I’m going anyway!

[Laniben]

You know what, I’m going up the road anyway! , I don’t want to give in and stay indoors, I need some fresh air. I swear anxiety plays tricks on you. It’s only round the corner I’m not going miles away. It’s ridiculous to feel like this, and I want some milk and a couple of other things....here goes ....

[emetophobicgirl]

Good luck girl! I'm cheering you on! the more times you do things like this the easier they will become (apparently)

[Laniben in reply to emetophobicgirl]

Thank you, back indoors going to have a nice healthy salad for a change.

[emetophobicgirl in reply to Laniben]

Yay well done! be proud of yourself as you conquered a big thing

[harv_singh]

Just going for quick walk can be so mentally draining, I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, I hate it!

[Laniben in reply to harv_singh]

Sometimes I think the anticipation of going is worse in a way. I know not every day is the same but even yesterday when I felt pretty rough I still went up and got myself fish and chips, it’s not always easy I know

[harv_singh in reply to Laniben]

I'm determined to go for a walk tomorrow, I have to fight this. Well done to you

[Laniben in reply to harv_singh]

you can do it! 👍🏻

[Hidden]

Well, how did it go?

[Laniben in reply to Hidden]

I only went up for some milk and one other thing, and came back with all salad stuff for dinner later

So I made it 👍🏻

[Hidden in reply to Laniben]

You made it, great!

Go further next time.

🙂

[Kkimm]

Hi Sam

Brilliant, that is what you have to do. You are right it is anxiety playing tricks on you. Do not worry if you feel worse while out or when you get back. You have done it and are on the way to recovery. With regard to your previous post, I also got worse before I got better on antidepressants but just hang on in there.

Good luck.

Kim

[Laniben in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim, Yes I did feel worse after I’d been back for a while, few little anxiety attacks here and there.Oh right it’s weird how the antidepressants work isn’t it, I dont understand why they make you feel worse at first though x

[Laniben in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim, Do you think it’s because my GP upped the dose after two weeks So I have to get used to the new lot which I started taking 2 weeks ago this Thursday?

Sam

[Kkimm in reply to Laniben]

Hi Sam

Yes it is so hard that it makes you feel worse before you feel better. This is why so many people find it really hard to continue to take them long enough to start to get better. I think I told you that it took four months to gradually feel better then after that there were sudden marked improvements up to a year later. I was more or less back to normal then and in some ways better than I ever had been. Some people do not get this strong negative reaction at first but many people do and I have heard that if you have quite a strong negative at first it can mean that the antidepressant is working for you and you are likely to do well in the long run. I think that does make sense in many ways, your body is having to adjust to the changes which are happening rather than that there are no real changes going on at all.

Another yes for if I think your strong reaction is partly to do with a dose increase after two weeks. I had had such a bad reaction at the start of my dose that I was afraid to increase until after about 6 weeks but felt that I probably needed to, I then increased again twice more over the next few months. I felt worse after each dose increase but nothing like as bad as when I first started. However you have had a quicker increase which may mean that you will feel worse but may improve quicker than me as long as you also try hard to stick at it and do your little steps forward each day which I did manage to do. I got myself doing excercise such as fast walking and swimming most days also. I always advise people to try not to worry about symptoms as well but I certainly worried alot at first and still improved. It takes quite a while to learn to stop worrying if you do not have CBT to help you in this.

After starting meds, what had been unease turned into near panic episodes. I had never had panic attacks before. However my appetite came back quickly and this had been my main concern before with a really big weight loss, and after a few days my nausea disappeared which was another main symptom before taking antidepressants. However as well as becoming much more anxious generally, I did have nausea back at times, along with lots of new scary symptoms.

I became afraid of lots of ordinary things as you are describing such as going out, seeing friends etc. I think the only reason I kept on taking the meds was because I was afraid to stop as that is meant to be very hard as well. However I am so glad I continued and feel it was a life saver for me. I feel I really want to help support others who are going through it because of how hard I found it.

You are doing really well.

All the best

Kim

[Laniben in reply to Kkimm]

Thank you so much Kim, that helps me a lot to understand things. Sam x

[Hidden]

You GOT THIS!!! Treat yourself when you come back!

[Kkimm in reply to Hidden]

Hi Unicornsrule.

I think you did the right thing for you in stopping antidepressants. Everyone has to do what they think is right for them. You have been doing so many amazing things in going on your own to live in NY etc which is a massive achievement. I really think you can do it without antidepressants. Everyone has to make their own choices.

You will do great I am sure.

Keep taking photos and enjoying the beautiful city scapes etc.

Kim

[Hidden in reply to Kkimm]

Awwww thank you, Kim!!! I so appreciate it and you. Thank you!!!

[Laniben in reply to Hidden]

Thank you x