Re: First day and it feels awful- is there HOPE?
5mg is a pretty low dose, isn't it? I think I'm on 20 mg right now.
I started at ~5mg when my GP prescribed it...basically he told me to take 10 mg every other day. When I went to the psych he told me to take 10 daily, then later he bumped me up to 20.
Honestly, here's how it went for me:
** When I was taking the 10 mg every other day, I felt 'side effects'. I don't really know if they were real or just because I was expecting side effects, if that makes sense. They were just kind of weird...I felt like I had a sunburn one day all over my body. But after a few days they went away completely.
** When I started taking 10 mg daily, I really did have side effects. Nausea was hard for me because I hate feeling like that and I couldn't eat much. I'd also feel really shaky...I wouldn't physically shake, I just felt like I was shaking. I began to worry about things that normally I wouldn't; I remember having a massive fear that by going on a hike with my dog that I had given him lyme disease and would lose him forever. Sometimes I'd feel really anxious for no reason at all. I didn't have much trouble sleeping, thankfully.
** But, when I bumped up from 10 mg daily to 20 mg daily I seriously didn't notice any side effects. None.
As of right now, I've been on the meds since about February. I went through a period where I felt really great - seriously, I'd still "think" the same anxious thoughts but I was able to cope with them so, so much better. My anxiety has since sort of returned, but there are other reasons for that and I'm still getting good at coping.
Side effects right now are mainly just vivid dreams...which I have to say I don't mind. They're not nightmares, just very elaborate and I remember them in the morning. It's like watching a new movie every night. I don't mind them, really.
I do have one other thing that I'm anxious about and quite possibly could be caused by the meds BUT it's not confirmed and may not be an issue so I won't post about it here unless it IS confirmed (no need to scare you with my fears!)
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