First time on AD's, worrying about side effects, PLEASE HELP!

[CatsSleepAnywhere]

Hi i have got some Fluoxetine (sp?) and am a bit worried about the possible side effects. I went reading the MIND website and it has scared me a little.

Does anyone else take these or know anything about them.

Also, another thing is sometimes I feel o.k. and feel like maybe I don't need to take anything and then other times I feel I have a black cloud, lack of motivation etc. I don't know if it is all "lack of sleep related" or whether I am depressed. If I get a good sleep then I feel better.

How do I know if I'm just trying to convince myself I am o.k. or whether I am ill?

Hello Cats.

Why were you prescribed the fluoxetine? Was it for depression and anxiety? This is a drug that is part of a whole family of drugs used to treat depression/anxiety by boosting the levels of seratonin in the body. I was given a similar drug for PND and anxiety.

I was exactly like you, worried about the side effects, however if you read the side effects for lemsip, you'd not use it! They are not without their side effects but they tend to be short lived, for me it was feeling rushy and nauseous and i did feel a tad more anxious to start, but this is normal. It is worth remembering that they can take up to two weeks to start working, but for me they "kicked in" within a couple of days and i felt much better.

I think its really encouraging that a good sleep makes you feel better, thats is very positive and if you can (i know is not alwys possible) have ahealthy sleep pattern that is very good for depression. Do you get to exercise? I am no longer on ADs and i find that exercise is very good for alleviating anxiety.

I dont have the answer to the question if you are ill or not, but if you have a back ache or a cold, you take the medicine to make it better, so if you are feeling crap mentally, why not give the ADs a go, you dont have to be "ill" in the traditional sense of the word, if that makes sense.

Thanks for replying, I was prescribed them. I suppose I do get depression & anxiety (in denial).

That is a good way of describing it :mentally crap!

There is no shame in mental illness, as i said, you wouldnt balk at taking pain killers if you had a bad back, insulin if you were diabetic. Don't worry if you don;t want to disclose what your issues are here, thats fine. Have you been referred for any counselling at all, looking for strategies to cope etc? There are some good links on here to sites that can offer online advice etc, might be worth a look.

Fluoxitine is not addictive so you wont be an AD junkie, most people prescribed with these type of drugs tend to stay on them for about 6 months to a year and then manage without them . Of course, if the underlying cause of the depression hasn't been dealt with it can be more difficult.

I am going through counselling at the mo (about half way through).

I think many people find it difficult to acknowledge that they are mentally ill as opposed to physically ill. Sadly there is still a big stigma around mental illness with people talking about "nutters" etc. I don't think a GP would have prescribed an AD if he/she hadn't thought you needed it, although I do appreciate that they tend to prescribe more often than not.

Depression is a strange illness because in some people it does "come and go" in the way you describe. I am still not fully recovered from a severe episode 2 years ago. I can go for weeks feeling fine, only to be knocked about by a few days of really horrible depression.

I agree with BN and I wouldn't consult Dr Google as doing so can scare us and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I am on an AD and one of the side effects is "agitation and depression!" - the drug companies have to cover themselves by listing every possible side effect and you may not have any, or just mild ones.

I would advise on taking the meds and see how you get on, and please try to accept there is no shame in a mental illness. 1 in 4 people will suffer from depression at some time in their lives and 1 in 6 at any one time. One third of GP appts are for depression. I think it is up to us who have first hand knowledge of this horrid illness to be the trail blazers for trying to get rid of the stigma around mental health.

I took them for about a year. I did get side effects but nothing too bad. Is there any side effect in particular you are worried about? I was under the impression that they are actually very safe.

Its best to talk to your doctor about the side effect concerns rather then Googling! Google can scare the crap out of you! Been there done that got the very scary tshirt!

Side effects i got were tiredness, constant yawning, diminished sexual performance and libido, disturbed vision but only just after i had woken up, weight gain. So i got a few but the Dr said i was just unlucky. I was also aware that it was like i had had a tiny little drink, every so slightly tipsy so i would behave in the way i might when slightly tipsy. I was looser tongued and not so worried about consequences. I didn't worry much about money for eg but that wasn't a good thing as i didn't have much so spent too much.

This does all sound very negative but actually they worked wonders! I really needed to be on them although like you i wasn't always sure about that. They changed my thought processes i think. I was able to relax enough whilst on them to correct my negative thinking . . . I was on them for anxiety. They also helped me through counselling.

My husbands on the same ones at the moment and he doesn't get any side effects at all. He has depression. His sex drive was effected for a while but that worn off.

You can always see your doctor if they are not working for you and then can try you on another one.

Well, I have started them today and feel o.k. so far.

I have been on them for almost three months and love them, took them for anxiety. I felt a bit more Anxious for first couple of weeks then was fine. No other side effects, I decided not to read them. Good luck....and well done for starting them, you are going to feel so much bettering just a few weeks time.

Thanks mumcity was doing o.k. till today but today I feel a bit sick all day.

Hopefully it will pass. I know I must carry on taking them but it is going to be hard tomorrow.

I have read that you must not stop without seeing your doctor, is that right?

Hi, hope your feeling a bit better, yes strictly speaking you should not stop without speaking to the dr, but I think this is more relevant when you have been on them a long time.