Depression and anxiety are crippling me
Posted , 5 users are following.
I work in quite a high pressure industry and have done for 8 years. I have thrived on the pressure in the past, but about eight weeks ago it really started to get on top of me. I saw my GP who gave me Lorazepam and Sertraline. The Lorazepam helped me sleep but the Sertraline made me feel unbelievably grotty so I stopped it after a week. I spiralled into a pit of anxiety that seemed uncontrollable and one morning had a panic attack on the way to work. I went in afterwards but was promptly sent home because I looked so terrible. I spent a week trying to right myself with the support of my family - I live with my parents for one reason or another and they were great - but I was self-medicating heavily with alcohol which is no answer at all. As soon as the allocated day for my return drew near I found myself unable to sleep and had a series of panic attacks. I had an emergency appointment with my GP who signed me off and gave me more Lorazepam and Citalopram. I am still signed off and closing in on two weeks on Citalopram. Things just don't seem to be getting any better. I am anxious all the time and the few times that I have left the house I have been on the verge of more panic attacks. I don't see what else my GP can do for me, my family are running out of patience and work will be in touch any day now to review my absence. I am terrified of everything and I don't know where else to turn and what else to do.
1 like, 5 replies
pixie22 SavageHenry
Posted
At 2 weeks it is early days for the Citalopram, it might be 6 weeks before you see the improvement. Also your worrying about the patience of your family and workplace running out will be aggravating your anxiety, so you will need to explain to them that you need more time to recover, it can't be hurried. You and they need to understand and accept that. I hope you soon start to feel better, but you need to give yourself a break and ease off the pressure.
SavageHenry
Posted
Thank you everyone for your kind and understanding comments. I know that I will have to ride this out and give the medication time to settle in me, but I just keep getting very dark moments when everything seems hopeless and I just can't function. I have faith that this will improve.
Bogmonster SavageHenry
Posted
Hi,
Most ADs take 6 to 8 weeks to work so hang in there. You may find Citalopram does not work well for you, this is a very individual thing. Sertraline and Prozac don't work for me but Venlafaxine does. It just takes patience to find what works for you. Alcohol is definately bad so do try hard to stop drinking.
Can you talk to HR at your empoyer (if they have dedicated HR). You may find they are very understanding. My employer has been fantastic. Mental health is an illness and just like any other illness you can't be expected to work if you are very unwell. I had to take 3 months of work and return gradually. It can be difficult to return to work if you take too much time off and work is good for you as long as you are fit to work. Most GPs are keen to keep people working if at all possible. If you are not fit to work you need to be firm with your GP and tell them you are not fit.
BW, BM
Bogmonster SavageHenry
Posted
BW, BM
SavageHenry
Posted
Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it. My note still has two weeks to run and my GP has booked another appointment to see how things are going at this stage. I certainly feel a great deal better than I did three weeks ago, though I imagine that a great deal of that reflects the more positive approach I'm attempting to take. I'm getting out of the house more and doing everything I can to keep myself occupied. I know that it's going to be a waiting game. At times I just get a little desperate and hopeless but that's to be expected I suppose.