Hello. I have recently been suffering from anxiety again and gone back on medication (citalopram). I feel sick and the thought of food just makes me nauseous, I work myself up when eating that I'm going to be sick. I feel like my body is shivering inside and just feel generally horrible. I am also not sleeping. My doctor just puts it down to anxiety and has suggested propanalol but I'm really struggling with this. Has anyone else felt like this? Its all i can think about which i know is feeding the anxiety.
Hi Katie,
Anxiety can be a terrible illness and will take hold of our thoughts and life if we let it.
It may be a common side effect of the medication to make you feel sick.
Try to eat small regular meals throughout the day and get some excercise in to release some feel good endorphins.
I have been on Cit and Propranolol before. Propranolol is a beta blocker that steadies the heart rate to stop panic and Palpitations.
If you are not getting on with either speak to your doctor about a possible alternative but be aware the Cit which is an SSRI can take 4-6 weeks to work and even then the correct dose has to be established by you and your doctor.
You will get through the Anxious feelings.
Try Mindfulness and meditation to still your troubled mind, it helps me.
Peace 
i went to the doctor for severe anxiety at first, (health anxiety) and constant waves of panic attacks NOT NICE!, he gave me ‘anti anxiety’ tablets which were sertraline 50mg,
the first week was absoloutly horrendous.HORRID they sent me spiralling into depression,i physically couldnt eat anything, i could barely reach out for a drink on my bedside, i was curled up in a ball in bed in the dark for 2 weeks. all i could do was pray this depressive feeling in my head went away FAST
I felt as though i couldnt be left alone as i would get into a panic , they made me feel like i was totally losing my mind, i didnt eat for 4 days straight
i had the normal side effects of starting antidepressants .. loose stool, headaches, bad dizzy spells and pain between the eyes, zero apetite ) and crazy crazy isomnia which i still have, (2 -3 hours sleep a night)
all the latter side effects i can deal with if it meant i would never have to feel that disgusting draining, im going crazy kill me now feeling in my brain)
i went back to a different doctor and explained these tablets gave me severe depression which she agreed but insisted i stick with them for a little longer so VERY RELUCTANTLY i did
it was day 14 that i felt things change, still dizzy, headache and loose stool but my head started to feel clearer, i slowly felt i was getting better, , im on day 20 now and my mood is improving and panick attacks have calmed down, i still get dizzy spells but im getting back to my old self, i can now speak to people again
i went to see a private psychiatrist who is much more trained in mental health than a GP ( cost me a a fortune) to speak about this medicine as the doctors on the nhs seem to have conflicting views on it (not there skilled profession)
he said sertraline is one of the best anti depressants available and i done the right thing to stick it out for the first 2 weeks even though they were so bad
MORAL OF THE STORY - PLEASE GIVE SERTRALINE A CHANCE TO WORK - at least 3 weeks,
my psychiatrist (works in a top private hospital in london) said not to listen to too many of the bad reviews as he believes most of them
will be from people who didnt stick it out past the first couple of weeks and didnt allow the drug to work,
if this helps at least one person fighting mental health as i am ill be a satisfied man
from peter parker
Yes! When I first had anxiety issues I lost like 10 lbs bc I couldn’t eat. Every time I went to eat my stomach was so nervous and I would end up gagging and feeling like I was gonna throw up. I also had trouble sleeping at that point too, I’d wake up at like 7am with my heart racing and couldn’t fall back asleep. I do nottttt miss those days -_-
- I began seeing a therapist for my anxiety and it helped me a lot. Perhaps you should look into seeing one?
Sertraline is notoriously difficult at the start of treatment. It worsens anxiety and the side effects can make one feel more miserable than they did prior to taking the med. BUT, if you can hang in there for a few weeks the side effects will likely pass and it has the potential to get you feeling a whole lot better. My provider has prescribed Klonopin (a benzodiazepiene similar to ativan, xanax) to help ride out the roller coaster. It is intended to be used judiciously for the short term as it has the potential for tolerance. It seems to me that many, if not most, of us anxiety sufferers, are afraid of using it due to fear of becoming addicted but the likelihood of that is low. I’ve never become addicted and use it rarely once the crisis is over.
Other things you might want to add to your daily regimen: aerobic exercise, ideally outside! Break a sweat! It is a wonderful anxiety buster. Eat small frequent meals/snacks. Yoga! Another super helpful practice. Be as kind to yourself as you can and remind yourself that it will pass! I feel your pain and send my best wishes for restored well-being to you!