danicali
20-05-18, 15:53
I have suffered episodes of anxiety/panic for years, and I have taken xanax which has been a godsend. And I've always been able to manage my anxiety and panic when I've been out and about, particularly when I've had to manage it (eg jobs, etc).
However, lately I had become really depressed - just a lot going on in my life with my dad in very poor health, my friend dying suddenly, dealing with health issues from bowel disease, financial worries, loneliness, still hurting from the break up with my ex, and more. Just too much. So I met with my GP and we talked about putting me on anti depressants. I agreed I should try them because I was afraid I'd get even lower unless I did something.
So, he put me on 20mg of Fluoxetine (prozac) per day. He told me that the first week might be a bit weird, said I might be hyper, with a buzz in my head, but that I'd be symptom free in a week or so.
So I took my first tablet. Within hours, I felt very heavy headed, drugged. weak. not right. out of it. i figured it was just the med, getting used to it. So I kept taking my tablets daily. I felt like s**t every day - heavy, drugged, and also very anxious. And very poor sleep. Also gave me bad palpitations.
Anyway, on day 7, I was driving in my car, and suddenly, I felt faint. I mean, really faint - not just the usual panic lightheadedness where you just feel a bit odd, as I have passed out before from other issues and that is what it felt like. I pulled over, was sweating, with my legs feeling very weak, didn't feel right at all. Was terrified. Started crying in my car, because I had nobody to come get me. Waited about an hour. Then drove home as I felt a bit better, but still not right. I went straight to bed.
I then stopped taking the tablets altogether. So I was only on them for one single week. And I initially felt a bit better for it. But then I still had weird bouts of that heavy headed feeling, where I felt drugged, and not right.
I went to a group interview/assessment on Friday, and I woke up feeling heavy and not right, but I made myself attend. Mistake. You know when you just don't feel right at all? I don't know how I made it through that 2 hour assessment without passing out. My eyes had gone blurry, I was shaking, I couldn't hear them properly, and I felt like I was going to faint at any point. Even sitting down. It was horrible. I got out of there, made it back to my car, then I must have passed out in my car for a few minutes because I don't remember much, just sort of "waking up" with my head against the seat.
Again, more tears. Felt like I was going to die. Waited again in my car for about 45 minutes until I didn't feel as bad. Then drove straight to my son's school - it was only 1pm - and sat in the car park waiting for him until 3pm because I thought if I did die, at least he'd know I tried to get to him. It was that bad. I was that upset. I had even written down in my notebook, in case they found me dead, how I'd been feeling, and how I wanted just to get to my son.
Well I made it to 3pm, my son came out to the car. I did my best to seem OK and I felt a bit better for seeing him. We went home and I rested that evening.
Next day, Saturday, I felt a bit better but still that heavy headed feeling, which I had from the moment I started taking this effing drug. We went out for a bit, and I was ok, but again I didn't feel quite right - really anxious and heavy.
Today thankfully I've felt better, more normal.
But I am wondering how long this POISON takes to get out of my system - how many more of these episodes am I going to have before it's fully out of my system? I only took it for one week, and I cannot believe any drug would have such lingering side effects after just ONE week - how is this drug even legal?
I have a lot of anger about this. I feel duped by my GP and angry at him for putting me on these meds - the whole point of taking them was to feel better, not a million times worse.
They think I had a bad reaction to the drug - but this is something NOBODY told me about before I took the meds. Seratonin syndrome? Potentially lethal? Oh, great. Thanks very much.
I know that some people have done well on this med, and I'm glad for them, but I also know that many people have had similar awful experiences with it, and I would never have taken this med had I known about the possible bad side effects.
Never again.
However, lately I had become really depressed - just a lot going on in my life with my dad in very poor health, my friend dying suddenly, dealing with health issues from bowel disease, financial worries, loneliness, still hurting from the break up with my ex, and more. Just too much. So I met with my GP and we talked about putting me on anti depressants. I agreed I should try them because I was afraid I'd get even lower unless I did something.
So, he put me on 20mg of Fluoxetine (prozac) per day. He told me that the first week might be a bit weird, said I might be hyper, with a buzz in my head, but that I'd be symptom free in a week or so.
So I took my first tablet. Within hours, I felt very heavy headed, drugged. weak. not right. out of it. i figured it was just the med, getting used to it. So I kept taking my tablets daily. I felt like s**t every day - heavy, drugged, and also very anxious. And very poor sleep. Also gave me bad palpitations.
Anyway, on day 7, I was driving in my car, and suddenly, I felt faint. I mean, really faint - not just the usual panic lightheadedness where you just feel a bit odd, as I have passed out before from other issues and that is what it felt like. I pulled over, was sweating, with my legs feeling very weak, didn't feel right at all. Was terrified. Started crying in my car, because I had nobody to come get me. Waited about an hour. Then drove home as I felt a bit better, but still not right. I went straight to bed.
I then stopped taking the tablets altogether. So I was only on them for one single week. And I initially felt a bit better for it. But then I still had weird bouts of that heavy headed feeling, where I felt drugged, and not right.
I went to a group interview/assessment on Friday, and I woke up feeling heavy and not right, but I made myself attend. Mistake. You know when you just don't feel right at all? I don't know how I made it through that 2 hour assessment without passing out. My eyes had gone blurry, I was shaking, I couldn't hear them properly, and I felt like I was going to faint at any point. Even sitting down. It was horrible. I got out of there, made it back to my car, then I must have passed out in my car for a few minutes because I don't remember much, just sort of "waking up" with my head against the seat.
Again, more tears. Felt like I was going to die. Waited again in my car for about 45 minutes until I didn't feel as bad. Then drove straight to my son's school - it was only 1pm - and sat in the car park waiting for him until 3pm because I thought if I did die, at least he'd know I tried to get to him. It was that bad. I was that upset. I had even written down in my notebook, in case they found me dead, how I'd been feeling, and how I wanted just to get to my son.
Well I made it to 3pm, my son came out to the car. I did my best to seem OK and I felt a bit better for seeing him. We went home and I rested that evening.
Next day, Saturday, I felt a bit better but still that heavy headed feeling, which I had from the moment I started taking this effing drug. We went out for a bit, and I was ok, but again I didn't feel quite right - really anxious and heavy.
Today thankfully I've felt better, more normal.
But I am wondering how long this POISON takes to get out of my system - how many more of these episodes am I going to have before it's fully out of my system? I only took it for one week, and I cannot believe any drug would have such lingering side effects after just ONE week - how is this drug even legal?
I have a lot of anger about this. I feel duped by my GP and angry at him for putting me on these meds - the whole point of taking them was to feel better, not a million times worse.
They think I had a bad reaction to the drug - but this is something NOBODY told me about before I took the meds. Seratonin syndrome? Potentially lethal? Oh, great. Thanks very much.
I know that some people have done well on this med, and I'm glad for them, but I also know that many people have had similar awful experiences with it, and I would never have taken this med had I known about the possible bad side effects.
Never again.