Why does it take so long to treat anxiety!!

Right now I feel a sadness and a hopelessness that i never felt before.

I am so sorry you feel this way leticia. As hope is the most important thing, it keeps us going when times are tough. May hope return to you today through the words of a friend, through angels wings and through my prayers for you. Don’t give up just try to live one day at a time and tomorrow will be better. Love and blessings

Hope this might help. For the first 4 weeks on cit, was up and down. Each down lasted for a few days, and the up for 1 or 2. The ups felt a bit unrealbthough. Then for next 2 weeks felt extremely flat and anxious. This actually felt worse, as I didn't seem to be getting better. In hindsight, think this period was when cit started working. Then slight improvements have been happening over last 2 weeks. Not a recovery, but glimpses of improvement. Still get downs, but they only last for a few hours, and now feel okay in evenings. How long have you been taking cit? You need to reserve judgement on whether cit is working for 12 weeks, as you may not notice earlier small improvements. Stick with it for 12 weeks, then you should know if cit is working for you.

I've been 9 weeks with 4 good weeks mixed in with lowest lows.

Nigel would be good to permanently pin your post  on the wall somehow as it’s a good time verbal view 

Would you say looking back, to before you started on cit, have there been improvements. With 4 Good weeks, I would say so. You need to give it at least another 3 weeks. Mark on here is quite adamant about waiting 12 weeks, and my gp was as my gp. He also said most noticeable improvements were in final couple of weeks. I would say in 3 or 4 weeks, you will know if cit is working. Some on here waited 6 months. In 3 or 4 weeks, your gp should know whether you need a dose increase or change. 4 Good weeks, sounds to me like it's working.

Thank you. I almost feel like I need to be admitted some days to get through the worse

If you ever get admitted..you know what they give you a benzo..so that's why I keep saying dont suffered ask you DC.for a week's worth of a benzo..

I've been taking ativan daily stops the anxiety but not the hopelessness and sadness

Try to not think about how you feel when you are feeling down, and instead look back how you felt during the whole 9 weeks on cit. Easy to say, not so easy to do. You will have down days, but you need to put them into perspective, with the others. It drove me nuts, when I felt good, and thought it was sorted, only to go into a down, for no apparent reason. When that happens, you think they are not working, whereas they probably are. Just commit yourself for another 3 weeks, accept It, knowing you can make a decision at that time, when you are in a better position to judge.

How much ativan do you take? I think I definitely need it for the morning. I feel the depression lifting but waking up like this is annoying, I wish I could just sleep 

Did you take a benzo during the early days? 

I take 1mg daily

have you been to the doctors yet?

Nope not yet I go at 2:45 into he afternoon it's 8 am here. It's so weird I feel pretty normal outside of this morning anxiety and anxiousness. Tomorrow will be six weeks since I've been taking my citalopram consistently 

See what the doc says, I spoke to my doc and he said they give Citalopram for people with anxiety and they see good results with it... 

I've used it before it does work.  Just have to be consistent and take It. I became inconsistent in taking it a few months back. Now I'm struggling to get it I'm order. I was taking 25mg but started missing says. I've upped it to 30mg for the last 5 weeks. I'm consistent now, and I do see some changes but my mornings are tough 

does your brain feel sort of strained and uncomfortable in the mornings?

Not really it feels normal it's  my stomach which just has knots all morning and makes me more anxious. My mind also races in the morning I basically can't relax. 

My brain dont race it just feels unrelaxed..  

I’m sure the tablets will work for you, its just gonna take time

Have you  tried a benzo? 

If hopeless Ness and sadness is all that's bothering you..than your going to have no choice but to keep going..this Medication will work but is very slowwwww working..but it will happen ..you ain't going to stay like that forever..trust me..

Is there anyway your doctor can give you a valium.or xanex..is better for sadness.. especially the valium

Thanks i'll work through the sadness n stick it out

Yes , I take one every day... it relaxes me and allows me to get on with my day

Hang on Raj.. thank goodness you have your weapons to combat this horrible illness..

I just hope Celexa works

Its weird, the anxiety is mainly around my face... i get the feeling of numbness in my face and a feeling of pressure in the ear.. 

Yes those are all side effects ..they will wear of but very slowly..I use to have this weird sensations around my temples then I had twitching on my right eye lid..then I had pulsating sensations on both temples..then I had pressure in my ear that sometimes would move from ear to ear felt like I had some mucus in there..

I also had palpitations in my stomach..you could feel my stomach pulsating..it was bizzarre..

For a while I had no feeling on the left side of my face...plus also I had internal shaking..which was strange..my insides where trembling ..but not noticeable.on the outside..

Yes I have that internal shaking I call it shuddering. Not all the time but comes and goes. Rode my bike today always makes me feel better! 

i had the pressure in the ears before i started the meds... Ive googled it over and over and it seems like a symptom thats hard to get rid off

and all of these were side effects? or your original anxiety?

