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First week - please help - need reassurance

Posted , 5 users are following.

holly_t
holly_t

Hi all

Please help.

4 years ago I had a bout of social anxiety and I was treated for this with CBT and citalopram, it worked wonders. I came off citalopram earlier this year (boy do I regret it) and the last 2 weeks I've had panic attacks in my sleep, barely getting 2 hours. A couple of nights getting no sleep whatsoever. I've gone back on citalopram and this is day 6. I am CONSTANTLY anxious about going to bed, and not sleeping. I obsess over it. I just don't know how to move forward.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has had the same problem and did citalopram ever stop their night panic? With social anxiety you could expose yourself gently to anxiety inducing situations, but this is just going to bed, I can't avoid it. 

I have been give 7 zopcilone by the doctor and I'm desperately trying not to take them, they don't even really work. Have taken half the 2 past nights and got about maybe 3 hours each night? Still waking up in sheer panic.

Please can someone tell me this will get better. I really don't want to be put on any drugs I'll get addicted to. If I know some people have had the same experience and come out the other end, I'll feel reassured.

Thanks

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

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  • faizi
    faizi holly_t

    Posted

    Hi Holly, 

                   Looks like someone writing my story I am on citalopram again and it's been 6 weeks and still have some short panic attacks but a bit improvement. Hope everything get well after sometime. Keep it up..  

                     Do excercise, swimming or gym with citalopram, it works wonder.  I am currently doing swimming regularly and m starting to feel good not as much as I was before leaving citalopram but I hope i feel the same after some time same as I felt before

  • holly_t
    holly_t

    Posted

    Well after all that, I had a really good day on Friday and most of Saturday. Then I didn't sleep on Saturday night and have felt panicky pretty much since then sad I knew I wasn't necessarily going to feel better straight away but I feel so down today. Just want to feel the way I did 3 weeks ago before all this was triggered (although it was bound to happen sooner or later).

    Can I expect a couple of good days, and then a bout of bad?

    ​x

    • faizi
      faizi holly_t

      Posted

      never think about bad. I spend my whole life in insecurities that I am not good looking nobody likes me. Am I going to get girlfriend? So many insecurities, the problem is it's not our fault we think like that. The real problem is this state of mind turn into something really bad. Anxiety & depression worse than anyone can imagine. But the bottom line is medicine does help. Do some hard excercise(along with medicine) like running so you can release some nervous energy through sweat. Keep taking medicine it will take time but sure it does help. Stay positive and do excercise..

      Things will getting better and better day by day. Excercise does help me as well. I always recommend excercise to everyone.

  • holly_t
    holly_t

    Posted

    Thanks for your last message. I'm feeling really helpless at the moment sad the last 2 nights I've probably had abot 1.5 hours sleep. I don't know what to do with myself, it's started to make me feel really depressed which I wasn't before, only anxious. I've had to take the last 2 days off work and I'm now thinking I need to talk to my doctor about being signed off until I feel better. I just can't imagine how people function like this, if they have the citalopram insomnia. I'm hoping that's all it is, as I took zopiclone for about 7 days and stopped, I'm hoping I didn't become reliant on them. 

    Just feel really down. I'm supposed to be moving in with my fiancee this month, I'm going on holiday next Thursday, and all I can think about is getting better sad just need a little reassurance.

    ​xx

    • onesmallhand
      onesmallhand holly_t

      Posted

      I've been on Cit for just less than a month.  The insomnia in the first week was awful - like you, I got 1-2 hours a night.  The last week has been far far better - perhaps 6-7 hours a night.  When I do hit a bad patch, I've been taking "Tylenol Simply Sleep" which contains diphenhydramine HCl.  This is an antihistamine - the same antihistamine some folks take day after day for their spring allergies.  I think it is pretty safe, as long as the drug company doesn't mix in other sleep agents which may be addictive.  My version of Simply Sleep is just the Diphenhydramine.

      It got a lot better for me.  I hope for you, too.  I also wish someone had explained the side effects to me before I started!  I needed to take days off of work to recover.

      Best wishes - 

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