Posted , 6 users are following.
Hello long story short I am a 16 year old girl who recently has been undergoing treatment for anxiety and mild depressive episodes. It was debilitating but after a few months I was feeling a lot better.
After I eliminated my anxiety almost everything went away and I thought maybe I didn't need the medication. In fact I even questioned if the meds did anything at all so I slowly weanew off of it. In 3 weeks I tapered off and I thought it would be easier to get off mainly because it was only 10 mg of Prozac the doctors told me it was a whiff of a dose.
I did not even consult her and decided to get off of it. Well after about 2 weeks I started to feel tired but wired with some little anxiety symptoms yet my mind was calm then there were a few days where I was just worried and jittery for no reason. Now this week I've noticed I've been more apathetic, moody and irritable (mild symptoms of depression) towards things and always feel a bit tired. I find this behaviour odd because it is not fed by my anxiety like it was before and this low mood is just coming out of nowhere. I am easily annoyed now and my biggest concern is if this medication has just altered my brain or reignited some new symptoms that I would have to live with forever unless I take this "non-habit forming my ass" prozac.
It has been almost a month. I would understand being more tired because Prozac is known for being a more energetic AD so obviously leaving my system would make me feel more tired but the other things are odd. Is it some kind of withdrawal or relapse that I am having? Any advice? The symptoms are manageable I'm just scared it will get worse or I'll never be the same.
But before all this I was doing good if anyone needs help or tips on overcoming depression and anxiety message me!
1 like, 9 replies
iris46 giovannia24393
Posted
giovannia24393 iris46
Posted
Thank You I really hope so my mood still has been shifting
jmcg2014 giovannia24393
Posted
Unfortunately this is what happens when using meds alone. Try therapy with or instead of meds, it can help deal with the root cause, meds can't resolve the underlying issues
borderriever giovannia24393
Posted
Let me understand, your GP does not know of you coming of your medication.?
and you stopped taking them at three weeks ?
AD medications can take upwards of five or six weeks to work well as this happens many contrindications stop then you will feel more calm.
You may feel strange on withdrawal although I do not think you have been on the drug long enough. Sometimes your GP may review how the medication is working and sometimes if happy will increase the dose
With regard to how you are feeling you need to talk to your GP. Make that appointment
BOB
giovannia24393 borderriever
Posted
Ohhh sorry I didn't make myself clear. I took the AD for around 2-3 months and as I felt like I could deal with my anxiety by myself for 2 weeks before I started to taper I decided I could taper by myself cause it is a very low dose and I took it for very little time. But I guess maybe I still need them or it is some type of withdrawal. I'm planning on waiting for a few months and see if I feel worse I'll go to my GP
Thank you for your comment
Possible82 giovannia24393
Posted
re you being seen by a general gp or a pschytrist. If you are see a regular doctor I would ask that if you can get a referal if you need one or go to a psychtrist. If you are seeing a psychtrist tell them you tried to get off of the medication by yourself. I know some might say that you need to find another doctor.
Before I would do that I would check and make sure that you can find another doctor on your plan that will take you before you mention it. We have found that it took three months to get an appointment. Once we had to use a mental hospital my son was able to access a doctor from the facility immediately and contines with her today. If you don't understand what I am saying ask a family member to read the post. It can be hard to deal with the insurance companies even in the best of times. I am assuming that you have insurance otherwise you may be dealing with one of the state run clinics and that is a whole nother story. The difference between the two can be so much. To me the state wants to keep you from having a meltdown.
where as the private doctors seem to want you to do better and be the best you can be. Just my opinion. They do the best they can with the resources they have.
?Also just because you are on medication now doesn't mean you will always have to.
?If you have a close family member or friend that knows how you are normally they they might be able to catch you personality changes. My husband and I did as the person we were dealing with was entirely different then the one we know. Again if the family or friend knows you as this person and all of a sudden another person comes out. Sometimes you might even know it. Let me tell you when I knew a few days ago something was going on was when my son started telling me it was all everybody else's fault that he is the way it is. I immediately told him he needed to stay off the internet out of the medical sites and forums. It is what I consider when you are to smart for your own good. So please my dear do the same. The medical sites only make things worse. Have someone pull the plug. After a few days he was okay. It's what I think is a little bit of ocd going on. But he is going away to college for masters school and we don't need him to go in a meltdown. Which is a perfectly normal behavior for one who has not had three bouts with depression in previous schools. And take it from me worrying and the normall everyday stress in live can trigger the episodes. Good luck stay safe.
wayne1962 giovannia24393
Posted
Hi Giovannia - you have made a common mistake with meds. Once the patient is feeling better they feel they can dispense with the meds. The meds were working, I feel better, so I don't need the meds anymore. It can take weeks for the meds to fully work, and they are balancing the chemical anomolies in the brain. Meds should be used with therapy - like Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) which is technique that addresses negative thinking. Underlying issues causing anxiety and depression need to be dug up from the subconcious and addressed. A psychologist can help you with that. It's important to note that suddenly coming off meds can have a very detrimental effect for the patient - some can spiral into suicidal ideation and/or attempts. Since your dosage was minimal (10mg) your situation is not as desperate.
Giovannia, you need to see the doc again, get prescribed with AD meds, be referred or seek a psychologist/Counsellor/Therapist where, in safe environment with someone you feel you can trust, you can find the underlying cause(s) of your distress, learn to recognize it and any triggers that accompany it, develope coping skills and when you are feeling in control, the meds can be slowly withdrawn (depending on dosage) and you will emerge as a new and wiser Giovannia. You are lucky being so young, that you are recognising and tackling this issue in your life. Many people would give anything to have had the courage/strength/opportunity to tackle their mental health issues in their youth. Best of luck to you.
giovannia24393 wayne1962
Posted
Thank you for your advice but I have decided to ride out the withdrawals for now whilst practicing my copping skills that I had already obtained and work with my therapist. I personally feel like I have worked out the big cause for it. I'm going to give it a few months and I feel worse than I will go to my GP. I do not mind getting on AD it's just that the Prozac gave me some bad side effects and I'm not sure If I wanna quit and go back on it, cause it might just mess up with my mind.
Thank you
borderriever giovannia24393
Posted
It all sounds like withdrawal, you generally should see your GP before you try and wean of your medications.
On Monday make that appointment and if possible ask for a telephone call so you can talk to your GP. if this is problematic getting an appointment accept any of the partners for your appointment and discuss your problems. They are the ones who make decisions regarding your medications
BOB
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