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Posted 1/4/2012 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I have suffered from an anxiety disorder for 7 years.  I was on 60mg of citalopram until last November, but then they discovered it can cause irregular heart beats, and as I was admitted to hospital for supected angina they took me off it, they then put me on 10mg od escitalopram, but this just made me sick. I was was then put on 50mg od sertralin, which I tried to avoid taking, but the withdrawal symptons of going cold turkey from citalopram were extremely bad.  I have now been taking the sertralin for 1.5 weeks, I feel more level headed, but my anxiety has increased.  I get aching in my left calf muscle, and when I wake up my mind starts worrying, and I get churning in my stomach and my leds go weak.  When I walk downstairs I am all shaky.  I phoned my shrink up and he said these tablets can cause increased anxiety, and to phone him in about 2 weeks if it has not settled down.  My life is full of stress as I am a single dad with 2 teenage sons with DiGeorge syndrome.  One has heary problems, the other has very bad mood swings. 

What I would like to know is, is this true about the meds I take?

Thank you in advance for any help that can be given.

Pat

Posted 1/4/2012 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Maverick and welcome!

I am glad that you have found us here, and are reaching out for help and support for your anxiety. It is healing and comforting to talk to others with similar struggles and feelings.

It is a huge challenge to raise two teenaged sons on your own...one that for sure has its blessings, but at times is also an anxiety filled rollercoaster! Great job on all that you do on a daily basis, but also for taking care of yourself, so that you can be the best dad you can be.

I encourage you to keep posting with us anytime that you have a question, or just want to share. We are here to listen and support:)

As far as your question goes, I am sure that someone will be able to give you some guidance soon...I don't have any advice for you, but since this is the quiet 'lull' part of the day, I just wanted to welcome you and assure you that your inquiry will be answered soon.

Take care,
Scaredy Cat
Posted 1/4/2012 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome.  I have been on sertraline ( Zoloft) since right before Christmas as I too was on Celexa and had to have the EKG etc.  My Dr. felt I should switch meds as the dose of Celexa safe for my age was not therapuetic.  I have had the same sx as you - I have had the aching muscles, leg weakness and increased anxiety.

I am hanging in there as I know from past experience that most of the time the side effects will decrease.  I would give it some time and if you absolutely cannot tolerate the side effects there are many other choices of medication so don't give up.  You will get better.

I commend you on being a single Father as it is not always easy.   I was a single parent at one time in my life.  Just me and 3 little ones. :-)

I wish you the best.

Kindly,

Kitt

Posted 1/4/2012 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

Thank you both for your kind words of support.  Its comforting to know that I am not alone.

Pat

Posted 1/5/2012 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

Good to meet you and welcome to the forum. You have had some great support so I just wanted to pop in and see hi.

Hibee
Posted 1/8/2012 3:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I saw my phycyatrist on Friday, as could not cope with tingling legs, hot feet and increased anxiety, he has now increased me to 100mg.  Yesterday I did a silly thing I took a 40mg citalopram by mistake, but during day I felt a bit better no tingling legs or hot feet, now very confused.  Today I have had 100mg sertraline.  I had a panic attack at 4am for a long time.  My legs seem ok today, but still seem to feel that my heart is racing.  I might ask my Doctor if it would be better to go back on my old meds.  I know why my panic attacks start, they usually start at 6am, just before my eldest son wakes up, and he is the one with violent outbursts and is awaiting phycological counselling.  They also start about 3pm, just before he comes home from school.  I feel bad that I feel this way, but until he gets the help he needs and starts to calm down, then I guess I have to deal with them.

I hope noone minds me moaning about things, it just helsp to get it off my chest.

Thank you again for listening.

Pat

Posted 1/8/2012 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
You are not moaning, you are expressing the things that you are feeling, and that is very helpful...if that's moaning, then I am the guiltiest of them all! Lol:)

It is actually a good thing that you have such a clear idea of your triggers. This in no way should make you feel bad. Stress is stress, and having a teenager who is having trouble with his/her outbursts is really hard. My anxiety started after my oldest and my husband were having power struggles in our house. I can pinpoint the first panic attack I ever had to a time when she was involved in a disciplinary situation.

