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Thank you Deidra One of the worst things for me is every pain I get I panic not knowing if it's the tablets the anxiety or something else which makes it 100 times worse just walked to work and felt to rubbish I didn't want to go through the door I hate this I'm normally a happy outgoing person always ready to help now I just feel so ill and miserable don't want to do anything ??

I know Annie, It is really awful!!!  I wish you didn't have to go through this!  Listen to David, he offers great advice! 

I know right now it is hard to believe, but you will get through all of this, and be on your way to feeling better soon!! 

Hugs!  XO

Thank you David was prescribed this for health anxiety I have this fear that I have an incurable illness all the time every day and because the citalopram has heightened the anxiety I feel a lot worse I'm getting this "lump in the throat " thing and because I'm so anxious I think the worst things but then I scan the anxiety symptoms and I see it's a symptom it's a vicious circle

Hi Annie,

Yes, unfortunately increased anxiety is a symptom of taking Cita.

It has to cause or heighten anxiety to be able to treat. I didn't have anxiety, or health anxiety, I was prescribed for was work related stress. However,  I had the same symptoms as you, starting with full blown anxiety, shortness of breath, panic attacks and then health paranoia (as I called it) aka health anxiety. I went to my GP, who is amazing, and she listened to me go on and decided to carry out and then send me for loads of tests, including an ECG. After the results came back, all clear and okay (save a mention that a little weight loss would not go amiss) it still took me months to finally accept things were good and I relaxed.

I can, to an extent, understand where you are coming from as everything seemed to pile up on everything else from the first thought, worry or concern, they almost multiplied out of control. What made this worse is that I was a fairly fit (until the old arthritis started playing up in the old knees) chap all me life and was never ill save the odd cold or flu. Neither did I take tablets unless I had to. So, all this going on was new to me, confusing and bewildering.

However, I cannot stress it enough, this forum saved me because , without it I would not have known what to do! My GP and Fiancee also played a major part, but when I needed someone who exactly understood what I was going through I found not just one, but many here that helped!

Re your horrible cycle, I think until the anxiety side effects wear off all you can do is post and read what people with experience advise. Try not to over think (or worry) about what you read and especially ignore the comments that do not apply to you as many will cry out for help themselves, unless you know and feel you can help them. 

I changed my lifestyle as my part in a bit of self help (which was also advised here) by stopping smoking, drinking alcohol, coffee, fizzy drinks, replacing sugar in things where I used it like cooking, with honey, use salt sparingly, giving up meat (although I do eat seafood) eating more fruit and veg and cutting out all processed food stuffs as more and more facts are revealed by health experts about these and fast foods. Admittedly at first it can be quite scary what you read, but when you change and adapt how you prep and cook yer food it is, for me as I love cooking, a challenge on to adjust our favourite foods knowing they will not only taste as good (or better), but are feeding our bodies and minds more naturally! I laso removed myself from that which made me ill in the first place and that was my job at the time.

We are what we drink, eat, breath, read, watch, listen to and allow to affect us and what we think. I lived off (some) good and comfort food, alcohol and tobacco to sustain me and now I live off being free of such things and very much alive!

So, when I get the odd blip now and again, which can happen in everyday daily life, I know how to handle them, even before they start sometimes, due to that added strength! However it has taken time.

Let us not forget exercise and music. We discussed the benefits of music last year in the forum and it was agreed sometimes you just have to crank up yer hifi or radio and have a good sing and even a dance (or prance in my case! Lol!). It does work and even if only temporarily sometimes it is a boost we can very much do with.

I hope you find ways to break the circle and move forward.

Keep in touch now!

Regards,

David

 

aww thanks Sarah lovely kind words ?? I'd love to take some time off work but it's not that easy it's our own business ( even more stress ) !!!! I'm going to my first session of CBT tomorrow hopefully that will help with the anxiety side of things and maybe it's a step in the right direction ..... I'm glad you're feeling better and your appetite is coming back Did you lose a lot of weight ? I'm so skinny I really can't afford to lose any weight I can't wait to love my food again

Sending you hugs right back

yes i've lost over a stone in weight an i'm tired alot an just look plain awlful!!!!! totally not me!!!!!! i've started taking metatone tonic 3 times a day to help get some vitamines an minerals back into my body cause the not eating side doesn't help with balancing the mind body and soul!!! soups are a good one cause there liquid form and easy to have instead of meals. it's no fun this anixety lark i've been a sufferer for 3 years now and it just came out the blue had a panic attack one day and then the rest is history. you get so use to it that your brain thinks it normal. i hope you've got a good partner or friend you can talk to cause that does help, for me it's my mum an if i'm having an episode as i call it i hang out with her cause she makes me feel safe. it's important to get your self a strong support network and have positive people around you that care. anixety has nearly destoryed my relationship but i'm claimin back my life now an standing up to it. rest is another good one when you have a quite hour find a place where you won't be disturbed an put on a guided meditation video and just close your eyes and follow the instructions i find that helps with me. i'm glad to hear your starting CBT they can give you the tools to use to try re program your mind it's all about being positive so try to surround your self with positve people who you can be open an honest with about how you feel. it is a hard struggle but by making the first small steps you'll be able to get back to the top try leaving things that can wait and just tackle what you can manage, don't push your self to hard take every day one by one . the tablets do work but will take some time as like i said before i've been here before till the meds started workin. i know in 3 months i'll look back an say i can't belive where i was as will you. keep strong an just tell your self this will pass an every thing will be so much better. take care an keep us posted on how your getting on xx

Thank you Chloe Day 6 and I actually felt a bit better today but I'm supposed to up to 20 mg tomorrow ???? one thing I did try today ... reading through old posts ( like you do on the night when you can't sleep ?? ) someone suggested travel sickness wrist bands for the sickness so I dug mine out today and apart from first thing this morning I haven't felt sick today ... I'm so glad I found this forum you are all so lovely and it helps knowing that I'm not the only one xx

That's a good idea, thank you for the advice. Are you on 10mg at the moment or 5mg? I increased my dose today and not sure what to expect. What I found from other posts is that it's good to increase when it is comfortable for you as it will speed up the process.

Just take a day as it comes, that's what I am doing. I just hate how it comes in waves, one minute I will be fine and then I get an overwhelming feeling of anxiety which takes forever to calm down. I just try and keep myself busy and exercise.

I know I am still in the early stages like you but I am here if you want to talk We can do this!!!  

 

Yeah I'm on 10 mg going up to 20 mg I hope you do ok with your increase in sure you will .. I know what you mean I had a real wobble on Saturday I was so bad I called the on call doc didn't know what to do with myself but by the time he called me 5 hours later I had managed to calm myself down horrible isn't it ??

Thank you, I hope everything goes okay tomorrow for you. Just try and rest today and give yourself tasks tomorrow to keep your mind distracted. It is horrible, I just want to feel the full benefits straight away. Yesterday I struggled big time, I just felt so detached from everyone around me. It was horrible. My emotions are all over the place too. 

Let me know how it goes today and happy to talk if you need to. I find my adult colouring book helps when my mind is wondering. 

How are you today Annie? 

Hiya Chloe not too bad thank you It's day 2 of my increased dosage and my anxiety has increased too hope it won't be for long ???? how are you on your stronger ones ?