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How do you know?

Posted , 9 users are following.

Mylo88
Mylo88

How did you know if citalopram was working for you? What signs were you getting that you were getting better? 

I was on 30mg for about 8 weeks still having some issues so my Psych upped me to 40mg i'm at 2.5 weeks now. 1st week was great, 2nd week I was really tired, this week i'm doing well. I'm also taking about .75 klonopin per day. 

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • matthew28493
    matthew28493 Mylo88

    Posted

    For me I had to start journaling and taking note of any positives that came along. My journey started with me not being able to get out of bed or off the sofa and thinking that I was never going to get better and not seeing any results. Then one day I noticed that I had gotten up and showered without my family making me. Then another day I swept the house and slowly but surely I noticed that even though i was still feeling anxious or depressed i was making progress and achieving small improvements. This lead me to start making small goals each day to meet that have grown larger over the month. I think one of the biggest problems is that while people are going through this they just want so badly to just feel normal that don't notice the small improvements that are happening and feel like they are failing which just makes things worse. You have to be kind, patient, and compassionate with yourself.

    • will71188
      will71188 matthew28493

      Posted

      Hi Matthew, I definitely agree that people just want so badly to feel normal that it can be hard to notice small improvements. I'm about 7 1/2 weeks in on 20mg and for what seems like weeks now I've really, really struggled with the getting out of bed and being unbelievably tired and am struggling to see any improvement, in fact it's felt the opposite at times. 

      I'm going to start a little journalling, I think that's a great idea, how long did it take for you to notice things like getting up without noticing, showering, chores etc? I've been struggling and it's nice to read and get motivation that things have improved for you, experiencing this vicariously is definitely easier than having patience and compassion with myself!

      Thanks and all the best 

    • lois95799
      lois95799 will71188

      Posted

      I started noticing small differences at the fourth month mark..it seemed like a life time..but I let the patience get the best of me...
    • manny39794
      manny39794 matthew28493

      Posted

      ✅Excellent post and advice Matthew. 3 days from now I will be on a plane after driving 30 miles to the airport. That’s my goal for Saturday. A month ago my goal was to go to the toilet!  Things do improve. I still wake up with the jitters and gut feelings but as the day passes I improve. My problem now is going to bed quite late as evenings and late nights I feel soo much more normal than in the mornings that I almost hate going to bed.  My flight is at 2pm and not 7am it’s no coincidence either...
    • matthew28493
      matthew28493 will71188

      Posted

      Will

      For the first 3-4 weeks I did not journal, but I think it was around that area I started have very small improvements. I did not even notice them it took my mom, who had moved in to help out things had gotten so bad, pointing things out such as having taken a shower, or doing household chores. Also a lot of my early accomplishments were not exactly things I wanted to do, my mom and wife would come up with different tasks for me to accomplish and when I'd start getting down on myself they would use these accomplishments to to prove I was making progress. Over another month or so I started making my own goals and making myself do them. I still am not all they say recovered, I still really struggle in the mornings and have to make myself get out of bed, I don't enjoy engaging with other people the way I used to especially at work, still have times of anxiety, I'm not sleeping my best, but I try not to dwell on these things and look at the positives. Today's big one is this is the first day I have felt comfortable enough to be home alone and my mom was able to go home

    • will71188
      will71188 matthew28493

      Posted

      Thanks Matthew, you've definitely made me think a bit about things I've done and how to see them as goals rather than overlooking any significant progress. I started to journal a bit last night and it felt like a productive process as well.

      I'm really glad you're looking at the positives and taking a huge step being home alone, wish you all the best in continuing to reach your goals every day smile 

  • gilip
    gilip Mylo88

    Posted

    Yes recovery comes slowly but I agree with Matthew that writing really helps to see how far you have come. I had a really bad anxiety esp social anxiety so can see how I have progressed. Today have been out much of the day and evening and still feel ok!!! I bet it is working Mylo but when you increase you may get a return of some of the side effects so appears longer to recovery x x. 
    • Mylo88
      Mylo88 gilip

      Posted

      My biggest issue now that the side effects have gone down is me looking for anxiety and anticipating it. For the past three days I have felt well, but I'm literally looking and searching for anxiety. 

    • gemma77546
      gemma77546 Mylo88

      Posted

      I had CBT when I had got to that stage as I needed to be able to start to take a different outlook on a life without anxiety in it. People told me that I needed to ignore those old feeling because if I searched hard enough for them they would find me. I tried mindfulness and yoga to give me something else to focus on. You will get past it and you’ll eventually stop thinking about the anxiety.

       

    • lois95799
      lois95799 Mylo88

      Posted

      Looking for anxiety that's torture..oh my goodness...stay calm and busy other wise anxiety going to find you...

    • Mylo88
      Mylo88 lois95799

      Posted

      I'm trying to curve the behavior but it's like i'm so scared of the terrible anxiety returning or having a blip. 

  • gemma77546
    gemma77546 Mylo88

    Posted

    Lois is right, the anxiety is just a sensation that will pass and the less u fear it the quicker it will pass. I know it's hard when you've felt a particular way for such a long time but as time goes by you will think of it less and less. If u tell yourself to b positive and the tablets will work then you will get through this quicker. Just keep looking forward to the future it's going to b better for u, I wish I was at the stage you're at and pass these early days.

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