We got counseling for her as well as ourselves as a family, and things have worked out really well!:)

You are doing the things that you need to do in order to make things healthy for you and your kids...you are on the right track, and things will get better...keep up the good work and faith.

The question about you meds you will have to ask your doctor about. I just don't have any advice there, but I am sure that you two will be able to find what works for you, it just takes trial/error and time.

Glad to see you still posting with us:)

S.C.
Posted 1/9/2012 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
Kitt,

When you stopped taking ciltalopram did you slowly stop or did you stop cold turkey.  As I have found something on the internet that might explain some side effects both you and i are getting.  It might be withdrawal from citalopram.  Some people have had the same side effects, feeling cold, panic attacks lasting a long time, nausea see this link.

http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=32211

I am going to get an appointment with my shrink this week and see if can do this.  I will let you all know.

Pat

Posted 1/9/2012 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
Pat,

Good Morning.  I am glad you are staying in close contact with your Psychiatrist.  I switched from Celexa right over to Zoloft so I cannot say for sure which med caused me to feel crappy.  It could have been the discontinuation of the Celexa or the starting of the Zoloft. I am doing much better now with the Zoloft and no side effects to speak of.  Celexa and Zoloft are both SSRI drugs so they are in the same classs, however, that does not mean that you won't do better on one then the other.

When reading your post one "huge" thing jumped out at me - your son's behavior appears to be the trigger to your anxiety attacks in the morning and the afternoon.  I can understand exactly how you feel as your first thoughts upon awakening must be worry about what the morning will be like and then again when he returns home you go through the same feelings and wham you are in high anxiety.

Wondering if you have a support system in your home that can take some of the weight off your shoulders when dealing with your son ?

When we live in a situation where we are gaurenteed high stress throughout the day and we have nobody to back us up our anxiety will escalate.

Please talk to your psychologist about learning how to deal with your anxiety re your son.  I know this is not something you  can just remove from your life so I hope you will find ways to take care of you and that life will get better soon.

I have my own trigger that sends my anxiety up however like you I cannot remove this stressor from my life and it is dang tough to deal with it on a daily basis. I understand completely how you are feeling.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

 

Posted 1/9/2012 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Kitt,
I don't have a support system at all. All I have really is phoning my parents, as they live 500miles away in Scotland. I am totally on my own, no friends as my ex wife saw to all of that. But Hey ho we have to soldier on. There is a group I phoned up called care for carers, and I am waiting for them to call me back, so we will see what they have to offer. I love my kids to bits, but it can all get a bit much sometimes. I am feeling calmer in my head today, but did have a big panic attack this morning. Maybe the meds might take a bit longer to kick in. I tried to call my shrink today, but could not get htrough, so will try again tomorrow.

I am glad to here your side effects are wearing off and you are feeling better.

Pat
Posted 1/10/2012 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

Well my anxiety hit a record high tonight as my eldest son punched his double glazed window and smashed it.  Then he went on punching other things.  He has calmed down now, and it clearing up.  I have now got him an appointment for Friday for his counselling, why it took this episode for these people to take me seriously I do not know, but hopefully it will help him, as it needs to for my sanity.  I also have an appointment on Friday to see my shrink about my meds to find out if the new meds are not working or its withdrawal from the citalopram.  I have been on sertralin for 2.5 weeks, maybe I am expecting too much too soon.  Something has to go right soon.

Thank you all again for listening.

Pat

Posted 1/10/2012 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
I am really sorry to hear that maverick! Is your son allright? Are you? I'm glad that you got your appointment moved up...he needs help a.s.a.p., and you need some peace in your household.

Hold on as best as you can until Friday. Have you written the things down that the counselor will benefit from knowing about the behavior? If you are anything like me, you may need to have it on paper to prevent going blank, or leaving something pertinent out.

