Thinking starting escitalopram

Absolutely Pam. It is a very trying time for us all, but we must comply and our actions will pay off. Are you also in the UK?

God is there for us all and is closer now that we realise. Free will pervades over our existence here, and lessons must be learned, but we are never forgotten.

Best wishes

Hi Matt. I am in the US. We are also battling this virus. People for the most part are listening to the leaders and pulling their weight. It is hard, but crucial. Hope by the grace of God this will be much better soon. I hope that this shows how important people are to each other,and who are the real "HEROS" in life. Prayers for you and lemana that you will have the support and help that is needed. God Bless. Pam.

Hi Pam, couldnt connect with the therapist very frustrating, don't know if was problem her end, am skyping my son make sure it works. The situation here driving me mad not being able to see people as it is a distraction majority of the shops all shut, you can't have more than 2 people in a group, so feeling really isolated . Trying get food a nightmare. Just hope things improve soon initially people just didnt comply so we now have with severe restrictions in place. Tablets not helping yet but think the current situation is making me feel worse. Hope normality returns both sides of the pond soon!

Hi Pam - I have been following your issues with the virus over there. Looks like you, much like us, have got a little further to go yet, but it is encouraging that the lockdown is showing good results in other countries - Spain especially has started to turnaround now. Such a relief for the world to see progress.

And as you have said in your post today, trying to find things to do to fill the day is difficult. We are only allowed to go out once a day here to a walk. We are expected to combine that with any shopping we need. All online grocery services are booked up for at least 3 weeks, so regardless of whether you have anxiety or not, one must go out and brave the shops if one is to eat.

It is having quite a profound effect on mental health over here, as I am sure it will do in other places similarly effected.

God Bless and stay well

Matt

Hi Lemanna,

How are you doing a week into the lockdown?

Please pay no mind to the news that speaks of the lockdown being in place until Summer. I am quite sure this will not be the case. Look at Spain for example. Two weeks of lockdown and they are now into their fourth day or reduced cases, with the death toll starting to follow suit today. If people all do their bit, we should be looking at the same this time next week. Then it is just a question of how quickly people recover.

I am exactly the same as you however. I am self-employed and cannot work from home, but as I am not a key worker, there is nothing I can do. I dare not think what it will do for my income at the moment, but tomorrow I will be having gentle words with my landlady and hope she understands that rent will not be easily found at present.

Medication is unlikely to help as much as it did before the lockdown as your fears are rational. You have reason to be anxious. This is one thing that Boris has not addressed and it has bought him lower in my estimation. I know it is terrible what is happening to the vulnerable and the elderly, but he hasn't even mentioned the mental health. No extra money to aid those vulnerable in a mental AND physical state.

But, bright side. Day 8 of a potential 21 - closing in on half way. It can only get closer.

Take care and keep writing to keep your sanity as I do!

Matt

Hi Mat and Pam, it is making me quite depressed they are now saying could be 6 months but have learnt to take anything this govenment sayd with a pinch of salt. Do think has been handled badly in some ways no routne testing of NHS staff or providing them enough protective equiptment. Might have give up on therapy for moment I can skype fine and receive calls, going try again Wednesday with her see if it works. Just get very frustated they keep staying stay home but on line food shopping virtually impossible. Think there will be lot more people on anti depressants as result all this. I am sort resigned to fact until things ease probably won't get full benefit from meds, but will stay on the 5mg ,My son is accepting half rent for flat he rents out as one of them lost their job so hopefully your landlady will be reasonable Matt. Hope you both stay well

Lemanna... I can assure you that it won't be anything like 6 months for the lockdown. It might be that we still have measures in place until the end of the year, but nothing like we have now. It has been handled very badly indeed, and Doris is paying the ultimate price now being in intensive care. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but it sure is concerning.

Keep us posted on how you go with the 5mg and take care..

Matt

Yes I agree with you over Bojo, get the feeling they thought he had pneumonia, as normally only put people on ventilators in ICU, my husband was in ICU after heart attack and no one was concious or in "good spirits" then. but obviously wish him well. Seem be talking about end May easing bit now. I'm going to increase dose as 5 mg bit too low try 7 mg then if OK go up to 10mg. Mood is lifting bit, know people say shouldn't mess with doses but think 5mg just too low long term. How are you managing are you getting financial help from government yet?

I really don't like to say it, but the whole thing could be a publicity stunt aimed at keeping votes up for the old boy whilst this goes on. From what I have seen and heard through my connections, it wouldn't surprise me at all.

If everyone does their bit, the stats will follow Spain who are now a week into curve flattening. Two weeks and they will be lifting things. We are two weeks behind them, so yes, end of April, beginning of May I think we will see something. I still do not think we will be locked down for another 8 weeks. The economy won't take it, but BoJo knows that he has got to push the boundary further and a good way of doing that is to put the country into shock, hence the ICU business. If he were really in trouble, there would be much more kicked up about it. I would my left testicle on the line so say he will pull through!!!

