Well here we go... 150mg

[Paradise10]

Ian you are such a help to me and I really appreciate it... If there was going to be someone it affects differently it would have to be me...
Would be worth taking the ven in the afternoon to see if that is the case but I might wait a little longer as I increased the nort on Friday night so will give that a few weeks before I start fiddling with things I think.

Not been a great weekend to be honest, Friday night was ok, did the quiz with friends and took the increase dose of 30mg of nort before bed, woke up Saturday morning and as expected I felt a little bit out of it / spacy but nothing major. Felt so unwell though, managed to do the things on my CBT list and took the dog for a walk with my husband. Today I woke up spacy again at 10.45 (really late for me) and this lasted a couple of hours. Not even got dressed today as I've felt so poorly, or managed anything from my CBT list which makes me feel bad. Fell asleep on the sofa from 2.30 till 5.30. Couldn't really eat my tea and my anxiety has ramped up quite a bit tonight, the worst it's been for a while. My husband said I have to call the doctors in the morning and not wait till Thursday. Maybe increasing the nort while I was feeling unwell wasn't a great idea but It's done now so I will carry on. The nausea is the worst, I can force myself to do stuff but when moving makes you feel like you are going to lose everything in your stomach, then it makes it really difficult. I've not been sick though, felt it in my throat like I was going to a couple of times but not actually been sick, it's more just the feeling. Also feel totally wiped out. I'm rubbish at telling the doctors what is wrong though, even though I try to write it down first, I always think they will think I'm a pain because I have anxiety and think it's that. I say this but my doctor is lovely so I don't know why it worries me. I'd tell anyone else not to be silly and just ring them but for some reason I find it really hard to contact the doctors.

Going to watch a little TV before bed, I'm back to working at home on my own again as now we are in total lock down again I can't work from my parents house. I have my craft stuff now so I will try some of that tomorrow afternoon.
I will update tomorrow after I have called the doctors (gulp)
Take care all. Ava x

[Paradise10]

7 weeks today, seems so long ago that I increased. Still bumbling along! I really do not like this working at home all day on my own though, even when you are in the office you might not be in every conversation but there are people to look at and things going on. It's so much easier to be distracted. I do have online meetings once or twice a day for 10 mins at a time but the rest of the time it's just me, the laptop and my thoughts. Not a good combination. I do talk to the dog but he just ignores me ha-ha.

Well I tried the crafting, must admit I'm kind of into it now, I'm making a picture frame thingy (looks better than it sounds, honestly) and I can just put down and pick up as I want to. Had my 3rd CBT session this morning, really don't think this is going to work for me but I will keep on with it, today was about progressive relaxation and mindfulness. Now have to add them into my daily routine along with my activity sheet. Most of the emotions next to my activities say frustration though, hope this improves as I go along. It has made me walk 8 miles up to now this month so i guess there's a plus.

I eventually grew a pair yesterday afternoon and called the doctors, she said to call back at 8am this morning and they would give me an appointment on the day. I woke up this morning and ummed and arred about how I felt and wound up not calling. I am such a muppet. I do have a phone appointment with her on Thursday though so I am sure I can hang on till then.

So how I am doing at 7 weeks on the 150mg dose...

Frustrated is the big theme I would say.
Anxiety is reduced from when I started but not where I would like it to be.
Not lift in mood at all.
Tension, tension and more tension... The tops of my arms and shoulders hurt as does most of my back and my thighs. Even my fingers are aching. (Can't decide if the tension is from me or if it's from the meds.) (I might be in a tension circle)
Upset stomach and nausea, this could just be a bug though and not the meds.
Also have the pain still around and under my left boob, this could just be tension pain also (but my health anxiety likes to wind me up a lot with this one.)

Things did turn a lot for me last time at 8 weeks so I am determined to wait till then, and I have only been on the nort at 30mg for 4 nights. Might use that list for the doctor on Thursday... God knows what she will think to that lot.

Right I am off to glue more beads onto a cardboard heart while monitoring my empty work inbox!

