Ways of handling side effects
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi,
It's a third time in my life that I start taking antidepressants. The other two times have been really, really horrible (and the last time meds - citalopram at that time - started working only after 3 months), but since then I've learnt some things that help me go through now.
I haven't found any similar, separate topic, so what would you say about sharing here some of the ways that help you cope with overwhelming emotions/thoughts/feelings? Maybe it will help someone else, too.
Here are mines. I know not all of them work in every situation, but still they make it much easier for me.
- exercising, running, not too much, but just enough to feel my body a bit, in a positive way. Just as much as my body wants.
- being in nature (SUN!)
- telling myself: it's just an emotion / a feeling / a thought, "it's just a fear". It's not all of me, it's not necessarily true, it's a product of my mind and I can just let it pass.
It helps me not to get involved in panicky thoughts that trigger anxiety.
A miraculous thing, that I learnt with meditation: when you don't fight with emotion, but also don't get engaged with it, don't feed it, it passes. Sooner or later, it always passes and makes space for something else.
- asking your close ones for help, for being around, for staying over and not expecting too much of you. Sometimes it's not possible, sometimes it works wonders.
- drinking warm milk with honey before going to bed. Maybe because my mom was preparing it for me when I was a child, it makes me feel cozy and cared for.
- when i start feeling anxious, focusing on parts of my body that feel more stable and peaceful, on physical sensations that make me feel more grounded. Touching a fabric of a cloth, or feeling weight on my body on the sofa or on the floor. Focusing on external sounds (normally i tend to be very focused on my inner sensations).
- remembering that it's just a state of mind that you have. It's not telling you any truth about yourself or about the world. If it tells you that it will always be like this, it's not a truth. If it gives you arguments by reminding you that "it has always been like this, so it will never change", it's not a truth. It's just a frame of mind and mind is a tricky thing, not necessarily reasonable.
- Bach flowers. I still have a bit of a problem believing they can actually work, but my friend is a Bach flowers therapist and the mix i got from her helps me reduce anxiety and put me to sleep.
- It can pass, and there is hope and light, regardless of where you've already been, what you've experienced, what unsettling parts of your psyche you've visited. I know it, even if sometimes I don't.
Lots of love to you all
3 likes, 18 replies
Nickie54 Guest
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Guest Nickie54
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Nickie54 Guest
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What kind of side effects r u having? Mine r this choking feeling in my throat and indigestion and heartburn.. I hope and pray it goes away soon.. I've been on 10 mg for 10 weeks...
Guest Nickie54
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And depression / anxiety that you re taking them for? Are they any better? Have your side effects changed over time?
I have increased anxiety and depressive thoughts, like "nothing makes any sense", "I've wasted my life" etc... and for 2 last days I've been very sluggish, but can't sleep much.
Nickie54 Guest
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Your treatment is early.. It will kick in soon... I have GAD and Panic and Health related aniexty..Lexapro has helped in all areas but but still not 100%.. It seems as tho these side effects will not go away .. I'm going to give it a few more weeks then I'll decide what I'm going to do..😊
arietta62795 Guest
Posted
Hi Nama, very helpfull thoughts !! Thank you!. Its also the third time for me I take antidipressants. The first two, 6 years earlier worked very well for me.
But now, I unfortunatelly my mind have stuck to unpleasant thoughts (like I am stressed when I have relaxed conversations with people, I realized this is very stupid since I used to be a very socializing person but is a compulsive thinking and can't overcame since now or feel unsafe when driving alone very far etc).
So I started again with escitalopram and the dose last month is 20mg. I started with 5 mg and gradually raised the doses. I am not sure if it its works for me well. I had a lot of tention and anxiety (as side effect since now and need very often to take a bit of benzo in order to calm. I will visit the doctor again after few days, to refer my symptoms, but I feel relieved to hear from you, that start working after 3 months. Did you also had to take benzo with escitalopram the first period? Thanks again for your script and your response! Be well!
Guest arietta62795
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Hi Arietta,
I didn;t take benzos, I'm a bit reluctant of taking meds in general because i used to react very strongly to them in a negative way. The starting phases of taking antidepressants I count among the worst periods in my life. I couldn't do almost anything, just waited for the nightmare to pass. I'm still a bit afraid it will be like that this time, too... I put my hope in the fact that it's escitalopram this time, and not citalopram. Also psychiatrist said that this can be every time a completely different experience.
But yes, I sticked to them and they worked well. I just woke up one day feeling that the struggle is over. Took three months of hell, but finally clicked. There's a huge chance they will help you as well! How long ago have you started taking yours?
Nickie54 arietta62795
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Arietta... I to could not drive by myself but Lexapro has helped in that area.. We r all different in how this medication works for us...😊
Nickie54 Guest
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I to am very sensitive to all meds... I had a saliva test ran and it came back that Lexapro was a good drug for me but I've still had to b very cautious about bumping up .. That's why I bump up 2.5 mg. each time...