Just a question about your dose - how are you getting the 7mg from the tabs? Do you mean 7.5mg by breaking a 5mg in half? Are the 5mg scored across the middle to aid breaking?

I won't see any help from the government for a while as I am self-employed. Nothing for "small businesses" until June. Typical tory stunt as most of these business are represented by artists, musician and the like who are very unlikely to vote tory, so they are looking after their voters first... They must think we fell of the banana boat yesterday or something - like we can't figure this one out!!!

Does make you wonder, having experienced ICU first hand people were really sick in there, when husband regained conciousness was mkved to HDU which sounds like was were Bojo should bee, taking up up desperatly needed intensive care bed doesnt seem right. Think whole thing handled badly the extreme measure will end up making a lot of people unemployed and with mental health problems. The briefings every day are a joke same old stuff they always avoid give straight answer.

Yes meant to say 7.5 mg cutting tablets into 1/2 then into quarters, but hit and miss as so tiny but dudnt want to double dose straight away. Finding really hard get on line delivery this week which stressing me out, i cant cope with supermarket so husband might have do a shop. Cant see measures going on too much longer it will end up bankrupting country, trouble is you wonder how true figures are majorith of people who died seem have underlying health conditions just very sceptical of anything this goverment says.

Well, the latest is that BoJo is "sitting up" and responding well - he for sure should not even be in HDU. One rule for one, another rule for the others.

So am I right in thinking that you have 10mg tablets? And you are splitting these in half across the score line and then doing your best to halve one of those halves to get the 2.5mg quarter?

I ask as the 5mg tablets are not designed to be cut in half (they do not have a score line) and therefore the dispersion of the active ingredient is not even, so if you cut a 5mg in half you might end up with all of the 5mg in one half and only fillers in the other half. Doing that will mess you up considerably. But if you are using a 10mg, each quarter will have 2.5mg so you will be fine.

I can understand the supermarkets and when this all happened, I thought to myself, how are people with anxiety going to cope if they rely on doing online deliveries?! For sure, there was a time when I had to pick and chose when I went shopping. Some days I simply was too anxious. I am fortunate that is behind me now, but it really concerns me that there are people out there living on their own who rely on online orders so they don't have to leave their house. What are they doing?! The poor people. Sure, it is one way to get over agoraphobia, but that should be done on their terms, not be forced into it, and least of all at a time when there are more people than usual around.

So with you saying that, you have so much of my sympathy. Great that you have your husband to help. It is the same here as my wife suffers greatly with agoraphobia and OCD. On the rare occasion will she brave the supermarket, but more often than not, it will be me who gets the groceries.

When will this nightmare end!?

Do think the whole Boris thing is way of getting public on side. Yes Ifeel for people on their own who struggle with going to supermarket. Couldn't get on line delivery this week. Didnt know you could get 5 mg tablets but yes mine are 10mg bit hit and miss as tablets so small don't have a score line but got a pill cutter. Increased to 7.5mg 3days ago did actually feel quite good last couple days but having a major blip today with the thoughts just hoping it's just adjusting to new dose just feel i need be higher than 5mg. Have been out for walk last week even though i get anxious going past people. I feel for you wife it is a horrible feeling. As apparently can take 2 years for zopiclone withdrawal to get better just hoping won't feel like this forever. Probably already asked you this but when did you start seeing improvement i'm about 4 weeks taking them.

Hmmmm - if they don't have a score line then you should ask your pharmacist for ones WITH a score line because it means the pills you have are no designed to be cut in half and I speak from experience when I say it can screw you up.

I still had withdrawal effects from Cymbalta for about 4 months so I didn't actually see improvement until around the 6 month mark, but that is not to say it will be the issue for the majority. Cymbalta did a right number on me, and took me a long time to get over it.

Unfortunately, I have hit a wall the last two days. I was having trouble enough with this coronva virus stuff, but what with the lack of work and caring 24/7 for my wife, I cracked. I have not moved from bed in 2 days apart from picking up a prescription. The stress has gone way over the top and I simply cannot think straight. It is what a friend of mine calls "mental claustrophobia", where your thoughts - any thoughts, cause a lot of crisis and there is nowhere for them to go.

Not been a good 48 hours. I sincerely hope that the rest will pay off and I will be back to normal soon.

Sorry you are feeling like this, Iam very concious of how this is affecting my husband normally he can just pop out go to the shops but of course not possible at the moment. Have you access to a garden at all, we have small one and just sitting out in sun last couple days does help. Also being thrown together 24/7 when you aren't used to it can put a big strain on people. No easy answer at moment. Think at moment especially previously with BREXIT not much choice where you get pills from. Think it's just increasing dose have to adjust, the pill cutter pretty good and even with scoreline would have cut again with a knife. Was feeling bit better up to yesterday so hopefully a blip. Think a lot of people who previously had mental health issues under contol will be feeling like you. Can see why they are doing it but do think it could have been done in a more staggered way and should been started earliet not waiting until things reached crisis point.Hope you soon improve

Hope you are feeling a bit better. I've started 10mg today so hopefully kick in soon.

