To be anxious to take anti anxiety medication?!

Oh just noticed this is a Zombie thread 😂 Glad you’re doing ok OP.

Think of it this way - you don’t have to be taking them forever just until your back on your feet. I take a different medication admittedly (Sertraline)but it hasn’t had any negative effect on me.

I know this thread is a couple of years old but just intrigued to know how you are now OP? @AnxiousAbi

I take 20mg of citalopram
The best tip I got was don't read the leaflet on side effects, give it to someone you trust. If you get a side effect then you can ask but you can't read them and worry yourself!

Sorry I forgot I name changed!

Some people who suffer with insomnia find it helps to take the meds at night. I persevered and it has improved a lot so I’ve kept taking it in the morning.

I’ve been listening to a podcast recommended on here the last couple of nights - it’s called Nothing Much Happens - basically boring light stories to help you sleep. It’s worked really well for me so maybe something similar might work for your DD.

Now, how are you doing? You must be so worried

I am on 15mg of lexapro almost 10 years now.
Try not to worry so much about it. It literally saved me. Anxiety won't just disappear but the drug will certainly help you control things and look at things perhaps a bit more positively.
Try it if your doctor says and if it doesn't.work you can can move on.
Good luck.

Hi @AnxiousAbi
she is improving, just gone up to 7.5 mg in the morning.
her sleep is better but she's awake at 3am for a bit.

The side effects are definitely going. she is eating again but its not as varied as before. lost of things she doesn't fancy.

She said to me on Thursday morning that she thinks its helping. she is being more cheeky to her dad and telling him off (in a jokey way) and we can always tell she is feeling better when she does this.

@AnxiousAbi yeah, everything is adjusting, so I'm sure you might feel bit lightheaded. Make sure you're eating and drinking nough and it will pass.

This is useful to know Noodella
Thanks

@AnxiousAbi regarding feeling depressed, that is quite common when the anxiety starts to reduce. Think of them as being part of the same condition caused by low serotonin. The anxiety is the manic part which keeps you forging on, driven by cortisol and adrenaline. Once those hormones start to reduce you're left with the less manic part of the chemical imbalance, so you have low serotonin but no anxiety hormones to make up that shortfall, so you feel depressed. The SSRIs aren't making you feel depressed, they have just taken away the anxiety hormones which were covering up the 'low' part of the serotonin imbalance. In some ways this is great news as it means the drugs are starting to kick in, and will also start to work to bring the total level of serotonin up too which will make you not feel low as well. If you're still feeling low in a couple of weeks I would definitely consider upping your dose, because you might just need a little bit more serotonin to bring you totally into balance. Hope that makes sense!

@AnxiousAbi
Could you pm me the Facebook group. I think that my help her.

My DD’s appetite has vanished. She doesn’t fancy any thing.
Strong flavours turn her stomach at the mo.
She is 3 days in and taking them at night but is waking quite wired in the middle of the night.
I’m so proud of her. This isn’t easy and definitely not the easy option.

Antidepressants have come a long way! I am on them and sometimes I have felt like I can come off them because my life is just so normal and fine and I’ll be fine without them… it isn’t until I have that I’ve seen how much they help me. They don’t make you manic nor a zombie. They literally just calm your anxiety. Once you get over the nausea! What I will say though is if one doesn’t work for you don’t be afraid to try a different one. One does not fit all. I didn’t get on with Citalopram. Sertraline does it for me. I’m on it long term now. It’s fine. I know someone whose life is an absolute mess just now and you can clearly see it is due to a mental break but they won’t take anything due to stigma and old fashioned outlook. Their life is going down the toilet. Just take what you need to have a better life.

I thought that they turned you into a zombie and was very reluctant to go on them . Best thing I ever did, helped e coped, stopped me being a emotional wreck and made me feel stronger in myself.
As I was feeling better, walking and singing helped a lot .
I dread to think where I would of been without them.
When you want to come off them, do it very gradually and with yo doctor s advice.
I wish you well again, believe me ,the medication works. Depression and anxiety don’t go away by themselves.

Oh yes, I'd completely forgotten about the dry mouth. I had this when I restarted Escitalopram over the summer, it's not nice. It does go away, though, I think it took 2-3 weeks.

I know I said this before, but taking my tablet just before bed seems to suit me best. I don't know if this is the recommended time, but it works for me - presumably my body "gets used" to it overnight and feel fine in the morning. Keep persevering, OP, I'd give it at least a one month, perhaps two, to really decide whether they're right for you. I restarted mine in July (after a 10--month break) and feel so much better now. .