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Advice Please.....

Posted , 15 users are following.

jill19850
jill19850

Hi girls........so I did it...I broke down and took an antidepressant for the horrible anxiety that I all of a sudden have..i think from peri. Day 1 was ok...day 2 was great...day 3 (yesterday) was anxiety and nervousness like I have NEVER experienced before. I can eat, or sleep, and the nausea is unbearable. my psychiatrist told me not to take today's pill, which I happily obliged. anyway- any thoughts or advise? I only took for 3 days and still feel like hell. Im so scared on top of it all.....help :-(

0 likes, 51 replies

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  • samantha42264
    samantha42264 jill19850

    Posted

    I took prozac over a year ago, I pushed through the horrible side effects for 12 whole weeks then stopped cold turkey. I tried to stick with them even though they were making my anxiety way worse and made me extremely depressed because I was told eventually that would stop and I would feel better, we'll 12 weeks was enough. That was the roughest thing I ever went through and because of that experience I will never try another AD ever again. I would never discourage anyone from trying an AD as they truly work for some, but they aren't for me. My anxiety has got a lot better the last 6 to 9 months, it only creeps up once an awhile, usually the week before my period I'm edgy, cranky and don't sleep well, but the rest of the time Im ok. I'm on no medication at all, haven't been for over a year, so it does very slowly get better, just when is always the question.

    • Guest
      Guest samantha42264

      Posted

      Hi Samantha,  when you stopped...did you get withdrawal symptoms?  Were they like the start up symptoms or worse?  I am on Lexapro... 3 months in...to get me by until I get my hormones sorted out...hoping to only stay on for only a few more months.  
    • samantha42264
      samantha42264 Guest

      Posted

      Honestly Lou, the side effects I got from prozac were so bad, I told the doctor nothing could be worse than that and decide to just quit cold turkey, I'm sure there were some effects to stopping like that but after I went through being on them I didn't notice. I wanted nothing more to do with them, my doctor did try to prescribe another one but want willing to find out what way it would effect me.

      As far as I know you are not supposed to stop any AD cold turkey, you are supposed to wein off of them, that's probably what you should do when you no longer need them.

    • jill19850
      jill19850 samantha42264

      Posted

      Hi Samantha-I quite Prozac cold turkey too as the anxiety was horrific and completely unbearable. do you remember how long it took to get out of your system??
    • samantha42264
      samantha42264 jill19850

      Posted

      Hi Hill, I stopped taking prozac mid July of 2017, I can't say for sure but I remember I had a pretty bad summer but felt better by mid October. I don't know if that was from stopping the prozac ubruptly or just bad peri symptoms though. All I know as the side effects from prozac were so bad I told my doctor after going through that I could handle anything that came along from stopping it.

      I did di Yoga like 3 times a day during that time frame to calm myself down, it did help.

  • juanita93228
    juanita93228 jill19850

    Posted

    These new antidepressants (SSRI's)make you feel worse before you feel better. I'm on an old school antidepressant called Trazodone, but it's a SNRI. I tried Prozac and Zoloft but could not get past three days on any of them. The Zoloft was so bad I missed a day of work in bed shaking like I was having drug withdrawal.

    Most people that take them say they will turn you inside out before you feel better. I heard it takes anywhere from two to 12 weeks before you feel a difference. I wouldn't take them on a dare but that's just me.

    I hope you feel better soon. ?🤗

  • shallah24
    shallah24 jill19850

    Posted

    I tried certraline & the side effects were nausea insomnia palpitations sensitivity etc horrid altogether . It just means the tablet doesn’t suit you . I persisted for abt 5 days / week . Couldn’t take it and ask for some diazepam so I could relax as my muscles were contracted and I needed some sleep . 

    You can try some other meds but it put me off v badly . I wouldn’t want to go near them . SeeGP immediately to get relief 

    • jill19850
      jill19850 shallah24

      Posted

      Finally got on klonopin for some relief and completely stopped the Prozac. How long til you felt back to normal??
  • Finny2018
    Finny2018 jill19850

    Posted

    Jill - just want to send a note to say I am thinking of you and so sorry you are having a rough go with the AD. I am thankful that you are getting all of these replies and encouragement from those that have tried and experienced similar things with the AD. Take care and know that you have support here in this group! 
  • amy341731
    amy341731 jill19850

    Posted

    Hi there- my Dr prescribed escitalopram and told me it was so wonderful, everyone should take it etc.. it made me so very sick to my stomach, could not leave the couch for the first week, awful Fatigue, brains zaps which were very scary ..but thenI have been told I had to stick it out for a few weeks to see results..by the third week I just couldn’t do it anymore. I stopped it by reducing the dosage for about a week and then stopped completely. It took about a month for my stomach and my system to get back to normal, it was absolutely awful. I won’t be Trying anymore at this point in time… I have found that trying to take a walk helps, staying hydrated, not letting myself get too hungry and quite frankly just knowing that I’m not the only one going through this and having the support on here really helps a lot. I truly thought I was dying or crazy or both but having all these amazing ladies on here responding helps so much. No one I know is really going through this so this is been absolutely wonderful. Hang in there and reach out whenever you need to, someone is always here for you.😊

