Okay so I’ve made a few threads here and from the advice from you guys went through with my therapists recommendations to try an antidepressant. I’m on day 7 of fluoxetine and to be frank I feel fucking awful, sick almost.
Days 1-2 I felt amazing, happiest I’ve been in a while and super low anxiety. Actually looked forward to being around people. Everyday after that has been shitty in a different way. First it was extreme lows, then a mix of that and irritability. Now it’s just headaches and irritability accompanied with this constant spaced out feeling. Not numbness, but almost like being high without any euphoria(it’s unpleasant). I’ve also noticed I’m way more aggressive and anxious at times. All of it sucks and that’s not even mentioning the stomach issues I’ve had.
I’m told all of this is normal when starting SSRIs and that it takes time to build up and balance out. Is this true, do I just need to get through this?
Been trying to leave my house for the last 5 hours just to buy one thing and I can’t desseube it but I keep not doing it. It’s like I’m blanking out constantly
Either talk to your doctor right away or if this continues. Not all medications work for everyone and you do have options. God bless my man, I hope your life improves and you can get on the path to living a better life.
Leo Gonzalez
I think I’ve over done it with coffee and the prozac doesn’t work well with it. I was actually starting to have a panic attack while I wrote the OP. This is like the 3rd caffeine induced panic attack since I started taking this medication, I guess I gotta stop drinking coffee
Robert Butler
Yeah, SSRI's and coffee sometimes don't play nice with each other. I'd recommend switching to tea, or a cup of REALLY cold water first thing in the morning. Also, It's woth noting that SSRI's can screw your brain up for a bit before your mood stabilizes. usually, this takes 2-3 weeks.
Jonathan Scott
I’m gonna try for the cup of cold water. I’ll probably start weaning because idk if I can handle the cold turkey coffee (I drink a lot) withdrawals while simultaneously getting used to this ssri
Elijah Foster
That sounds like a good approach. Make it a small glass, and as cold as you can get it. a small cup because you're gonna have to pee in a minute anyways, and cold because the shock will wake you right up. Along the same lines, splashing some cool (not freezing) water on your face while you're getting ready for the day can be a big help, because it activates the Mammalian Diving Reflex (which you should google, it's interesting.)
Samuel Adams
Whatever you felt day 1-2 was not a result of the fluoxetine. Typical therapeutic benefits don't begin until week 2 or 3 at the earliest. What you have been experiencing are side effects which might wane over time; it's not uncommon that people on SSRI and SNRIs experience the worst of the side effects within the first few months of starting the drug. You should speak with your physician if you're worried, but this is par for the course.
Eli Diaz
Stop taking anti depressants immediately and don't go back to that doctor. You're in for a lifetime of pain on those things. Get off while you still can and drink and cry yourself to death until you have had enough.then put your life together.
Hudson Watson
>stop taking a medication that will help you get your shit together and start building an alcohol addiction
Will my appetite normalize once it’s been a few weeks? I’ve been eating a lot since I started this and feel like I suddenly have no control over myself in regards to food. Part of me wants to just accept this if it’ll only last these first few weeks but if this is gonna last the full time while I’m on it then I’m fucked
Dominic Phillips
Often it does, though you may have to fiddle with the dosage for a while. Also, a lot of people do gain some weight on antidepressants. This is not the end of the world, and can be dealt with, but it's something to keep an eye out for.
James Martinez
Yeah that’s what I’ve read I just don’t know if me eating the way I have been is a side effect or just because I feel so crappy from all the side effects I’m getting.
Either way I hope to get it under control as I’m already overweight and have been trying to cut
Jack Young
Could very well be both. It may help to change what food you have on hand if you're getting the urge to snack all the time: get rid of junk food and replace it with stuff that's lower-calorie and nutrient rich. having spinach leaves around all the time for me to chomp on helped when I first got on meds.
Tyler Harris
i dunno what dose you're are taking but with SSRIs you should always start with the lowest dose possible and scale up from there,your objective should always be is to find the lowest effective dose. some doctors are brainlets are start you right off the bat on an average dosage which can fuck you up SSRI's are very powerful
Thomas Carter
psychiatrist here, is right, i usually tell my patients we need 2 to 4 weeks to see the full effect of the treatment for antidepressants. Also fluoxetine can have what we call "activation effect" the first days, due to it's particular profile (it was first described with sertraline but it can happen with fluoxetine too).
So try to tal about this with your psychiatrist, depending on his strategy he might approach it differently : if you started at 20 mg (usual dosage at initiation) he can try to prescribe it at 10mg first or you can try another antidepressant (escitalopram is my go-to if i encounter side effects such as this one). But sometimes you have to endure these kind of side effects at the start of the treatment and they decrease after that so small doses of benzos (diazepam for example) can help for a few days while the treatment is starting.
Matthew Hernandez
fluoxetine is one of the few used in bulimia, it's the one giving less appetite. Also diarrhea is normal at initiation, sorry buddy but it regulates with time.
Christopher Ross
I’m on the lowest I have some .5 xans that we’re prescribed with the prozac. I’ve used them 3 times already. I just don’t want to become dependent on them and ideally only use them on rare occasions or extreme emergencies.
Since you’re a psychiatrist, do you think the increased appetite will normalize once this initial “loading” stage passes? I’ve eaten perfectly today but I’m pretty hungry and wanting to eat a bunch like I have the last few days (entire pizzas). I’ve been having horrible shits and gas man. Shitting up to 4x a day. I really hope I experiment a decrease in appetite because I really don’t like looking at food as more than just fuel The problem is I’ll drive to get junk and eat it all in one night. Anything like a pizza or just a bunch of cheese sticks. Just random junk amounting to over 3000 calories
Jeremiah Davis
To answer your questions : xanax are here to help you relax, personnaly i use benzos with a longer half life (hence diazepam), honestly xanax is shit tier against anxiety since you have an effect of a few hours and then back to square one...so 5 is not that much but you're right on the tolerance it can build five (decreasing progressively the dosage can be done). The effect on appetite you describe is kinda rare, for the appetite it's generally the opposite. I would switch your antidepressant in that case if it persist for more than 2 or 4 weeks.
I can't say much without knowing more information but i advise to talk to your psychiatrist rapidly
cont. so two advices : - use your xanax, 5 of them if necessary - if you read the book (yeah psychiatry is kinda rtfm sometimes) : you have to wait, wait, wait. I know it sucks but here it is. But in the meantime you go to your psychiatrist, he can prescribe something else for your anxiety and depending on your symptoms stop the treatment (we're not monsters)
Ryder Mitchell
I’m thinking I may just be stress eating then. It started when the bad side effects (headaches, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and irritability increase) started.
Hunter Sanchez
Idk man it’s just I’ve felt with panic attacks for the last 10 years, I feel like I’m gonna become mentally weak if I pop a xan every time I have one. Granted if I’m at work or about to do something super important and it happens I’d use them but if I’m just at home and it happens part of me would rather ride out
Jordan Taylor
taking 5 xanax along the day is just to have benzos in your blood the majority of the day for the few weeks of the introduction of the antidepressant. If your symptoms are THAT worse don't worry there is far more useful treatments, again ask your psychiatrist. Hang in there, it's sometimes hard to find the right treatment he's here to evaluate your tolerance and well-being during that crucial phase and he knows your initial state (i do not) so he'll notice if it's usual side effects or new symptoms. You're on the right track user. Last advice : if you cannot sleep try to take it on the morning.
Jaxson Gutierrez
Hold on are you saying to take 5 bars or one .5mg Xanax a day