Take care all... Ava x

[panic_down_under]

Had my 3rd CBT session this morning, really don't think this is going to work for me but I will keep on with it, today was about progressive relaxation and mindfulness.

Please stick with it, Ava. CBT didn't do it for me either, but I did pick up some strategies/techniques which helped in the darker times.

I have only been on the nort at 30mg for 4 nights

The dose increase may be playing a part in the tension. The noradrenaline/norepinephrine (NA) reuptake inhibitors can be activating at the beginning. But just as with SSRIs and serotonin, after a week or two the brain responds by down-regulating NA synthesis and expression and the side-effects diminish.

[Paradise10]

I will keep with the CBT Ian as there are parts that I like, and like you say I will most likely pick up some tips along the way.
5 Nights on the increased nort now and I must say this is the worst I've felt in a few weeks, I've even contemplated the diazepam this morning, I won't though as I'm not quite climbing the walls. I hope this is just the nort settling in and not me going backwards. Could the nort be raising my anxiety, even though it's only a 10mg jump?

Think I'm going to move my desk downstairs today in the back room, we have big double doors in there so I can see outside rather than working in my bedroom where it faces the wall. Plus I don't like being in my bedroom all day as my husband often wants us to watch a film in bed after work so I'm back in there at half 7 after working in there all day. I wish corona would do one so I could work at my parents house, I like chatting to my dad between work. The older two kids have gone back to their uni houses and the youngest is on teenager time so he doesn't surface till at least 3pm after being up on play station all night with his mates. I think he is starting to struggle with lockdown, he is really sociable and is always out either at college or out with mates or his girlfriend. His girlfriend lives in the next town so he can't even go for a walk with her. The dog is also poorly this morning, he back been sick 3 times so I need to keep an eye on him and call the vets if it carries on. What I wouldn't do for a hammock on a tropical beach with a woo woo or 3.

Right, onwards and backwards (I saw someone on here has put that as their footer on their posts and I felt it was quite apt.)
Take care. Ava x

[panic_down_under]

5 Nights on the increased nort now and I must say this is the worst I've felt in a few weeks, I've even contemplated the diazepam this morning, I won't though as I'm not quite climbing the walls. I hope this is just the nort settling in and not me going backwards. Could the nort be raising my anxiety, even though it's only a 10mg jump?

It may be the nortriptyline, Ava. While it is only a small dose increase you're raising it at a vulnerable time with the venlafaxine dose increase not yet working that well and possibly also elevating anxiety levels, or at least keeping them on a hair trigger. It probably more the nortriptyline being the straw that broke the camel's back than the whole load. The better news is this will likely be short-lived. 🤞

Right, onwards and backwards

This is the real metaphor of life, not the 'onwards and upwards' rallying cry. What mostly happens with the 'upwards' bit is you faint from lack of oxygen and find yourself flat on your back looking up at your starting point.

[Paradise10]

Ian I never knew that's what it meant... Makes sense though!

Been another difficult day, Doctor called this morning and I did manage to get most things out to her, she thinks I have a water infection so has prescribed me some antibiotics which I need to collect tomorrow. With me only increasing the nort last week she doesn't want to mess with the ven dose just yet so she is calling me in 4 weeks for another review.

I seem to be suffering more with a 'wound up' sort of agitated feeling today rather than actual anxiety. I also feel quite tired today too and it's a massive effort making myself do anything which really annoys me and I get agitated rather than anxious. Still need to print off the mindfulness and relaxation stuff from the CBT woman and start that but I just can't seem to motivate myself to do it.
I used to read all the time so I downloaded a book to my kindle as I had put reading on my afternoon activity, I've read about 20 pages on and off as I'm finding it a struggle even though it's a story I would usually love. I think that's why I get so wound up and frustrated as I am doing all these things as instructed but I'm just not enjoying them as I usually would. It's like I put in a massive effort to do them and still feel pants when I do.

