Fluoxetine/antidepressants

[Cloudd]

Hi. Need your advice/positive experiences...
Couple weeks ago I was diagnosed with severe depression and generalised anxiety disorder so started fluoxetine/Prozac for first time. It’s been 3weeks now, a did a week on 10mg and then to 20mg. I’ve seen an improvement in my mood and energy, from a 0 to a 4, but will this continue to improve over the following weeks or is this the best it’s going to get? I still feel down during the evenings, when did it start to work for you/noticeable improvements? Xx

Delighted to hear you're feeling calmer today @polelynn. That curiosity returning is a definite sign that the depression is receding too. Things are going to get easier and better. And you are going to savour the things you've been missing once you're able to do them again.

A little gift for you to remind you ...

@Maidenpink that's so annoying when you lose a message drafted.

@polelynn that's freaky...I looked online at a subscriber box earlier. I don't think I'll go for it though but it's an option. I don't really like cooking anyway unless it's something quick and I normally try to be healthy but currently I'm not taking care of myself.

I felt tearful for a few minutes while working today.. I think my period is also due. I probably do need a release of crying but it doesn't really happen anymore...I think if I increase my meds it may completely stop which happened initially when I started taking the meds.

I'm glad the appointment went well and your daughter has a beautiful dress. It must be a lovely feeling for you and to feel proud too.

@maidenpink I have put the increase off as I was feeling better...I think I can get back on track I will give myself two weeks to see if I can achieve this. I binged again on sugar today...next week will be a new start hopefully! It's definitely unhealthy and unhelpful to have sugary temptations in the house as I lose control.

You've done really well in ploughing on socially and I'm pleased your feeling a positive difference on your mood.
It is important not to feel disconnected from others and your so right about not underestimating the impact the past year has had. I feel a bit spaced out at times thinking about what's happened in the world and the journey ahead but I have hope x

@polelynn it's such a relief to feel very different in a positive way... it's true when they say what a difference a day makes! Its good to hear your update and about not feeling guilty...that is progress.

I going to take on board that reminder too @Maidenpink

XX

@sugarlost I'm glad to hear you have hope. We all need that to hold onto. It's interesting that you feel the medication stops you crying. I've heard other people say that too but it hasn't been my experience. That's good you have a time frame for looking at how you're doing on your current dose. I ate so much sweet stuff yesterday. I feel pretty bad this morning. My period has been painful and draining, I could hardly sleep with it last night. So I feel exhausted and anxious this morning. Disappointing given I felt pretty good yesterday but that's just the way it goes. I'm going to take it easier today, been a busy week and I don't do well without proper sleep.

Hope you have a good day. X

@Maidenpink sorry to hear you had a bad night and the anxious feelings have returned. Tomorrow is another day. Thank you for my gift ❤️, I want to work towards that sense of being brave and facing the fear. Not just quite yet.

@sugarlost hope is so important and that sounds a sensible plan about your medication. Like @Maidenpink I've been able to cry and increasingly have done so quite a bit as have felt that need for release. I did have the similar issue to you when I was on another SSRI years ago.

Odd old day today. I've had a couple of challenges and again I've been away to bat away the intrusive thoughts easier. My daughter is upset with me today and I understand why. She has an inset day and a lot of her friends are out for lunch or shopping with their families and she is missing the fact that she can't do so with me. Just reinforces the impact this is having on others and it's hard to hear. A couple of friends have been in touch about me going for my vaccine too (something else I've not been able to do) so feeling a bit under pressure today.

@polelynn that's hard re your daughter. In the overall scheme of things it won't really matter but it just hits that raw nerve of feeling bad about the impact of where you are on others. Just try to remember you didn't choose this and you are proactively dealing with it. It will just take time. I actually got my vaccination letter through today. I am dreading it but I plan to go. I understand how hard it must feel for you to think about it when going out is so difficult. Do you have any thoughts on how you'll tackle it? I wonder if it's something you could work on with your therapist.

