Lets all be anxious/depressed together.

herisson

Hope you had a good meet up. I was bogged down with college work. Next time hopefully.

murria

The meetup didn't happen as nobody turned up except me. I went shopping instead so it was fine.

Gremlinertia

Sure not to worry. We're a bit geographically diverse so not easy to plan for. Hope you got me a stick of rock!.

writer_lady170

been a bit low in the last day or so, have things to do but no motivation to do them at all. Haven't washed my hair in a few days as a result of no motivation. Don't feel like going out cos of said motivation and the fact that people will stare:( had a few migraines in the last few days, my family wanted to visit me and see how i was, said no as was in no mood for visitors when i had the migraines, hate pushing people away

Mixed feelings about christmas this year, a member of my family won't be there this year as he passed away. Will feel strange and miss him a lot. Also another family member can't come as he's acting a bit strange and am worried about him:( feel a bit meh about it all really

hopefully my low mood will ease off

judgefudge

I haven't posted before... Having a really tough time at the moment. Basically barely sleeping. I get about 4 hours a night average. Which isn't enough for me. I am due to submit my thesis in January and I just can't sleep. I can't concentrate or focus so I end up awake all night with anxiety about the work I should have done. Rinse and repeat. I got to a low point today and went to the doctor where I got prescribed sleeping pills (I've had them in the past). And I had a few hours of relief thinking id be able to get some sleep tonight and be productive tomorrow. Tonight rolls round and I take a sleeping pill, hour later nothing has happened, took a second on, hour later still no noticeable effect. It's now 3 pills later (they're 5mg and pretty mild) I am as wide awake and anxious as ever. I'm devastated. These pills worked no problem in the past when I took them. I hate taking pills anyway but now I feel like I'm completely alone with this problem and I'll never get a grip on my life

LegacyUser

Going to attempt to post this again seeing as my last message never got through.
Been attending CBT for a while now, also seeing my psychiatrist again in the new year.
I was told I'm the waiting list for psychology, but its apparently huge! I wasnt given a definite answer, but I presume its going to be longer than a year.

Anybody here been to a psychologist?
How long was your waiting list?
How much is it to go privately?
How many sessions did you attend?

I was at one when I was in secondary school but that was a lot different/not organised by me/education so nevermind that.

herisson

I keep having recurring night terrors.

I'm getting sick of waking up feeling anxious and panicky.

Chrisita

many years ago during a holiday!!! It is soul destroying and I did not have any of your pressures at that time. I hope you ended up finally getting some sleep.

writer_lady170

doing a bit better today, forced myself to get up and had a bath. Got my jobs done:) still a bit meh about christmas but i'll cope with it over the time.

@ h: i hope you got some sleep in the end. normally don't suffer from them but have the odd one.

@ judge: i hope things improve for you

eh i dunno

Had my first heavy drinking session in ages last Friday and haven't been right since. Is alcohol and anxiety a really bad mix. Exercise I find great for anxiety

Rod Serling

I didn't know this thread existed.

Finishing my first month of lexapro for GAD tomorrow. It's done me no good as far as I'm concerned.

Still find alcohol the best/only way to be able to get through the day and get to sleep at night.

Waiting on an appointment with a psych. Giving the lex another month.

eh i dunno

Rod Serling wrote: »

I didn't know this thread existed.

Finishing my first month of lexapro for GAD tomorrow. It's done me no good as far as I'm concerned.

Still find alcohol the best/only way to be able to get through the day and get to sleep at night.

Waiting on an appointment with a psych. Giving the lex another month.

I found it took a couple of months for lex to work. But drinking is the worse thing you can do. Get plenty of exercise and fresh air and take 30 mins a day to meditate

DM addict

I'd agree that lexapro - or any anti-anxiety/anti-depressant - can take six weeks or so to make any impact.

It's VERY tempting to self-medicate with alcohol, but in the long run it's not a great option. Exercise has been a life-saver for me. I was also reading that being outside in nature, whether a park or a garden, has a proven positive effect on mental health. So a walk in the park everyday can make a big difference to how you feel.

