View Full Version : Argh! Should I do it?!
So my doctor prescribed me fluoxetine last week due to my anxiety getting the better of me.
My anxiety seems to manifest mostly physically, with constantly lightheaded/dizzyness and inability to stand still, wanting to run away etc.
Problem is, reading the side effects and the internet, I feel like i'm going to struggle to even survive a day at work if these pills make these symptoms any worse, as they already terrify me.
I'm taking Propranalol as well, and have been told I can carry on taking that, which should help with panic, but I'm not convinced... I know long term it should be worth it, but what if short term this medication means I can't function anymore?! everyday is already a 'scrape by' kind of thing, and I'm not sure I can deal with things being any worse...
I just don't know what to do?!
You have to think of it like this: If your anxiety is already bad, how much worse can it get? Also, think long-term: Is this the way you want to be living? I would take a few days off work if your anxiety spikes but you won't know till you take it. Remember, not everyone gets bad side effects.
Good luck with it and let us know what you decide to do.
When I was first prescribed fluoxetine, I worried about side effects.
Well... Having taken it many times (& also come off it many times) I have no fear now.
It works for me. Makes me more stable, I have more energy & am better balanced in terms of my emotions.
My opinion is why not give it a go? As KK says, not everyone gets bad side effects.
I also believe many people who are affected by side-effects are most likely labelling anxiety symptoms as side-effects.
Also I am certain if you fixate on side-effects and don't give the drugs a fair chance to work you will not realise the benefits to be had.
in my case (at the outset) my fear far outweighed the benefits (so I tought).
but i soon came to realise - it was the other way round. my fear was totally unfounded. the drugs benefitted me hugely. I had no issues.
I am not an anxiety expert but firmly believe, given a chnce, fluoxetine can work. For me, the key has been to give it a few weeks to work. in the meantime do NOT to obsess over side-effects. Don't google! Is pointless. By all means read the leaflet that comes with the drugs .... But remember they list ALL possible side-effects, presumably as they are honour bound to do that. But it does not mean every person who takes the drug has every side-effect.
Far from it.
My experience a few times was I had a dry mouth and that was only for a week or two if that and it might have been nothing to do with the drugs.. The last few times I've been on and off it I have had NO side-effects. None.
Also don't forget that alongside taking fluoxetine, you need to work at the cause behind your anxiety. The drug gives you some relief from symptoms and a chance to deal with the underlying cause.
As KK said, let us know how you get on.
For me, I didn't want to go down the drugs route.... But in the end it has helped me enormously.
Like you my anxiety was really bad anyway, it was something I had not really had before so did not understand what was going on and why I was feeling like I did, I was prescribed floxetine and yes my anxiety was really bad for a few weeks, it could have been side effects or I may have been like that anyway and I was desperate for something to help me get back to normal, all I know is that after a few tough weeks I did feel me again and I have stayed on it as I never want to feel like that again, I was prescribed propanolol which really did help and it was upped and I take a slow release one which really suits me.
You may not have any or slight side effects like Tessar says but all I can say is I would not be without it and it helped me feel me and normal again.
xx
So, I took the first pill at 4pm today...
I don't know how quickly it gets into your system, but have already noticed I have a dry mouth today, that said, I also have dry lips today so could just be the cold.
My stomach also feels a bit odd..sort of unsettled. But then i've not eaten well the past couple of days, and also i've only taken half the amount of propranalol as usual, as I usually take the second tablet it if i feel anxiety getting worse.
Felt a bit off and jittery when I woke up today anyway, which was the reason I decided for sure to take the Flux. That and my mum saying she'd give me a symptom to worry about if I didn't..ie a punch in the face :P
My mum has suffered mental health issues most of her adult life, and had Prozac as her first ever depressant. She said it worked for her. So to try it :) Will let you know how I go on I suppose!
So, now 6 days in - so far so good! Slight blurring of vision, slight odd feeling in my head but not a lot else in the way of side effects.
Still suffering with anxiety, obviously but there have been a couple of days now where I have noticed brief periods where the internal chatter has shut up, and I feel able to see anxiety lurking there, but ignore it. Not mNaged a full day yet and most of this is likely placebo since I'm only on day 6!
