Mmmmmm ...... no I don't think so. The meds are in your system and working and just stabilising at a lower dose over the last 7.5 wks. You should track your time from when you first started them I think.
Well that's what I was wondering. Started out on 60 mg of fluox Dec 22nd. And was on 60 mg cit. the 4 months before that. So since it takes a while for fluoxetine to leave the system I was wondering if I have to give my system time to adjust to the drop.
Any increase, decrease or switch over to different meds needs to settle first - so yes you have to give your body time to adjust. I imagine you've settled though now.
Ok thanks Kate. Was just wondering if I was not giving the med enough time and I don't think I am. So now that the med has settled. Is it now just letting my system adjust? 8 weeks this up coming Tuesday. So ready to feel back normal. I think I feel better than I did a few weeks ago. Does it happen just that slow and gradual? Can I expect better results as the weeks come?
It does happen gradually - really, really slowly. You often start to feel slightly better but still anxious, and this gradually increases over weeks / months. You will probably have blips where you'll feel like you're back at the beginning many times - its normal. Just keep going as it'll pass.
Don't try and hurry it - let recovery come to you. It you chase it you'll probably end up feeling frustrated and anxious. Just relax, take the tension out of your body and let it happen. It can be months - but there's nothing you can do to make it happen any quicker.
Sounds like it might be starting
K x
Thanks Kate. I hope it is I mean it's better than what it was before the switch just anything out of the norm is rough. People say mild this or mild that I think I take them all the same.
It does start like that. When you look back you'll start noticing its better than before, but not gone, and that you'll still get blips / setbacks. But as more time passes it gets better and you'll probably start getting periods of feeling really well. That all builds up as even more time passes.
Thanks Kate. Felt better this morning. But not totally relaxed laid back. Some energy in me that keeps me antsy and short at times.
Feeling low in the afternoons
I used to feel low in the mornings and by the evening it used to lift a little. Slowly this began to feel even better in the evenings and that slowly crept into the afternoon, then midday, mid mornings and finally I began waking with no anxiety. All that took 6 months and I also had blips mixed with this too. We all feel recovery happening in different ways, but being up and down as you were even in one day is quite normal. Shows things are starting to happen.
K x
Hey Kate it's me again Danny. I was feeling better for about a month or better and then have went back down is this still part of it. I'm on 40 mg. Will I level back out again?
Yes that's part of it. You can feel ok-ish for a while and suddenly feel low again. It'll come back, and often its better each time you get the good feelings.
K x
Thanks Kate. Makes me feel better. It's crazy how the confidence and mind set changes so quickly. I'm in that state of thinking have the meds quit? Will I recover from this? I am about 12 weeks maybe 13 weeks at 40 mg. Is this spot on and par for the course? I had a small change at work and changes and I don't go well. Will this blip pass?
Oh yes indeed ..... it can change from one day to the next, and even from hour to hour. I remember it well. As soon as the anxiety strikes it brings back all its side effects of negative thinking, racing mind, doom and gloom. As you get better the good days start to outweigh the bad, and having a good month feeling good followed by a blip is normal - even at this stage. Remember its just anxiety playing its tricks - this is nothing but a blip and it'll pass.
Yes any change can upset the routine ...... and they'll even come without any provocation. Don't avoid changes etc though, just accept this may happen from time to time at this stage.
Try and accept this is a blip and its part of recovery. It will go. I had blips all the way through my recovery which lasted 6 months, and even after I'd recovered I'd get the occasional time when things weren't right, and guessed it was a watered down blip. They eventually ceased.
K x
Thanks Kate. Feel a little better today this afternoon. It's been three days hopefully it doesn't last much longer. Still not comfortable but i feel better.
Sounds like its lifting again. I know its horrible when blips happen, but its best to try and just let them come and go, let them do their worst, don't worry about them and above all don't try and get rid of them ..... that'll just make them cling harder.
Glad its feeling a bit easier for you. As each blip passes it'll get easier as they get less intense.
Thanks Kate. I hope it is lifting. It seems like when this happens I always begin worrying if the medicine has quit working. It hasn't has it? This blip has been 5 days now. Hopefully it subsides soon.
I guess I mean do all medicines do this? I guess they do cause I can vaguely remember citalopram doing this as well. Is it just the longer your on it the less the blips occur?
No, the medicine doesn't stop working. I took it for 16 years and it never stopped. Sometimes people do report that after years they feel anxiety coming back - and if they look to their lifestyle they'll often find that something stressful has caused a blip to return ...... and again if they wait it will ease off.
Yes all SSRI's give you similar side effects and they work pretty much the same way - just some suit others more. Yes this is quite typical how all meds work - these blips will come and go, some lasting longer than others, and yes they do get less intense the more into the meds you get. It took me 6 months to recover and by that time the blips were less frequent and didn't bother me so much, but I say it took this time because thats when I started waking up with no anxiety. From 6 months onwards I continued to improve even more.
K x
Thanks Kate. Its so crazy how the doubt and wonder comes in when it does level out you think to yourself what was I worried about. Thanks for the support.