Both..my initial anxiety symptoms before Medications..where wierd head sensations head aches ..ear sensitivity ..sound issues ..smell issues..and palpitations also uncontrollable adrenaline feelings that would start in my stomach and end in my brain..this was before any meds..I ended in the er twice with this drama.

i  have the ear sensitivity to sound too...

It's all ANXIETY.....hard to believe but true...

I ger the shallow breathing too, as if im struggling to breath.

Raj..that's all side effects of celexa..I had that for a couple of weeks..

I feel so hopeless I can't through the day without lorazapam and that makes me feel like a failure at week 6 I thought I was cured.

I wish I was cured at week six...8months it took me..8long monthssss...and thru those 8months I took my xanex...

So Leticia don’t feel a failure honey think of it as a slightly longer project than you first thought.  I pill a day is nothing. Well done that you are persevering and today is nearly done where you live isn’t it. I am in Israel it’s only 4pm!! You are at week 6      I am 1 week behind you. Morning anxiety is tough I only cope by hearing meditations on you tube.  Much love

I'm at week 9 week 6 and 7 were good week 9 is hell. Ativan isn't really working

The morning anxiety is REALLY bad isn’t it :-(. I start week 6 today... feeling depressed first thing too.

Leticia, if you are 6 weeks in, I think your improvements are likely to start around now, so keep at it. I'm not talking about recovery, but small improvements, that slowly become noticeable. You are still likely to get set backs, when you feel it's not working. However, set backs very gradually last for shorter periods, and do not feel so deep. You've probably got another 6 weeks or so, until you feel somewhere near normal. I think you are currently at the worse stage, as large highs and lows, have probably been replaced by just feeling flat and anxious, with no noticeable changes. If so, i think thats a positive sign. 6 weeks for the noticeable improvements to show@, so Try to stop worrying about It and accept it, JUST for next 6 weeks. AFTER that then you can make a decision whether its working for you, or not. I don't think you can make a decision until then. Stick with it, and in 6 weeks you will know if cit is working for you.

The Ativan may seem like it isn't working but it is..try not taking it for a few days and see where that will get you..?

You will get there trust me .. your not going to stay like that forever.. eventually your brain will level it self out...it's just a slow working process..

You will get there trust me .. your not going to stay like that forever.. eventually your brain will level it self out...it's just a slow working process..

Yes Manny  I think the morning anxiety for me is the worst. If I just get up I feel anxious all morning, but I try not to get out of bed til I have done some meditation. Doing this often lowers the level to annoying!!!!  But only another few weeks I hope, one day at a time.  Thank goodness I don't have to work for a few months. Hope yours drops away quickly Manny

Thank you Gilip for sharing your thoughts with me. I too don’t have to work right now THANK GOD as I have something put away to pay the bills. I have worked incredibly hard all my life and hate being compromised like this but the Anxiety before was unbearable and made me wanna give up on life altogether. I have a lovely partner too, I’m lucky. I’m Manny Marrison on Facebook (people can friend request me if they want) Those looking in from the outside probably think I look fine and super happy. Little do they know the turmoil that anxiety and depression, and the meds can cause us in our brains.... 

In the UK they say that 1 in 4 of us have some type of mental health concern. 

I agree... from the outside we all look fine but its the brain that just isnt functioning. I had to attend a return to work meeting last week and I explained my symptoms to my manager but he just looked at me blankly... suppose once Ive returned to work and Im falling asleep at my computer from all the meds they may have a better idea’of what we go through..

I personally find that people think we pop a pill and thats it.. but it isnt like taking a paracetemol for a headache... 

we go through months of seeing if an anti depressant works, we go through the side effects which are just as bad, if the tablet isnt the right one we start the whole process again, we plead with our GP’s for a prescription of benzo because they simply dont get that a benzo allows us to function... the whole process is hard.. we use our brain for everything. 

Yes Raj..in the beginning I suffer greatly because they wouldn't prescribed me a benzo.but until I got approved for a benzo ..I battle my demons with ambiem or lunesta..is funny how they refused to prescribe the benzo .but they will prescribed the sleeping pills..

I'm 9 weeks total but only 3 weeks on 30mg

Similar to me. 8 weeks in total, last 5 weeks on 40mg. Not a good last few days, but definite improvements to when I look back to start. Just always thinking when am I going to feel something like normal. Upping dose seems to mean starting over with side effects, although probably to a slightly less degree. Makes sense, as going from a depressed state to normal, is going to take time. Reason I got depressed again is about how I feel about someone in work, who doesn't feel same about me. Definitely dealing better with that, although sure it's slowed down my recovery. Starting CBT in a couple of weeks, hope it might help. Listened to a loving yourself meditation app last night, found it amazing. Part of content is about loving yourself should be sufficient. Brought out a very powerful good feeling. It's such a nice meditation app. Just from following what she said to think about. Amazing really, as my circumstances have not changed, but ended up feeling good. Only 10 mins, plan on doing it every night.

How many times a day die you use your Xanax? 

Once a day or every other day.or every three days..when ever I feel the butterflies .

Hello, just found an amazing meditation on insight timer, called Loving and listening to yourself. I felt really good afterwards, only 12 mins.