hi im new to this site and followed a link through net mums to find it.
i have recently been diagnosed with pnd but have been suffering with anxiety for some time, looking back i think i have had it since my first relationship when i was 16, it was physically abusive and this is when i developed i.b.s and hardly went out for 2 years.
i had a 2nd baby 9 months ago and after a traumatic pregnancy and birth i began having panic attacks, horrible thoughts about my daughter and son and feeling constantly like i wasnt really here. this passed after a few weeks and i started feeling back to normal (if there is such a thing) but around 3 months ago my husband lost his father, he then lost his job and then we moved house all within 7 weeks. i felt like everything was going wrong but needed to hold it together for my husband and kids and have been on a gradual deccline since then.
i hate going out, i would be quite happy to sit in my dressing gown all day and never see anyone or answer the phone, but i know this is not healthy so i force myself to go out and frequently experience mild to strong panic attacks depending if im able to control it or not. i went to the doctors last week as i just felt like i was losing my mind and that i should be locked away. i was given fluoxetine (prozac) and have taken 2 so far. i am also being referred for counselling but have read about c.b.t. and think i would like to try this.
i hate being like this, once i left my ex i was back to me and im outgoing, funny and compassionate. now im paranoid, panicky and completely self absorbed, all i can think about is how i feel and how its taking over my life. i do not care for this feeling at all!
they say it can take the tablets upto 6 weeks to take affect but i actually feel less sad already is this possible? my anxiety has increased though its this that i struggle to deal with i hate feeling out of control.
i know this is a common side effect but i just wondered when this would subside?
also i tried citalapram which made me so ill after one tablet, i think i had a bad reaction to it as i had full body pins and needles then numbness i was severely grinding my teeth, shaking, faint and dizzy, severe pain in my shoulder and ankles and all my muscles were contracting so much that i was laying in really strange positions, it was so awful, i called the doctor and he said i probably had a panic attack i know what a panic attack feels like and it doesnt last a full 24 hours but he wouldnt listen and said just not to take any more. it took me a few weeks to get up the courage to go back as i was scared to try any other anti d's but i am 100 times better on these and can cope with these stronger more frequent panic attacks as a side effect so long as they dont go on for weeks and weeks?
any advice or personal experiences welcome