I hope that you can get your med situation figured out quickly as well. It is hard to wait when you need to feel better yesterday!

Keep talking to us, we are sending our best support and wishes to you and your boys:)

S.C.
Posted 1/10/2012 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

Yes he is ok a couple of cuts thats all, Im ok a bit shaky, but I will be fine as I have to.  The counsellor was emailed all the info about his syndrome before, but they chose to ignore it before and said it was normal teenager behaviour.  The thing is they dont see what he is really like, only I do.

Regards

Pat

Posted 1/15/2012 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,
I am new to this forum and have had panic attacks on and off for 20 years (started when i was about 23). Nice reprieve however from about 29 - 38 at that time it seems a divorce triggered that old fun panic mechanism. I have to say - if it helps anyone that in my 20's I felt totally hopeless and then went years without even thinking about a xanax or any type of medication. I think it's the only thing getting me through the tough time now - IT WILL GET BETTER! The key (which I did not practice) was addressing the things that caused the initial anxiety once I did feel better in my late 20's for a decade in a half. I have an alcoholic mother and have alway been wound "tight" to begin with. Successful career though, etc. and always thought I could handle anything. Well we are only human and when work, family or just random chemical imbalance hits, it's like someone takes the person we are and makes us feel scared of all sorts of things on a daily basis. I remember a ski lift ride about 8 months ago and the lady we were with said she was having a panic attack (keep in mind I had them years earlier) and I thought- wow she is weak. Well, I guess Karma wasn't good with my lack of compassion because mine are back. Chest pains (had EKG checked), stomach issues, numbness in hands, face, etc. are all back.

The last year has brought a new marriage, etc. but some additional stress with move, change of jobs, family, etc. and here I am - fighting through this again. Always starts with a little holding of the breath and then bursts into a I am afraid to drive to the store because what if I fall down and make a jerk out of myself in front of my neighbors. It's just a terrible feeling - i know it will pass but my poor husband is beside himself which i think puts more pressure on me to "fix" things.

I feel for everyone on here. We just put so must pressure on ourselves and then it just feeds the disorder. i KNOW it will get better though. I am so hyper, I don't like anti-depressents b/c they make me really nervous but I did take celexa for a while years back with Xanax and it seemed to help. It's a hard call.

If nothing else - if you don't like what your doc is telling you, find another one. I live in a small mountain town full of folks that create one piece of the puzzle each and you just want someone to tell you how to "fix it". I feel everyone's frustration but I honestly believe that time will pull you out and you will look back and go "that was so weird" I feel normal again. Hormonal, Chemical? We need more research.
Posted 1/15/2012 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
Maverick, Just wondering how you are doing on your Zoloft? I have MUCH experience with it, seeing as how this is my fourth time on it in the last 10 years or so. When you first start taking any SSRI, really, you do get increased anxiety.

I did EVERY time I started back on it. You will not really feel your anxiety/panic start to subside until about 4-6 weeks on the dosage you are going to stay at. I have been on 100 mgs now for about 5 weeks and am feeling MUCH better, not 100% yet, but I haven't had any panic attacks (knock on wood) in a while. I still get that anxious feeling sometimes, but it's much easier for me to just blow it off and recognize it for what it is.

Has you doc given you anything to counter the side effects, like a benzo or something? Just hang in there friend, you'll start feeling better soon. Take care, Fox
Posted 1/15/2012 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi rockymtn

Good to meet you and welcome to the forum. Can I suggest you start a new thread and introduce yourself that way you will get more responses.

Hibee
Posted 1/16/2012 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Fox,

My panic attack starts at about 6am, and lasts about 2-3hrs, then I get them on and off during the day.  Is that how yours were? I get a churning stomach sweaty hands, and weak legs.  I have not been given anything to offset the side effects.  I have an appointment on Wednesday to see my shrink.  The thing is I never got any panic attacks whilst on citalopram.  Well its been 3 weeks now, so hopefully the panic attacks will start to subside soon.

