my HA without a shadow of a doubt.

best wishes, Lucia