Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Busylizzie on January 10, 2014, 05:38:04 PM
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I can't cope any longer with panic attqcks and anxiety about my health, that I went to my GP last night and have been prescribed Citalopram 20mg and Diazepam 5mg if needed to tide me over whilst I wait for test results. I am having major mood swings, one minute crying and shaking and then next trying to not worry. I'm having a very late menopause, I am 58 and seem to get a "period" every 7 months now and I am sure the hormonal surges are triggering all the auto immune stuff on top. I already take Thyroxine for low thyroid and had a hysteroscopy in April 12 when they said everything looked fine. I've changed GP and still because am having periods they say no HRT. I eat well, try to walk every day (had hip replacement May 13) and by Sept last year thought things were improving! Had routine dental check up in October and dentist told me I had oral lichen planus in my mouth, down below was feeling very dry as well at the time. Within 2 weeks my mouth became dried up and ulcerated on inner cheeks plus a white patch on floor of mouth next to salivary exit under tongue and a big gland up on neck. I had biopsies taken last week of the worst areas plus an MRI last Monday of neck and head . ENT say there is a stricture in salivary duct but no stone visible. I have to wait until the end of January for results, they are not concerned but I am in major panic mode. I am sat here with the pills and wondering should I take just 10mg to start for a couple of days? I don't want to feel worse and it seems to have a lot of common side effects and takes time to kick in and help, I am already using rescue drops and Kalms since this all started last October.
Any help would be much appreciated on this AD.
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If you have a google, 10mg is the recommended dose for a week then upping it up to 20mg. The doctor put me on this 3 years ago for anxiety/low mood. Some people can't tolerate it but I didn't have any problems.
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Hi Buzylizzie
I am so sorry this is happening for you at this time. I started to take Citralopram in March 2013 for anxiety,starting on 10mgs now up to 30mgs daily.....all I would say hun is maybe try to Diazepam first I did taking 2mgs at night and see how you get on before trying the citralopram too. I avoid all alcohol, smoking, caffeine etc as they can be a depressant and or stimulant...coffee, tea etc.......
When I began the citralopram it made me feel worse initially but after bout three weeks much better.......I still have to avoid alcohol now at all costs or my mood dips.....and at the time of starting this med I was having biopsies for cancers scare of my uterus....
So lovely hang on in there we are all here to help you and see what you think re meds....
Hugs and Wuv Lyn :)
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I take Cipralex (same family) for the last every so many years, plus a Betablocka. Once the meds kick in you should begin to feel easier. However, don't do too much too soon once you begin to feel better because you will use up energy!
I took 5mg Valium on an as necessary basis for years ……… usually before I was expected to go to an event!
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Oh dear sounds like you are having a terrible time. AD's do make you feel worse generally before you feel better. I would avoid googling the side effects & try & take. It can take up to 6 weeks to feel the affects but you might feel better sooner. Perhaps use the diazepam whilst your body gets used to the AD. There are quite a few people here who do take them me included. It sounds like you have lots going on so big hugs to you, just keep posting its nice to feel you are not alone with all these thoughts & feelings x
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Thanks to you all for your replies, they are very much appreciated. I am going to start tonight and take half a tablet, I am not sleeping well anyway with such a sore dry mouth so if this keeps me awake it will not be any different. If these tablets can help reduce my stress levels and help me relax then maybe the mouth will ease a little. My mind and thoughts go round in circles thinking the worst as my husband says. It just seems to take an age to get any answers and it's the waiting that eats away. I stopped smoking 10 years ago but used the gums and lozenges for a long time so I know that is partly why I am beating myself up as well. I rarely drink alcohol either as I get enough headaches anyway.
Thanks again for all your support!
Hugs Back, Busylizzie
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Hi.
Sorry you are going though such a tough time. Great advice and suggestions have already been given by the other ladies.
On a practical note, if you have something like the AD and valium to help you cope then why not go ahead and take them. I had a period of time when I had severe anxiety; it is awful and it was at a time when I was having lots of tests for the eventual diagnosis of another (non gynaecological) health condition. Valium will help you straight away. Anti depressants take time to build up in the system to a therapeutic dose, so the longer you delay taking them the longer it will be before you get up to the therapeutic dose and start to feel better. Don't feel anxious about taking the tablets, if you do get any unpleasant side effects from the AD you can stop. It is an AD prescribed a lot and most people seem to tolerate it well. You can always try cutting the valium tablet into a smaller dose to see how they work for you.
