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Over 7 weeks in and I'm feeling worse than ever!

Posted , 5 users are following.

keysersoze
keysersoze

I'm well into week 8 now and I'm having a terrible blip of anxiety, low mood/depression and negative/obsessive thoughts. Since I started on the fluox I've been very patient and active, going to work(most of the time), weekly counceling, etc and I've kept a positive attitude and had some good weeks early on. Then weeks 4-5 were worse, but ultimately manageable and I stayed positive and told myself it's just a bump in the road. Things improved a bit in week 6 - but its been all downhill since then. I feel like I'm back at square one and somehow it's worse and darker this time.

I never had agoraphobia or anything like that, but now I get terrible anxiety at the thought of leaving my apartment becacause I'm paranoid something out there will trigger some obsessive thought that I wont be able to let go of. Last night and today I'm getting anxiety/panic attacks over the fact that everything has come crashing down sad

Anyone been through anything similar? I'm finding it very hard to be positive and could use some reassurance. Thanks!

1 like, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • keysersoze
    keysersoze

    Posted

    Just called my doctor and said it's basically an emergency as I feel I'm going crazy, and he's going to see me tomorrow. Its day 55 and it may be the end of the road for my prozac journey. I just feel like I'm way worse than before because at least my fears and anxiety were based on an inner fear. Now anything and everything is triggering anxiety and panic and making me feel trapped. I'll update tomorrow after seeing the doctor.
    • shoeshineshoe
      shoeshineshoe keysersoze

      Posted

      So sorry to hear you're feeling so bad. Good call contacting your doctor.

      I'm on day 50 and definitely feeling a lot better, but still a bit numb and low motivation.

      Please let us know how you get on at your appointment.

      All the best.

      X

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze shoeshineshoe

      Posted

      Thanks for the support. Doc switched me to Luvox for my obsessive/intrusive thoughts and said it isn't necessary to wean down from the Prozac. I just think Prozac was too activating for me, like my mind would go into warp drive and I had little control over my thoughts. Upping to 40 probably might have worked, but i've read one too many horror stories about that and couldnt stand 6 more hours let alone 6 more weeks to stabilize.

      Glad you're improving, you're about where I was time wise and like they say you will keep improving. smile

      Good luck to you!

  • janneewawa
    janneewawa keysersoze

    Posted

    Hi all, 

    Remember, you are not alone! Do some pleasant activities, it will definitely improve your condition. I highly recommend you to see a psychologist as well. I am seeing both psychiatrist and psychologist. I have learnt a lot from the psychologist, through therapy, pleasant activities, etc. I believe this will improve your condition. Sometimes you need a listening ear, someone to give you advise, etc. 

    Side effect(s) will be away within 4 to 6 weeks. I don't have the symptoms which you all mentioned. But, I am feeling nauseous. And, that feeling is unbearable! I am coping it with Domperidone, and also ginger tea. 

    Xoxo,

    Janne

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze janneewawa

      Posted

      Hi Janne,

      Thanks so much for your kind words and reassurance! I'm getting councelling but I don't know if it's working all that well. I really like my therapist, he and I almost have too much in common and a lot of the time we just "geek out" talking. But I guess thats good in that it helps keep my mind occupied. I've been doing some CBT mindfulness exercises that I downloaded and they seem to help. I also started running which definitely has boosted my self esteem.

      How far along are you? I guess I'm something of an unusual case in that my first month was great, then it got bad, then worse to the point where I had regressed a lot from when I started. But my first day on Luvox went very well and I'm hopeful!

      Thanks again!

       

    • janneewawa
      janneewawa keysersoze

      Posted

      I have been taking Fluoxetine since March 2014. Started with 20mg, then increased dosage to 40mg. Months later, doctor decreased dosage back to 20mg, and recently increased to 40mg again. 

      When I am taking 40mg of Fluoxetine, I faced sweaty palms and hands/ legs/ cheeks shivering. But, it is not that severe. And, I hope this will be temporary. Imagine meeting new people, you'll shake hand with the other party. Worse is, interview! Argh, I can't imagine. I just hope these will not happen to me when it comes. Currently, I am having nauseous, it is the third week. I hope this nauseous feeling will be gone soon. 

      Glad to hear that you are making changes in your life. I hope you will continue! Feel free to talk to your therapist if you face any difficulty in life, I believe he will give you the best advice. Remember, not to keep things in your heart. 

      Take care and wishing you well always. 

      Xoxo,

      Janne

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze janneewawa

      Posted

      Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't know if it'll work for you, but I find propranolol really helps me battle the physical aspects of anxiety(heart palp, chest pain, shaking, sweaty hands) and my dad uses it to help control his essential tremors, so who knows - it could be worth a shot for you!

      I think the nausea will pass soon. It was about the 3 week mark when my SE's died down and I felt great! Of course my nausea came back, but that was more the return of the anxiety than anything else. I took Emetrol when I knew I absolutely had to eat and it worked. I didnt feel great, but it was enough improvment to eat.

