New to Citalopram
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hello, I'm 23 years old, I've had anxiety for 12 years of my life. It was not as bad in school but when I left and I was in college it became debilitating due to a bout of depression. That's when I stopped walking to college and taking public transport. I don't go out unless I absolutely have to. I'd rather stay at home and play Xbox all day for the rest of my life. However I want a job to help my family out. I'm fed up of being a liability and a burden on my family. I tried CBT a few years ago. It sort of helped but I still never went out. I have got to the point where every time I get in a car I feel like my body is light and it sends me into a panic attack. My legs ache even though I haven't done any exercise and I asked my doctor yesterday if it could be a sign of MS however he did a few exercises with me like pushed against my leg and I was to pull the opposite way and he asserted me that I don't have MS. So it is either my anxiety creating these symptoms or maybe pinched nerves from the years of leaning forward staring at my computer screen. Either way I have no definitive answer. So anyway, I have been given Citalopram and some beta blockers. So naturally I came to the Internet to see what the affects are and what other people have said. Also read that Citalopram can cause sudden death and heart problems... so now I am freaking out about taking them :'( it says it is rare however I am probably one of the unlucky ones. I don't think I have any heart conditions, I went for a scan in January and the doctor said I had fluid around my heart, nothing to worry about however they wanted to do another scan, they didn't let me go to my local community hospital which I had my first scan at, they wanted me to go to Derby Hospital which is about 40 minutes away. Irritating because they keep saying at my GP "they don't do scans at the community hospital" which is clearly absolute BS! I don't plan on going for the scan because it's too far away and my family are busy with working and such. I didn't mean to tell my entire life story just needed to type it out so if anyone read this and anyone has been in my exact shoes they can explain how they got through it or anything. The main topic was about citalopram, because I am so God damn nervous about taking my first pill. I need a miracle...
1 like, 83 replies
nicola28267 AussieLee
Posted
I guess you could say I'm in your shoes. I'm a 37 year old mum of 3. I was prescribed beta blockers over 7 years ago now due to anxiety and, trust me, they do help. I'm not a medical person but I would guess that when you feel heavy and struggle to function, this is anxiety, feeling nervous about taking medication because of the risks is, also anxiety. I struggle and, am struggling a lot at the mo which is why I'm on here. My anxiety has got worse, I'm taking up to 120mg beta blockers per day (40mg tablets 3X's a day) I suffer from VERY irrational thoughts about dying, leaving the house, talking to people, I can't function as a normal person. This is all so alien to me. 11 months ago I was at college taking my level 3 in counselling, due to start level 4 last September but I was forced to differ for a year as, my little brother, my best friend died. My whole life has now turned into a shell in which I hide.
My doctor prescribed me 20mg Citalopram and I'm scared senseless about taking them but I don't know why yet, I know I can't go on like this, I feel like I've lost my life also yet, I'm still breathing in this hole somewhere. Your not alone and I guess this is not advice but, perhaps we could talk to each other and support each other through these dark times
AussieLee nicola28267
Posted
I can't say much to persuade you to take them as that would make me a hypocrite and stupid that I'm not taking my own advice ha. As you see this site has plenty of support on it, always anxious and depressed people that are the loveliest. How strange.. The perfectly healthy mostly seem arrogant and uninterested in anyone else's problems.
