Help please horrible anxiety surges first thing - 2.5 weeks 10mg Cit
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi all,
First of all I wanted to say how brilliant this site has been for me I have been reading all your comments and stories - thank you for sharing. I wonder if any of your can offer advice or give me reassurance. I have been on 10mg Cit for 17 days now after switching over from prozac which I had been on for 12 years.......(I know!) following basically a huge anxiety meltdown - I suffer from OCD which I do manage most of the time but of course it gets worse in times of stress.
I have had a lot of the common side effects and have managed to ride them out - and my intrusive thoughts are getting less during the day and by the later afternoon evening I am great.
However...... I am getting horrible Adrenalin/Cortisol surges in the morning about 6.30am which wake me up and then of course trigger my anxiety and intrusive thoughts and generally start my day off feeling terrible. I then have to go to work ( I am single mum of two teenage boys) and find it very hard.
Can anybody give me hope that is will reduce over time taking Cit? I never had this on Prozac. My doc doesn't want to increase to 20mg for another few weeks due to severe side effects i had trying to increase on Prozac hence the switch.
Thank you so much for reading and hopefully replying - fingers crossed.
Sam.
0 likes, 10 replies
joanne58498 samantha23576
Posted
Hi. Morning anxiety will always be the worst. What you are feeling is a normal reaction to the citalopram. It will worsen the symptoms for a while. You will feel better soon but keep at it. I know its not a quick fix but it will get better
samantha23576 joanne58498
Posted
Hi Joanne,
Thank you so much for replying. I do really appreciate it - i was really hoping at almost 3 weeks this would be getting better - did it get better for you with longer use?
Sam.
joanne58498 samantha23576
Posted
Hi, it does get better and you are doing so well to ride it out. I was on 10 then 20 and eventually 40. There are side effects every time you increase your dose ao I can understand your drs reluctance to go to 20. Anxiety is awful. I am suffering a relapse and had forgotten how truly awful it is. Stay in touch with your dr. Was it diazepam you were on before did you say?
samantha23576 joanne58498
Posted
Hi,
Thank you so much for your message and I am so sorry you have suffered a relapse - are you able to see a therapist? I realise I am very lucky to see one everyweek - a total godsend.
I was on prozac before on and off since I was 18 - now 47 - i think it probably stopped working due to peri-menopouse and hormones!
I am sending a big virtual hug and know that you will get through this relapse. Best, Sam.
joanne58498 samantha23576
Posted
I have posted a reply but it may not get approved so ill send this one also. Im 48 and wonder if my hormones have something to do with it. i also think covid didn't help. now im not able to switch off that fight/flight response
samantha23576 joanne58498
Posted
sounds very familiar! I have started on HRT as well now - and am hoping that will also help. There are so many stories from my friends about anxiety increasing with Menopause - I also have many friends who have experienced anxiety for the first time in their lives at our age due to hormones -- so I do suspect for those of us who struggle anyway it will exacerbate the symptoms.
joanne58498 samantha23576
Posted
My dr recommended considering hrt. i may call them next week. i dont think my previous post will be approved. im trying a new method to help
samantha23576 joanne58498
Posted
oooo interesting maybe private message me ! do see your dr about HRT i am surprised not more mention on these boards if you google anxity and HRT you will see many many stories from people - good luck !
samantha23576
Posted
Update - I wanted to pop on and give you all an update as i know its hard when people don't ce back and give positive news. i am now 5/6 weeks and the morning surges have gone and my anxity is so much better and OCD under control - i am still
going to up my dose but i feel so much better - i have to say alongside the meds i have been reading and leanring a lot about anxiety and depression - the sarah wilson book is amazing - i have also upped my magnesium levels and take ashwanga and high level doses of fish oil - it has been a revelation to me the change in honesty about mental health since i was diagnosed 30 years ago - the podcasts by people such as Dr Hubberman for example. Good luck everybody
natalie68047 samantha23576
Edited
Hi, I'm new to this forum, looking for honest advice and your posts struck a chord with me. So I thought I'd reach out.
I had a 'breakdown' in April, trying to care for mum with dementia, husband unemployed and depressed and then I was hospitalised with Covid for a week. When I came out of hospital the waves of terror/anxiety through the day and night were relentless, as if I were just about to jump out of an aeroplane!! The Dr prescribed Sertraline which elevated my anxiety even further and made me feel desperate I only took for three days, just couldn't handle it and feared that I might become suicidal. At that point I decided to try to tackle my anxiety without medication, mainly because I was too terrified to try anything else.
With diet, exercise, meditation counsellor and psychotherapy by early August I was able to have a 12 day period completely anxiety free. Then I had a relapse and five weeks later I am getting worse again and all of my usual techniques aren't working.
I went back to my GP who has prescribed citalopram but I am terrified to take it.
Reading the experiences on the forum it doesn't sound like it makes things much better for many people?
This is how I am on a daily basis - most mornings I wake at around 4-5am with high anxiety and nausea, I force myself to get up, eat something, get my son to school and get to work. I am supposed to work 8am to3pm but my employer allows me to leave at 12.30pm as by that time I am exhausted. I go home force some lunch down, (I have lost over 2 stone since May due to lack of appetite) I walk the dog, do a 30 minute meditation to calm me and collect my son from school. Then I work from home for couple hours and by around 5pm I feel reasonable. Absolutely no appetite but manage to eat dinner and then evenings are mainly ok, go to bed around 10.30am.
From being a previously healthy it feels like every day is a struggle but looking at other people's experiences I'm not sure whether I would feel any better on citalopram than I am now?
From your experience of citalopram - do you think that it could give me something better than this? Or am I just getting onto a rollercoaster of side effects?