      I see my therapist on thursday and it'll be tough to tell him how much I've regressed because he's trying very hard with me. But like you said, I won't keep it in. We will continue to work at it and get me fixed.

      Thanks again and good luck to you as well!

       

  • katecogs
    katecogs keysersoze

    Posted

    Took my son 9 months to recover on Fluoxetine, and he went through hell.  He's now back to his happy normal self again and has been well since last year.

    Everyone takes different times to recover, and recovery often comes in waves with many, many blips along the way.

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze katecogs

      Posted

      Thanks for the response katecogs! I've read a bunch of your posts in this forum and they really helped me through the darkest days!

      I tried to be patient with the fluox, but I just feel its too activating for me. I started off good, then progressively worsened to where I was much worse than before I started. Can't say I ever had a good week, maybe 2-3 days in a row in the first 2 weeks. I'm sure the fluox might have eventually started working I just felt like I was literally going out of control.

      Anyways, thanks again for all you do here. I might have gone mad without these forums! Cheers!

    • katecogs
      katecogs keysersoze

      Posted

      Hi there

      Sorry you've had a tough time on it.  Hope the Luvox works better for you.  Not heard of that one.  Many years ago I first started in Seroxat, and though I recovered on it, but it didn't suit me.  Changed meds and found one that suited me better.

      Ive read lately a few people have started Escitalopram, which apparently works quicker and has less side effects.  Worth noting if ever you need to swap again.

      Best of luck on your new meds.

      K xx

       

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze katecogs

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice! Yeah I wont hesitate to keep trying until I find one that helps. My doctor basically said its a crapshoot, but theres always something that will work and we will keep going until we find it.

       

    • katecogs
      katecogs keysersoze

      Posted

      Yes, each meds is tailored for different people and can be trial and error before finding one suitable for you.  Give each one a long time though before you decide.

      Good luck xx

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze katecogs

      Posted

      Yes I dont want to give up too soon, thats for sure. At least the med I'm on now has a really short metabolic half life so in 7-10 days it'll be fully in my system, but he said dont start looking for improvement before week 4. That and it will take a while before the prozie out of my system as well.

      Thanks again for all your advice and support smile

       

  • elaine75237
    elaine75237 keysersoze

    Posted

    Hi I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. Years and years ago I suffered from depression and took the same medication as you, I eventually came off it as I felt it stopped working really and I was feeling worse. I got through the depression howver over the last year I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and OCD and was prescribed Fluoxetine again. Disaster !! I took the medication for just over 4 and 1/2 weeks but I had to stop. My anxiety was off the chart, I'll never really know if I would have felt like that anyway or the tablets exacerbated my anxiety, I feel it was definitely the medication, although I still have anxiety I have never been as bad as I was when I was taking those tabs. I have tried 4 different medications to no avail and the Dr says it's kind of trial and error. I am getting therapy at the moment which is better for me. It goes without saying everyone should seek medical advice before stopping any medications. I hope it works out for you, I know how you feel. I never left the house for about 3 months unless it was to visit my GP. You will get through it, you really will, one foot in front of the other, it's all baby steps. Through therapy I have realised I really need to think positively and I know that sounds ridiculous when you are in the grip of anxiety but I need to believe it will help. I hope you feel better soon I really do. The best of luck to you. Go back to your GP and discuss everything with your therapist. 
    • katecogs
      katecogs elaine75237

      Posted

      Yes it would have been the mediciation - it gets worse before it gets better with these type of meds.  These side effects wear off after a few weeks.

      xxx 😊

    • keysersoze
      keysersoze elaine75237

      Posted

      Yeah that's what it felt like to me, it's as if the fluoxetine magnified my obsessive tendancies which caused my anxiety to spiike horribily which lead to panic attacks and that's when I decided to pull the plug.

      As I mentioned, I was doing well at the 3 week mark and felt like it was really working. Then anxiety started hitting me out of the blue, I wasnt stressed out or obsessing over anything. They just started happening and eventually more and more frequently. Then that's when my mind seemed to go off the rails wanting to obsess over anything and everything. If if was the initial stressor which caused my relapse, I wouldn't be blaming the meds. I wasn't even thinking about that and in my mind, I had much bigger issues starting to happen that were somehow way worse.

      Saw my doctor and we decided to switch meds to something that may be better for OCD, which is called fluvoxamine(Luvox). Even after one dose, I'm starting to feel less of a need to obsess even though my mind still senses all those problems, but I just went out twice already today to the store and the P.O. and I didnt experience those waves of panic, just some belly anxiety for moments. So I'm hopeful!

      I'm glad to hear therapy is working for you! Once I get my head to a better place and stable, I really want to focus on mindfulness and CBT as well as make some lifestyle choices.

      Thanks for your kind words!

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