I know that no-one can really answer this as we are all individual with our reactions to meds but I am really at a dead end with my mental health.
Despite struggling with anxiety most of my adult life it has really been the last 6 years that things have become out of control. This has been due to my natural tendency towards anxiety but also having a lot of stressful situations thrown my way over these last 6 years. The longest stress factor and most pressing is helping to care for my mum who has (now) advanced dementia, I am just about done in. I wake every day in a state of high anxiety and spend the day exhausted from panic, ocd and continued anxiety. Only evenings give me some respite before it starts all over again the following day.
The problem that I have is that I also suffer from IBS (mixed but more diarrhoea than constipation). Despite trying all the strategies which have helped so much in the past nothing is touching it now. No amount of changing my diet, watching what I eat (could live off dust and still have symptoms every day), relaxation, exercises etc etc helps at all. I am stressed due to my circumstances which aren't changing (even if mum goes into a home it will still stress me to see her the way she now is), I am sure this is the reason for my awful gut health.
I feel SSRI's could be my only chance to gain back some control within my mental health. I have been advised by my GP not to take TCA's like Amitriptyline due to the dementia risk from these meds so have been offered Escitalopram, Sertaline or Fluoxetine (my rescue dog is on these and doing great!).
All the reviews for these meds though state that diarrhoea is a very common side effect, often lasting for weeks. As someone who battles with this on a daily basis and is one if the other biggest trigger to my vicious anxiety cycle I am very concerned taking an SSRI will cause me even further gut issues and therefore more anguish but I am also desperate to feel better mentally which may in turn eventually ease my gut issues? It really does feel like a horrible vicious cycle.
I am at a loss. Can anyone help and advise me how these meds affected you in the beginning?
PS Imodium does not help my gut at all, in fact it makes things worse so taking those alongside the SSRI would probably not help.