New Fluoxetine User - Looking for some Chat/Reassurance

[traggicvix!]

i went on my 15th day due to absolute terror,starvation,dread,lack of sleep,anxiety and panic u name any negative emotion i had it ! i though id b taken off or dose reduced but no apparently my depressions deeper than we anticpated over nite i felt better ! im a sceptic on ADs and this is the first time ever iv taken anything like this and its been a huge turn around i will stick with 4 a few months cirtainly not 4ever ! how are u feeling atm x

[sunshine1]

Glad you were feeling better today, experson. The supervisor change was something you were not expecting, but it is not necessarily negative, just different. it has just thrown you because it was unexpected. i find with my anxiety when i haven't seen things coming it throws me too but think it is part of my anxiety.

Tell the doc how you are feeling, can you get an emergency appointment tomorrow?Things will get easier. x

[sazzleberry]

You can't get work done today because you've experienced a shock, and it's perfectly natural that it's threw you off. Don't beat yourself up about not being able to write this introduction, just concentrate on your recovery and the work will sort itself out in good time. From my experience trying to force yourself to work when you're feeling so anxious and panicky makes things so much worse.

Things will get easier, I was really nervous a couple of days ago, freaking out about everything, feeling like everything's getting on top of me, but today I feel a lot calmer than I did which is quite a relief. Definitely speak to your doctor though, and sooner rather than later. I hope you're ok experson x

[ExPerson]

Went out for a drink last night. Got quite drunk. Good fun at the time, but I'm a mess today. Just lying in bed being more anxious than ever. I don't know what to do to pass the time. I try to relax and concentrate on getting better, but I feel like I'm wasting time and it gets me worried. I'm in a horrible vicious circle, and it's been made so much worse since taking Fluoxetine. Have to keep telling myself that they'll help me in a couple of weeks, but it's tough. I'm so lacking in motivation that the thought of doing dishes/making lunch is laced with a vague dread. It really is ridiculous and I want to just snap out of it.

[sunshine1]

My anxiety this time around was incredible during weeks 2-4 and was subsiding by end of week 5 (where I am now). i have had 4 days in a row with only very mild anxiety and my mood is better.

I know its frustrating and feels like a waste of time doing nothing, but I was exhausted and slpt loads during weeks 2-4 - eventually came to conclusion that all that adrenalin coursing through my body was taking its toll! Just keep in mind that you are recovering

[ExPerson]

Thanks again to everyone that's been responding. It's been a bit of a lifeline for me over the last few days. Bizarrely I feel a lot better today. I slept until 8am this morning and now feel strangely ok. A bit annoying really because I went to the doctor this morning and was much better. Kinda wanted to keep saying "you should have seen me over the last week!". This all feels very strange - I'm new to this and I don't know whether this is the ADs kicking in or if it's some kind of manic episode. But, certainly it's a lot nicer that before. Still a long way to go though.

[sunshine1]

That's great! Its good to feel even a bit more normal and even again. Sounds like your meds are starting to work!

[elili]

Hi Experson and Brightspark.
I'm on my 3rd day on fluoxetine for the first time of my life, I understand completely your feelings and thoughts, I'm struggling with the same, and also doing PhD in solar cells research... but I started last year. The first two months were brilliant, after homesickness started which made me quite sad and lonely but then it took a very dark twist, because I started to feel as I didn't understand anything of what I was doing, experiments failed, couldn't do simple things, even simple tasks as cooking was getting harder. Now I'm facing a very ugly anxiety and have to do the transfer exam, which I don't think I will pass. Nobody here knows my situation apart from the councelor from the college, who has not been very helpful.
Now I just started fluoxetine (3rd day) but it's getting quite ugly, dizziness, nausea, sudden changes in humour. I feel hopeless... used to be always the first in my class, smiling happy girl now I feel like a complete failure, completely antisocial.
I'm not longer convinced I did ok to start the PhD or even to study chemistry. I have no confidence at all, and my brain is really not going ok. I'm slow, my memory is so bad. I'm panicking really bad.

I'm probably not giving you any courage... sorry about that!! but I really felt like sharing my story with you guys.

[ExPerson]

Elili,

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time. I know how you feel with regards to feeling like you've somehow lost your intelligence - I've felt the same thing. It's a natural thing when you're brain begins to get overworked with anxiety, etc. Try to get as much practical support from your uni as possible - councellors/supervisors, etc. Who knows, maybe you'll get through this exam and you're confidence will return. Plus, it is absolutely no disaster to decide a PhD isn't for you after your first year. You will already be well qualified in a very employable field - and it's easy to explain away a one year gap to any prospective employer if you decide to stop.

As for the medication - everyone seems to have different side effects, at different levels of severity, at different times. For me, I felt nothing until day 11, had terrible anxiety for 4-5 days, and feel a bit better now. Still have a massive ball of financial, PhD/career, family, and relationship worries to deal with, but at least it's not debilitating me right now, which is nice. It sounds to me like your stresses are building up and coming to a head around about the time of your exam. The good news is you're not going to feel like this forever. Whether you stay with the PhD or not - you'll be in a decent position once you get over this tough period.

[Snowshadow]

I have been taking Fluoxetine for four years and it has been wonderful. It really started working for me at four weeks and I've never had any side effects. I've been dealing with anxiety/panic/depression for over 40 years now, and Fluoxetine has been one of the best meds I've used. Paxil was equally as good, but the side effect for that one was weight gain. Hope things go well for you!