[abigailpiersall]

Hello, my name is Abigail and I started my battle with Derealization over a year ago.

My entire life I had anxiety related issues but I never suffered from panic attacks or derealization, it was more obsessive thoughts regarding bad things that could happen. A lot of "what ifs"

That being said you would imagine me opening the door to Derealization would collide with my obsessive thoughts. That door opened last summer when I decided to eat an edible with my friend and I was ignorant to the amount of THC in edibles, I was fine for two hours and then my friend was driving us somewhere and I blacked out. I then woke up and thought that I was dead and was experiencing severe derealization for about an hour and was also having a panic attack. That opened the door to what it has become today and that is a daily part of my life, I didn't think about it for a while after it happened until I was prescribed Prozac last September and it induced severe derealization once again. Since then I have been on Lexapro and I felt really good on the lexapro, it was 10mg and I didnt have a derealization episode for about two months and then I got my dosage upped and things went downhill quite quickly. I was having chronic panic attacks and then more derealization episodes and I am now currently tampering off the Lexapro back on 10mg and I am all in my head about it.

I truthfully blame my obsessive thoughts for not being able to get over my derealization, when these episodes occur I have an existental crisis and question everything about the world and its terrifying. I question my existence and my body feels unfamilar to me as do my surroundings. It happens at the times it chooses to arise, I could be driving or in class or simply just laying in my bed. I've started feeling like nothing is going to change despite being able to go through periods of time where my derealization isn't a problem but once again it is back and I am battling it more than ever. I just started college and I am in a relationship as well as my job and its affecting all those factors and making living everyday stressful. I don't know how to just simply move on from it and stop obsessing about it.

 

[eddy1886]

To move on from DP you must eliminate all stress levels in all areas of your life for the time being...

This is a life chnaging condition and needs the utmost care to get better...And you will get better...I promise...

It just takes time....There is no overnight fix for DP....Its a nasty persistent condition that requires regular maintenance and the adoption of a positive healthy stress free lifestyle...

Toxic people, places and things are to be totally avoided for the time being....As are the pull your socks up and get on with it brigade...Those idiots who cant even comprehend what you are going through do more harm than good with their bulls**t pep talks....

Go very very easy on your self for now....You need to release all the pressures of everyday life until you start to improve....In a way DP is our mind and bodies way of telling us " Hold on there buddy, You need to slow down and start taking things easier "

Also....If medicine helps stick with it....Dont just suddenly decide to drop it as soon as you start to feel better....It could be doing more for you than you realise...

Ive seen too many people improve with the help of meds only to suddenly drop them and then they ended up right back at square one...Just something to be aware of.....Im not saying you are never going to be medicine free...Im just saying that soem people (Like myself) do require the regualr assistance of meds to help keep this awful condition at bay....

Your gonna be ok....I promise ya....