share your stories, experiences etc!

[lornasw]

I'm 18 and have been taken prozac 20mg for almost 4 weeks, this is due to family problems overall but i'm sure it relates to breaking up with an ex about two years ago. I was advised by my doctor to get counselling, I also should have had counselling two years ago but my college was lazy! So, I eventually had my first counselling session this week on thursday.

So, share your stories, share your experiences!

[anthrokid]

Hey Lorna,

I was first diagnosed with depression at 16 years old. I tried everything, counselling, CBT, diet, etc. but in the end I had to go on medication. My psychiatrist put me on fluoxetine, and although it took a good 6-8 weeks to have an effect, it worked wonders for me. It worked so well, in fact, that after a year of medication and therapy I was able to come off the medication and stop therapy completely. It was amazing. I was fine for 2 year, until I had a very bad experience travelling solo, and I was so sick traumatised that I developed a severe anxiety/panic disorder at 19. When I got back home, my doctor didn't know what was wrong with me, as I was having frequent panic attacks that displayed more like symptoms of an illness rather than anxiety. Eventually, we decided it had to be psychologicaly related and I was sent back to my former psychiatrist. He put me on other emdications first (sedatives) that made things worse, and again, CBT wasn't seeming to help. We decided to try the fluoxetine again, and BAM, 6 weeks later there was a very noticeable improvement. I know that drug therapy doesn't work for everyone and isn't idel, but for me it has always been the best option and the most effective.

Good luck darling!