The how's everyone feeling thread - updates

[Jaysmd]

Hey guys,

Interested for you all to share how you are feeling with myself and the others on this forum.
I find talking and opening up about symptoms, side effects and recovery with you guys to be a great help.

So where's everyone at? How many weeks now? How many mg? How are you feeling?
Jem, Suzie, live... I hope you are all staying positive and doing better!

I'm just past the 8 week mark. 8 days on my 20 to 30mg increase, side effects are there but not as bad as in the beginning... Would love to know how long an increase takes to work or 'take effect' but how long is a piece of string right? I'm glad I'm able to leave to house these days without going into a panic. Still struggling with morning fog and heavy head... Must soldier on right.

Good luck to all
Justin

[LiveAboveIt]

Morning's are the worst, man. I don't know, but I always wake up with body shocks and just general intense fear, keeps me from wanting to get out of bed. I know that I should just jump right up as soon as I wake up, but I always end up tossing and turning for a couple hours before I make the effort. Seems like it always gets a bit better when I finally get out of bed, though. But yeah, the fog and heavy head are rough, only been up for about an hour though.

WHY ARE MORNING'S SO SHITTY?! :P

[Jem21]

Ok so did almost 8 weeks on 30mg then reduced to 20, 4 days ago!
Actually feel a little better from the decrease, no horrific anxiety, more like a mild agitation.
The agitation is more from headaches, fatigue and jaw problems I'm having though which I think kicked it all off in the first place. Taking pregabalin for the agitation and it helps somewhat! I feel like if I didn't have these issues I'd be ok!
On the positive side I've been to the dentist and were going to get my bite checked to see if that's what's causing the problems! Not planning on changing the meds at the minute but if I start to slip with the decrease then I'll speak to the doc about something else!

Justin - (that seems weird after calling you Jay for weeks) lol, glad you are showing signs of improvement.

Live - (what actually is your name?) Haha! Sounds like you have a new plan and it's looking good already!!

Take care guys, Jemma :-)

[Jaysmd]

Jem,

The jay stands for Justin... The smd is probably not appropriate, not sure where that came from but it's there now lol.

Did you guys watch the nrl last night ... Canterbury and South Sydney... Big win for my team I was dancing around the room celebrating!

---------- Post added at 18:15 ---------- Previous post was at 18:10 ----------

Just for reference I have the extreme fatigue and constant headaches. I also get sharp unbearable pain through my bottom teeth every now and again and it can last about an hour before taking an Advil kicks in. These are things I have always associated with antidepressants thought. My fixation is on the anxiety

[Suziewuzie]

Oh hai guys!

6 weeks on 10mg now & feeling great.

I started on this after my panic attacks started increasing in frequency & severity. I had 10 days on Sertraline which made me absolutely insane & half suicidal. So I got put on this! The way that I was in those ten days wasn't my normal state & I often wonder if I'd just stopped them and gone on nothing would I still feel the same as I do now?
But alas, here I am.

No side effects at all any more I don't think. I get blurred vision & dizziness randomly but I suffer with severe migraines so that's nothing new for me & I try not to think about it too much.

I've tried to help myself as much as possible during the past 6 weeks because I didnt want to rely on this alone, so I do guided meditation every day, listen to positive self help audios, I have 3 or 4 books on anxiety / CBT stuff and I make myself leave my house every day no matter how crap I feel!

The past 2 days have been anxiety free for me & I've felt like my old self again I'm not taking it for granted but just taking each day as it comes. I accept any feelings I get but don't dwell on them, I just let them go.

[Jaysmd]

Enjoy the good moments...
When I have a good moment, or amount of time I tend to focus on when will I feel bad again because I'm so damn used to it.
I have to practise what I preach. Haven't had a window for 2 days but when it comes I'm going to just take it for what it is

[LiveAboveIt]

Thats fantastic to hear, Suzie. I'm very happy to you.. I've been having decent days, but the anxiety is ALWAYS looming. Even when I tend to not focus on it so much or get wrapped up in something else, I can still feel the dark cloud.. That part of it never goes away and I still have pretty intensely fearful moments over STUPID crap. I don't even really get upset at the STUFF, I get more upset that I can't just feel normal and I wish my mind didnt react fearfully to every damn thing. I've been forcing myself to leave the house throughout this entire thing, but.. I have reverse agoraphobia, lol.. I feel BETTER out of the house, because I feel like I have no purpose when I'm at home and I just end up worrying and thinking.. When I try to do stuff at home like play games or watch movies, I can't help but notice how strange and out of it I feel.. This is the big one, I just want to feel calm and happy and just feel normal like my old self, not out of it and foreign all the time.

Havent had a panic attack in two days, though.. Just apprehension about losing it. So I think I'm on my way.

[Beckie4567]

I have been very lucky on citalopram had hardly any side affects which is what caused me not to start them in the first place.hoping the kick in soon as don't feel no different at the moment.

---------- Post added at 21:13 ---------- Previous post was at 21:11 ----------

Glad to hear that Suzie.i cherish the day I wake up like that.I'm finding it hard to believe in guna wake up one day happy lol.how do they make u feel ?

[Suziewuzie]

Enjoy the good moments...
When I have a good moment, or amount of time I tend to focus on when will I feel bad again because I'm so damn used to it.
I have to practise what I preach. Haven't had a window for 2 days but when it comes I'm going to just take it for what it is

Yeah I actually just had a weepy moment to my boyfriend because it's looming in the back of my mind that it's too good to be true. I know I will have bad days again, and I know that I always tell people to always focus on the good days and don't let the bad days undo all your good ones... but when it's you, it's so hard to remember that!

[dan1991]

I'm up and down. Literally one extreme to the other.
I'm on day 30 20mg and honestly I feel no improvements on these tablets than when I first started. I'm anxious 24/7.. I feel like I'm losing myself.
I can't go anywhere without being obsessed how I'm feeling.. It's making me not want to go anywhere but I force myself out of the house every day.
I don't enjoy things like I did 2 months ago and feel like my world is falling apart all around me.
Sorry to be morbid, I think it's because I've been off work (on holiday) this week and have spent too much time with my thoughts.
I just want this pain to end. I feel incredibly lonely. I want to be around people but I feel like I have a constant black cloud over me.

I'm thinking about paying for private therapy because the CBT waiting list is just far too long and life is so so difficult at the moment.
I can't see these tablets giving me a complete 180 in the next 2 weeks or so.

Sorry to be a mood killer. I hope everyone else is doing well