hello this post is about anxiety medications, I would like to know the personal stories people have with their experience on medication and what types if possible. Did the medication help? Does it make the worrying fade away so a normal life can be lived? I am currently debating goin on the prescribed medication cipralex which is an SSRI but I am worried about side effects and if they will make me feel worse. Thanks for your time
Hi dtrick,
i believe eve we have spoken before, I am on Paroxetine which is also an SSRI, I have been on it six weeks and am starting to feel the effects, the side effects were quite strange for the first few weeks and I still have the shakes some times. My solution was to keep a daily journal of how I felt, anything I noticed both in mind and body and I would take this with me when I saw my GP, he found it useful because he could reassure me what was normal. Stay strong my friend
My experiences are:
Citalopram (SSRI): Drowsey, spaced-out, lethargy, relaxed, thoughts still in my head but the edge was taken off. Due to the sleep of 14 hours a day minimum, I developed BPPV (positional vertigo), due to that I changed to Sertraline.
Sertraline (SSRI): Feels milder for me, edge taken off, more level feeling. I shall continiue with sertraline & monitor it, so far it seems to be a better option for my particular biology.
With both my MDD/GAD/OCD are all this noticable, but more manageable, with CBT, it is improving.
I had a break down after my fiance's suicide 7 years ago, although I had suffered from some anxiety and the occassional panic attack prior to that. I have been taking escitalopram since. At the start, the side effects were fairly odd, dry mouth, bizarre dreams (that I still have at times but don't worry me), and a total gestation of any libido. I am on 10mg a day and think I may be on them for the rest of my life. I now suffer hugely from health anxiety and worry (also have IBS/fibromyalgia/osteoarthritis/gerd! which doesn't really help). However, I do feel the SSRI DOES help me, a lot actually and would definately recommend that you give it a go. A journal is a fabulous idea and will help you notice improvements. I wish you the very best. Good luck.
Does the medication make the worrying fade? The on edge feeling? Also I'm sorry you have developed health anxiety. The medication does not seem to help with that?
I don't know anything about Cipralex - presumably your GP is prescribing that. I have been using Mirtazapine for eighteen months, and Pregabalin for the last three months. They are working quite well, though mornings can be bad for anxiety. A young niece of mine has suffered similar anxiety and she is herself a GP. She has used low doze Mirtazapine and therapy, with mindfulness. I find that helps as well. Check it online if you don't know what it is. It takes time and determination but it can work.
Good luck with whatever you decide on.
I imagine that I wouldn't be able to cope with the health anxiety as well as I do without the SSRI but it still impacts on my life and I have been unable to work because of it for three years now. The escitalopram does take the edge off the worry, it helps me sleep too and many of my original symptoms, like a racing heartbeat and shaking have all but disappeared. I am due to start CBT soon and I hope that helps too.