Anxiety has taken over.

Hello, Thank you for your reply. That sounds a frightening procedure. Am hoping that it's not a physical problem but something that can be treated with CBT and Citalopram but thanks for your reply anyway. Asked for an appointment with ENT already and not looking forward to the appointment. Can eat chocolates e.g. a Mars bar (for example) without problems but as for eating a meal the paranoia is immediately apparent.

Thank you for your reply. I've not long since started back on Citalopram and have been told the drug helps with both depression and anxiety therefore am a little confused. Will ask about the therapy you've mentioned though. Thanks again for that.

Much appreciated.

You're welcome.

Medication should be the last resort for a lot of people but unfortunately doctors offer it for no other reason than because it takes longer to get help from the services than it does for the medication to take hold. The medication is something that you don't want in your life forever just as I'm sure if you've ever had a broken bone, you don't want a cast on it forever.

Talking therapies will help more in the longterm. Let me know how you get on

Thank you. Think that I agree with what you're saying. It's a shame that it takes so long to get onto therapies. Kind Regards.

Each case is different.  There are times medication should be prescribed immediately and it is only the doctor who decides...here it would be a psychiatrist.  If the manifestation of the core problem is intense or interfering with daily life he would need immediate relief while counseling therapy is begun to get a clearer, deeper picture.  Nobody ever wants to be on medication all their lives.  It's expensive, annoying to remember, and side effects can be irritating.  However, sometimes it's needed as a diabetic needs insulin for a chemical imbalance, and sometimes it's needed just as a once in a while aid to calm down so you can deal with a situation.  For instance, Seritonin is the body's chemical to soothe and calm and make you feel good.  (It's also in chocolate!)  As it passes through the body, it stays for a while, then flushed out at a certain rate.  Some people have an imbalance where it doesn't stick around as long as it should, but "uptakes" and is flushed out, leaving you not feeling so well balanced and you don't know why.  Modern medicine (now about 20+ years old) invented SSRI reuptake inhibitors=Selective Seritonin Reuptake Inhibitors.  They cause the Seritonin in your body to adhere to the normal amount and flow by regulating it.  This can be genetic.  If one type doesn't work there are several that work slightly differently for the same result.  It takes maybe a month for it to reach the therapudic level in your blood.  If there is no relief then the doctor has to continue evaluating and testing to figure out the core problem.  Personally, it was like night and day for me and 3 out of 5 of us in my birth family.  My sister has deeper problems and didn't work for her.  But there have been times in my life when something has happened when I had to see a therapist and talk it out.  SSRI's do not make you skip through meadows.  It just allows you to feel like life is worth getting out of bed.  You can think clearly and sort out your challenges and feel good about it.  But if something big happens like a huge breakup, a parent divorce, a friend dying, it does not protect you from normal emotions that you may need help with.  Here in the States when you go through your insurance, depending on the problem, getting in to see a psycologist or psychiatrist is either immediate or a week later.  In my life I have had maybe  half a dozen times I've had to arrange it, either for myself, or for family counseling.  Like anything, you may have to see if you feel comfortable with each one.  I found only one that didn't work because the chemisrty wasn't right.  Good luck to you.

"...he would need immediate relief while counseling therapy is begun to get a clearer, deeper picture"

- Most 'immediate therapies' in the form of medication take 3 weeks to get into your system to have any apparent longterm benefit and frankly, if you understood the nature of the services in the UK, the only reason why doctors prescribe any form of medication to patients (obviously depending on the severity of their condition) is to fill in the gap between when you first walk into their office and several months later when you get to the next stage. The problem in anxiety's case is that benzodiazepine drugs can make you dependant, which is why it's crucial to find ways to alleviate the symptoms as quickly as possible.

Anxiety can be controlled without medication - one experiencing it just needs immediate guidance.

You make a good point.  The system is very different here and I probably need to get on a forum from here.  Initially I was looking something up and sort of got on here by chance.  And yes, it takes about a month to reach therapudic levels in the blood.  Except for something like Ativan or Xanex, for instance.   But  in our system, every time we go for a visit to a therapist, there is a co-pay of up to $50.  If we take a medication and we have med insurance, it's a $10-$20 co-pay for a month.  My own sister does both-she sees a therapist regularly who prescribes meds for her. (She won't give her meds without the therapy.) There are times I have controlled my own anxiety without medication.  I'd worked up to a tearful headache over a situation and instead of reaching for something went out into our backyard where we have windchimes and a bubbly fountain, and just sat on a swinging bench under shade and watched the dogs playing.  My headache magically went away.  So, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Hi, Thank you for both of your replies. They're much appreciated. Glad to hear that you've managed to crush the anxiety that you've had for so long. Interesting to hear from someone who has benefitted from something that's been recommended on here.

Best Regards.