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Upped 20mg to 40mg, hypersensitive anxiety/panics, feeling hopeless :(

Posted , 4 users are following.

LeighaW
LeighaW

I'm in a bit of a rutt right now with things and I saw this forum with all the insight you guys give and thought some of you could maybe reassure me or give me advice <3

I've been on 20mg of citalopram every morning for the past 2 and a half years, never had any side effects going on them, and with CBT I was for the most part feeling awesome. However since the start of this year my anxiety has started creeping in again. I've been working from home for the past year and a half so I don't get out a lot and i've become a bit of a hermit.

Basically what triggered me upping my dose was a few really intense really bad panic attacks earlier this year now i've been told by my therapist I have a panic disorder. I've gone to my GP and upped my dose to 40mg (one week on 30mg and now three weeks on 40mg) and I know it's still early but I've been through the really rough part (mostly the hopelessness/depression I had about two weeks in) and I was starting to regain some of myself. Then out of nowhere the past two days i've been crazy teary/crying and my anxiety is triggered extremely easilly, as in, i'll get a txt on my phone and my body goes into instant fight or flight mode like the start of a panic attack.

It's driving me nuts. I'm finding it really hard to eat and I hardly leave the house. It took a lot for me to go out with my Dad to get dinner and I didn't end up eating any of it when we got home. I'm still doing CBT but I'm also trying to give my body some breathing room to get used to the upped dosage.

I know it gets better... and I know i'm just going through the waves of feeling better until things do actually feel comfortable again... but I'm in a gross part of it and I just wan't to know when things will start getting better from people who know first hand.

Thank you to anyone who gives advice or even just reads this <3

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Angel1984
    Angel1984 LeighaW

    Posted

    Hi sorry to hear your going through a tough time!

    I've recently just had a tough time with anxiety panick attacks!

    When did you go up to 40mg??

    • LeighaW
      LeighaW Angel1984

      Posted

      I went up to 40mg three weeks ago, I was on 30mg for one week prior to upping to 40mg if that makes sense.

      Hope you're doing okay with your anxiety and panics <3

  • portugalthecam
    portugalthecam LeighaW

    Posted

    Sorry you are having such a hard time, I recently also have been in a similar situation. I was stable on 40mg for many years and thought I was good to try and go off of it.. Bad move. After tapering down to 10mg I started feeling awful and then it all came roaring back, like I was right back to where I started about ten years prior. I went right back to 20mg and then back to 40mg, all within a couple weeks, so needless to say, all of these dosage changes really screwed me up.

    I've been back on 40mg for just over a month now, and it's been an eternity of ups and downs, as I'm sure you understand. Aside from the awful anxiety and hopelessness, my biggest issue this time around was my sleep. It just totally threw off my sleep cycle. My anxiety has finally gotten better, but I am still struggling with sleep, at least without taking anything to help sleep, i.e. Xanax, so I am still feeling very off and unlike myself.

    I am confident that you will pull through, though! Give it a little more time, as it seems even dosage increases with Citalopram can really take a while to settle in your system. Also, I purchased a book recommended by someone here called "DARE: The New Method for Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks". Even after only reading a little bit, it has been EXTREMELY helpful in dealing with my anxiety and panic. I highly recommend checking it out. You will not be disappointed.

    Keep hanging in there, we will all get through this together, you are not alone!

    • LeighaW
      LeighaW portugalthecam

      Posted

      I totally understand what you mean by ups and downs, hopefully it'll settle soon for the both of us. Thanks for your encouragement, I feel better knowing others are feeling the way I feel, like I'm not going crazy smile

  • matt39801
    matt39801 LeighaW

    Posted

    Hi there

    I am just going into wk 4 on 20mg upped from 10, side effects are subsiding still no appitite and morning anxiety is horrible but after reading posts on this side I know it's just that things get worse before they getting better as the brain has to te wire almost!

    I also downloaded that book DARE and agree that it's very good.

    Keep posting updates on progress, it really helps to read positive things.

    Thanks

    • LeighaW
      LeighaW matt39801

      Posted

      It's starting to settle back to "normal" again. Anxiety is still high but I dont feel as out of control as before smile keep on keeping on!

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