I've managed to go out for a couple of things but I still feel pretty horrible. Hopefully I'll feel better as the day goes on and hoping I get a better sleep tonight too. X

@Maidenpink my mood is up and down but I had less sugar today and felt better for it. I also exercised a little which helped me feel brighter until I had a difficult call at work which made me feel uncomfortable but I handled it ok...I think the medication helped me keep things together . Glad the call didn't come yesterday when I was a little tearful at my desk!

I've realised I have problems settings boundaries sometimes and it's as if I want to hurt myself ...I need to respect myself more and have confidence and self belief. I hold on to that feeling of hope in all areas of my life.

Try and reduce your sugar and inflammatory foods around your period...it helps reduce my pain. I hope you have a good rest tonight and feel brighter physically and emotionally tomorrow x

@polelynn & @maidenpink I've had my vaccine and was anxious also about the needle but I didn't feel a thing. The lady at the centre asked if I had any worries/ phobia needles and wrote it on form and the man who administered the vaccine tried to reassure me which was nice.

@polelynn do you know if your local surgery is offering it... that may help to reassure you. I can imagine how anxious you must be feeling, maybe a therapist could help as Maidenpink said or even a chat with your GP?
I do feel better within myself going out now I've had the vaccine...I didn't realize what a positive difference it would have on me emotionally until I had it!

I can count the amount of times I've been tearful and I do feel numb at times so the medication is doing something. The emotions I feel can vary alot from day to day so I am definitely monitoring myself before increasing.

@polelynn sorry to hear how you've been feeling. I hope you're feeling more relaxed. I agree with @maidenpink re your daughter.

I'm listening to chilled out music...it's really helping me relax.

I hope you both have a relaxing and bright weekend xx

Thanks @sugarlost, interesting what you say about the inflammatory foods around the period. I do know this stuff but when I'm in the grip of hormones my good sense goes out the window. You're right and I'm going to be more mindful of that this month.

I hear you re boundaries, it's an ongoing process for me too. I'm better than I used to be but still a work in progress.

That's encouraging about the vaccine too. My husband said a similar thing in fact, it's increased his feelings of safety. That's a good thing to focus on.

Sorry about your difficult call at work but it sounds like you handled it well.

I had a bit of a meltdown earlier, I just felt so sick and headachey, my mood just dropped really low and I became overwhelmed. The lack of sleep really floored me today. I felt so physically ill my mood just followed. A feel a little better now and I'm hoping I sleep better tonight. The cramps are away so fingers crossed I will.

Here's hoping for a peaceful weekend for us all. X

How's everyone doing?

Today hasn't been great. Slept better but awake from early and still a bit crampy and tearful and just wishing I felt okay again. Hope everyone else okay. X

Sorry your day hasn't been good @Maidenpink I take fish oil capsules when its my period and that helps with cramp. Have you taken a pain killer?
I think it's the emotions of the period and pain combined with depression that Is draining you. Hoping you're feeling better soon ... sometimes we can be lucky and it can take a few hours or day or two to feel brighter X

I exercised early this morning and felt better for it...I know exercise can be a positive motivator for me and need to stay focused to do it a few times a week even if it's not for long.
I'm fortunate that my day has been productive at home and only had a slight upset which was a result of poor boundaries.

I also cooked which I was pleased with and have started to think what I can buy to eat for my shopping list which is good.
My mood is up and down as mentioned before and the other day I couldn't think of using the cooker as had no motivation.

I'm currently lying in bed...I feel tired and no desire to do anything and feeling a bit lonely (can hear people outside having a good time) ...my mood may be slipping. I think I'm better emotionally in the morning and daytime.

Hope you're ok @polelynn x

Thanks @sugarlost. ❤ The cramps aren't too bad, it's the combination of them with my mood and energy that's horrible. I just feel so lacking in resilience, having my period is so difficult when things are already challenging. I know I need to accept this is where I am right now and it will changed but I just feel worn down by it all.

You sound like you've had a pretty good day. That's great you had a bit of exercise and cooking too. I'm sorry the evenings feel hard. You're quite different to me as often I can feel better in the eve and worse earlier in the day. Not always tho. I'm just counting down to when I can go to bed really. I find the lack of structure at the weekends difficult. The day just seems to stretch endlessly on. I'm caught between not feeling like doing anything but not doing anything can make me worse. I'm sure you can relate. It's the depressive's conundrum.