Regards

Pat

Posted 1/16/2012 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
YES! That's exactly how mine were. Every day, all day! My stomach would burn so bad that it felt like there was acid literally trying to eat through my gut. I had no appetite whatsoever, and lost 40 pounds from the constant anxiety and adrenalin rushes. I also had the "jelly" legs all the time, and other symptoms too, but I won't say what they were, for fear that you might "think" yourself into having them also (hey it happens). LOL!

I still get anxious some days, don't get me wrong, but I haven't had a panic attack in a few weeks, so that's good news. Good luck with everything, and I hope you start feeling better soon. I know how hard the struggle is with daily panic attacks. ((hugs)) Fox
Posted 1/16/2012 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Fox,

Thanks for that, I thought I was going mad.  Thank you for listening, its really appreciated.  I will let you know how it goes on Wednesday.

Regards

Pat

Posted 1/21/2012 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I saw my shrink on Wednesday, and he said I have to stick with this med for at least 6 weeks, and wanted to up the dose, but I said no, he also prescribed me bosporine 5mg.  I am still getting these strange panic attacks in the morning at 6, that seem like my stomach is dropping, and it last for 2-3 hrs.  The backs of my calfs are aching, and it feels like someone is grabbing them and they tingle.  I wake up at 4.30am, and cannot go back to sleep.  I have another appointment on 6th Feb.  Hopefully these side effects will go soon, otherwise I will see if I can go on citalpram, as I never had any side effects except dry mouth and sweating.

Regards

Pat

Posted 3/2/2012 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

Its been a while.  I am now back on 40mg of citalopram, as the sertraline just did me in.  I am still getting some wierd feelings in my legs ans stomach.  I am a bit twitchy, sounds funny I know, but it is quite wierd.  I am eating better now, sleep is ok, but could be better.  Now my girlfriend has left me.  Things have got to get better soon.

Regard pat

Posted 3/2/2012 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Well I am glad to hear that some things are improving...eating better will hopefully help you to feel better in general. I hope that your new med dosage will work out, and that you can get some better sleep too.

Sorry to hear about your GF. That is always difficult. I am a believer that things do work out for the good, and that there is a reason for the things that happen in our lives...we may not see it at the time, but that is where we need to practice faith and hope that great things are going to come our way as a result.

Keep posting with us, as we are here to listen and support.

Best wishes to you and the boys,

S.C.
Posted 3/2/2012 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you.

I only have 1 son living with me now as my other son became very violent towards me.  He is living with his mother now.  So hopefully I can rebuild my relationship with him slowly.  As I will always love him.

Regards

Pat

Posted 3/2/2012 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
Pat,

I am so sorry that you have been going through such a tough and yes, sad time.  I am glad to know you were able to go back on the 40 mg of citalopram.  I do think that medication worked better for me then my current Zoloft but I could only take 10 mg due to my age and the heart warnings. 

It is a shame your GF left you and I know that must hurt but perhaps now is a time for you to just take care of your son and yourself until life evens out a bit better for you. 

Life is full of challenges. Sometimes situations are beyond our control, and sometimes we create challenges by our own hands. It isn't always easy to face them alone. Sometimes we just need somebody to understand us.  Sometimes we just need a friend. Please know that I would be honored to be your friend so come here and talk with us.  We know where your coming from and what your going through.

Kindly,

Kitt

 
Posted 3/3/2012 11:41 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your kind words.  I just feel so alone at the moment.  I dont like the feelings in my legs, and stomach.  its a kind of burning pain in the top of my thighs.  When i  fall asleep on the sofa, my legs jerk and wake me up, or my hand does.  Its really horrible.  My sleeping was getting better, but the last 2 nights I woke up early and could not get back to sleep.  I did not look at the time as that would worry me even more.

I phoned up this charity, and they said its all to do with coming off the high dose of citalopram suddenly, and then change of meds.  They said it would get better, but could not say how long.  I just want to get back to my old self again.  I force myself to go out of the house as I dont want to be a prison.  Does anyone else have experience of these types of problems,  If please can you let me know and all was ok.

Regards

Pat

 

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