Daint x
nicola28267 AussieLee
Posted
Am new to this site and trying to find my way round it😁 I think I will start taking them tonight as things have to change and, surly it can't get any worse than what I'm going through now. Sounds so silly but I've had to draw myself up a pros and cons chart with regards to taking the tablets, at the moment, the pros outweigh the cons! I started taking my Beta blockers over 7 years ago. There's always been something not quite right (in my mind), I've just tried to ignor it and use my humour as a way of coping there is a history in my family, my dad has manic bipolar, my eldest brother suffers with depression as did my younger brother. My younger brother died in April last year, I've not even attended his inquest yet, that's later on this month. I've mentally gone down hill and I feel like such a failure now, I've managed for 37 years without having to take medication now, I'm trapped, I don't feel strong enough to get myself out...I'm scared to ask for help, my scared bacause I was nearly on my last year in counselling so I could help others, now it's me that needs help, doesn't feel right. Are your parents around a lot? Maybe you should right yourself up a chart, make plans to alert people (who can help) when your feeling wobbly, try keep yourself focused hour by hour on your progress with taking the tablets..watch things that take your mind off of things, watch funny things...small steps are easy to deal with, maybe, if you can be bothered, make video blogs on how you feel, how ever often you wish to, you don't have to post them as it's very personal. Keep a diary of your progress so you can read it back to yourself and you may be able to notice small changes...I feel physically exhausted at the thought of most things but, you could plan to keep the brain active x
AussieLee nicola28267
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Sissy63 AussieLee
Posted
For some people Cit causes them to be sleepy and others it causes insomnia. I am one that has to take it in the morning because it causes insomnia. I just wanted you aware of that incase you decided to take it late and can't sleep.
AussieLee Sissy63
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Sissy63 AussieLee
Posted
Lots of people take medication for lots of different things. I doubt you have a faulty brain. It is just something about our make-up and the world we live in that brings these kinds of things on.
Please try to view the medication as something to help you and not a weakness that you have. Personally, I am glad we have medicatoin as an option to help us. Can you imagine living in a time where nothing existed to help people???
AussieLee Sissy63
Posted
The world without medication would be pretty terrible. I've just always been a "natural" only. Tried herbs and stuff which helped for a while. Then it all got too much for no reason.
Sissy63 AussieLee
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Please keep posting and let us know how you are doing. I hope you are pleasantly surprised that it isn't nearly as bad has you had thought it would be. If you have side effects, just keep telling yourself that it is temporary and in the long run you will feel much better. Be patient with yourself. You have been battling the anxiety for a long time and it is going to a little while to unravel it all.
AussieLee Sissy63
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Sissy63 AussieLee
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katecogs AussieLee
Posted
Everyone has a different path that leads them to this illness - trauma, stress, emotions, bad experience that led to stress ....... so many. But we all end up in the same place. Depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, fear, emotional ......
Take for for instance stress. Everyone deals with stress differently - some people thrive on it and we all have our own levels of tolerance. If you have stress, the body usually deals with it. If you have prolonged stress over a long, long time, maybe mixed with an emotional time too, unbeknown to you your nerves are becoming 'jagged'. As more time goes by and you continue to get stress you'll start to find you begin to not cope as well - get upset over the smallest things, get angry, emotional ........ your serotonin hormones begin to get depleted (your happy hormones) and you might find depression creeps in or anxiety, and you're susceptible to panic attacks. For me, whilst I was like this, I suddenly had a huge panic attack which scared the hell out of me. I was able to dismiss it, but had another a week later ..... and that was it. The fear stuck with me, and I crumbled. The years that followed were filled with anxiety and depression.
If I hadn't already had my 'path' prepared with prolonged stress and emotions, my body would probably have dealt with it differently and just dismissed it. But when your body has jagged nerves, is depleted of serotonin you can all too easily slip into the illness. That's when the cycle of fear, adrenaline, fear starts.
These meds work on your serotonin. They hang onto to it before it's absorbed into the brain, making you feel pleasant. Over time as more and more serotonin is hung onto, you'll begin to feel happier - and once this begins it also calms the anxiety. In time you will once again be restored to happiness, calmness and just feel like you used to.
You can't function with low serotonin levels. It causes depression, anxiety, over thinking, tiredness, fear, negative thinking, low appetite - all the things you maybe suffering from now.
Restore the serotonin and you'll begin to find your way back to feeling normal.
Its like having an elastic band snapped - that band gets wound up tight with stress and once you let go it keeps moving, jiggling - imagine that's how your nerves are. The meds will soothe those nerves, stop them jiggling, restoring the balance and making them smooth again.
😄❤️
Sissy63 AussieLee
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AussieLee Sissy63
Posted