I'm going in the water tomor which i hope might help to reset things a bit.

Are you reading anything good? I kind of feel after the last year that I'm a bit sick of everything. Plus I need to be careful what I read or watch when I'm unwell because things that usually wouldn't bother me can be really upsetting.

X

Hi both of you

@Maidenpink I'm sorry to hear you are having a low day. Please be kind to yourself. I don't know how old you are but I found during the years heading into and during peri-menopause that my periods became much more difficult to cope with and really drained me. Hormones, along with what you are dealing with emotionally and mentally right now will undoubtedly take its toll. In some cultures women completely rest during their menstruation and I suspect they are much more aligned with their bodies and emotions than we are in our westernised culture of 'getting on with things regardless'. Hopefully the swim tomorrow will reinvigorate you.

@sugarlost I can hear your increase in motivation in your post, that's great you've managed to do some exercise and cooking today. These small wins will all add up and help your recovery. Remember those voices you are hearing outside are just a snapshot of someone else's life, not their everyday reality.

My day has been a bit of a non event. I watched a video last night about one of my biggest fears (Covid related) which contributes in a significant way to my intrusive thoughts and performing of compulsions. The evidence now states that it should no longer be a cause for concern in terms of transmission. I felt reassured watching it and thought I'd wake up this morning and be able to snap out of it but I just can't stop these thoughts and the compulsions which accompany them, they are so ingrained.

Another challenge is my daughter has been offered a work trial tomorrow at a cafe and is in two minds about going. I suspect it's my anxiety influencing her and increasingly I see she is prone to similar anxieties especially if it's something out of her normal routine. It's a good opportunity for her and may lead to a summer job which'll be great for her as she leaves school end of next week but I'm not the person to reassure her that all will be fine. She wants certainty and I'm well aware from my own challenges this is just not possible.

Thanks @polelynn. I think I have this expectation that when my period arrives I 'should' feel fine as the premenstrual build up dissipates but I guess I have to acknowledge that the whole thing takes it out of me and may take a couple of days to settle down. I just feel I live in dread of my periods. On the plus side I've managed to get through this one without diazepam, I think last month I took them 6 days out of 7 around my period.

Well done on watching that video. It's so strange when you feel something clicks but still find yourself drawn back into the same patterns in spite of yourself. I think watching the video and feeling positive is in itself a big step and it is just going to take time to move away from your thoughts and compulsions. Frustrating as that is.

As for your daughter's job ... I don't know, I think taking a job in a cafe at the moment might send a lot of people on edge given the times we're living through. I'm not sure how I would feel about that either. In the end it's her decision and would depend on the circumstances of the job etc. It's hard to not be able to say for sure it will be okay.

I'm up and anxious but heading to the water and hoping it will help.

Hope you have a good day. X

Hi I hope you don't mind me jumping in. I started fluoxetine on Thursday and was looking in here to see if any threads about it and see how other people got on with it.

First day I felt a bit drowsy but as the days have gone on I'm not feeling many side effects. I'm really tired but I am anyway. I've got a 7 month old baby who has rubbish sleep so that and a whole lot of triggers has brought up my anxiety again.

@Maidenpink that's real progress you've been able to do without the diazepam, well done.

My daughter did not go. I was awake at 3am as something wasn't sitting right with me about it. Had a Google and there are restrictions on Sunday working for her age, they wanted her for 7 and maximum is 2. I think she dodged a bit of a bullet having spoken to them myself this morning.

@FiloFaxx hello and welcome. Side effects were very short lived for me so good to hear they've been likewise for you. That's tough for you with a poor sleeper, I promise it does get better in time but I remember living through that time with mine and sympathise. Is it anxiety you've been prescribed them for or post-natal depression?

