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will my anxiety get better?

Posted , 36 users are following.

maisie16541
maisie16541

Hi. This is my first post on here, i have felt encouraged by reading this forum. I started cit 4 weeks ago for having bouts of health anxiety. I started on 10mg. As soon as i took the tablet my anxiety went through the roof. I had about a week where i found it very difficult to eat or sleep but things did improve over the four weeks and i even had some days where i felt pretty normal with very limited anxiety last week, however this weekend my anxiety rocketed again for no real reason, i have reply eat or slept again. When i went to see my gp Friday before the anxiety rocketed she did say about me increasing to 20mg but as she knew i was scared to do so she suggested leaving another two weeks, but after a terrible day Saturday i decided to bite the bullet and double the dose yesterday, so i am now on 20mg. My question is, when i wake in the morning my first thing i think is am i anxious which gets me feeling very anxious and takes ages if not all day to calm down, will this subside ! I am now obsessive about when and if i will get better as i am so much worse since taking the medication. Do people think that the 20mg will stop me feeling anxious whenever i wake in the morning and throughout the day? I am so frightened that i am never going to come out of this and will never be able enjoy a meal with my family again. Thanks so much for reading.

5 likes, 41 replies

41 Replies

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  • mark99388
    mark99388 maisie16541

    Posted

    hello im mark i havent had any to take for 3 days now but do u think it will come back or not and also im getting any sleep either and im getting hands and my feet get sweaty too and how r u
  • jane54588
    jane54588 maisie16541

    Posted

    Hi everyone, I just joined this forum today after coming back to it time and time again for some sort or reassurance. I've been suffering from health anxiety off and on for years, but last August/September it really kicked in, when I became convinced I had breast cancer. I went to the doctor twice in the same week, both times being told everything felt fine, but was sent for a mammogram just to give me peace of mind. As you can imagine I was going out of mind with worry and could barely eat, was rushing to the toilet every morning with loose bowels and all these things just convinced me even more that I had some sort of  terrible illness. Everything turned out to be fine and I started to feel much better. A couple of months later, the anxiety returned. I was getting strange discomfort in my ribs and abdomen, I was having bowel problems again and my appetite was constantly taking dips. I eventually went back to the doctors and explained how I was feeling and was told it was probably the anxiety that was causing the issue. I was given beta blockers to begin with, but didn't feel they made any difference. I was then prescribed 20mg Citalopram. I put them away in drawer for several weeks and was too scared to take them due to the side effects. Then, last week I just thought sod it! I'm sick of feeling like this all the time and so I started taking them. I'm now on day 7 and the side effects have been quite unpleasant. To begin with I felt totally spaced out and exhausted. My legs have felt weak and I'm a bit shakey. I'm still really anxious and keep getting sudden flares of panic that make me feel as though all my nerves are standing on end. I have no interest in food at all and am forcing myself to eat which is making me even more anxious. I'm really hoping that this medication will start to make me feel better soon, because right now I feel trapped in this daily battle of fear, nausea and tiredness. Thanks for listening.
    • crest
      crest jane54588

      Posted

      Hi Jane, how are you doing now. I'm on day 8 and feel completely awful. The panic is worse I can't eat and worst of the cit gave me insomnia, even taking it in the morning as I do I still don't sleep. Did you get this too? How long till your symptoms went away and you started feeling better?
  • jane54588
    jane54588 maisie16541

    Posted

    Hi everyone, I just joined this forum today after coming back to it time and time again for some sort or reassurance. I've been suffering from health anxiety off and on for years, but last August/September it really kicked in, when I became convinced I had breast cancer. I went to the doctor twice in the same week, both times being told everything felt fine, but was sent for a mammogram just to give me peace of mind. As you can imagine I was going out of mind with worry and could barely eat, was rushing to the toilet every morning with loose bowels and all these things just convinced me even more that I had some sort of  terrible illness. Everything turned out to be fine and I started to feel much better. A couple of months later, the anxiety returned. I was getting strange discomfort in my ribs and abdomen, I was having bowel problems again and my appetite was constantly taking dips. I eventually went back to the doctors and explained how I was feeling and was told it was probably the anxiety that was causing the issue. I was given beta blockers to begin with, but didn't feel they made any difference. I was then prescribed 20mg Citalopram. I put them away in drawer for several weeks and was too scared to take them due to the side effects. Then, last week I just thought sod it! I'm sick of feeling like this all the time and so I started taking them. I'm now on day 7 and the side effects have been quite unpleasant. To begin with I felt totally spaced out and exhausted. My legs have felt weak and I'm a bit shaky. I'm still really anxious and keep getting sudden flares of panic that make me feel as though all my nerves are standing on end. I have no interest in food at all and am forcing myself to eat which is making me even more anxious. I'm really hoping that this medication will start to make me feel better soon, because right now I feel trapped in this daily battle of fear, nausea and tiredness. Thanks for listening.
  • joe93594
    joe93594 maisie16541

    Posted

    Hi there,

    Just been reading through comments as i do when i'm suffering from side effects!

    Im 27 and tried every anti depressant there is at an early age from 19.

    Majority of comments on here are truthful and some are absurd.

    For example "change your diet" i think its a bit more complex than that... If that had a huge impact then everyone wouldnt need a ssri, im a bodybuilder so i take each day a multivitamin, cod liver oil and a strict and healthy diet which has made no difference to my mental health.

    As for side effects at this moment in time im suffering from them as i have been on and off citalopram for years.

    1. Anxiety for example sweaty hands and racing thoughts

    2. No appetite whatsoever

    3. No energy

    The part that bothers me most is the anxiety, sometimes can be unbearable BUT i have got years of experience on this medication and know the first few weeks is torture and you feel like giving up hope.

    All i can say is a few weeks down the line you will be looking back asking yourself what you were thinking.

    Even though i know what to expect, the anxiety at the start still bothers me.

    Some people just have no choice but take an anti depressant, all i can say is from experience that things do get better.

    Take care

    Joe

    • nicKnurse
      nicKnurse joe93594

      Posted

      Thanks for that. I have just started having anxiety and wake each morning with a feeling of dread. I get pains in my shoulders and try to tell myself it will pass. I'm a nurse and worry about be of work for too long. I just feel it's never going to end and I'll never return to work.

      Thanks for listening

  • luz03976
    luz03976 maisie16541

    Posted

    The anxiety goes away for a lot of people, it is definitely way better for me now, on day 18.  Also, another really good thread for this question is "Anyone NOT had any side effects on Citalopram?"  It covers hundreds of people's experiences with the side effects.
  • luz03976
    luz03976 maisie16541

    Posted

    the magnesium drink powder definitely helps calm me down.  as will xanax if necessary but i prefer to take other routes if possible.  i'm on day 22 and my anxiety is no longer insane through the roof, but it does still prevent me from doing some stuff.  trying to get courage going.  but it is way better, so don't worry, it gets better, just at different amounts of time for everyone.  supposedly if you're having bad side effects and high anxiety now, more chance that the pill will work for you later. good luck.
  • Colima1126
    Colima1126 maisie16541

    Posted

    Hi I would like to know more about your anxiety since it sounds identical to mine. I have felt alone in this battle.
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