anxiety disorder is awful!! I'm at week three of meds and hanging in there but need to know its going to end someday soon. Anyone else feel this way or have positive report?
What meds are you on?
Hey Lisa you take sertaline right
I started with Prozac but it was really upping the anxiety and causing insomnia. So yesterday I began cross tapering with Sertaline . I was on Sertaline before and it worked wonderfully. That's why I am switching. But I know very little about cutting down one med and starting another.
It took me almost 6 weeks on Citalopram to see a significant improvement. But improve I did. My anxiety increased bit I had some help from Ativan when I felt like my chest was tightening and I couldn't mentally fight.
I am starting CBT councel8ng next week.
It does get better, but you have to gut it out for a couple weeks, yours may be sooner.
Thank you so much for this positive message! Whew! So good to hear. Right now I am having shakey hands and anxiety but I don't know if it's the disorder or the meds. Whatever it is, I know it will end. I wish I could repost your story for others who are in the middle of their med treatment. You have been a big help to me.
I have read lots of posts from people that had the increase in anxiety and then the decrease to nothing or almost nothing.
I still have a bit but nothing like it was.
I relate to how you said there were times you couldn't mentally fight. I so know that place. And I am starting CbT in a week too. We need to combine meds with therapy. I am glad you are through the worst of it and are almost 100%.
Thank you, some days are still much better than others. I found going for a 20 minute walk to be the best thing to help stop the shaky hands etc.
I was on Zoloft for quite a while, and it certainly helped a lot once it was fully in my system. It was a bit rough in the beginning, but so was the initial reason for taking it. The meds definitely help, but if you get to the point of thinking that they don't, you might need a different dose, especially since most doctors start people off with a small amount. Keep hanging in there, the fog will lift.
Exactly I started with 10mg of Citalopram and they just kicked it up to 20mg
Theres always hope lisa , i suffered for nearly 2 years before i got a handle on it, anxiety took me to the depths of hell, every waking moment was almost unbearable, there is a way back. If ud like some support just ask id be glad to help
Hi Paul, I feel that every waking moment is unbearable, I wake up in the morning and don't know how I can cope with another day of feeling so strange and awful, I've been like this for 10 months now a couple of times I've started to get better only to go back to square one again. Life just doesn't feel normal to me anymore, I suffer with depersonalisation and derealisation because of the anxiety, and my thoughts are obsessive existential thoughts, did you have anything like that? I really feel like I'm never going to get better and back to normal. It feels like there is no escape
Hi jenijar' the answer is yes to all thoes symptoms'. I know its hard to believe anxiety can cause such weird symptoms but it does. I used to over think my symptoms always imagining the worst case scenario, digging myself deeper into anxiety. Obviously i can only speak for myself but id be glad to help someone if i can as i know how tough it is.
Of course their is hope. Always have hope. Thats your anxiety bully talking. You know i know we all have anxiety attacks and issues and we are ooen about it but a lor more people have this then admit. Most with chronic ailments get this anxiety too. All the doctors do is give pills for it they have no clue until,scientist figure it out. I have ailments that trigger it i know others do too, it all feels the same in the end. But yes there is always hope!
Hi Paul I tried to send you a private message, was your DP/DR constant and how long did it last for? Did you wake up one day and it was gone or did it fade slowly. I can't imagine ever getting better, I feel like it's ruined my life.
Hi jenijar, for me as soon as i stopped worrying about my symptoms and just accepted it as the norm, trusting my doctors diagnosis of anxiety it started to improve from there, i had exhausted all other possible reasons for my symptoms like ms' tumors etc like all us anxiety sufferers tend to do, all i was left with was my original diagnosis of anxiety, so i started ignoring my symptoms distracting myself whenever i had symptoms, i decided i wasnt gona be a victim of it. I cant remember how long it took but i remember thinking 1 day realising some symptoms were gone' and its just got better and better ever since' . I dont over think things anymore ' i think that playes a big part, and excessive worry. I noticed a change within weeks.
Hi Paul, thanks for your reply, thing is I already accept that my symptoms are due to anxiety, but it doesn't stop me fearing them. It's the DP/DR and existential thoughts that really bother me. I keep thinking that I don't actually exist or that nothing in life makes sense. Did you have any thoughts like that? Would you say you had a lot of DP/DR?
U seem to be giving DP/DR alot of attention, if it was me i would try to distract myself from thinking about it, 1 day at a time, id definitely take up some form of physical activity if possible' i foud it to be better than any meds i was offered. I had all the symptoms u talk about but once i stopped focusing on 1 symptom and started tackling the anxiety things got better'. Alot of ppl suffer with anxiety its like a bully trying to scare u. When your feeling ill just remember ur not gona die its not going 2 kill you, things will get better' negative thoughts spawn more negative thoughts' uv got to try and be positive things will get better focus on that' try and find somthing in the day to look forward 2' . When ur ill remember uv been here before u know this feeling its uncomfortable but it will get better'. Ask yourself do u feel better today than i did yesterday " focus on any positive things that you can in a day.
What is,DP/DR?