Anti depressants

[Starrr123]

Hello all!
so im not sure if i have something going on or if it’s anxiety?
ive had checks and tests and all coming back clear…
i dont know what else to do.
i have achey feels in my neck and shoulders, alwahs dizzy, snappy! My visions feels weird, alot of floaters ( seen an eye specialist)
bad headaches, facial pain.
i dont know whether i should start something because of side effects…
i suffer with awful dizzyness and if they make it worse? I also get tinnutis and what is that gets worse :(
any advice pleaseee ! Thankyou

Go on then, I'll try to reply as no one else has.

I take it you are not on any medication at the moment, but think you might be suffering anxiety or something else and have the above symptoms. It sounds like anti-depressants have been suggested to you and you're wondering if you should take them.

Soo... I am not a medical specialist at all and do not know you. Your Dr knows you best and you should speak to them really.

However, achey shoulders and neck could be due to tension in your muscles of the neck and shoulders. That can happen with stress / anxiety. People can tend to "carry" the anxiety there. The tight muscles can trap nerves and restrict blood supply and that can cause headaches and facial pain. I have tight shoulders and neck muscles and if I forget to relax them I can get bad migraines. Bad headaches can cause dizziness and tinnitus.

However, I have no idea about your vision problems I am afraid. What did the specialist say? I am also not sure what could be causing the facial pain.

The dizziness could also be due to an ear infection or it could be due to BPPV or a number of things. It depends how it manifests itself (e.g. is it there when you are lying still or just when moving? Is it worse when you stand up (low blood pressure) or move your head one side rather than the other (BPPV)?

You need to see a Dr to ascertain the underlying issue.

I'll assume you have and they have said anti-depressants (low dose is sometimes given for anxiety). Anti-depressants can affect people differently and there are different anti-depressants that can have different affects. The potential side effects tend to be quite long and they "might" make your symptoms worse for a time (usually the first 2-4 weeks) and then your body gets used to the drug. If after 6 weeks you're not tolerating them well, you tend to get taken off them and moved onto something different. It can be painful coming off them as you can suffer the side effects again. It is best to do that under medical supervision and taper them.

Hope that helps. I am NOT a medical professional at all as I said, but just trying to help out.

@NomadicSoul thankyou so much for replying to me ❤️

so the eye specialist just said due to me having covid that could of irratated something. But everything looks healthy (i have a very high prescription)
The neurologist also said everything looms normal and could be migraines. But 24/7?

Nobody seems to know ? Im also very fatigued and I never used to be?
ive worse before a period!
i feel like i have pressure in my ears atm after a nasty flu i had!

i feel morw floaty and drunk?
also if i dont drink or eat much i get abit of vertigo….
i do think the antidepressants will help me , but worried about making my dizzyness worse aso tinnutis.
i need to sort myself out because i cant carry on like this….

also im seeing a chiropractor atm who said i am veryyyyyy tense ! He said my posture is awful no wonder i am in pain. He said my muscle are so stiff like they are stuck in that routine? X

@NomadicSoul i wouldnt say im depressed, just a very anxious person! I worry sbout everything. And im abit OCD about things. Xx

Hiya.

I'm also a very anxious person and I worry about everything too. This has also in my case been confused with depression at first. I'm also a little OCD too.

Have you tried progressive muscle relaxation for your tense muscles? Look it up and see if it helps. There are PMR guidances on Insight Timer and also the Glasgow IAPT site that I've used. Also mindfulness body scans can help as these tend to visualise relaxing the muscles. Yoga would help too. Failing that, you can just relax the muscles whenever you are aware of them. Try to consciously do it whenever you sit up or make a drink.

If you've got dizziness following a nasty flu, then there is a fair chance you have an ear infection. You should get that checked out as dizziness is not something that you should have, but its a bit hard to pin down at times. I have it at the moment and think its BPPV, but it could also be the left overs of COVID which I had just before Christmas. If you've had COVID, who knows what it could have done to you, because I dont think we fully understand that bug yet and it seems to linger in all sorts of places. Post - COVID fatigue is a very real thing as well, so if you're tired since then, that could be it. In my case its that and age!