Welcome @FiloFaxx ❤ Glad your side effects don't seem too bothersome. And I sympathise with the lack of sleep, that stage is intense and can feel never-ending, it does eventually pass. I was on 20mg Fluoxetine for 7 weeks, increased to 40mg 5 weeks ago. It's hard to know what was just how I felt anyway and what were side effects looking back. I do think Fluoxetine takes a good while to kick in, although I think others on the thread have felt it sooner. For me it's been a good 7 or 8 weeks. I don't feel this dose increase has fully kicked in yet.

@polelynn that sounds like a good outcome re the job. Sorry it had you up during the night tho.

Thanks you both for your warm welcome!

Its anxiety I've been prescribed them for rather than PND though she agrees post partum has had an affect. I feel like if sleep was better it would help me keep going a bit better but I feel like I'm going insane with it.

You're right it does seem never ending though. She's my second so in my head I felt like OK this will pass and expected sleep to better by now so it seems to have got me in a meltdown and blaming myself for failing at that as well as breastfeeding so it's been a bit of a downwards spiral.

Please don't blame yourself @FiloFaxx, you are doing amazingly and it's not easy in those early years with 2. It's your changing hormones and anxiety talking and I understand why you feel as you do. @Maidenpink talks a lot about the importance of self-compassion, easier said than done but remember to be kind to yourself and take time out just for you too if it's possible.

Reason I ask if either PND or anxiety and yes in your case both are likely to be contributing, is that often anxiety needs a higher dose. I was six weeks on 20mg and now 5 weeks into 40mg. In terms of my progress I am noticing very small changes in my response to my triggers and anxiety seems dialled down some days. I'm inpatient but accept that my recovery will take time.

Keep in touch with us on here. It's a really safe and supportive space.

Impatient!

Thanks again @polelynn. My gp prescribed a months worth of 20mg and I've got a check up with her in a couple of weeks. I was looking up threads to see how long people have felt results so I'm glad to come across this thread.

I'm glad you're noticing small changes now. I understand feeling impatient but hopefully even small changes show some light and also small steps are better than backwards steps.

@FiloFaxx I agree completely with @polelynn, those early years with two are sooo intense. It's hard bloody graft, I just felt like I was constantly shattered, hungry and needing to pee but not getting a chance. You're doing the best you can and that is all any of us can do. Try to speak to yourself as you would a good friend, you would never blame them or guilt them about breastfeeding or not, you would just feel compassion for them as things hadn't gone as they'd hoped. We are our own worst critics.

I suffer from depression and anxiety with intrusive thoughts and obsessions and 20mg wasn't enough for me. It's tricky because it takes 6-8 weeks to see how it's working for you. But as @polelynn says, if anxiety is the main issue then a higher dose might be more effective. See how you go. I am impatient too ... I'm doing a lot better than I was but still not feeling myself again yet. Always try to remind myself to just do today and tomorrow will look after itself.

@sugarlost hope you've been okay today.

Hope everyone is okay.

Had my second therapy session today which went well. I am able to see how my current (and past) behaviours are reinforcing my anxieties which then becomes a viscous cycle. I'm under no illusion that breaking that cycle is going to be a challenge but it's my only option going forward. I'm going to try to embrace a little more uncertainty this week, using @Maidenpink's mantra (❤️) and see how it feels.

@polelynn been thinking of you and wondering how you got on today. So pleased it went well. I guess it's just a little bit at a time. I've been trying to notice when I'm getting drawn into 'what if' type thoughts and saying 'What if? Whatever!' to myself as a means to being with uncertainty. It isn't easy but it's the only way I think. My compulsions are mental and it's really difficult to always be aware of when I'm being drawn into them.

Have felt quite down today, lots of depressive rumination. Have tried to just accept and be with the thoughts but it's so tiring. Can't help thinking when the hell will this pass. I got through it without a complete meltdown but the feelings and thoughts can be so intense at points.

Evening ladies

Thanks again for understanding and letting me know I'm not the only one who has felt like this! @Maidenpink you're right I'm my own worst enemy and wouldn't say the things I think of myself to a friend.

Sorry you're feeling run down today. It is so hard to accept thoughts - do you write them down as you go?

@polelynn glad your therapy session went well. That's great work with it only being your second session.