I've been meaning to ask about the turtles. I find them very interesting. I'd love to see a picture.
Right now you might look for symptoms that aren't there and mistake things like a missed lunch or indigestion for side effects or reduced medication. Rule of thumb is to see if it happens again over the next few days to rule out coincidence. The other rule is that it is wrong till proven right. This keeps you from dwelling on it. Keeps it at the bottom of the shopping bag so to speak.
According to my therapist a score of 100% on the feel good scale is not realistic. What is, is a score of what you can live with. For most it is around eighty percent with a goal of much higher to work towards. That would be a couple of lousy days a week or one work day or a bit more than an hour a day. But since this is the average and there are some better, some worse I think a goal of much higher is attainable. I'd love to prove her wrong but I'm afraid she never is so I'm aiming for 95%. The other five I think I can handle.
The truth is that with relaxation and the minimum of meds I think most people could live with eighty percent. Of course one panic attack blows that eighty percent right out of the water.
Good might not be the best word to describe it, but I like the positive feedback.
I guess what I am trying to describe is feeling a bit spacey and confused. I was doing Ok while at the office, but I later ventured out to do some inspections and that's when I started to feel more shakey. It might also be due to the fact that I did not have a real lunch.
I did manage to go gutsy and only take 2.5 mg of diazepam for the 7 am Friday meeting at work when we all get together and pretend to listen to the manager. I normally take the full 5 lately. Last week I took a 3/4 of the 5 and this week down to 1/2.
Aside from all this, I did come home tonight and spend about 20 minutes with the turtles. I crawled into the 16 foot by 8 foot pen I built for them. I watched the Sunny Box Turtle eat. Took some photos. It was very relaxing.
I then did my arm workout: 7 sets of triceps and biceps, one right after the other, rest 1 minute and then onto the next sets. Got more pumped than at anytime the last 2 weeks. Felt great. I had some aggression inside me I needed to release. Yoga would not have done the trick tonight.
I think I'll post a photo of one of my turtles as my profile pic.
With most SSRIs you can feel a bit worse before you feel better as your body adjusts. Remember it thinks this is foreign and will need time. It is early days. Now since I can't do SSRIs I would be violently sick and in a constant panic so you must just be adjusting.
You sound good. I like the acceptance about the store, very positive.
Come to think of it, I do remember the feeling of a different anxiety when I first started Cipralex. Had forgotten about it. It wasn't much, but had never had the anxiety in the a.m. It's in my blog. It passed very quickly, things settled right down for me.
I noticed a bit of a tense or uneasy feeling today. I do believe this might mean it's kicking in a little. What I mean is, it's a tense feeling that is not exactly bad, but it keeps you a bit on edge. So even though I am not feeling horrible, it still feels weird. I remember having a similar feeling when I first went on prozac in 1993, which I took until 2003.
I chickened out buying anything at Whole Foods today. I went in, but could not push myself to go to the checkout. I will do it another day. On the bright side, I did not spend any money either. LOL All I needed was Whey protien. But I can get that tomorrow. had I been in my own car and not my company truck I would have been able to do it. I often feel a little paranoid when I go into a store in my company uniform.
Not a horrible day, but still on the uphill climb.
Hi Wrestler: Glad to hear things are going o.k. I'm taking Cipralex - same as Lexapro. I've been taking it since last summer when I had trouble controlling high bp. I haven't had any problems at all with it. If there was anything, very minor. I think most side effects were present the first two wks. and now I don't notice anything really.
Today was kind of like one of those days where I was just there/here. No serious anxiety. No serious high or low points. I think the most fun I had was eating dark chocolate while driving between inspections at work. LOL For those wondering, it was 70% dark from Whole Foods. It's not the usual 85% dark I usually get. That's the stuff. I cannot eat milk chocolate anymore. Tastes too sweet and hollow.
Tonight I shall do yoga. It always makes me feel good.
I think the Lexapro is starting to take effect, but I know it takes time to really feel it. I do hope the better it kicks in the less I will need of the other med I take.