Best of luck.

judgefudge

Out if interest (I can't bring myself to scroll back through nearly 9000 posts sorry) has anyone had any look with mindful meditation. I was seeing a counsellor for anxiety and she mentioned that it really helps in lots of cases, but I've never worked up the courage to try it (sounds silly)

murria

judgefudge wrote: »

Out if interest (I can't bring myself to scroll back through nearly 9000 posts sorry) has anyone had any look with mindful meditation. I was seeing a counsellor for anxiety and she mentioned that it really helps in lots of cases, but I've never worked up the courage to try it (sounds silly)

Hi Judgefudge, I was online when you posted the other night and was going to suggest mindfulness to you but thought I should try to get some sleep. I find it really very useful when I need to shut up the chatterbox in my head, I did a short course in it and there are various techniques but nothing too complicated. It's just things like doing a body scan where you focus your attention from the top of your head and slowly shift the focus round your body, or you meditate on a piece of music. There are some great guided meditations on Youtube, I just put in earphones and listen to one before I go to sleep, I find it very helpful.

So really, there is no courage needed try it tonight, dont get stressed out if you can't sleep just reassure yourself that you are at least resting. One other thing i do when I can't sleep is to write a list of what's in my mind, sort of a brain dump. Hope you have a better night

banquo

eh i dunno wrote: »

I found it took a couple of months for lex to work. But drinking is the worse thing you can do. Get plenty of exercise and fresh air and take 30 mins a day to meditate

This. Just follow this exactly.

stinkle

Hey, I totally agree with the advice above, although it's easier said than done this time of year!

I mentioned in my last post that I'm starting to feel like the old me. Am still in a good place thankfully. Not sure if it's coincidental or not, but I've been trying to be better to myself lately. Work was swamping me (as I'm sure my posts made obvious!), and it's still busy. In fact, I've had a mad week, but am ok. Amazingly, two days this week I left my house without feeling "the dread" and both times were early starts where I was under time pressure.

Like I said, it could be coincidental, but I made it to a couple of yoga classes this week (haven;t had time or inclination the past few weeks). Hopefully just taking time out for me and doing proper breathing has done me good. It's really helped with sleep too, as has getting stuck into a really good book. Am also trying to manage my stomach probs, perhaps something is paying off there too. Interestingly, I've been drinking lots of water and must have been seriously dehydrated lately as I'm like a sponge and have to keep refilling the bottle!

Anyway, just wanted to check in with a positive message and to encourage people to do something like mindfulness/exercise/just take time for yourself. Doesn't have to be a stupidly expensive class or anything like that. I've a couple of xmas nights coming up - including the dreaded work one, but have an excuse for leaving that one early. Have no plans to go mad on the drink either - will maybe have one at the work one; have a friends one the next night, which will be fun no matter what and I know I won't be under pressure to go overboard with rounds/shots etc. So far no job news (employer is very busy apparently but mailed to apologise for delay....now maybe that's letting me down gently and I'll hear no more, but I bumped into one of my referees yesterday who was very positive about their appraisal of me and had a good conversation with this employer about me, so fingers crossed!!!).

I know it can be a tough time for lots of people so hang in there. This board has been a source of such great support, thanks for helping me start to feel ok again.

stinkle

ps nothing is a magic solution, but there's lots of things that can alleviate it, and from personal experience even basic stuff like taking time to breathe properly can work great when things get tough

allandanyways

I'm so sick of this poxy disease.

I'm sick of waking up every morning and just wanting to stay in bed for the day.

I'm sick of the time it takes me to do everything because I'm so tired all the time.

I'm sick of how paranoid and jealous I am because I can't think like a rational person.

I'm sick of not being able to enjoy a drink because it makes me ten times worse.

I'm sick of having to avoid the questions about what I'm doing over the Christmas because I've no friends now.

I'm sick of the thought of being at home all Christmas with my former best friend ten minutes down the road still telling everyone I'm crazy and mentally unstable.

I'm sick of not being able to lose any weight because food is the only thing that cheers me up.

I'm sick of being too miserable to go out and therefore meet new people.

I'm sick of being sick and I'm taking my meds and I'm going to my group and I'm doing my best but I've just reached the point now where I feel like I might as well stop fighting and just accept that I'm meant to be miserable.

/rant over. Think I should go to the doc and get my meds changed.

Gremlinertia

Quiet here, hope that's for good reasons.

Allandanyways, it indeed sounds like you could do with a chat with your gp, also remember how negatively the short days, and associated long dark nights, impact.. Even without any S.A.D symptoms this can weigh people down..

I've been referred back to the pain clinic, was hoping i'd last out somewhat longer, but oh well..

lukesmom

Just thought it would be interesting to see what med combos others are on. This is NOT to give any medical advice, it is just out of interest.

What I take
Morning: Cymbalta 120mg since June 2013
Night: Seroquel 300mgxr (since August 2013) & 15mg Zispin (since July 2013)
For: Depression & Anxiety

An hour or two after taking my night meds I knock out to the point I often wake in the morning on the couch. I'm so groggy in the morning it takes two strong coffees to get me out the door. My appetite is off the scale due to these night meds and I've gained over a stone and a half
My psych doctor wants to leave me on this combo till February when we next meet. She was not willing to bring me down off them over the Christmas period as she thought it was a bit too soon.

writer_lady170

good idea lukesmom:)

What i take: lexapro
Dosage: 15mg (dosage has gone up and down a few times since September 2007 with life events, a boost when i need it etc)
Take it at night
psychiatrist is talking of reducing it sometime next year, eventually coming it completely, the thought of that scares me as don't want to relapse, will deal with it when the time comes
For: Depression and anxiety

In other news the antibiotic did their thing and I'm feeling a lot better. Glad i don't need an operation:) Still have a few worries but i hope they'll sort themselves out in time, have a holiday next month to look forward to:D

Gremlinertia

What i take;

for depression/anxiety:
60mg prozac
50mg seroquel

for nerve pain:
solpadol as required
200mg celebrex
applicatio of xacin cream twice daily.

Rothko

What I take: Lexapro
Dosage: 10mg every morning
For depression and anxiety

eh i dunno

Suas11 wrote: »

What I take: Lexapro
Dosage: 10mg every morning
For depression and anxiety

Same as me. Just for anxiety though

bob50

I take Cipramil 20mg daily for depression / anxiety

Sometimes when anxiety bad I would take a Xanax

lukesmom

bob50 wrote: »

I take Cipramil 20mg daily for depression / anxiety

Sometimes when anxiety bad I would take a Xanax

I was on ciprimil for 5 years a great anti-d for me.

LegacyUser

Well I did it guys — finally reached out to a GP… maybe… 10 years later?

Feeling a little relieved & very nervous. I've used an online form, they're meant to get back to me by phone tomorrow or Tuesday. Not sure how I'll handle that call while in work, but I couldn't face going into them in person — I've been putting off this first step for so long.

Hopefully they don't think I'm making the whole thing up. ("It's all in your head", "Well of course, it's depression!" ) I think that's the reason that I've waited so long. I know I don't have depression as bad as some other people, mostly because I've been worse than this before — I can still go to work, I can still meet friends, I still have some enjoyment in my life. But what if they tell me that I don't have depression? Doesn't that mean there's no way to get rid of this dull ache that's been following me around for the last 9 months this time around. This can't be normal, right?

Anyway, first step taken. It's like going to a job interview or asking a girl out — take a deep breath, take a step over the precipice & then the pressure's off a bit because it's all completely out of your hands! Heart is still racing now though, maybe I shouldn't have done this last thing at night.

Just wanted to say too, thanks to everyone on here. I've been lurking here for ages without posting, but it's been comforting to see people going through the same thing. Sure, I'll leave it here. This was meant to be a short post…

Killer_banana

Came out of what I believe was a depressive episode a few months ago. Still have 'black' days though and stress from exams is making the more common past few weeks and of course it's the worst thing that could happen. I know I should go see a doctor or therapist but after taking months to get the courage to talk to a case worker in a local mental health service and feeling like my problems weren't taken seriously I now am not only afraid of talking to someone (even though I'm not afraid of diagnosis so it makes no sense) but I feel really disillusioned about the whole thing.

ciaradx

Hi guys, long time lurker on this thread but never had the courage to post.

I've suffered major depression for years but only sought help a year ago. Have been seeing a GP and college counsellor since then. I was taking 15mg lexapro until June of this year and then was taken off them once my exams finished and I had less stress and pressure in my life so I could cope a bit better. I never felt like the lexapro helped me much but GP has always been reluctant to try anything else. It's like lexapro is the the go-to anti-depressant for most GPs?? I'm currently experiencing the worst depressive episode I've ever had; I haven't left the house in a few days, haven't showered or changed out of my pyjamas, just crying my eyes out and I don't know what's triggered it. I have been feeling really lonely the last month or two but I think I was kept busy and distracted by my college work (in final year of a science degree). Now that college is done for this term, my housemates are gone home for christmas. I work here in Cork so I have to stay here until christmas eve before I can travel home to my family in kilkenny. I can just about pull myself to work my few hours in the shop I'm in but any day I'm not working I feel no need or reason to get up so I don't bother. So it's all come to a head and I feel properly alone. I have no idea what to do or who to talk to and have been considering pieta house or just checking into a hospital for a break. My friends and family are great but they never know what to say or do when I try to talk to them although they try their best to help. My GP and counsellor are unavailable until college term starts back in January but I feel a bit desperate at this stage. I've just sent an email to aware's support service for some help. Not sure what else to do