Advice Please
Posted , 9 users are following.
As some of you know, I recently moved from 30mg to 25mg to see if I could ease side effects. I was on 25mg for three weeks and felt a little better, but nothing substantial. I reintroduced CBD oil and it seemed that combo was working pretty well, but I really wanted to stop cutting pills so I reduced down to 20mg a week ago. The first few days on 20mg and CBD were great. I was even able to give up my morning Xanax. I was still anxious but it was manageable. But, the last three days, my intrusive thoughts have come back, which makes the anxiety worse. Ugh! When I was on 20mg before we increased to 30mg, I had days with no anxiety or intrusive thoughts, so I thought 20mg would be fine. SO, do I need to go back to 25mg and stay there longer, or is it possible I can still stabilize on the reduction? Those of you who reduced seemed to have success without regression, so I feel frustrated not knowing what to do.
0 likes, 83 replies
mhonipie laura45992
Posted
sorry to read your suffering. I think you are not well/strong enough yet to reduce your tablets. Stay with the higher dose then try reducing in a few months. Take care
laura45992 mhonipie
Posted
Unfortunately, the higher dose was making me more anxious and making my heart race, and I was so tired all the time. You may be right but I have seen minor improvement since reducing but it could all be in my head. I am taking for anxiety and some on here advised that the higher dose may be too high. I really dont know. Thanks for the reply.
katecogs laura45992
Posted
Hi Laura
You have to remember that as you recover, once the the anxiety and other symptoms start easing they don’t just go and never come back, but they’ll come and go as you recover. You take the anxiety with you, with it lessening in intensity until it finally stops.
Intrusive thoughts are a side effect of anxiety, not the other way round.
Each increase or reduction on meds can cause anxiety to fluctuate and with that, along comes the intrusive thoughts too. You need to give each change in dose a long, long time - changes won’t happen in a few days. The dose needs to be able to settle.
Whatever dose you take you will not escape anxiety or its side effects - walking alongside them instead of trying to escape them is the way forward. They will diminish in time.
Personally I’d stay on the 20mg for a few months and just go with the flow. I recovered on 20mg, though thats not to say that dose is perfect for you, but you won’t know what dose is best if you don’t allow time on each one.
Adding in CBD oil isn’t good to mix with the meds as it can raise levels of some medications in your blood. Also the FDS doesn’t regulate the purity and safety of this so you won’t know if the product you buy has active ingredients as listed on the label.
You can't hurry recovery, no matter what you try and do. The meds work slow - and thats slow with a large capital Sssssssssssssssssslow 😉, in fact sometimes so slow you won't notice anything happening.
But just take it slow, don't chase recovery - let it come to you.
K x
toria_07298 laura45992
Posted
laura i only started to get stable at 11 months, then got the faulty bottle, can i ask what is the longest youve stayed on a dose? also cbd is not good when your body is in flux x
laura45992 toria_07298
Posted
I was on 20 for six weeks, 30 for 10 weeks, then reduced to 25 for 3 weeks, now back to 20 for a week. So, 10 weeks was the longest but the reason I reduced was bc I was having a lot of side effects and felt "drugged". I take only for anxiety.....which is way worse since the first day of meds than it ever was before I started taking them. Also never had an intrusive thought before meds. All new since starting.
sally_58368 laura45992
Posted
hi Laura
ive been on cit 20 mg for 3 months and dont feel any better
i felt well on 10 mg but doc put me up .
im scared to go up to 25 -30 as hate that bit.
also i think it could be hormone and i need hrt instead of anti depressants. im 43 how old are you ? ,
laura45992 sally_58368
Posted
Hi Sally,
Im 37. Updosing didnt help me. Id say stick with 20 or try something else. My issues were only amplified by going up to 30mg
sally_58368 laura45992
Posted
its so hard not know what actually works etc
need so much more research into mental health drugs.
anxiety is a symptom of low oestrogen i think im going to try thst before i go up or down
lois95799 sally_58368
Posted
i say try the estrogen i did and what a huge difference it made on my recovery.best regards
laura45992 lois95799
Posted
I need to get a full blood panel done to see if its hormonal too!