Either way feeling hopeful! I have seen a return of my noctournal anxiety, though not at full force, and had a little trouble getting back to sleep if I'm woken up..
Hi CA, you stick with it, fluoxetine can take a while to become effective.
CA, if it worked for your mum, that is a pretty good indication that it will work for you. In fact, if a psychiatrist is tossing up between two medications for a person, and a family member has responded well to one of them before, they will use that medication :)
So I'm now on day 19 on the flux. As Per my other posts I've had some good days but still largely feeling crap. Today is one of the 'crap' days. I've woken up feeling generally cruddy, though I did feel like this when I went to bed. Not sure if it's just my anxiety or if I'm coming down with a bit of a cold to add to it. Oh well. Here is hoping for more better days as we go on!
Hey up CA :-) sending u hugs. Still stick with it :-)
Soon you will start to feel better I hope.....
Lets also hope u aren't going down with something, but if u do, take it easy & be kind to yourself. And always be kind to yourself regardless.
Day 20 - Still not feeling good today. 'Anxiety' and associated symptoms as much as ever. gradually talking myself out of believing it's all just anxiety again, and been googling symptoms again :( This is annoying as it undoes the work i've done with myself..
CA....... STOP GOOGLING!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!
I guarantee it will not help. Not at all.
It will only serve to perpetuate your negative thoughts. It is pointless.
Instead, turn your attentions to something positive, or constructive.
It doesn't have to be massive or difficult. pick a simple task that helps give you a sense of purpose or will improve your mood. simple things you can do for you. For yourself - particularly things that will lift your spirits.
Perhaps write. It doesn't have to be anything special. Just let your feeling & thoughts spill out. It can be totally random but provides an outlet. You don't have to keep your ramblings though I find it interesting to read them another day. In the future if you looked at them it can help you measure your progress. Often I have heard people say they have read earlier posts they out on the forum & they actually don't recognise the person who was posting back then.
Even though finding the motivation to change or get moving is not easy..... It is far, far preferable to remaining in the negative spiral.
Action. That is what is important now. As I say, tackle some simple tasks. Small steps. These gradually build towards better times.
Hugs.
DON'T Google..thats harder said than done, when i am down and anxiety is at its worst.... i do exactly the same google, a, to check my symptoms, b, to see if anyone has the same symptoms, c, to see how many on this site say stop googling!!!!
I too have been having very bad days recently, ( started taking diazepam,( only a small dose) even though they gave me Fluoxetine first but after googling side effects decided against as didn't want to end up in A&E again due to severe allergic reaction to last anti deps i was prescribed)
Sunday i felt better well better than i had been for 8 months , well dry mouth swallowing wasn't as bad....but then wham...tooth chipped and broke that evening, so back at dentist again ( this is ongoing) cannot save it :weep: and yep dry mouth, feels like tongue is velcro is back arghhhhh, and to make matters worse, dentist was very nice but his first words were, you do know this is the most depressing day of the year :D ...
Last night i was awake hours again...couldn't swallow, choking etc ....i write it all down , ( someone on google :) and Dr said to ) but as yet not blooming helping,
I had prozac in liquid form about 12 years ago ( menopausal then and not all the allergies i have now) and found i could regulate the amount i took, it also helped (probably psychologically) taking it, on a spoon as opposed to a tablet...Have you tried the liquid form? Hope you have more :) days to come
Ergh feeling terrible today!
Just forced myself to go to the barbers, even the barber said 'Are you okay?!' and 'What's the matter' Several times because I was shaking and fidgety. He said it was liking cutting a childs hair... great!
Then after forced myself to go to Morrissons (I hate supermarkets at the moment) and stood in a line at the till jittering, fidgeting shaking and generally looking like I was on drugs to everybody no doubt...
When will this end? :( I don't understand why I have days like this. And the days like this are getting more and more at the moment! Have asked for a phone consultation with my Dr today, gonna tell her how I feel and see what she suggests. COuldn't face going and sitting in the waiting room at the moment!