Starting the Keto way of eating on Monday which is low carb... It's meant to be good for weight loss and also for making you feel better with more energy ect, my husband said he would do it too so we're are going to meal plan for the week and then go shopping at the weekend. Also walked 2.5 miles yesterday. The one thing people can't say is that I'm not trying to help myself, that's for sure. Just wish it would all start to bloody work. It's hard not to get disheartened sometimes.
I am hoping things start to improve over the next couple of weeks.

Fingers crossed... Ava x

[Paradise10]

Morning all... It's a week today that I increased the nort to 30mg and I think it's fair to say my get up and go has literally got up and gone! It was hard motivating myself before but at the moment I seriously need to be Wonder Woman to make myself do anything. Not sure of this is the nort increase or just me. Started my antibiotics this morning so fingers crossed they help.

Didn't really do much yesterday, worked during the day then just read my kindle last night. Actually got quite into it in an on and off kind of way. Had some health anxiety last night but I couldn't even be bothered to get too wound up about it. I do find that I can't go too into my health anxiety which must be the ven helping.

Going to drop the dog at the groomers shortly and then go to the supermarket with my husband to get food ready for keto. Got an online quiz tonight with friends. Glad to be getting out of the house today. Still haven't printed stuff off from CBT woman and I have lapsed a bit on my activity sheet so really must make myself do them today. Feel very flat and uninterested. Not climbing the walls with anxiety though! Can't bloody win can you!!

Right, that's me over and out for another update. Take care. Ava x

[panic_down_under]

It's a week today that I increased the nort to 30mg and I think it's fair to say my get up and go has literally got up and gone! It was hard motivating myself before but at the moment I seriously need to be Wonder Woman to make myself do anything. Not sure of this is the nort increase or just me. Started my antibiotics this morning so fingers crossed they help.

It could also be the infection. It is a common response.

[Paradise10]

Well it's not been the best weekend... Anxiety has been quite bad today and I'm struggling quite a lot this evening. It's so hard to keep busy when you feel unwell and like you have no energy to do it.

Did the quiz last night, I was ok but started flagging at the end. Today has been really bad though, went in the car with my husband to the shop this morning, then came home. Spent the rest of the day sat on the sofa. Everything has wound me up, my thoughts have been going round and round all day, I am so hyper vigilant where I notice every ache or change in my body and it's so annoying. I just feel like I don't have the strength to deal with this at the minute but don't have a choice. Thought about a diazepam a couple of times today but I haven't had one and I have done nothing on my CBT stuff this weekend. Only been on the antibiotics a couple of days so I guess they won't be working yet. Keep questioning if it is a water infection... I get so frustrated with myself but the bottom line, regardless of water infection or not is that I am still having anxiety that is significantly affecting my life. I thought I was getting somewhere, I was coping with it at least whereas today I feel like I am not coping at all.

Let's hope next week is better. Ava x

[Kalie galea]

Good morning Ava
I'm exactly the same at the moment on this venlafaxine train been on these meds about 4 and half week I've had them upped 4 times in that time I'm currently on 225mg and have been for about 6 days now the past 2 days have been alot better then I have been but this morning I woke up at 3.30am thinking I can't breathe and I thought to myself no I'm not going backwards again that I'm fine and it's just anxietys ugly head showing its face I felt my chest tight but I wasn't going into a panic then I felt calm again but it was still there in my head it was as if I was putting them own thoughts into my head because I was feeling calmer I thought about taking a dizapam but then I thought no I'm not I seem to have good days and bad I mean 2 days ago I was calling the 24/7 crisis line for mental health because I was in tears fed up with feeling like this and things wasn't getting better I'm waiting for my phyatrist assessment on the 26th the doctors referred me because they specifically specialise with anxiety disorders panic disorders etc and they know what meds work well together it certainly has been exhausting and draining suffering from mental health and very disheartening when you have a few good days and you think finally I'm on the road to feeling better then bam it comes back again my fear and trigger is dying all the time I'm thinking I'm just going to stop breathing or my hearts going to stop beating hoping my day is not going to be a anxious mess and I hope you are ok