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I was prescribed 10mg 10 days ago but i have cut myself down to take half the pill as i feel that is enough for me even though im getting nasty side effects. Once i take it in the am i feel calm and then an hour after i take it i feel a sudden rush of anxiety and it last for about 1 hour then im good. The headaches have gone away, now I only feel shaky, nervous and get anxious from time to time , should i start taking the whole pill or just wait the 4 week mark to see if half the pill will eventually make the full effect. I was given this for anxiety due to stress, (ive never suffered from anxiety in my life) Hopefully wont have to be on this for long as i hate beign dependent on meds. Help...I keep reading forums and it's only making me more ansy. I want to feel normal again.
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katecogs jesika28180
Posted
Why are people so adverse to taking medication for anxiety or depression? If you had a headache you'd take a pill, and If you had diabetes or epilepsy you'd take medicine. This illness is no different.
Dont rush the medicine. There is no quick fix. The meds work very slowly and you can't hurry them. Let them do their thing.
You could wait for the side effects to settle a little before you take the full 10mg, but even that is a very low dose. Most people take 20mg or higher. Everyone is different though and we all suit different doses.
K xx
jesika28180 katecogs
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katecogs jesika28180
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When I first had anxiety I didn't know what had hit me. Didn't understand what it was - just that I was so very scared of how I felt. I suffered from it on and off for 15 years, and of course depression too, because it got me down so much. I was on different anti depressants but nothing helped. Then I was put onto these meds and I recovered within 6 months. I couldn't believe it! I've been well ever since.
Yes, people who've never suffered with this have absolutely no idea of the hell. It's not feeling a bit antsy, a bit low, something you can go on holiday and escape from. You live and breathe it 24/7 - take it on holiday and then dam well bring it back with you.
Like you, stress did it for me. Some people thrive on stress, and others like me, just don't. We all have our limits though - just that some people have a longer staying power ..... but it will get them in the end if it continues.
Someone said to me the other week about another person we know who is currently suffering - she said she was crazy. Absolutely not!! Anxiety is physical. No way is it in the mind. It's like having an elastic band - it gets wound up tighter and tighter with stress, until suddenly it pings and then keeps bouncing. That's your nerves. They'll keep bouncing, and the more stress you pile on, will make them bounce even more. The medicine will help soothe the nerves, make them steady, and will eventually stop them bouncing and return to normal.
When you're anxious your mind will race too, making you over think things, always thinking in a negative manner. Again, this is just how anxiety works. When the meds soothe them, everything will return to normal.
One thing you can also do to help is to try and take life in a calmer manner. Drive slower, don't rush from A to B, walk slower, go to bed early, take a breath in and relax on the out breath (I know, not so easy with 3 little ones)........ Even at work, try going about slower. Let the world rush past ... whilst you take it slower. It won't feel like it's helping by stepping down a gear, but in the long run it really will. Try and adopt this whilst waiting for the meds to work.
Your anxiety will lessen in time. It'll be up and down for a while, but it will stop eventually.
If if you're increasing by only 5mg at a time, the side effects won't be too great. When I first started I went straight onto 20mg which took a while to get used to.
Also, the bigger the dose doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better any quicker. These meds take their own sweet time, regardless of the dose.
However long it takes to get well, it's worth the wait xx
Youll get there.
K xx
jesika28180 katecogs
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katecogs jesika28180
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jesika28180 katecogs
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Today i feel great, except for the mild anxiety episodes i get in between the day and the shortness of breath, but im not sure if the shortness of breath is due to the medicine or because i suffer from muscle chest pain due to poor posture as i just recently found out from my chiropractor. I get to see my doc on april 13th.
katecogs jesika28180
Posted
What happens is people try a meds, get side effects, switch meds and get withdrawal effects from coming off one plus side effects from starting a new one. That takes a long time to settle and in the meantime the patient gets confused again so tries a different meds ..... with the same results. Sometimes this continues for months and months, sometimes a year or more, and the patient then thinks no meds will work for them.
They will. You have to understand that there will be side effects but they will wear off. You just have to get through them. You said today you felt great - that probably means that dose is settling. Give it a bit longer and then increase again.
You really should stay on one medication only for a very, very long time.
Some people start feeling after some weeks, but the majority feel better around 3-4 months. It took me 6 months. People often despair at this time span, but you won't feel dreadful all the way through. Count recovery in months not weeks.
Its a long time, but so worth the wait.
K x
jesika28180 katecogs
Posted
katecogs jesika28180
Posted
I need meds, whether the natural one or prescribed as I just get a low grade depressive feeling otherwise (you can't take both together by the way).
Yes what you're experiencing is quite normal and it will settle in time.
Ive read it's a good idea to stay on the meds a good year to help stop having a recurrence. When it's time to come off them you'll need to do it really slowly, reducing by 5mg at a time. I took 6 months originally to come off them - the slower the better. I know I've stayed on them a long time but I was ill for 15 years and we're all different.
You can actually stay in them for life if you needed to. There's many people that take lifelong meds for all sorts of ailments.
K x
jesika28180 katecogs
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