Going from 10mg to 20mg

[-Emily]

hey guys thanx for your help, ive now been on the higher dosage for 4 days and im feeling really terrible really sick and anxious :(...and ive got uni tomorrow and i really scared about going

[Jannie2948]

Hi there, saw my dr on Friday and he has increased my dosage from 20mg to 40mg! I thought I would just go up to 30mg but he says that the best dosage for anxiety is 40mg so who am I to argue. I've been taking the increased dose since Friday, 20mg in morning 20mg in evening. Just very slight increased anxiety but I have diazapam if I need them. I am so hoping that I will get rid of the odd days of anxiety with the increased dose.

Emily, I was on 20mg for 3 months, very bad at first but side effects eased after about 2-3 weeks. Hope you get on ok.

Jannie x x

[AJS]

Hi jannie
Just read through this thread.
I've been on 20mgs for about 11 weeks - just about to go into my 12th week. Although I have come a huge way I am still having a little anxiety and the odd panic attack - I am due for a review with the gp next week - and am thinking of talking over an increased does. I'm not sure about it - do you think that the increase has helped take away that extra bit that just was not shifting?
Don't get me wrong life is still good and the anxiety etc is bearable - I'm still able to work full time - but it would be good just to get rid of that stubborn niggle.
I'm seeing a stress counselor as well which is helping - think i'm maybe just being impatient?
AJ

[Jannie2948]

AJ, I know exactly what you mean. I too was fine on 20mg for 3 months but still had that odd day here and there and still had a little bit of anxiety and panic, apart from that I was so much better. My dr said that 40mg was the best dosage for anxiety so I now take 20mg in morning and 20mg in evening. Only started Friday evening and hope to feel the benefit soon. Not sure if I will have to wait a number of weeks before I get the full benefit. I too am a little impatient and want to feel better NOW! I'm also thinking of starting to go and see a therapist to get my mind around why I feel this way. I also work full time and I only have the odd occasion at work where I feel a bit anxious, the dr gave me some diazapam (2mg) to get me through those moments if I need them. Hope you get on ok at your dr's and that you get through those last little bits of anxiety.

Jannie x x

[JT69]

Hi Emily, I hope you got on o.k. at Uni. I would say you are experiencing a little of side effects from the increase as 10mg is a very low dose. Hopefully it will settle quickly (as you had none in the begginning) but if not then perhaps you could try taking 10mg/20mg on alternate nights, and then slowly add more 20mg's??? Just a suggestion as I had to experiment alot with this drug to avoid the side effects and have done this myself in the past. Hope that helps. Jo.xx

[AJS]

Hey Jannie

Just wanted to see how you were getting on with your increased dose? I hope things are going well for you!

I went to the docs yesterday and was dissapointed as it was a new gp - so didn't go into to much detail. She said it was up to me if I thought an increase would be beneficial - so i decided to hang off and see how i go - she has told me to continue to take the propananol to take the edge off the body symptoms like increased heart rate etc. I have decided to stick with the 20mg and the stress counselor for the next 2 months but if things get worse or don't improve then i will ask for an increase.

AJ

[Jannie2948]

Hi AJ, been on the increased dose now for 1 week, not bad but went out last night with work colleagues and had felt quite anxious. I'm not too good in loud places with lots of people so was a bit shaky. I am hoping that the increased dose will even get me past those moments, but it's only a week so don't really feel any different yet. Hope it doesn't take as long as when I first went on the 20mg. Hope you keep improving on the 20mg, my dr told me that 40mg was the best dosage for anxiety so hey ho lets see what happens. Shame you can't see the same dr, I've been very lucky with the one I'm seeing now, the first two were no help at all. I was put on Propranolol but they made me feel really ill so came off them after about 6 weeks, the Citalopram is much better for me, just want these odd days of panic and anxiety to disappear, not asking too much is it?!?! :-)

All the very best to you

Jannie x x

[AJS]

Hey Jannie
Glad to hear you are doing well.
Don't worry about feeling anxious while out with your colleagues - i get the same - i find it's just the niggling fear of the "what if i start to panic?" etc. I have made fast excuses and left previous nights out and had a panic attack in the taxi on the way home!!! When I go out now I always make sure i have the car so i can get home fast if i need to ( i also have ibs and my tummy gets upset when i get nervous)
I have hardly been out since october - think i've had one night out with my colleagues which ended up really good. I've also been off cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine since oct - still to scared that any stimulants will trigger a big panic attack.
i find the propananol good - i was prescribed 40mg but i cut them in half and usually take half before leaving to go to work ( i hate the journey in) then maybe another 2 halfs throughout the day as required - they don't make me feel sick.
i'm not ruling out an increased dose - but will see how things go.
Just keeping my fingers crossed for us both - it will be great when eventually we rid ourselves of even the tiniest bit of anxiety.

[Jannie2948]

Thanks AJ, I too have stopped having anything with caffeine in it, only have decaf tea or coffee and only usually one of those a day, they also triggered massive panic attacks in me. So horrible that this affects our lives like this and I just can't wait to be 'normal' again. My colleagues are brilliant with me cos they totally understand, in fact they really look after me and can see if I start to panic, I try not to cos I never want to spoil their evening. I work in London so have a train journey to and from work, I find that is the hardest part, it's only about 30 mins but sometimes have to meet a friend to travel in with, other days I'm fine. I have diazapam to get me through the really horrible moments so nothing is ever too awful, not like in the beginning when I couldn't function at all. I'm so sorry that you haven't been able to get out since last October, is that socially? I usually try to get out most weekends even if it just to go shopping with my friend or one of my sons will usually take me out and they understand what I'm going through and so if I have to get back home quick they're ok with that.

Here's hoping that we will some day soon start to feel much better, and I've got everything crossed!!

Jannie x x

[AJS]

hey Jannie

Sorry - i meant i've only been on one night out since October, i do go out at the weekends like shopping or take my wee girl to the cinema etc - i can cope with things like that.

My colleagues are really good with me aswell - i tend to tell them if i'm feeling a bit anxious and they are ok with that.

Yep i hate the train journey to and from work - mine is about 25 mins - some days i am ok and others i count down the minutes till i can get off. my partner gets to work from home - i am soo jealous - but at least it makes me get out and challange myself.

Since stopping the tea and coffee (used to be around 8 cups a day) I have found a new passion for trying out all different decaff alternatives. The best ones so far are twinings chamomile,honey and vanilla, tazo calm tea (from startbucks), whittards cinamin chai they are all lovely.