Anxiety & depression

[Bev62]

Can anyone out there give me some hope for the future please? I’m 63 and on paper have the perfect life. Husband and 4 great adult kids - 3 live abroad and due to the dreaded C word I obviously haven’t been able to see them.
About 8 weeks ago I was hit like a train with anxiety which has now turned to awful depression. Haven’t been able to eat , lost loads of weight. Took Citalopram for four weeks and was with then changed to Mirtazapine 3 weeks ago - just been told to up dose to 30mg.
I’m so very scared I will never be ‘me’ again. I’ve started a CBT course and hoping that will help.
Can someone reassure me that things will get better - had a similar experience? Friends and husband supportive but don’t think they really
‘Get it’

Of course things will get better. Sometimes it can take a while for you to get the right medicine for you. Any therapy you do will be a help. They'll get you to the bottom of it.

Anxiety and depression are a pair of bitches that can come out of nowhere for no reason, but you still have to fight them daily. I had them both for years and it crippled me. I didn't want to go on even though I had a good life. I felt no one understood because my life wasn't "bad". I went through a few medications and ended up finding that Sertraline was best for me. I took long walks and got therapy. Slowly I didn't feel like life was so worthless/boring and I was able to do things I couldn't before due to anxiety. It's an uphill battle, but believe in yourself that you can do this. Get every bit of help you can. Do all the exercise you can.

You will get better.

You will feel better. My MIL went through similar from what you have said. It was rough but she got through it and is happier than ever now. I'm so sorry you are going through this but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you for your kind messages of support. It means a lot.
Exercise def helps. Can I ask you how long you persevere with an AD before trying something else? Currently 3 weeks in on Mirtazapine and as I said Doc upped dose on Friday. They def help me sleep and make me hungry (although I have no appetite) which I’m told is a sign they are working but haven’t noticed any improvement in mood/anxiety levels. Due to see Doc for a review on Thursday.

AD usually take 4-6 weeks to improve your mood. Sometimes they can even make you feel worse in the time you're waiting for them to work! But if it isn't working after that then you tell your doctor to change it. But like you said, you have signs they are working so far so this you very well could be on the right path. ❤️

About 3 weeks in to Mirtazapine I was suicidal, my anxiety was worse than ever and I thought I couldn't go on.
A week later it lifted a bit. Still anxious but manageable. Give it a bit longer and be gentle on yourself.

Thanks all. I’ll plough on for a week or two then 🤞🏻and hope, hope, hope things will improve.
My CBT counsellor tells me I ‘catastrophise’ everything so I will try and be more positive and work on that!
Love to everyone out there who may be suffering also xx

It really will start to feel better soon. I’m a few weeks ahead of you. It took me a month of citalopram before I stopped getting awful side affects and then another 3 weeks before I finally felt the fog start to lift. I’m also 6 weeks into CBT therapy and it’s helping so much. I’ve still a long way to go, but it will take time and I know I’ll get me back eventually.

Like you I feel I have nothing to be anxious or depressed about but the strain we have all been under this year just built up and hit me like a tonne of bricks. You aren’t alone.

Hope you feel better soon.

God I catastrophise everything, it's exhausting isn't it.

Anyone tried mindfulness? You’re so right - it’s exhausting trying deal with all these awful intrusive thoughts. My problem is I want instant results and get disheartened when things don’t work right away.

Bad day today - increased Mirtazapine dose made me very agitated and anxiety thru roof again.
Now reduced back to 15mg and relying on Diazepam again -:when will this nightmare end

So... 5 months on and still in a dark place. Was put on Pregabelin for a while with limited success. Was getting some good days after Xmas
but not happy on Pregabelin after reading horror stories of addiction and difficulty withdrawing.
Still taking 30mg Mirtazapine in the evening and now Psychiatrist wants to add Venlafaxine to the mix. Just taken my first 37.5 dose this morning with a view to upping to 75 in 3 days and reducing Mirtazapine to 15mg.
Can someone PLEASE give me some positive feedback, tips for getting thru this? So desperate to be ‘me’ again and so scared I won’t get there.
Anyone with similar experiences? I’m still in a state of shock that this
has happened to me.

Hi OP, I'm sorry you're still in a dark place, it's so frightening isn't it?

I got to a similar place this year and began mirtazipine (around November) which helped anxiety but not my depression, so am now prescribed venlafaxine alongside. It does seem to be working as I'm noticing more positives and even feeling a bit happy(!) sometimes and feeling much less numb and depersonalised.

Getting through the side-effects (venla) was horrible though, I found I had less if I took both medications at the same time after eating. Side effects only lasted a week or so (a very long week!)

Good luck, and I hope you're feeling better soon.

Thanks for that positive post. It’s so good to hear of people coming out the other side of this awful illness.
Do you mind me asking what dosages you are on? What dose Ven did you start on and how quickly did you increase (if at all). I think I can cope with the side effects if they only last a week.
Currently taking diazepam to get me thru the first few days 🤞🏻
So glad to hear you are feeling better