The choice is stay feeling anxious or give the valium and AD a go. In my experience it's impossible not to worry when waiting for test results - so give yourself a break and give the tablets a chance to help you out!
All the best
Lubylou
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Buzylizzie
I didn't see your post when I post mine but see that you have decided to give the tablets a go.
Good Luck
Lubylou
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I take 30mg of Citaphram for Anxiety and find they work great, I've not experienced any side affects at all, I would highly recommend them for anxiety.
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Half of which tablet :-\ ........... neither of the ones you have been given are particularly highly dosed. Stick to what your GP recommends or they won't work!
How are you today?
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My son has been on and off citalopram and always starts off on the 10mg dose which really reduces the nausea type side effects. His doc did say not to cut the 20mg in half though as it interferes with the dissolving of the tablet. It can dissolve faster when cut up and you don't get as much benefit. It may be worth changing your prescription to the 10mg ones Busylizzie.
Taz x
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Thanks Taz knew there is a reason!
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How are you getting on with the AD BusyLizzie? Hope all is good x
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Hi ladies,
Thanks so much for all your good advice and support. I took half a citalopram the first night and a full one last night. I feel very weird on them although I did sleep but had very vivid scary dreams that made me wake gasping for breath and my mouth feels even drier, as if someone has slashed all down the sides of my tongue with a razor blade, but guess that is the oral lichen planus on top of whatever is attacking/blocking my salivary duct. Where they took the biopsies are slowly healing, the cheek ones are ok, it's the one in the floor of my mouth at the front that is deep and sore. I had another panic attqck this morning, just feel spaced out and tired, mornings are the worst as my gland in neck is sore and swollen and my mouth feels awful until I can get a lot of fluid in. I have to go to my Mum's tomorrow so may miss tonight and take it in the morning. It's all the ifs buts and maybe's that are fuelling all this and the end of the month seems a long way ahead before I get some answers and hopefully some treatment, although with auto immune stuff its seeing rheumatology and over the last 8 years it's been 5 different consultants or locums, so no continuity. Time to go and make some soup for lunch and then 40 winks if I can. Thanks again for all your answers.
Hugs Busylizzie
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So sorry Busylizzie, I know what anxiety and panic attacks are like they can take over your life, specially health anxieties.
To my mind Citalopam is not the correct treatment , you have anxiety not depression, my experience with it was not good, your nervous system is over stimulated and needs to be calmed down.
Citrolopram will dry your mouth out even more so drink plenty of water.
I think HRT (If you are able to with your thyroid meds also not sure about auto immune problems and HRT) it would help more with the moods and panic, and something to calm and help you sleep.
I think the combination of valium and AD can be too much, it would be best to uses the valium on a "need" basis.
This is only my opinion based on my own experiences.
Your anxieties are stemming from your physical problems, and having a hip replacement too ( a big op) has taxed your adrenal glands and probably caused PTSS type symptoms (along with worrying about your mouth problems, brought it to a head) causing the panic attacks. No More Panic is a great site http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forum/ and you will get an insight into panic attacks and anxiety.
Please try not to too stressed as it can effect oral lichen planus( might have been cause by the antibiotics given with hip replacement op)
I have had a blocked salivary gland too, it seem to get worse (gland) and swollen after eating but eventually went away on its own.
Reading my post I have not given much of a solution Busylizzie, but I would advise having a look at the no more panic site.
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Just remembered the Claire Weeks books are very good really helped me.
http://www.claireweekes.com.au/
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Sorry BusyLizzie sounds awful. I know some AD's are best taken in the morning & some at night. I guess however your GP tells you. The dreams/nightmares are normal but horrid. Side effects will wear off in time but horrible once again whilst you have them. It sounds like you have a lot of physical things to get better from in mind & body. I don't have much faith in medical services at the mo so just in case the magic end of the month thing does not come or it lengthens I would try & do as much work yourself on the anxiety in the meantime then you haven't wasted from now until then. Sorry to be so down on the NHS but that is my experience. Sleep is very important so I hope you got your nap xx
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Hi
I always take my Citralopram in the mornings....what do other people do???
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I take my 5mg AD at night and 5mg in the morning. If depression gets worse I add 5mg at night.
