If you're struggling in week 1, 2, 3 or even 4. READ THIS!

I am a 46-year-old man and have suffered with health anxiety since being in my late teens. This anxiety was usually resolved once reassurance and investigations were provided by a health professional, and I would carry on happily with my life (at times for many months) until my next health worry came up. Recently I had this, but this time it was different. I started being anxious about my anxiety. This just got worse and started impacting on my day-to-day life. My GP suggested trying Citalopram. I started on 10mg as I was worried about side effects. After a few days of taking it, I upped to 15mg as I felt ‘okay’. I say ‘okay’, I was very spaced out, jaw clenching, but not feeling too unwell. After upping the dose side effects hit hard. Nausea, loss of appetite, dry heaving and retching, tingling hands and my anxiety was THROUGH THE ROOF!! Luckily my GP had given me 7 5mg Diazepam to get me through the worst days. These did help, so I would try to get some if you are able to. They gave me a bit of respite from my own ‘busy’ brain. The first 2 weeks were hard, but I was hoping things would ease after this period… not the case, but bear with me here...

I came onto this forum after 3 weeks of struggling, wanting someone to tell me I’d be okay. I thought the tablets would not work for me, I thought I would feel like this forever, I cried a lot, I felt much worse than before stating the medication, MUCH WORSE. People on here with all the best intentions (thank you for the support you guys offer folk like me by the way) were telling me 3 weeks is far to early to see changes. The thing that blew my mind was then being told it could be 4 to 6 MONTH, not WEEKS, before I start feeling better!! Online, the NHS website, my GP, my Therapist did not say this! 4 to 6 weeks is what I had been told. Imagine the thoughts going through my brain… I could not continue like this for 2 month, never mind 4! At this point I had a review at the GP’s, I sobbed my heart out and got 7 more diazepam to get me through the next weeks and months!!! Again, he reassured me the ‘majority’ of people start feeling changes in 4 to 6 weeks.

Anyway, 3 weeks and 6 days into taking this medication, it was a Saturday, I had a good day. I woke up anxious but felt better by 10am. I felt more like the old me. This continued to the next day, and the next, and the next! I woke up a little anxious each morning, but once up and about this eased quickly. This just seemed to get better and better as the days and weeks went on. I had the odd ‘blip’, but this was nothing like I felt in the first 3 weeks, a ‘blip’ was easily manageable. Can I just say that even in the first 4 weeks, I had the odd good day, that also gave a little relief from the heightened anxiety I had been going through.

I have now upped my dose to 20mg with minimal side effects, just a bit more jaw clenching than before.

So please be reassured, you are probably in the majority and may start feeling better in the next weeks, if not days. Hang in there. It may ease a lot sooner than you think!

Good luck with your journey and trust me, these tablets DO WORK!

1 like, 4 replies