prozac 9 months, anxiety is back :(

[missinsane]

Hi everyone,

Back here again, had to use this website last night in work in order to curb an anxiety attack!

Basically, 22, have health anxiety (work for a cancer charity) so ever, ache, pain, lump, or scratch is going to form into some kind of uncurable cancer and i will meet my untimely end... *rolls eyes*

Been on fluoxetine/prozac now for 9 months, when i first started them it was a god send, got to the point 3/4 months ago that i was so unfocused on my anxiety that i was FORGETTING to take them, instead of them dictating my life.

However the last two months the symptoms are returning, late nights, even later lie-ins, cant be bothered to get up, ready, and out. which really isnt me, starting to feel like a alien again rather than a normal human being.

and a new one.... NO SEX DRIVE. which i admit is the most dibilatating at the moment.

SO THIS IS HOW MY ANXIOUS MIND IS WORKING RIGHT NOW
So..I have a cough, had a cough now since Sunday. This is four days, not that long AT ALL.
Taking fluoxetine, which I think I may need to increase, but I don’t really want to, that in itself is causing me to be a little bit more tetchy than I usually am.

So the cough, quite phlegmy, worrying about that, is that normal? Is that right? – OF COURSE IT IS

I also need to make a dentists appointment (overdue) which I am scared of because;

Its been so long what will they say
That’s it, because you haven’t gone you’ve got gum disease
Or worse…. Mouth cancer

So wont even pick up the phone and ring!!

Also have a doctors app scheduled, to chat about tablets – increase blah blah. Worried that they’ll find something completely unrelated wrong with me and ill have to have some kind of gruelling test, which will bring to light something awful.

Got a new job, which is amazing, much better money, opportunities etc. but have saluted countless SINGLE magpies WHICH ARE ****ING BIRDS (one for sorrow) in the last month, so surely, if something good happens to me, something bad must definitely be on its way, pre-empting the future is making me anxious.

Had a coil (IUD) put in, BC, it expelled last time, had a new one done, was happy with it. Now I have been constantly spotting for 5 weeks, WHICH IS COMPLETELY NORMAL. The negative side of me knows for certain it must be cervical cancer. OH GOD SHUT UP SILLY NEGATIVE SIDE YOU’RE WARING ME OUT.
Going for a check up at family planning on Thursday, worried they will know there is something worse. – then im back to square one, worrying about YET another appointment im due for.


Has anyone experienced a change in symptoms after so long? and do you think this is a case of needing to increase meds?

I know im not alone, just need assurance.

Thanks lovelies! x

[Stormsky]

hi- see below article i read on meds...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...y-reveals.html

[missinsane]

Oh wow, thats an eye-opener.

Thanks for that... x

[Stormsky]

i was on meds for 9yrs... apparently my anti-d's were nicknamed the 'dirty drug' as they didnt care what part of the brain they affected !!.. been off them 7 months and doing the exercise route! im glad to be off them, they never did much to help me...and at least im 'awake' more now!!

[missinsane]

Which were you on? if you dont mind me asking...x

[Stormsky]

Amitripyline

[Tish]

That's really interesting Stormsky.
I recently took flux for a month and felt really bad on them.
I thought they were dehydrating me because my pee was dark but on the leaflet it says it's because they alter your liver function.
I thought WHAT? That's not what I signed up for, I just wanted 'feel good' chemicals to flood my brain and make feel well again.
The reality was totally different, I felt 10 times worse, even after sticking with them for a month.
The strange thing (for me) is though, that I've actually felt great since I stopped taking it. I don't know if it'll last but I'm not feeling depressed and my anxiety has lessened.
I get some excercise every day.

---------- Post added at 06:26 ---------- Previous post was at 06:23 ----------

Oh dear, it's early and I can't spell!

[milkcarton]

Just be careful what you read from the Daily Mail, and especially their health section. The Daily Mail has made me paranoid about Health Anxiety over the years with their medical news stories. I went to several Dr's about it and they said that the Daily Mail is very ambiguous.

The Daily Mail once had an article saying that re heated Spaghetti Bolognaise reduces your risk of cancer, even though that was mine and my mum's staple diet throughout the week and she has been diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago! I would take what you read by the Daily Mail with a pinch of salt, in my opinion.

With regards to your concerns missinsane, I know someone who has been on citalopram for over 5 years and she still gets paranoid with her health anxiety. I don't think any anti depressants stop you thinking about anxiety but it does help your overall wellbeing. I get anxious about my health, I used to be really paranoid about floaters in my vision and not being able to see properly and this made me frightened of doing things on my own. Now, over a month on the fluox, I still lookout for the floaters in my vision but I have this inner confidence to go out on my own, which I never had before. I think we need to accept that these drugs won't change who we are and how we think, they just add more happy chemicals into the brain to stop us from getting really depressed and help us feel more confident.

Go and speak to the Dr about how you're feeling though as they know what best to say/do.

Milk x

[Tish]

The Mail are just reporting the results of a major study Milk, but I do agree that you shouldn't believe everything you read.
There's no doubt that meds Do work well for some people and you could be one of them.
You don't know until you try.

[milkcarton]

I would just be careful what you read in the Mail, yes they say that the studies found are from 35 trials combined with over 5000 patients tested, but we don't know who was tested, where, what dose was tested etc? Also, the article's misleading heading about how anti depressant do 'NOT' work is typical scre mongering journalism to get more people reading and in a panic.

Anyway, I'm not telling you to believe what I say but this is my opinion as I get so angered when I read the Daily Mail's views on society, health and politics.

Read what you will but don't write off anti depressants by reading that article.