Busy, involved, dreams are par for the course ::)
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I find it interesting to take it at night.....Only as my lovely friend on AD's said I should always take it before noon..... she said it keeps us alert if taken at night.....not sure really but works for me in the mornings.
I do however take HRT at lunchtime as I find I get on better with it than taking it first thing in the morning xxxx
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It depends on how taking your medication fits in with your daily routine. The reason I take medication at night is that I am at home if there are any side-effects, most of which I now sleep through. At one time I was taking a mix throughout the day every 4 hours. Now I take an AD and a Beta-blocka at night. Fits in unless we are away then I take it at breakfast time with the cuppa.
As long as ADs are taken at the same time within 24 hours then they will work correctly.
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Some are sedating so best taken at night & it kills two birds with one stone so to speak! Some keep you awake so have to be in the morning. I think some people get the exact opposite symptoms though so it must be hard for the doctors. I would recommend the same time every day thing & always with food unless specified. I can have the most awful period pains but won't take anything for them unless I have eaten. I never took my pain killers after my c sections either in case I didn't wake for baby, how stupid is that :-X :-X xx
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Hi again ladies,
Thanks so much for all your support, it really helps and means a lot to me. I am pretty sure all my health issues are menopause related or triggered by it as they all seem to be auto immune in nature and if I could actually get through to menopause I would feel an awful lot better. I have had HRT Elleste Duet was last one 2 years ago but the withdrawal bleeds were horrendous and the gynae who did the hysteroscopy would not give me anything else. I felt this last year that the night sweats had eased and finally periods were getting further apart and that maybe I had got through it all, I thought a year last Oct was the last one! So opted for my hip op and the night before surgery after 7 months a period arrived, believe me I do a very good Victor Meldrew! Now this Christmas another one although nowhere near as heavy as in the past.
I feel a little calmer today, not shaking so much inside, but I feel very tired, OH said I was talking a lot of jibberish in my sleep, and I know that I was dreaming a lot but can't remember them. Thankyou Silverlady for the nomorepanic web site, it looks really helpful and useful.
Hugs everyone, Busylizzie
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Hi ladies,
I just thought I would give an update, there has been a lot of stuff going off but I maybe finally getting some answers. When I saw my GP in mid Jan in a real worried state he repeated all my bloods that I had done last November on Rheumy request. I then got my MRI results and mouth biopsy results and thankfully they came back all clear. The next day I found out my blood calcium was borderline high and needed repeating, this time with PTH hormone as well. I got the 2nd lot of blood results on Friday and they are both high and he thinks it is Primary Hyperparathyroidism, he is going to send me to see an endocrinologist. He said it is a benign tumour on one of the parathyroid glands, so then I said so why didn't it show up on the MRI or neck ultrasound?? He said he didn't know but also that he has never seen this in his career until this year and I am the 2nd one and it's only Feb. So have to have a chest x ray, an abdo scan and more bloods for CA125 and CA19-9 and a 24 hr urine collect. I still have a reactive lymph node on neck, still have a blocked salivary duct which burst 2 weeks ago, saw oral maxillary and they want an x ray of mouth looking down, still have the oral lichen planus in mouth and this morning the duct lump which refilled after bursting , burst again. I don't see oral consult until the 19th but I am hoping this time he can offer some help in unblocking the stricture caused by scarring on floor of mouth from where they biopsied the lesion, he is sure that is what is stopping the saliva exiting.
I already have Hypothyroidism and am on Thyroxine, from what I have read with hyperparathyroid they often watch and wait especially if they don't see it on the scans. My mother is 82 and has severe osteoporosis, she has had so many fractures in her spine and I really do not want to go through what she has if I can help it. On a brighter note, my GP gave me Vagifem for the dried out down belows and it is helping, the soreness and discomfort has really eased and he said it could also be due to the hyperparathyroidism which can affect mucus membranes i.e. mouth as
well. I am really thirsty all the time and have to drink lots to prevent kidney stones from the high calcium which is being leached out of my bones. I still feel very worried but at least am getting answers now.
Hugs to all, Busylizzie
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Oh how awful: being only a few people in the World with a known condition can be difficult until one gets some answers. Let us know how you get on!
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I'm pleased that you now know what the problem is Busylizzie and hope that things get sorted soon. There is a lot of info on the NHS site about this condition and it seems that if it is mild then no treatment is necessary http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypoparathyroidism-hyperparathyroidism/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Try not to worry too much.
Taz x :hug: