Meds or no Meds

[Caramelcat42]

Recent marriage breakdown after 20 years, thought i was ok, however suffering depression and anxiety i think, cant get out of bed, if i do its for half hour max then need to lay down, loss of intereat in everything, cant concentrate, panic attacks, lots of body pains, dizzy light headiness, breathlessness, think i need to go to the docs hiwever i dont want medication as im scared of side effects and beibg stuck on them etc, how does every1 else try and cope i do the usual meditation, breathing etc but its not enough. Or does medication really help?

[Dway]

Hi caramel, I have only joined this forum as I had nearly parallel symptoms that you were having 3 weeks ago. Medication does help and I had been on escitolopram for 25 odd years. The doctors 2 weeks ago put me on duloxeetine and small doses of quetiapine and I have never had any side effects and yes they do help. My issue came up over a family holiday to Spain that I could not go due to my anxiety. Unfortunately for me this has been the last straw for my wife and we are at a junction and no amount of meds will help me this time. Yes meds are great but unfortunately I feel it has to be meds and plenty of hard work

[Caramelcat42 in reply to Dway]

I constantly think i have a serious illness but its a different 1 every day so im sure it must be anxiety/depression. Im sorry to hear your struggles, i hope you are feeling stronger each day

[Dway in reply to Caramelcat42]

Definitely the anxiety, I have had a head cold for 52 weeks in the year and I now know that it is my mind making me feel this way. You should go to the GP and they will probably give u a few xanax initially and this will pull you out of the hole u are in at the minute. I ended up landing myself in A and É 3 weeks ago

[Caramelcat42 in reply to Dway]

Im hoping to ring docs monday, oh no what happened ?

[Dway in reply to Caramelcat42]

Hang in there, even if u can force yourself to go for a walk. If it was me I would not be shy about just going into a and É. I don't know how far you are from the hospital but I have realised that there is no shame in going in and they deal with this everyday of the week

[Mary654 in reply to Dway]

Hello Dway I just joined the site and happened to come across your reply. I've also been on escitolopram for around 25 years. My doctor is talking about upping my dosage. I'm unsure whether I'm happy with her suggestion. Has your doctor ever suggested increasing your dosage? What struck me about your message is how similar our situations are I also ended up at A&E about a month ago. It was the anxiety and I just worked myself into such a state that A&E was the only option in my mind. Hopefully you're doing better since you left the hospital?

[Dway in reply to Mary654]

Oh god thank god I am not on my own Mary. Mine is at the state we're I think it has completely came to a head. I was on 15mg of escitolopram and it went up to the max 20 last year. In the hospital they basically told me that after 25 years they were like taking sweets and did not work anymore. They immediately got me to quit them and start duloxeetine. I was dreading withdrawals but didn't have any and this kind of told me they were not working. It is so hard for anyone to understand how bad the anxiety can get that you have to land yourself in hospital. It is a double edged sword as I have a wife and family and they have also got to the stage we're they are fed up with me. I don't think the duloxeetine have kicked in yet but honestly not sure how my life goes on from here. I have a good job and don't miss time off but I am dreading the changes in my family life that I know is coming. Maybe talk to the doctor about trying a SNRI like duloxeetine as I would say the escitolopram may have brought u as far as it acan

[Mary654 in reply to Dway]

Im also on max escitolopram. While I was hospital I was told a very similar thing to you as in Ive been taking the meds for so long at such a high dosage that they had such a little effect on me. I had absolutely no idea that I would become immune to antidepressants after taking them for such a long time. But in retrospect guess that makes sense. The reason I went to A&E was just like you I felt that everything had come to a head. Or to be more specific I felt like I had fallen off a cliff mental health wise of course! It sounds like you have a strong support system with your wife and family although they are fed up with everything thats going on they are still there for you and that is invaluable.

[Dway in reply to Mary654]

Thanks Mary, it is tough at the minute and so easy for me to feel sorry for myself. The hospital was right I would ask your GP to try you on different meds as the ones you are taking are not working anymore. I was lucky that the psych team looked after me when I went to A and É. Now when I need a script I ring them and they send it to the chemist. Over the last couple of weeks I have a realisation that I have to start pushing myself that but harder. This bloody terrifies me but I don't think the pills alone will cure me. This is the reason why I signed up to this group today and I have found a weekly support group locally that I am going to start going to next week. I also have CBT starting again but my bloody mind tells me that CBT is all mumbo jumbo and won't let me use the skills I learn from CBT. I have a tough couple of weeks ahead as the holiday is only due on Thursday. I ended up in a and É a full month before I am due to go because of anxiety.

[Caramelcat42 in reply to Dway]

R u in UK, how did u find a local support group, i too go on holiday next friday with sister and nieces im hoping the change will drag me out of my head but also really worrying about not coping and thinking of not going

[Dway in reply to Caramelcat42]

Hi no I am in Southern Ireland. I lived and studied in The UK and I am originally from Northern Ireland. Yes I was so surprised with the support I am getting. They have a crisis team and up until last Friday every 2 to 3 days a psych nurse would meet me to see how the new meds and I was getting on. As you are aware the UK is cutting back on everything at the minute but hopefully there will be something out there for you.

[Alpakka123]

To this thread of new people so far:Welcome!!

[Mary654 in reply to Alpakka123]

Thank you!

[Dway]

Hope you are feeling a bit better today

[Caramelcat42 in reply to Dway]

Thanks I have had a really good day actually, I have tried to keep busy all day and not isolate myself, how was your day?

[Dway in reply to Caramelcat42]

Lots of tension in the house but brought my son to the museum and then for dinner and feeling very good about that. Just hoping I will sleep tonight as it is so hard to turn off my brain at night time. Lots of intrusive thoughts but overall I have been in a hell of a lot worse places

[majones_0608]

Medication can help however when trying meds for depression and anxiety, it can take a while to find the right one. Sometimes there is a trial and error type of thing you have to go through to discover the right med. I used to not be able to get out of bed much either after my divorce, but now things are a little better. But it took a long time to find the right med.