15 months on fluoxetine 40MG

hey katecogs now i have never tried any other meds only been on fluoxetine. Im going to ring the doctors tomorrow and get a appointment. I have to say I am recovering on these meds but it is really slow.

Did you fully recover on the meds before - can’t remember if you said you had or not?

Yes have a good chat with your doctor - he may suggest first increasing the dose as it might be the push you need, or you may decide between you if its time to try another type of SSRI. If you’ve recovered on these meds before then I don’t see why you shouldn’t again, but if you’ve never quite ‘been there’, then try another meds.

I guess that if you feel you’re recovering, but slowly, then it might first be worth trying an increase before switching.

All SSRI’s do the same job but some are more suitable to some people than others are.

hey katecogs yes i had a telephone appointment today and they increased my dose to 60mg and see how i get on... And no i never recovered on them before as i was taking them then not taking them so i wasnt taking the medication right then from feb last year ive been taking them religiously ...Im hoping the 60mg will help me recover as i told the gp all of my symptoms and they suggested the dose increase but if not recovered on this dose then the next avenue will be a different medication.

also does anxiety increase when you up your dose and how long should i wait before i just try another anti depressants the doctor said 6 weeks and if no improvemnent then call them again. Im starting to think maybe im one of them medication resistent people or have to many bad habits that i cant be fixed

Increasing meds does usually increase anxiety yes - maybe ask your doctor if you could first increase by 10mg for a while and then add in the other 10mg to help ease yourself up?

Not sure if 6 weeks is long enough as you know these meds take ages to work - and don't forget, if one thpe of SSRI doesn't work then there are lots of others out there and all suit different people.

ive already taken the 60mg apart from increased heart palputations and feeling a little drowsy and sluggish i seem to be doing ok. yes thats what i thought but i dont want to leave it for another 15months so ill just see how i get on . Yeah im hoping this dose will be the finisher

Oh I'm sure it'll be fine - I just know some people like to increase in small increments, and I"m sure any side effects will pass fairly quick.

hey katecogs i saw you post on another post saying your family see the improvements but i still see it from the anxiety view point . over this 15 months i have had family members tell me that i have improved majorly even know i thought wouldnt notice and was speaking to my immediate family yesterday and they said really i can only get better from there view point and although some people recover quicker then others that doesnt mean i will recover in that time . Really i should have stayed on the 40mg and waited it out cause deep down i knew i would recover . But then i had a really bad setback a few days ago where all my old symptoms came back probably my worst setback actually and decided that i needed to increase my dose or get a new AD. Also now i think about it i didnt have a anxiety disorder but through my teenage years i was really really anxious and a overthinker but i was still able to function so im just wondering if its gonna take me a bit longer as i have loads of old patterns and habit ie biting my nails i have done it since my teenage years but sometimes im able to go without biting my nails for 1 or 2 weeks then ill bite them again then 3 - 4 months down the line i wont bite then again .. I saw you say you are basically building new path ways and i know anxiety makes your nerves really sensitised but what gets me is the setbacks that where i dont have faith in the medication

😃

N

Yes often people see changes that you don’t - obviously they see outward changes and don’t know how you feel on the inside, but of course how you feel on the inside does reflect on the outside. So they are seeing something.

Setbacks will happen to everyone - seems you can’t recover without them. Having a really bad setback doesn’t mean you slipped even further back compared to having a smaller mild one - it does also depend on how much you get sucked back into obsessing about it, worrying, watching, feeling exasperated etc, and if instead you tried to ride it out, go with the feelings, don’t get embroiled in trying to work it out, stop it or fix it then it makes it so much easier.

Yes I’ve read that us anxiety sufferers seem to be overthinkers - certainly is true for me. We can also be over-controllers too and we try and control the feelings we have, which is then what gets us stuck in the anxiety cycle.

You might find you bite your nails without thinking, and before you know it you’ve started again and need a bit of determination to stop again. Often we do things without realising we're doing them.

Yes I’ve a good book that talks of how anxiety starts and how we fall into the trap and get stuck there. Anxiety and all other feelings along with our anxious thinking becomes a habit and our thoughts become anxious all the time. Changing our behaviour and how we react to anxiety slowly changes how we feel and think about the anxiety. We’ve conditioned ourselves to reacting to particular thoughts and feelings, even thinking ‘I’ll never get better’ will bring that whoosh of fear with it, so changing how we react will bring about how we feel and think.

Anxiety doesn’t make you sensitised - its the sensitisation that causes the anxiety. Process is usually stress = sensitisation = anxiety et all.

Your body is currently sensitised (being on heightened alert continuously) and your nerves will be trigger happy at firing off at the least provocation. Breaking this cycle reverses this and your body will slowly desensitise, all feelings calm and the mind stops racing and all feelings and thoughts will return to a normal level.

When we’re in the middle of the anxiety condition you will never see your way out (anxiety tricks you). It makes you believe this is it for good. Anxiety is not a lifelong condition and we can recover from it - from medication and / or from accepting, facing etc.

Fear fuels the anxiety and you’re fearing the setbacks. Though setbacks can be hard, try accepting they’re part of recovery. When they happen instead of thinking oh no, not again, try just thinking ok I’ll let it come, let it happen and try not to fight it. Take it with you, don’t question it, let it be. It will always pass. When you do this you start to not fear them because you’ll start to know your way out of them.

The medicine really is a lifesaver for many and it equally desensitises the body. The right meds and the right dose can sometimes be tricky to find, but when you get it right they will work.

But try not fighting the anxiety - don’t look for relief as it won’t happen for a long time. I’ve said to a few people to let anxiety walk beside you as you recover, leave it alone, and it will begin to leave you alone.

hey katecogs hope your doing well... as you already know i upped my fluoxetine to 60mg nearly 6 weeks ago...I would say that i have seen improvemnts every weeks since increasing even though on 40mg i was improving it wasnt taking the edge of...I have kind of accepted my symptoms they i do have still and they are diminshing which is good...I think thr 60mg is the amount i need to be on...Even my relationships with people are becoming better and i can relate to people again. I can also see my drive to date coming back not there yet but i have started thinking about the possibility again. I have also realised that when im recovered i should be spending time with the people thay stuck by me through my hardest years as even know there mostly family thats who stuck around...Its only been 6 weeks but i defiantly know i am heading in the right direction for sure this time. I really didnt think these meds would even get me to this stage so i cant complain but everytime i think ah this is where the improvemnts going to stop something else changes. I have even started self care again which went out the window when my anxiety was really bad...just wanted to say thank you for being a guide through the anxiety maze

and ill fill you in as i improve more

thanks

n

😃

Hi Npower - hey that’s brilliant news!! It does often seem that little tweaks with meds can turn things around, and once you start feeling better everything else starts falling into place too.

Yes relating to people becomes easier and again thats because the anxiety starts to ease.

Anxiety is the key to all these symptoms and fears. Once it starts to diminish then everything else gets easier.

Yes you do find out your true friends when you’ve had anxiety as often people drop out of your radar and move on, and I always say that if a partner / spouse or family member helps you through this then that relationship bond grows even stronger.

Its good when you can see yourself going down the right path and you just know that with more time you’ll feel even better.

I never believed I’d recover with a little white pill - who’d have thought? But they work wonders as they hang onto your Serotonin as it passes from one nerve to another, and over time this abundance of ‘gathered’ serotonin starts to make you feel calmer and happy.

Dating yay!! Yes I’m sure in time you’ll feel you’ll want to date. Exciting times!!

I’m really pleased for you and have only been too happy to of helped.

Onwards and upwards 💕

hi kate, i would appreciate it if you could send me the links to the books and sites etc. that you found helpful in your recovery thanks!

Hi Betty

Unfortunately I can't post links here or mention the author as the post will be deleted, and the messaging system has been temporarily disbanded so can't send it. Really annoying as lots have asked for this info.

hi Kate i have a question for you.....i looked over your blog (awesome!) and saw some of the things you recommend did you really find it easier to recover with "leaning into":the anxiety?i am at a loss as to whether doing that is more effective than learning coping skills...like relaxation, meditation, etc.. or did you do a combination of both?

Hi Betty

Ooh you found my blog eh 😄 ….. been doing that for about 5 years now and add all sorts of info to it.

Coping skills are just that though, coping with anxiety, and not dealing with it. When you cope with anxiety you’re just coping with the feelings, maybe even masking them, and not getting to the source, so it will still remain.

Anxiety is a fear of anxiety / fear, and each time we have this feeling we either panic, frantically try copying mechanisms, suppress it, run away or whatever else you know in order to not feel those feelings.

Accepting (leaning into) the feeling is the opposite and you just let it happen without question / analysis. Over time you re-educate your body and mind that its not a danger and you stop running from it.

On my blog on the ‘Resources’ page, the first person and website under 'Links' is the one to go to. This book will explain exactly what acceptance means. It works. The link at the bottom of ‘Links’ is another person to watch.

All resources are about the same method - and many medical professionals are beginning to recommend this too.

that sounds HARD! i have GAD and panic disorder, so i am anxious 24/7how does one accept those physical symptoms all day? i could see working through A panic attack but all day?I have been on meds for years, but my celexa pooped out on me a few weeks ago. Now i have been on prozac for about 4 weeks.......waiting......waiting....for it to help klonopin takes the edge off but its still always there...i shall look at what you told me . Thank you for your responses and all you do to try and help people who are suffering!

Yes, its simple, but not easy, but if you have anxiety and nothing has worked isn’t it time to try another approach?

I had anxiety 24/7 too and even people with panic attacks do as they constanly think of it and fear another happening.

It works for general anxiety, thoughts, panic - acceptance isn’t about putting up with the feelings but its about not reacting to how you feel. Its all in the book - and it makes perfect sense.

Learning this also means many people don’t need meds, because you have the key to unlock the anxiety cycle to use any time its needed - mind you most people don’t need it after recovering with acceptance because of the confidence they’ve built up using it.

Our reaction to anxiety is to respond with fear, and its that fear that then causes more fear. This can be reversed.

But yes do look at those links - they really are worth a read.

yeah thats defiantly true im improving everyweek and getting used to having normal down days again...Yeah I now know that i am defiantly heading in the right direction...Its more about patience now and gaining my core confidence again but i do see sparks of my oldself and am quite surprised. Everyone that stayed around even when i was at my worst are relationships are even better now as im recovering they get more secure aswell...I thought i would recover but still had that nagging in the back of my head that said this wouldnt work but every week i am getting closer to acceptance and realise my anxiety is gonna pull all the tricks out the bag to latch onto me but i think thats where the acceptance helps and i may have a bad day but when i wake the next day usually my moods ok again . I try and get as much rest as i can aswell becuaae thats when you heal the most. the ADs are defiantly something i wish i new about earlier but i guess everything happens at the right time well thats what i believe. I defiantly feel calmer and happier i also feel lighter aswell like im getting the spring in my step back ...Haha yep need to build up my confidence some more though but that will come in time im not rushing as ive realised some stuff doesnt happen when you want it to but when its meant to

haha thank you

its good to have someone guide you who has been through the struggle themselves

most defiantly 😃