As for migraines, I get these and they can last a few days and I can get another within those few days, so when I'm at my worst, they are 24/7. In my case, I noted that not drinking enough water was a migraine trigger, as was eating chocolate or cheese. I've recently started taking magnesium and a multivitamin and that seems to be helping with the migraines. However, I think the underlying reason for the migraines is stress / anxiety and I am trying to treat that through DBT, mindfulness and - when my vertigo clears off - yoga.

I've not heard of AD's causing problems with tinitus. We're all different, but I have tinitus and have tried every AD there is and its never made it worse. However, check the side effects and if it says it can, speak to your doctor about your concerns and start on a low dose.

I have found issues with AD and dizziness and that seems to be relatively common, but it will tend to pass after 2-6 weeks as your body gets used to the tablets.

Soo... see your doctor about the dizziness. Drink more and eat more as that will make you dizzy. Try and relax.

@NomadicSoul so it all started in 2020, i had antibiotics for the ear infection. Ive recently had a sinus infection which i had antibiotics. My face and head has been alot worse simce then! So they maybe a bit sore still! I dont have any green coming out so the Dr said they are just inflamed….

the dizzyness i have had since 2020 since my bad neck started!
i honestly think i need to chill!
but sometimes when i feel so rubbish it makes
me anxious….

oo you have tinnutis also? Its so annoying isnt it! I have a weekend away comimg up for my friends 30th. Im sooo worked up already thinking about my dizzyness being tired and being in pain.
migraines i never used to suffer :(
i swear its more my hormones are all out of wack!

have you tried any ADs? Is so did they help you? X
your messages are so helpful! Thankyou for that , it means alot x

@NomadicSoul sorry you have tried the ads, which one did you find best? That helped with ocd etc? Xx

Hiya, my family are now back, so I'm doing parent stuff. I will reply, but likely to be tomorrow now.

@NomadicSoul ok thankyou :) have a good evening x

Hello again.

Yes I have tinnitus and I can't say I'm thrilled by it, but meditation has helped me get used to it. Its funny how focusing on the ringing actually makes it more bearable than trying to ignore it. I dont really have any choice though :)

I've tried every AD family there is. I also tried beta blockers for my anxiety, but they were stopping my breathing (I'm asthmatic) so I couldn't continue. Unfortunately for me, every AD gave me worse side effects than any benefits. The benefits were negligible in as much as I was walking about like a zombie and okay I wasn't anxious, but I wasn't much of anything, including any good at my job.

Citalopram gave me sexual dysfunction and very rapid anger (someone killed their wife while on the drug and was found not guilty as it was due to the drug), prozac gave me a host of side effects including dizziness, memory problems, difficulty thinking and restless leg. The restless leg issue has never fully gone away years later. Fluoxetine made me angry and suicidal and mirtazapine did the same (plus it made me very angry). Going onto them was very unpleasant each time (lot of brain snaps and dizziness etc) and coming off them was even worse. So, for me, they did not help my anxiety and I believe they've caused long lasting harm to my brain.

If I had to pick one to recommend, it would be fluoxetine as its the only one AD which has got any evidence that it works (albeit it with teenagers). None of the others have got any conclusive evidence that they are any better than a placebo.

With my anxiety I found that stopping alcohol (which I think was my original issue as I used it to mask my anxiety), drinking more water (do I ever get anxious when I'm dehydrated), eating properly (or taking supplements), magnesium (I dont eat foods that have it and its linked to migraines which I get), exercise, meditation and CBT/DBT have all helped. Of them all, I think quitting alcohol, drinking water and meditation have been the biggest help.

It sounds like you've been through a lot with your infections and I'm surprised that you are still suffering pain from an infection that was 3 years ago, but Dr's know best I guess.

Sounds like a lot of your problems are possibly due to anxiety (obviously not the infections). I'd try looking after yourself more and trying to relax. Look at mindfulness and look at what you're putting into your body as you really are what you eat.