Anxious about GP increasing medication+Self-Esteem Issues.

[Charlie.ttocs]

Hi everyone,

So I have GAD, Hypochondria and Obsessive thoughts as well as a few compulsions and I'm on SSRI's for my various anxiety disorders and it's been brilliant and i'm only on 10mg a low does and I have been for months and it's been great but both my GP and my Psychiatrist said that they think I should increase it to 15 mg but that really worries me for a variety of reasons

1. I have put on 8 kg's because of the medication & I hate myself, I was already very unhappy about my weight and was trying to lose some but now I have to lose even more & I can't seem to lose any. Im scared increasing the medication will make me gain even more. I have considered purging or not eating, which I know is a bad idea.

2. Im anxious about taking my medication in general so I hate any kind of change around it. Im afraid I will get side effects. Im especially TERRIFIED of developing Serotonin Syndrome which is deadly. Though I started on 5mg and had only extreme drowsiness as a symptom then went up to 10 which I have been on for months and was ok besides the weight gain.

3. I thought I was doing ok, I have been heaps better so I didn't think I'd need to increase it. I will admit I have still been anxious and on top of all of my other anxieties some new obsessive and intrusive thoughts have been occurring, for example I got house plants in my room and I'm afraid that they will cause me to suffocate or hurt me at night because they respire and release carbon dioxide and use oxygen. Im also afraid that putting hoodies under the door (I do this to make a barrier so spiders can't crawl under the door while I sleep, I'v been doing it for over a year) will cause me to suffocate in my sleep from a lack of oxygen. So I can see why they think we should increase it, however I have been doing much better than when I wasn't.

Also I have been feeling really bad about myself mainly due to my weight and hips & stomach. I have considered not eating or throwing up, which I know is a bad idea, I'm a psych student so I understand how quickly it can develop into mental health issues, but I hate my body and I haven't bought new clothes in 2 years because nothing fits and I cry and have a breakdown everytime I go shopping for clothes becuase I feel increadibly fat and nothing i want fits or suits my body so I have given up. So I just cry in change rooms get in a bad mood and want to die so I just complain and go home and be miserable.

Sorry about that I just needed a rant I think
What should I do?

[Cherryade]

I think you should trust your doctors and up the medication. The fact you have been on it for a few months and doing well on it makes me think that you should not get any harmful side effects when you up the dose. You shouldn't put on any more weight.

Weight issue - have you actually tried to lose weight at all in the past? It may be worthwhile to write down truthfully every day exactly what you eat so that you can check where all the extra calories are coming from. That way you can cut them out or at least, down. And exercise more. Less in, more out, is the secret of weight loss.

As for the houseplants - if they are making you anxious get rid of them to another room.

Spiders under the door - spiders normally only come into the house Oct-Dec so outwith those times you should be spider free. Occasionally you may get a little 'money' spider in the house but they usually come in from the garden and are harmless.

[AndreiSH]

I agree with what Cherry said. Always trust your doctor.

Regarding the Serotonin Syndrome, there is 0%chance to have it while taking SSRI, as this medication does not increase or decrease the level of serotonin. The only scenario for this side effect is if you take some other form of medication that works on the level of serotonin in the same time with a SSRI. You can't do that because you need a doctor to prescribed it for you, and no doctor will mix ssri with tryciclic antidepressants. So you can delete that from your mind. Just be sure if you take other medication (for pain, flue etc) to always tell the doctor or pharmacy that you take a ssri, and you should be fine.

By the way, what ssri are you on?

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[Charlie.ttocs]

[QUOTE=AndreiSH;1747011]

By the way, what ssri are you on?

Im currently on Escitalopram, I tried another one and it made me a lot worse so I tried a new one.

[AndreiSH]

I am also on escitalopram, 10mg

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