Hi about 6 weeks ago I was prescribed fluoxetine for anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I started off on 20mg and upped to 60. The first 3 weeks were hell anxious and feeling really depressed even though I’ve never suffered with depression. However I started to feel better after the 4th week. But now I’m on the 6th week I’m starting to feel anxious and depressed again. Anyone know if this is normal thanks in advance
i do not know if thats normal. i to am a medicated anxiety sufferer. i have xanex for when i feel overly anxious or a panic attack coming on. xanex works in as little as 15 minutes to ease my mind. i also am on long term meds such as lexapro 60mg, and latuda 40mg. lexapro for the anxiety and depression, and latuda to regulate my mood. i have tried many different meds over the coarse of 20 years. its a process, its impossible without trial and error for your doctor to know which meds are the right ones for your body chemistry. you may have to try several different meds to find the right ones for you. problem is they usually take about 2 weeks to work through your system before you feel the results. time is precious and it can be a tetious and hard road at first. eventually though, you will find the right meds for you and be able to function normally again. tell your doctor your problem, he may try to supplement your current med, or put you on something else entirely. i would ask for a fast acting benzo for occassional heightened anxiety such as now with the virus scare, which you can use as needed, as a crutch and potential sleep regulator. but call your doctor and tell him exactly how you feel. also, drink lots of water, stay away from sugar and caffeine. hope that helps. good luck
Any thanks for your reply. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks give the medication time to kick in properly. And if no better I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in June. So will mention it. Many thanks
no problem. i hope you feel better. you can always come to this forum and write the rest of us if you have anymore issues. but i think you are doing the right thing.
Any thanks. Still feeling really anxious. Hoping I feel better soon
the way around that is to keep your mind busy on other things. i have a fire pit, so when i am anxious i light a fire in the pit, walk through the woods to gather wood, put in the fire pit and then repeat gathering wood. this relaxes me. you need to find something repetitive to keep your mind busy, preferably, something you enjoy doing. if not, do laundry and fold it and put away, dishes, clean the house, paint a room, go for a walk, call someone on the phone, any thing to stop dwelling on the anxiety you are feeling. its not easy and you may have to force yourself to do it. but excercise and fresh air can do wonders for all that pent up anxiety. thats my experience anyway.
Thank you. Yh I do try and keep busy as I find it does help. But on another note. I’m not at all sleeping. Just lying there staring into space. Also this benzo u mentioned. Is that only on prescription. Thank you
yes, the benzo is by perscription. A benzo will also help you to get to sleep. If you choose not to get the benzo, a vitamin supplement called Melatonin is available at most pharmacies, and you dont need a perscription, to help you to get to sleep. I recommend the benzo over the vitamin though if you want fast relief. The vitamin takes too long, for me anyway, to work, and it doesnt work the same for everyone. I take xanex it works quickly to relieve panic attacks and it puts you to sleep. My one complaint about xanex is that it wears off in a few hours, so it may put you to sleep but if you wake up to go yo the bathroom or something in the middle of the night, you may not be able to get back to sleep without taking another xanex. I doubt you will have this problem as you have not been sleeping regularly and are probably over exhausted, so if it puts you to sleep, my guess is you will stay that way until your body catches up with your normal sleep cycle.
To be honest I’m at that stage when I’ll try anything. Because I just so fed up. I go to bed so tired. But soon as my head hits the pillow that’s it I’m wide awake. And when I do finally drop off I seem to be waking up at 5 every morning. It’s driving me mad
i have been where you are at. You are not alone. I would suggest the benzo over the vitamin Melatonin. I mean if you cant get a perscription for the benzo, by all means try the vitamin. But if you can get the benzo, you will like it. xanex stops a panic attack in 15 minutes, if you take it before bed, its like 30 minutes before your catching z’s. i am on .5 mg of xanex, its not a high dosage, but it doesnt take much. I would ask the doctor for xanex by name so he doesnt try to give you kolonopin or adavan, They dont work nearly as quickly and kolonopin made me groggy where as xanex doesnt. okay, good luck and let me know how you make out.