  • karen60759
    karen60759 jill19850

    Posted

    Hi - I think it’s really interesting that we all react to ads in this way, I think it shows that we are hypersensitive, which means we are acutely aware of changes in our bodies - so meds, hormones etc all have a profound effect. I have been on Prozac for 10 years, had an awful time coming on it, but stuck it out, and it may have helped for a while,  though it’s no longer working but I’m too scared to come of it, so my advice would be to just stay away from them x
  • sarah05599
    sarah05599 jill19850

    Posted

    Hi jill

    I'm not a fan of AD either my first ever AD was Sertraline last year and I lasted 2 days. Up all night being sick, worse anxiety (didn't think it could actually get any worse) shaking hands and generally like the walking dead, I was panicking so bad what was wrong I took myself off to a walk in centre and the doc said I was having a bad reaction as sensitive to them. He told me would take around 4 days to get out my system, he said 2 days for every day on them. I already had activan so he said carry on taking them as required until AD out your system. I don't no how ppl cope getting past the side effects and still working etc. You tell your doc your sensitive to them and have bad reactions and just try and give you different one, I've never in my life had so many different meds thrown at me since having peri 😮

    • lori93950
      lori93950 sarah05599

      Posted

      Yes I lasted 2 weeks on sertraline it was awful diarrhea sweating palms and a crazy weird hyper feeling . I’m glad it works for some people and I did  it as long as I could ...but side effects just too bad . 
    • amy341731
      amy341731 sarah05599

      Posted

      Oh agree..I couldn’t go past 3 weeks, was so I’ll...I like Many people wish there was a magic pill… But until then I guess we have each other to support! 
    • jill19850
      jill19850 amy341731

      Posted

      My psychiatrist wants me now to start elavil. Scared to death though. Ever try that one? Anyone?
    • sarah05599
      sarah05599 jill19850

      Posted

      Sorry I mis spelt it, it's Ativan or Lorazepam as it's called here in UK it's a benzodiazepine medicine for anxiety, insomnia, seizures, chemo induced vomiting and nausea. I was prescribed it last year for my terrible anxiety I was at my wit's end and just needed desperately to sleep without waking up with terrible nauseous stomach churning and it helped immensely. I took it every 2 days 1mg when I awoke at 2am with anxiety and it took around 30 mins to work and all next day I was anxiety free but the days I didn't take them anxiety bad still. There addictive though and most of my docs won't prescribe them as rather give AD and withdrawal is bad as I stopped cold turkey after only using them for just over 2 weeks and didn't have a clue you had to wean off them. I still have some left so it's my emergency safety net for if or when I may need them again(hope I don't).

    • sarah05599
      sarah05599 jill19850

      Posted

      Hi Jill, I to have been prescribed this but not taken it yet as my moods and anxiety have been more settled these last few weeks so haven't needed it yet, I'm scared to try another AD tbh after last year's ordeal. Here in UK it's called Amitriptyline and it's mainly used for depression, pain and migrains but it's prescribed for anxiety and insomnia to. Mines a low dose of 12mg but I haven't even handed the prescription in yet as hoping won't have to pay for yet another drug that gives me horrid side effects and goes in the bin. If you decide to take it let us no how you go with it and if I do I will let you no to as one size doesn't fit all.

    • lori93950
      lori93950 sarah05599

      Posted

      Yes if you can get through this without them it’s more beneficial ... as getting off them is worse than getting on them and the side effects are awful 
    • sarah05599
      sarah05599 lori93950

      Posted

      Yes Lori I agree and would really love to not have to take another damn pill for this peri and go through it naturally. I stopped my HRT 2 weeks ago as the arthritic hands are a concern as only started 2 weeks into HRT and I still had periods and pms on it as thought wouldn't get pms anymore so stopped as least no what's going on now.

    • lori93950
      lori93950 sarah05599

      Posted

      Yes I kind of feel the same... I hate taking any pills patches .... if I can get through this naturally I’d much rather . I got through it at 41 when I crashed and lost my mind completely . I did come out the other side but took a long time many months maybe even over a year to feel somewhat sane . Then the trauma of all this  trauma is another hurdle to get over . 
    • Finny2018
      Finny2018 lori93950

      Posted

      Lori - I can so relate when you say the "the trauma of all of this trauma is another hurdle to get over". I don't know how many times I said similar things to my mom and my husband. I was so shaken by what I had been through - yes each day I would get better; but it seemed I was still trying to "recover" from the onset. This forum has helped so much to know many women experienced similar things during the peri - it was a relief to know I wasn't alone and that it would get better when my hormones leveled off. 

    • sarah05599
      sarah05599 lori93950

      Posted

      Yes Lori, life sure is a rollercoaster when peri is thrown at us. I've been doing ok for last 2 weeks then bam! My period comes and It starts again ?? My partner has a well deserved week off work next week to and I'm going through all this again the timing couldn't be worse.

    • lori93950
      lori93950 sarah05599

      Posted

      Wait until they completely stop .... it gets worse ! Hopefully not for you ...I’d never wish ‘this’ on anybody ! 
    • lori93950
      lori93950 Finny2018

      Posted

      Yes Finny it’s almost like post meno trauma syndrome PMTS. when our bodies let us down and go completely whacko how can we ever trust them again ? When our bodies betray us and we literally become scared of what we’ve walked around in for years .

      It’s like taking a bad drug but the effects don’t wear off ... it’s going to take me a while to get my confidence back . 

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