ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[Purdybird]

I took my second prozac last night at around 6pm and felt fine ( just the normal ' just taken a pill anxiety ) until about 10pm when i had almost a full blown panic attack. ( I have not had a full on panic since April ). I decided to take the pills becasue I am worn out emotionaly trying to stop myself worrying about my health.
However, now i'm stuck. Do I continue with them, was this just blip, or it this a sign of things to come - am I making myself worse!!
My body is on full alert now this morning and I'm contantly asking myself how i feel and analysing..I'm going backwards again!!!

What do I do???

purdy x

[kate]

Hiya Purdy,

My own personal opinion would be to carry on taking the med's.

I think, from what you have said, that you realise that it is your own anticipation of side effects that is causing the panic, not the med's themselves.

Try to keep yourself occupied, giving yourself less time to dwell on whether side effects are about to kick in.

Exercise, to rid yourself of excess adrenalin would be particularly helpful.

Anyway, good luck and post again if you have any further concerns.

Kate x

[HB]

Just allowyourself to get through this stage- it will always be the worst time but once you are through it, you will feel on top of the world! stay strong xxx

H

[Purdybird]

Will I get worse before I get better...how long will this last...I'm scared to take another tonight!!

I've also committed the cardinal sin and looked up side effects on the net, seizures, muscle twitches, and the list goes on.!!!!!

Will it matter awfully if I miss one and take another one on Thursday?

Is it really going to be worth all this, I wasn't really suffering that badly to begin with, unlike some other members of this forum. I feel like a bit of a fraud making such a fuss.

Sorry

Purdy x

[jo-jo]

Hi Purdy

Keep going with your meds! You are doing really well and as you know, they do take a little while to 'kick in' so it really is best to stick with them. These are the hardest few days but your persistance will be well worth the effort. I've been on Prozac since the beginning of June and whilst I had a couple of horrible panic attacks in the first week (like you I was anxious about taking them which probably didn't help) its now August and I haven't had panic attack in weeks and weeks! Plus I'm a lot more chilled than I was and can do normal stuff again which is great. I do still get the odd anxious moment but hey, I can live with that :D

Please don't miss a tablet - its important that you take them on a regular daily basis. All you will be doing is delaying the beneficial effects that you will start to feel very soon. Your body is simply adjusting to your new meds but if it feels too much to cope with, try going back to your doc to see if he or she can give you something to help you over the first couple of weeks - sometimes they prescribe small doses of diazepam.

If you read up on ANY medicine there is a small possibility that it can cause a number of side effects. What you have to remember is that the drug companies protecting themselves by letting you know even the most unlikely reaction to the meds but this doesn't mean that you will have any adverse reactions at all. For the small handful of people who do experience negative side effects, there are literally thousands who do not. Many of the potential side effects are quite harmless anyway and are probably more annoying than anything, e.g. dry mouth. One of my favourites listed in the Prozac manufacturer's literature is the possibility that the user may experience weight loss - still waiting for that one [^]

Try to keep yourself occupied these next few days and do as much as possible to take your mind off the meds. Kate is right - exercise is a great way to burn off all that excess adrenaline and you'll feel pretty good too plus you'll have a better nights sleep. Stick with it, you're doing just fine!

Lots of love Jo xxx

[Caz Fab Pants]

Purdy,

Going to have to keep this brief as I'm being hounded by my son to go to the park but just wanted to say keep taking the meds.

At least give them a chance to work (they say it usually takes 2wks to get in your system) and in the mean time do what everyone else is saying and keep busy, exercise, think positive and come on here if you need to rant.

Hugs
Caroline
x