Citalopram made my anxiety worse!

I was prescribed Citalopram at 20mg at the end of Nov 2019. I only took them for 5 days as the side-effects were too much. I stopped after 5 days speculating that I wouldn't get withdrawal. It took a few days to wear off and I felt like I was back to myself for about week. Then, extreme levels of physical anxiety and low mood clouded me. I have always suffered anxiety and low mood, but not to this extreme. The physical anxiety has been worse where I would have hours-long anxiety attacks and some very brief panic attacks. It has been almost 5 weeks since I stopped my medication (which I only took for a short time, of course).

Symptoms include:

•Constant feeling of being on edge

•Uncomfortable and tension all over body

•Some mild body aches in neck, back, legs, arms

•Twitching of the anus, face (eyes, mouth, nose) and neck

•Numbness all over body (including face)

•Tingling/pins and needles in feet and hands

•Intermittent faintness/light-headedness

•Shallow, tight and fast breathing; unsatisfying breaths

•Heavy/weighted feeling in head and neck; sometimes headache; feels like my head is winded

•Waking up early hours randomly and with feeling of sadness/dread

•Sometimes stomach cramps and acid reflux

•Poor posture due to feeling uneasy when sitting; restlessness

•Short derealisation episodes (as if I am outside my surroundings)

•Fatigue, tired midday and no desire to talk

•Swallowing issues and lump in throat

•Sometimes flu-like symptoms such as cough, coarse throat and sniffles

•Almost no libido; no sexual desire

•Some sharp chest, rib and back shooting pains/spasms

•Anxiety about having anxiety attacks; 'anxiety sensitivity'

All the things that used to help don't seem to do much:

•Daily meditation

•Daily probiotic

•Eating more (less IBS)

•Regular walks/going outside

•Occupying myself, keeping busy

•Recently started Yoga

Whilst, I am getting better day by day, the improvements are very, very slow. I still daily get this rush of anxiety hit me and mood swings that last for 1-4 hours. I notice when the weather turns, I am much worse. I have never had such dreadful physical symptoms before. I have been to a doctor again and mental health nurse who both say it is anxiety. But why, (my goodness, WHY) is the a new thing for me? Why the extreme physical anxiety symptoms after taking those SSRI's for only just five days? The annoying thing is that my anxiety wasn't even this bad before the Citalopram. Now, I am suffering its full wrath.

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