toria_07298 laura45992
Posted
citalopram messes with hormones ive had every test on the planet done x
lois95799 toria_07298
Posted
i was already low on hormones before meds .the celexa made it worst.but the hrt completely reverse it.thankgoodness for ithe hrt working for me.my situation was noticeable that i needed hormanol therapy i had brittle finger nails and thinning hair and very dry skin.but the hrt totally relieve me of all my hormonal issues.plus my mood improve dramatically.
laura45992 lois95799
Posted
My hair has been falling out in clumps!
katecogs laura45992
Posted
Anxiety is caused by many factors, the main being stress, but whatever the cause, once anxiety starts the sufferer becomes afraid of the intense feeling and all the associated side effects, and this fear starts a catalogue of other symptoms, causes more anxiety (the very thing you’re afraid of) which all adds to the constant cycle you get stuck in. So in effect, though the initial cause can be physical, we keep ourselves anxious by fearing it.
People spend an age 'fighting' anxiety which gets them nowhere - we all search and search for an answer, the magic 'word', have test after test, try various pills and remedies and yet still suffer. So ... if after all this time and you're still not cured, then obviously fighting it is not the answer. Changing the way we approach it, our attitude towards it by going with it, not recoiling from it or running away, but taking it with you and walk beside it, only then will you begin to lose the fear of all those symptoms.
I did exactly the same and for 16 years I wondered why I was never getting better. I couldn't see a way out, and like everyone, I thought my particular fear was different. But it wasn't, and whatever specific issue there is, then it all boils down to one thing. Fear of anxiety. This can be overcome.
laura45992 katecogs
Posted
Thank you so much Kate. I have just finished a good crying session about it. It can be so hard to just live life like normal. I have to take care of two kids, have a job, friends who want to see me, church commitments, etc, and I just want to do them, without second guessing myself every time.
dubry7605074 laura45992
Posted
I am currently on 10mg. I was on 20 and changed docs and he advised that the lower dosages were gor anxiety. So far so good. 10mg has really helped me.
laura45992 dubry7605074
Posted
Dubry, thats great! How long after decreasing to the 10mg did you feel better?
dubry7605074 laura45992
Posted
I tapered from 20-15-12.5-10 . Stayed on each dose minimum of 4-5 weeks. Didn't really feel any major bad effects. The key to it is stay on each dose til you have settled well enough.
katecogs laura45992
Posted
I did exactly the same - I cried so much, at home, work, the doctors …… even my cat got a bit soggy at times (it is good for you though as it releases tension).
You will get through this - though you won’t be able to see a way out at the moment because you’re in the middle of it all and can only think negatively.
The meds will help you - and as Durbry said too, give each dose time to settle.
Also as Lois said, you’ve had some days with no anxiety or thoughts - this is recovery. Those days will come and go, mixed with anxiety. Thats how it happened for me too.
Just stick with the dose you’re on now - yes you’ll feel uncomfortable for a while yet, but you’ll get there.
We're all rooting for you xx
sally_58368 lois95799
Posted
really
doctor wont prescribe it
not sure what to do
but feel it would help me
thanks
toria_07298 laura45992
Posted
laura thats citalopram my hair has also been falling out x
lois95799 sally_58368
Posted
doctor wont prescribe hrt?why ?if you get hormone blood work and if you need it yes.but if you dont need it no.
stephen03156 katecogs
Posted
Hi Katecogs!
Not spoke in a while, hope you're ok?
Its been seven months now on the Cit. 20mg for the last five months.
I am a lot better now but am never entirely free from the physical effects. Headaches, tingling & aching. Worse in the mornings.
Mentally i'm fine and my confidence is 95% back. Been on two foreign holidays!
Is all this normal? Do i continue as i am?
You've been my guiding light through all this, thank you!
katecogs stephen03156
Posted
Hi Stephen
Yes thanks, I’m really good.
Glad to hear you’re a lot better - and 2 holidays!!! Fabulous!
Mmmm … sometimes people can have a few lingering side effects, so yes it can be normal for some people. I’d carry on and get to the 12 month mark and see if that last 5% improves - if the physical effects still continue maybe ask your doctor about a very slight reduction (by 5mg maybe) as sometimes a shift in the dose can help sort things? Give that a few months then ask for another 5mg reduction and see if that does it.
Doing it that slight shouldn’t affect you mentally, but if it does then its not such a huge leap to just reinstate it again.
It could even be a change of meds would help?
K x