---------- Post added at 19:45 ---------- Previous post was at 16:05 ----------
Just spoken to the Dr on the phone and we have decided to double my fluoxetine dose. So from tomorrow I'm on 40mg. Looking forward to the side effects again... Not! Lol
I am sure I am going through exactly the same as you ! I follow your posts and everything you say could be me ! ,I'm not on meds and I am trying to battle through this but have been suffering on and off for nearly 8 years
Well it's reassuring to know I'm not on my own! I had started to beat this without any medication back in November time and thought I was climbing out of my hole. Then for no reason I can pinpoint I feel right back to the bottom and that's when I changed GP and said please help me! Lol
New GP is really good to be honest . Bless her she phoned me after her surgery today at 7pm as she didn't have time during her actual working time. She listens to me and gives me options. She said I can either increase my propranalol, which I'd decided to stop.. Big mistake it seems! Or increase the fluoxetine. I have enough of a supply to last me through for a while and she said she has put it on repeat now so I can just phone and order it when I want it :) Gone with increasing the fluoxetine as I haven't noticed any effects from it really 3 weeks in, so it probably needs doing, and because I see the fluoxetine as more of the long term help than the propanalol which is just a symptom supressent.
Back at work tomorrow so will see how I get on!
Hope all goes well tomorrow , I am fine when im busy but the minute I have time to think the dizziness and doubts return ,it's horrendous.I just can't believe anxiety can cause all these physical symptoms
---------- Post added at 22:54 ---------- Previous post was at 22:52 ----------
Please keep me posted how u get on with the meds
Thank you!
I'm exactly the same. Some days I'm convinced it is just anxiety but if I have too much time on my hands then I start looking for other causes again...
Usually okay at work as I'm busy, but recently had a couple of wobbles due to times where I've just needed to stand around, which I'm rubbish at!
I'll keep you updated! Dr also suggested I keep active and maybe join a gym as exercise will help. I promised is try but was convinced my heart was gonna give out.. Oh dear lol
I also really struggle with supermarkets,it really is strange,the weired thing is last year I was working away from home doing long hours 7 days a week for 6 weeks under a lot of pressure to get a job done and I forgot all about my symptoms and was fine,as soon as I got home and had time on my hands I was back to square one.anyway hope all goes well today and keep in touch
Today, was a good day! And I'm hoping it'll stay this time! I actually ENJOYED work, didnt have too many symptoms, bar a minor panic this morning when my eye went all blurry, but I talked myself out it, reminding myself I'd not had much sleep!
Really pleased with today, but worried it's just a one off again! Either way, gonna keep battling this thing. Also found a self-help guide on the internet last night whilst not being able to sleep that REALLY spoke to me. I tried applying some of the principles today, and I think that sort of helped.
One thing that really stuck in my head was a story of a lady who was having a panic attack in the library. Instead of letting it get to her this day she had had enough. She simply sat on the floor in case she passed out, and said to anxiety ' BRING IT ON ' and that was the start of her recovery!
Pleased that you have had a good day,mine has been the worse day in a while started off ok and then the dizziness returned and I resorted to Google !,why do we do it ! Do you find you are ok first thing in a morning ?
I'm usually the opposite. Get better toward the end of the night. But mornings I struggle to get out of bed because I get so wound up about what if the dizzyness is there.
I get so dizzy and shaky I feel like I want to run away and I can't even look at people in the eye,do you get head pressure/tightness?
---------- Post added at 22:43 ---------- Previous post was at 22:30 ----------
What does give me some reassurance is the fact that I have had this for nearly 8 yrs on and off so I gives if it was anything to serious I probably wouldn't be here now and also the fact that the symptoms do ease when im busy or focused on something else
That is exactly how I get as well.
It als reassures me that 8 years down the line you are still here, and not got worse etc, but I hope you can feel better soon!
Another good day today :)
How about the free, outdoor gym?
Walking?
It's good exercise & I find I am able to clear my head while doing it ;-)
How about the free, outdoor gym?
Walking?
It's good exercise & I find I am able to clear my head while doing it ;-)
My argument is my job is fairly active a lot of the time! lol
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