Hey lemanna...

I think you are right - most people who have been 6 months or less in recovery will really be having their resolve tested at the moment. As I said, the biggest issue is my wife. She is just so negative all the time and she just continues to unload it to me and I just take any more. When I am out at work every day, it is fine and I can help, but it is just too much.

Having said that, today was a bit better. I found some courage from somewhere. I just hope I can continue. It helps to know that we have made it passed the 3 weeks initial lockdown here in the UK - and now we need to wait until Thursday to see what will happen next. But it has to be less than what we have already done, so at least I know we are more than half way through... I hope.

Hope that you are OK over there and your husband is also able to find the courage to help where needed. This really is SO SO tough, and yet all I hear about this virus stuff is money related - nothing about health at all, or the domestic abuse that has risen.

We just need to hang in there hope and pray that it ends soon...

Ican see both points of view Iam feeling very negative about everything and feel very guilty about how it is impacting on my husband. He is getting very snappy with me Ithink becauses as you say stuck inside together at the moment. Don't know how big your house/flat is but if there is a room you can spend time alone in would recommend that. WE've got small conservatory Isit in there a lot, and husband takes himself off to spare bedroom in the evenings as got TV up there. Also if you can get out for a walk alone just to escape. It is very hard on partners. I am very concious of that. Think lockdown likely to be in place until end May then be a gradual resumption of things.I'm almost having to accept meds won't work as well as should until situation improves. We seem to have highest death rate so do wonder if measures should been taken lot earlier and lack of testing and lack of avaliability of PPE has aplayed a major part. Think lot couple without any pre existing issues are feeling the strain at the moment.

We have a one bed flat, but this doubles as a living area. It is a very big room, but it is the only space other than a kitchen and bathroom we have, so we are both in the same room 24/7. Not much I can do, but I do sit in the hall to read sometimes, or go out for a walk on my own.

You are a couple of weeks behind us in the US, so yes, you might be looking end of May. We have just had another 3 week extension til 7th May, and then things should lift. There is a possibility that smaller things will lift around the 1st for small businesses which would make me happy, but I am not getting too excited about that. The NHS is in a bad way. If it wasn't for the public coming in to help, we would be screwed. So if anyone elsewhere in the world thinks that we are doing well with our NHS, this is not the case. The NHS workers themselves are utterly AMAZING, they are earth angels, but the way they are treated is not right.

I think you are right about the meds. My depression has let up a bit, but it is still there. I imagine it will ease as the next 21 days goes past. It is all linked to the lockdown and all the time it is in place, my depression won't improve. Why would it when the problem is still in place? You can't run with a broken leg....

I'm in UK think been handled badly, heard that first case was in January should started some restriction lot earlier usual dithering then they go into panic mode shut everything. It is affecting lot people I think especially as no idea when things will improve. Tough if you are in a small flat if you can skype or zoom people that can help. Important you look after yourself as well get support when you need it. Get out for a walk every day if you can.

i've been really depressed and anxiety got worse last couple days think maybe because went up to 10mg 3 days ago and switched to taking during the day. Difficult get any information from anyone as to how soon meds can help thoughts, OCD? The current situation def making things worse as seeing other people sometimes going out def helps a bit don't think meds working as quickly as normally would.The NHS been underfunded for years but suddenly got money for new hospitals but not enough PPE or testing all the NHS workers just keep coming out with same old stuff with daily bulletins

Oh - forgot you were in the UK. Well that really helps as we are both in the same boat. I am in South Kent, so near enough to London to have got a fair bit of it. And you are right, they have handled things so badly. I still get out for a walk every day, but I need social interaction. Exercise is one thing, but we are a social species. We need this sort of stimulation.

I am not at all surprised that your depression and anxiety has got worse with or without the drugs. Try not to switch when you take it too much as it will take a good three days for the blood levels to even back out. It doesn't really matter when you take it because it has a long half life but choose a time and stick to it.

Money has never gone in the right place for the NHS - and it never will. There will come a time when it goes completely.

Regarding when things will lift, the government will look to Europe to see what happens now that they have started lifting restrictions. It still depends on the figures, but people just aren't getting cured - they are dying. It is horrible. That is why I worry we will see a flattening of the curve, but the descent will only happen as more die, which will take longer than if they were cured. And if that is going to be the case, we may as well lift now. The government are just trying to do all they can to prevent the blame getting any worse. And I still think Borris was absolutely fine. Amazing that there are 1000's of early 50's men sat at home with Lemsips and getting better, but Borris needs life support. Pull the other one....

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