Starting fluoxetine, very scared

[Ambrose1977]

I have been diagnosed with depression and currently feel like I have hit a brick wall, I see no future and I am making my families life a misery. The doctor has prescribed me fluoxetine and I was supposed to start 3 days ago. I have got myself in such a panic about taking these tablets as I have never taken medication like this.
My fear is the side effects and that I won't be able to cope with them, my job is also demanding and I have a high level of responsibility which I don't want to damage. I also fear coming off them when I have to and having to depend on them for the rest of my life. I need help and just some advice as my partner is not good at communicating, I have nowhere to turn, have never felt so low in my life and I'm really beginning to worry about my sanity.
Any help would be appreciated.
X😒

[jelly2010]

Hi there,
First of all, it is completely normal to feel apprehensive about starting new medication. I too feared taking them and then becoming dependent on them for the rest of my life. However two of my good friends have both taking fluox in the past and have managed to come off them without problems.

If you broke your leg you wouldn't just be put in plaster cast. You would need an operation to fix the break, have the cast, take pain killers and probably need physiotherapy to help you get the strength back once it has healed. Try and think of the depression in those terms. The fluox is just one aid to get us back to where we need to be. Have you been offered any counselling?

I will not lie to you, the side effects can be difficult to deal with. Everyone will experience different things but I did struggle for about 6 weeks with bad side effects. That is not to say your experience will be the same. However if it is, speak to your doc about how to get through the first few weeks and lean on us here on NMP as that can be so helpful! I find everyone here to be really friendly and supportive.

However I am now 7-8 weeks in to taking the fluox and feeling so much better (I too have depression as well as PTSD and anxiety) and I am able to handle life in general much easier.

If you want to PM me about anything I would be happy to try and help!
Wishing you the best
J x

[keithwms]

Bear in mind that most of us were terrified to begin an SSRI. Some years ago, in another tour of SSRI duty, I remember having the bottle sitting there on the shelf for months before starting There is a natural fear of becoming 'weird' and somebody noticing that; fear of side-effects; fear of not being able to come off... fear of fear...! Just remember that anxiety breeds anxiety, and you need to break that cycle.

Now is the time to be bold and courageous. Yes there will be side effects, but these are well documented and if you take the time to read about other people's experiences, you'll know what to expect and can prepare yourself. Most of the side-effects are temporary (weeks) and are more or less the same for almost everybody.

I strongly recommend having a support network immediately. this should include a competent doc with experience in SSRI treatments and with whom you have full medical disclosure. I also recommend having full disclosure with a therapist; it is important to have that extra pair of ears to hear what you're going through and provide some reliable points of reference and a few things to think about. In addition to those two, I think you should also have side-effect disclosure with at least one additional friend or family member... someone who knows and understands that you'll need some check-ins and encouragement. By that I mean, that person doesn't necessarily need to know the gory details about what's driving your A/D, but should know that you're trying some meds to help with moods and that you expect a few weeks of rough times. That's what I would consider a minimal support group that you will need. And then there is this site In addition to that, some other good things would be a personal trainer or at least gym accompanist to help motivate you through some physical exercise, which can be very beneficial with regard to serotonin. And maybe an old person to have tea with. And a dog or cat... Bottom line, make sure you have a good social network! That will help you through and speed your recovery.

Realize that many people like to feel helpful and can step up for you, if you let them know what to expect and what you'll need.

[ddonaghey1989]

i was prescribed 20mg three weeks ago and there still sitting there
i feel exactly how you do im so afraid of the side effects and ive three young children to care for. my partners not great at communicating about it either as hes never sick. i dnt have depression tho but i have anxiety. i am anxious about side effects of meds that i no i need i dont know how to get the courage :( its horrible isnt it.

[Ambrose1977]

Thanks for all you're advice guys. I am tryin to be strong not only for my daughter but for my partner who has been sick for a while now. I know I will wake up tomorrow and still be undecisive whether to take them or not, the fear and anxiety is so strong but I need to get over this and I do try.
Good to know that I can use this website to talk too, thank you.
A x

[ddonaghey1989]

you will have to let me no if you decide you take them. ive just read that many stories thats put me off i wish i never read any of them.

[Ambrose1977]

Hey ddonaghey, I will let you know how I get on, my head is all over the place enough but think I'm going to try them.
A x

[keithwms]

Please be careful how you interpret what you read. These forums aren't really curated / moderated and people just write whatever comes to mind, often with little regard for how that might be interpreted. Bear in mind that for every person who writes about severe problems, there are probably ten who don't write because they simply have nothing to write about.

Most of us fall somewhere in between... with some fairly acute initial bumps and then better times. This is very reassuring to know because what is known usually isn't so frightful. If I told you that you'd get a massive pimple on the end of your nose for a month which would then go away, you'd probably be okay with it, right? Okay, poor analogy...

It is exceedingly rare that these things cause really big issues; most of the side effects are temporary and predictable. That doesn't make them any less unpleasant, but at least you'll know what to expect and know that improvement is on the way.

In the end, what made me give them a try is simply "nothing ventured, nothing gained." At some point the status quo just isn't acceptable, and something has to be tried. Unfortunately most of us wait until things are really bad, and then we have a deeper hole to dig out from. This time around, I think I was a bit smarter... I sensed that I'd have some rough times due to various job and personal stresses, so I acted pre-emptively.

Courage.

[Sparkle1984]

Hi Ambrose and ddonaghey,

I'm never taken fluoxetine myself (I'm on citalopram) but I like to help people recover from anxiety and depression, so here's something I've found which may help you and any others who are having trouble getting started with fluoxetine.

There are a couple of threads about the Cranzac method, which is intended to reduce the starting side effects:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthr...hlight=cranzac
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthr...hlight=cranzac

I hope you'll find it helpful.

[ddonaghey1989]

thanks sparkle1984 il give them a wee read x