Guest Nickie54
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Nickie I keep my fingers crossed for you, hope the side effects will ease off soon. But you;ve come such a long way with Lexapro, it must work!! :-)
I also bump up 2.5 mg each time, although I guess it just postpones the time when i could feel any benefit. But i'm pretty afraid of getting even more depressed and anxious if the increase is too much.
I didnt know there are saliva tests for drugs efficacy!
Nickie54 Guest
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arietta62795 Guest
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arietta62795 Nickie54
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I am very glad to hear that Lexapro (in Greece is called escitalopram) helped you with anxiety and negative thinking. What dose are you taking and for how long till now? As I told to Nama escitalopram in 20mg (about 2 months) has helped me to have good energy to make things all the time but not helped my yet to feel calmness. Maybe I have to remain more, we will see...anyway on Monday I go to the doctor and ask about my case...what about you? Are you feeling stron now in order to start giving up the pill?
Nickie54 arietta62795
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I started on Dec. 29,2017 @ 2.5 mg. And moved up very slow I now 10 mg. I tried moving up fast to 15 mg. But was to much made me nervous and etc. so I bumped down to 12.5 then back to 10 mg. And I’ve been there for about 10 weeks and I’m doing ok.. going to give it more time to see if it gives me 100% in a few more weeks...I feel with Lexapro it needs time to work and sometimes we want to rush it ..and invturn we have more issues..if I felt like 10 mg. Worked better than say 15 r 20 I would give 10 mg. More time to work.. but remember with each increase r bump down there r side effects.. but when bumping down the side effects may not hit until 2 weeks after u start the bump down in mg. R this is what has happened to me...Take Care and keep us posted on your journey..😊
greg57941 Nickie54
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me too. if i can get well enough on 10mg, i won't go further. i want room to move up later in case the med loses its affect on me. i so fear having to go through the awful startup phase i'm in now with another drug. my sister has been on prozac for 20+ years and it still works for her. i'd still be on prozac too if the side effects from my 2nd round at it didn't hospitalize me. nightmare!!
Nickie54 greg57941
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U have had a rough go of it.. B good to yourself..and stay in touch...😊
Guest arietta62795
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Hi Arietta!
Do you think that swimming helped you with panick attacks?
as for doses, well my doctor told me to start first with going to 10 mg and stick to it for at least 2 months, and then visit her again and see. She said 10mg is the smallest therapeutic dose (whatever that means).
It is the first time I'm taking escitalopram, I took citalopram before, first time 40 mg and the second time I think just 20mg, which equals 10 mg escitalopram.
By "nightmare" I mean that first time I took citalopram for depression, and I got really really depressed, much more than before taking pills. I slept almost all the time and then switched to not be able to sleep almost at all. The only thing I could do was to watch TV series, because I was feeling very suicidal. I stopped going out, too. It passed slowly.
The second time I took citalopram was after I started experiencing panick attacks and bad anxiety, and after taking pills it got much worse. I was having more powerful and more frequent panick attacks and also derealization, which really freaked me out. I was thinking that something was really wrong with my brain and was scared of going mentally crazy. I also got really depressed and suicidal again.
Well, it passed gradually, but I remember one day when I woke up and just felt relieved.
This time I'm taking it mostly because of anxiety and having gone through lots of emotional issues last months. I did some body-oriented therapy in the meantime, which I think really helped a lot. Until now (10 days in), side effects are not that overwhelming as other times - maybe it s because I wasn't feeling that bad when started meds or maybe because it's escitalopram and not citalopram.
If you started mid February you're over two months on meds now and last month on 20mg. You also went from 10 to 20 mg straight away? I think it's pretty normal then that you need to stick to it a little bit more, and you should soon feel the difference. 10 to 20 mg is quite a leap, at least it would be for me, so maybe you re still in a "side effects phase"? My psy told me also that for escitalopram it takes quicker to deal with depression and a bit longer to calm anxiety. So maybe that's also why you re still not feeling full benefits.
arietta62795 Guest
Posted
I stayed to 10mg about a month and then I encreased to 15mg for 8 days and then to 20mg.
I had not depression, I have a very strange (for my character because I used to be socializing person) compulsive thought, that when I have relaxing conversations I started feel anxiety. When I confess to the other person that I have this thought the anxiety calms...very very strange, but for some many repetitions became like persistence, you understand. Also If I take a bit of benzo, this persistence calms. Anyway you understand that every day I speak to the people and to the most of them I can not express this I have, and feeling very depressed of this.
Anyway, it is just a negative thinking and I believe that once it will pass. I pray escitalopram one day and not the benzo will help me to feel more relaxed.
I also think that I have been helped with the panic attacks in a way.
I was always very swimming persons and not afraid of the sea. On the contrary, I feel great in. Also the gym as you told helps a lot.
What kind of body therapy you had? Reiki?
Hope also for you the best!!