Still side effects?

Thank you for the reply. This forum is so helpful isn't it.

Do you generally find your monthly cycle affects your symptoms? I hope mine is a blip due to hormones and will just stick with 20mg. The general consensus here seems to be that each dose should be given lots of time. You're right though, the waiting game is so hard!!

I hope you also start to get some relief soon. I spoke to my GP last time and she said anxiety is so common these days, she sees people daily for it. It's awful, but kind of made me feel better we are not alone with it!

hang on you are having a blip on top of your monthly.best regards

Thank you Lois for always taking the time to reply. I hope this blip passes soon as it's pretty awful at the moment. Possibly even more so because I thought things were getting better 😕

This was my first cycle since being on the meds. Well, I had a cycle as I started the meds so didnt pay attention as I was feeling awful from the side effects. Most people seem to have blips right before their cycle. If mine was related, it didnt happen until the day the period actually started. I did have someone respond to me in another thread that said she gets blips for 3-4 days before her cycle, so I'd say hormones arent helping us.

Lois, I wish I had found this forum before upping my dose to 30mg. I think I would have given 20 more time to work. Now that Ive upped to 30, do you have an opinion on staying with it or going back down? Ive been on it for five days. I fear going back and forth may cause even more probelms Thoughts?

Exactly the same for me. Hormones must be playing a part here too...!

laura you will soon know if 30is too much.remember that starting a new dose is like starting all over again.i know that when i was on twenty my irratability of anxiety was too much for me .as soon as i drop to10 bingo my side effects were not as bad.and along with all kinds of side effects plus my natural anxiety it took me 8 long months to recover.i didnt have the luxury of switching meds because i already done that.so i just stay on the 10.with nothing to loose.the best advise i can give is to stay on one dose for many months because it will settle.and yes hormones play a bid issue for some.best regards

Lois,

How long were you on the 20 before you went back to 10? Did you have to deal with side effects all over again when you went back down?

Thanks very much for the reply and advice. I will definitely stick with this dose now.

Today has been exactly like you mention, feeling like all I'm doing is trying to stop a panic attack coming on. I get a few moments of relief and then the wave comes again. Truly awful!!

Luckily I actually have some propranolol already for palpitations (I've not needed it for a long time though) so I may give that a go.

Thanks for your reply. So you think what I'm having now is side effects despite starting to initally feel better with 20mg? My anxiety has definitely increased again and I'm having the same burning sensation in my arms I had at the start.

i was on 20 for one week .but my severe headache was so scary that my phychiatrist and i agreed that it was a side effect of the celexa and by dropping the dose to 10 my head ache wasnt severe any more.all though i suffered some really bizzare side effects on 10 for roughly 8 months i recover on 10. and almost 3years and counting iam still on 10.and yes what you are having are side effects.my initial going on celexa was from scalp paresthesia .i knew the celexa was working because the paresthesia started to subside.what drag on was the side effects.dont let the doctors convince you that is anxiety.best regards

Thats what happened to me . Anxiety and burning tingling arms and legs after i had started to feel better. This is so hard!

It's totally horrendous! 😦

Hi Laura, wondering how you are getting on?

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks on the 30 mg and 8 weeks all together. I do not see any significant improvement yet. I am not nauseated anymore but I also do not have an appetite until lunch time. Sometime in the 2-6pm range my anxiety will lessen some, where I can function a little better. I have not been able to decrease my Xanax yet. I didnt see significant improvement on the 20 until I had been on it for about three weeks so I keep praying its coming. I only started these meds for anxiety and now i get down days which are troubling. Just feeling frustrated bc I feel so much worse on the meds than I did before I started and really want a light at the end of the tunnel. I have a 10 and 13 year old that will be out for summer break soon and lots of trips planned and cant fathom doing all of that if this doesnt get better

What about you? Any better?

I hear you! I'm the same, I have two children as well and feel so bad most of my

time is wrapped in myself and how I'm feeling. And because the anxiety is so physical (extreme tension and burning) I cant just "forget" about it.

Been quite panicky recently (I never suffered with panic disorder) so this is new and very awful. Hoping and praying for relief as well. Also get feelings of utter despair.

I have the same as you, in the afternoon it lessens and usually evenings are ok. I find

that apart from mornings the next peak time is around lunch time. I wonder if this is when the drug reaches max level in blood - I take it around 8am. Do you have the same?

I usually take it in the 7am hour, but ive already woken up with anxiety by then and popped a Xanax around 6 most mornings. The Xanax doesnt seem to even do much good. Id say, in general, my worst time of day is the 8-11am hours. This was true on 20mg til about week four and then I started waking up calm and stayed calm all day, until that horrible dip happened about two weeks later (at six weeks).

I wake up with anxiety too, then get

up and get ready for work which is a minor distraction, then spend the majority of

the time at work hoping I won't have a panic attack until sometime in the afternoon it gets a little easier. Sounds like a similar pattern to yours. Although at 4 weeks in I've not woken up calm once

yet. There was a brief few days where I didnt have the arm burning but that

is back with a venegance

So how many days have you been on the 20mg only?

19 days on 20mg

Ive been keeping a journal and it looks like I stopped having the morning anxiety around day 23 on the 20mg. I do remember feeling like most things improved at the three week mark. Eating better, less anxious, less intrusive thoughts. Maybe another few days will show some improvement for you

I've been thinking about doing a journal too, I've seen people comment it helps to see improvement when you don't feel like

there is any. Thank you for your words of encouragement, here's hoping your symptoms level out soon too! x

if your worst time is between 8and 11 dont take your xanex at 6.take it between 8and 11best regards

Maybe we can touch base in a week and we'll both be feeling some improvement!

Here's hoping!!!! x

Feel free to private message me. Weve got this!

MARKETTA, how is this week going for you? Im on day 19 and am definitely starting to see some improvement. Nothing substantial, but the anxiety is a little less and my appetite is back....finally.

Hi Laura, glad to hear things are improving! Hopefully the trend continues.

I'm now 5 weeks in. Still up and down. Had a few better days over the weekend, not normal, but slept better and didn't wake with the burning arms. That's reverted back now though and past few nights have been worse again. Still feel very agitated and restless. It's a very tough journey.

Hey MARKETTA, Just checking in. I am five weeks in on the increased dose, tomorrow, and after two or three good days last week, I am back to being anxious with the tingly arms, especially bad in the morning, but even during the rest of the day. Shaky/trembling as well. It is so hard with all these ups and downs. Ive questioned if the meds are even working for me. Just wanted to see how you're getting along!

Hi there, similar for me. Had a couple of pretty good days last week, even woke up without the burning and dry heaving and horrible tension. But now I'm anxious again. My monthly cycle has just kicked in as well so wonder if it is related...

I understand the ups and downs are

common with recovery and keep happening until they lessen and lessen. At least based on what I've read. It can be tough, I've found the mental side hard with what feels like an overactive mind.

Trying not to over analyse the symptoms and not despair but easy it is not.

Keep me posted! xx

im just finishing my monthly and wondered if it was related, bc this happened last month, but it seems worse today, and this is the last day of the monthly. im sorry youre still feeling bad, too! im really starting to question being on them.

From what I've read here from other replies I understand that if there have been signs of things improving, sticking with the meds would be sensible as they take months to work. I'm wondering if keeping a journal would be helpful as when the anxiety hits it feels so bad, but I know it is not as bad as it was. A journal might be a good way to track progress when it feels like there is none...

absolutely .

ive been keeping a journal from day one. it has been veey helpful!