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Fluoxetine Feelings/Signed Off Work

Posted , 5 users are following.

AndyW1983
AndyW1983

Good Morning Guys

Newbie here so please be gentle!

I'm into my 4th week of being signed off with depression. I'd left my previous job after 6 years where I really enjoyed the role and was close with all my old colleagues to go to another large financial company in april. Unfortunately the role hasn't worked out how it had been sold to me and it's built up so much where it got to the point where I was struggling to get out of the shower to leave the house for work in the morning. Has anyone ever felt like that? It was like I was getting myself through the week, then the day until even an hour or so was a challenge.

My wife basically dragged me to the dr's as I found it hard to admit that I was struggling. I feel better in the respect that I went in and the dr signed me off initially for 2 weeks and now again for 3 weeks.

I was just wondering how long you guys have been signed off for and how long it's taken for normality to occur? Apologies if this sounds a daft a question and appreciate that there isn't a timescale. I'm just worried about being signed off, I'm hopeful of being offered a new job which will suit my skill set but I worry if I don't get something new that I'm going to have to go back into work and even as I type the thought of even walking in the front door makes my head hurt and feel physically sick.

Additionally I just wondered how you guys found Fluoxetine? This is my 3rd week on 20mg one tablet a day,I feel like I have a slight headache and can be a. It subdued. Additionally when I go out walking, to clear my head, I sometimes feel a bit apprehensive/paranoid if a lot of people are around me and I'm never usually like that. Possibly down to my confidence being shattered with what I'm going through.

Apologies for the novel but just hoped to speak to other people out there who have gone/going through anything similar.

3 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • mike09523
    mike09523 AndyW1983

    Posted

    Hi Andy,

    I had problems of anxiety with sertraline (prozac).

    My GP put me on fluoxetine to try to counter the anxiety.

    I do feel less coshed with fluoxetine but the anxiety is always there, part of my symptomsreally.

    If you have got anxiety with depression then there is no timescale until you get help to get to root of the problem/s.

    Unfortunately today, there are so many pressures put on us, work, social and society as a whole. You need to find the underlying causes and try to deal with it/them, one at a time.

    Good luck with that,

    Mike.

  • Thisgirl
    Thisgirl AndyW1983

    Posted

    Hi Andy

    I was signed off work earlier this year after not being able to get out of bed. It just got harder and harder until I was just paralysed.

    My depression has been quite severe, but some meds are finally starting to work for me now and I've started gradually going back into work part time and building up my hours.

    The best advice I can give is that you need to try and not worry about work and just think about being kind to yourself and getting better. There is no shame in it and all I wanted was a quick fix but you may not get it. I had to try and wean off two meds before I even started seeing a benefit and the guilt of missing work just made me feel even worse. Once I realised that I was poorly and it wasn't my fault I started to focus on getting better and asking people around me for support.

    There is a book that I found really helpful when I first fell apart - Depressive Illness The Curse of the Strong.

    Seems like you've got a fair whack of anxiety going on along with your depression. I don't have experience of fluoxetine so I can't comment.

    You'll be okay, hang in there and don't beat yourself up.

    • Thisgirl
      Thisgirl

      Posted

      I forgot to say - it's taken 7 months for me off work to get to this point but it's so different for everyone.

    • AndyW1983
      AndyW1983 Thisgirl

      Posted

      Hey guys

      Thanks for taking the time to reply to me really appreciate it.

      Thank you for sharing your experience that's helped me immensely. I'm hopefully going to be offered another job but I worry about things like getting a bad reference from my current employer & then again start worrying about the future etc. Sounds silly I know just the build up in my head at the moment.

      Was your Dr ok with you being signed off? Mine is a really nice guy and I'm seeing him tomorrow afternoon, I just get anxious incase he sends me back into my current work as don't feel that I could cope. I've got a call with my occupational health department this morning too, the OH lady I spoke to previous has left the company so it's someone completely new.

      The dr had mentioned upping my dose of Fluoxetine if I wasn't feeling the benefits after 4-5 weeks. This week has been really really low for me, I think because consciously I've always got the worry of employment and being the time of year makes it extra emotional. Seeing the stuff on the news about the Brazilian football team really rocked me as well which is probably an indication of where I am.

      Good speaking to you both. Feel free to converse and apologies about my novels!!

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