HI,
I just found this forum. I am a 40year old femaile, been sufering on and off with heath anxiety since my teens. Lately, it has been really bad and I decided to go back on meds, but on day 4 of citalopram I'm quitting because of side effects. I feel like I don't have a lot of optons left. Am I going to be stuck feeling this way forever? I'm on summmer holidays with my kdis off school and all I can do is obsess over my worries. My latest obsession whcih has been going on a couple of months is about my hair. Every day I count the number of hairs I lose, convinced it is too many and I am suffering hair loss. When I go out all I do is obsess over other people's hair. I'm miserable and a nervous wreck over this. Anyway thanks for reading, I look forward to joining in on this forum.
Have you ever tried cognitive therapy? I felt the same as you thinking I would be this way forever but after nearly five months of therapy I'm getting back to the person I used to be. I think people like you and me will always be more anxious or worried then the next we will always have a high capacity to latch onto, obsess and hold thoughts but with therapy and time we learn to understand our minds, understanding leads to recovery then to healing
It will get better
Thank you. I did try CBT years ago and found it helpful at the time. I have since tried telephone CBT which is all that's available on the NHS at the moment and I hated it as I found it very strange and impersonal. I would really like to find a good therapists privately but the cost is an issue for me at the moment. If I could go once a fortnight I might be able to manage it but it seems a lot of therapists want to see you weekly.
Do you live outside the U.S.?
I'm not familiar with therapy outside the U.S. I wish I knew how get you placed with one privately
But I know you can heal and in time you will feel better I wish I could do more you can message me anytime if you need to vent sometimes just not feeling alone helps
I do know a text based therapy where you can talk online and it's international
Thanks so much for your encouragement christophe, it means a lot to be able to talk to others who understand. I would be interested to find put more about online therapy if you have derails.
Could u PM the details please?
Go to you tube and listen to meditations for anxiety and overthinking.
They completely calm down my mind and body. And teach you how to separate negative thoughts from yourself.
one is "detachment from overthinking ".
Many to choose from.
they may help you!🌸🌸🌸
Thank you. I do use a lot of meditation recordings from Spotify and last night I tried YouTube, you're right, there are loads of good ones on there. These really help me to relax but I just wish I could find a way to turn off my obsessive worries all day long.
Hi cattia,
First of all, do not worry. It sounds to me like you need something more effective than citalopram... I took this for a while and it did nothing for me other than an upset stomach.
Have you talked to your GP about trying fluoxetine or sertraline?
Do you have bad panic attacks? If so, it could be that you need help to stop these in the short term (e.g. clonazepam) alongside 121 cognitive behavioural therapy.
Keep us posted. The hair counting thing is a common symptom of what you're going through, but you will be fine.
Phil
Thank you so much for your reply. It means the world to me to be able to speak to people who understand. I have a prescription for Sertraline. I am scared to take it because a rare side effect is hair loss! But I know deep down I should give it a try because I'm missing out on life here with all these fears.
Sertraline is a very effective drug, and I use it at 100mg for anxiety, severe panic disorder and Depression
You should definitely try sertraline, especially as you have been prescribed it.
Do you have panic attacks?
Phil
I had a lot of panic attacks when I was younger and more recently I've started to get them again, mainly connected with driving, especially on roads where I can't easily stop and pull over. This is a problem for me because I've always been a really confident driver up until now.
Then be very cautious with any anti-anxiety/panic medication which the doctor gives you; they can cause a level of drowsiness meaning you will not be legal/safe to drive.
CBT could really be the way forward. Good luck.
Phil
I agree Phil. The DVLA has this warning ttoo on its website.
The same applies to eople with uncontrolled epilepsy.
xx
I think ohce you are past the initial phase of getting into SSRIs they are fine to drive on. There have been a few studies that show they do not impair driving ability. The same is not true for the older anti depressants and tranquiliers though. For me the panic is probably more of a barrier to driving than the drugs would be though.,
Thanks Phil, I will definitely try therapy, although I would like to combine CBT with more long term talk therapy I think. There are a couple of therapists I have found locally who do both but it's the cost that's a problem for me as none of is it easily available on the NHS.
Hi again
I have sent you a link to ssris and their side effects. These include drowsiness.
Take care