Hi, I'm new

Hi everyone

I became ill with anxiety two years ago, I'm a nurse and very stable ( or so I thought) I reached a point where I was being sick every morning, I had diarrhoea, I couldn't eat, I was shaking all the time, my heart was out of control, beating far too fast, I went through the beta blockers, I hated them, my dr persuaded me to try anti depressants, I wasn't keen, the idea of taking something that may make me suicidal was terrifying to me.

But I needed help, so I was tried on a few different ones then settled on venlafaxine 37.5mg, I was ok on that, it made a difference very quickly, my dr increased this to 75mg, and I was fine for almost a year when my anxiety came back again, it's now increased to 112.5mg daily and I have been really well for over a year

But last week, because I was feeling so well I decided to see my dr about reducing my dose, I got up that morning and I fell to pieces, I couldn't stop crying, I saw my dr and told him that I was planning to reduce but I'd changed my mind, he was fine with that, but since then I really have not felt well.

I'm sorry, I'm rambling on, since Wednesday I have started up with diarrhoea, back and stomach pains, dizziness and general yucky ness, so my question is, is this my anxiety breaking through or did I get myself in a tizzy, I was really worried about the side effects of coming down in the dose?
I'd love some replies to this, thanks for reading

Sonja

Thank you for your reply, it's good knowing I'm not alone

Thanks Larry, it's a hard place to be, and I think there is still stigma attached to mental health, I've never been on a forum like this before, and I'm very grateful for the replies

Sonja

Hi janetlee,

I am so grateful for your reply, I have some wriggle room with my venlafaxine, and I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow, I need to be on my meds, I don't think I'd get through without them now, it's such a help to me to hear from other people.
I will keep plodding on, anxiety is a horrible feeling, and I will do all I can to keep well.

Take care and thank you
Sonja

Hi Sonja and welcome,

I am sorry that you are going through a rough time at the moment. It sounds like you might have had a set back due to some anticipatory anxiety over making a change in your meds.

Perhaps this was even a blessing in disguise, as maybe your mind and body were letting you know that this may not be the time to make adjustments in your regimen.

Have you had any experience with therapy as part of your treatment plan?

If not, I can highly recommend looking into it.:) I think that this could benefit you in a couple of ways...

One, I recommend it to anyone with anxiety, as it is an excellent long term anxiety management choice.

Two, because if it is your goal to ultimately lower your Rx dose, then this would help support this. I believe that if you are going to reduce one form of treatment...then you need to find something to take its place in helping you to feel well.

We also have a great Resource Guide here that you may want to check out for really good self-help ideas. You can find it on the main page, 1st post.

Keep talking with us. Support is key, and we are here to understand and care anytime!

Scaredy Cat

Hi Sonja,

Don't worry because this feeling is just temporary and you're not the only person to face this problem. Just keep in touch with your doctor and you may also ask advices to lessen those bad feelings. In fact, never give up!