Strange Irrational Thoughts

Hi

u so right about how long it takes for the meds to settle

my Dr told me 2 weeks lol what a joke

I started week 6 today and still not settled, what a joke they tell us

I'm sticking with them and wait for it to settle

thank u for writing the truth on here

Hi Sonia,

Yes im exactly the same, always thinking something doesnt feel or look right. Hopefully once the meds start working properly i will stop having these horrible thoughts

It will get better, it did for me. 😊

Hi

u will they less as time goes

u will get there stay strong and fight though it with s all

These thoughts keep getting worse, i keep thinking there is something wrong with the back of my skull just because its not smooth even though most peoples skulls probably arent perfectly smooth etc. I know logically that a skull cant just change but the meds and my health anxiety are making me have these crazy thoughts, cant wait to stop thinking like this

it will pass, ive never had anxiety until withdrawing and get these thoughts all the time until i settle, ive had all kinds of cancers in my mind and yesterday i thought a freckle was cancer its stupid isnt it x

Its awful, i have bad heath anxiety and moles etc are my biggest cause of my anxiety, im always looking at them and worrying about them then asking for reasurance

same! i have a birth mark on the back of my leg and it has a lump on it im always worrying about that! x

How long before your thoughts improved, I'm getting OCD type symptoms , had weird thoughts due to zopiclone withdrawal which have got worse been on them 3 weeks

Hi Lemanna

I had terrible health anxiety and imagined all sorts of illnesses. When I thought my eyes had turned yellow for example I saw my doctor and he said there was nothing wrong with them. Unconvinced I went to get my eyes checked at the opticians, all the time on edge waiting for bad news but they were fine. I started feeling better after around 10 weeks, once the meds had kicked in. I pushed myself to go back to work after reading an article, can't remember which one, where a woman was suffering bad anxiety that was taking over her life. She made the decision that she wanted her life back and pushed herself into doing so. That's when things changed for me. Sounds dramatic but it's true. Even back at work I wasn't 100%. I felt people looked at me in a strange way because I had lost so much weight, my trousers were too big for me. A colleague told me to buy some new ones jokingly so I bought lots of new stuff. When I walked I kept near the walls because I didn't feel steady enough in the open. After a few weeks at work I gradually improved and my confidence came back.

I've reduced my dose now and am getting lots of withdrawal effects and some anxiety has started creeping back. Withdrawal effects are similar to start up effects so I have to keep reminding myself of my past experiences and tell myself that they will pass.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Sonia yes does help that they faded for you. mine all caused by zopiclonr withdrawal just terrified anything i take will make things worse. Doesnt help started on citalopram made hair fall out then swapped to sertraline made things 10 times worse, so last 3 weeks back on citalopram. Anxiety taking over your life is me, just freaked out getting new symptoms but hopefully it's messing around with meds. I'm on 10 mg did wonder about increasing but people seem advise leave it longer.

I think you're right, messing around with meds and dosage makes things worse, it did for me. 20mg was too much for me so I went to 10 and I did well on it for10 years.

Since reducing I've messed around with my dosage and that has made things worse for me.

I can't tell you what to do but if I were you I 'd give 10 more time, 3 weeks isn't long enough for it to have full effect. You know what it's like when you increase, you get start up effects all over again.

best wishes

Thanks sonia I'll stay on 10 mg bit longer, did you take any other meds? As my weird thoughts relate to thinking I may have pushed people over in street trying different strategy as don't want end up agrophobic. Trying going out every day but just a short distance gradually building up and hopefully meds will stabilise as well. As you said I just want my life back! Very hard as doctors not much help their answer is always up the meds!!!

I did try sertraline once but quickly went back on citalopram. I also tried propranolol but didn't get on with that either.

I remember getting ready to go out and made several attempts to go passed the front door before actually doing it.

It got better for me as if will for you. Just give it time and with a little effort your confidence will grow too.😊

Thanks Sonia am bit more reassured that it's just adjusting to meds causing the additional symptoms and that 10mg worked for you. Hopefully if by 10 weeks if you improved I'll be the same. Did manage to out for little while today, think it's case just trying get through each day. Just been year of horrible withdrawal symptoms so get bit impatient for things to start working!

I know that feeling, it's a long process but you'll get through it😊

hey Lemanna. I had the same weird thoughts for a while when I started cit and it was happening for quite some time and believe me I had more and weirder thoughts that's used to freak me out so much like all these what ifs and urges like what if I hurt someone or what if i start screaming ect. I thought they will never end. I am on week 16 weeks now on the same dose and yes actually the thoughts have reduced a lot I don't get them really just now I am going through a blip so its lingering again for few days but it's more concentrated on relationship OCD. so strange I never really had these thought up until I started taking citalopram even the first time round I also had it but for much shorter than the second round. all i can say is that it's just thoughts and worst fears about what you would actually never do. i know how you feel I really can relate with these weird OCD thoughts. just give it time I saw no improvements up until 12 weeks and even then past month was slow improvements wise.

Thanks lala, they started once I stopped the zopiclone initially just fearing driving , then started about October time when feared I'd hurt people in the street, some drug withdrawal is really awful, which is why I decided to try SSRI's, wish I tried them sooner but all the sites relating to withdrawal say you shouldn't take anything else. I know I should be patient but had a year of this, but encouraging that eventually eased for you and sonia I live in hope!!

what additional symptoms are you getting?

just keep checking things at times sort of OCD type symptom. Think it's to do with changing meds as only since i swapped to citalopram.Was ok on it first time so hopefully ease off. Will try get out more.

bless you yes getting out is important, i walk three times a day x

hello sonia, i would like to know if you are on these pills or are you off of them now.

How are you getting on now? I went from 10mg citalopram to 20mg 12 days ago and boy have I suffered! I convinced myself I had about 10 different illnesses in the last 12 days. My foot even appeared swollen and weird when I looked at it, but to my husband it looked normal! I resorted to taking Propranolol I was prescribed when I first started Citalopram before Christmas and they have helped so much! By the evening I am anxiety free and mornings are getting slightly easier to. I'm hoping I have come through the worst now and am looking forward to being less anxious 😃

Hello Hugo

I was on 10 mg for 10 anxiety free years. Without them I couldn't have worked. I have reduced over the past 10 months to 5mg because of the need to take antibiotics and pain killers that don't mix well with citalopram, at least not as often as I take them. Too be honest, I wish I had stayed on 10mg because I have horrible withdrawal effects, not all of the time, I get good days too. I am considering increasing again. I'm going to give it a bit more time though.