Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
First of all, thank you all for answering my post from 3 weeks ago. I was not in such a place to interact with you more, but I did see the messages of support and I appreciate it very much. :)
Now, to my question -
I am on prozac, 10mg, and yesterday was full 3 weeks since I started. There has been some improvements, but I am not yet back to my usual self. I went to see my doctor yesterday and I explained how I feel and he asked if I wanted to try 20mg. At first I said no, but then changed my mind and went with it.
Now this is when h*ll starts for me. I have been consumed with anxiety over wether I just wasted 3 weeks on lowest dosage and how I should already feel better than I do. I couldn't sleep last night and just kept breathing deep all night to calm down. Regardless, I didn't really have a full blown panic attack.
Today, I continued my misery by torturing myself about wether the medication is working or not (you can see how desperate I am to get back to my life....I'm a mom of 2...). My anxiety went through the roof, but no full blown attack, thank God.
Now, for those of you with experience on antidepressants - how realistic am i about expecting to feel better at this point? I was hoping to wake up one morning and have an interest in something to do that day, to read, to watch tv, anything...but I am still not deriving any joy out of these activities, so I end up just reading forums and feeding my anxiety. However, there are things that have improved since I started taking prozac -
1. no more nightmares
2. no more breakdowns, I am able to handle normal, daily stress better
3. more energy - i am able to get out of bed and get my kids ready for school, drop them off and to even cook a simple dinner and help them with homework (i do take xanax in low dosages(0.25mg) when i need to)
4. feeling sad is not as debilitating as before, I actually do not feel the intense sadness, just normal (I get lonely as my husband travels for work a lot)
5. my concentration and focus has improved, but not 100%. For example, I am able to follow simple cooking recipes, but nothing complicated yet
Overall, I am more stable.
Last week was actually very good - I was alone with the kids (husband away on business) and I was proud of myself for being able to handle everything. I told myself that soon I will feel much, much better and it would calm me. I was even able to get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep without any sleeping meds. I cleaned the house, watched a few movies and sitcomes, went to my therapy, etc.
Then the weekend came and my husband was home with us and then he left on Monday, which stressed me out a lot. Ever since, I have been an anxious wreck. And, I cried too on Monday after he left.
So i guess, anxiety, lack of interest in life, and lack of joy and pleasure remain after my 3 weeks mark.
Any words of encouragement?
I am terrified of my doctor changing the meds for me, where i would have to go back to square one (if that is how it works anyway), and I am so scared that I wasted 3 weeks on 10mg, when I could have been at 20mg and felt better by now....
I am so sorry for the long post and I am sorry if I am whining and boring you to death, but I figured if anyone would understand, it would be you guys....
Please tell me if you think I am on good path so far, from your own experiences....maybe I will then get some sleep tonight.
Thank you so, so, much!
Hugs to all.
Now, to my question -
I am on prozac, 10mg, and yesterday was full 3 weeks since I started. There has been some improvements, but I am not yet back to my usual self. I went to see my doctor yesterday and I explained how I feel and he asked if I wanted to try 20mg. At first I said no, but then changed my mind and went with it.
Now this is when h*ll starts for me. I have been consumed with anxiety over wether I just wasted 3 weeks on lowest dosage and how I should already feel better than I do. I couldn't sleep last night and just kept breathing deep all night to calm down. Regardless, I didn't really have a full blown panic attack.
Today, I continued my misery by torturing myself about wether the medication is working or not (you can see how desperate I am to get back to my life....I'm a mom of 2...). My anxiety went through the roof, but no full blown attack, thank God.
Now, for those of you with experience on antidepressants - how realistic am i about expecting to feel better at this point? I was hoping to wake up one morning and have an interest in something to do that day, to read, to watch tv, anything...but I am still not deriving any joy out of these activities, so I end up just reading forums and feeding my anxiety. However, there are things that have improved since I started taking prozac -
1. no more nightmares
2. no more breakdowns, I am able to handle normal, daily stress better
3. more energy - i am able to get out of bed and get my kids ready for school, drop them off and to even cook a simple dinner and help them with homework (i do take xanax in low dosages(0.25mg) when i need to)
4. feeling sad is not as debilitating as before, I actually do not feel the intense sadness, just normal (I get lonely as my husband travels for work a lot)
5. my concentration and focus has improved, but not 100%. For example, I am able to follow simple cooking recipes, but nothing complicated yet
Overall, I am more stable.
Last week was actually very good - I was alone with the kids (husband away on business) and I was proud of myself for being able to handle everything. I told myself that soon I will feel much, much better and it would calm me. I was even able to get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep without any sleeping meds. I cleaned the house, watched a few movies and sitcomes, went to my therapy, etc.
Then the weekend came and my husband was home with us and then he left on Monday, which stressed me out a lot. Ever since, I have been an anxious wreck. And, I cried too on Monday after he left.
So i guess, anxiety, lack of interest in life, and lack of joy and pleasure remain after my 3 weeks mark.
Any words of encouragement?
I am terrified of my doctor changing the meds for me, where i would have to go back to square one (if that is how it works anyway), and I am so scared that I wasted 3 weeks on 10mg, when I could have been at 20mg and felt better by now....
I am so sorry for the long post and I am sorry if I am whining and boring you to death, but I figured if anyone would understand, it would be you guys....
Please tell me if you think I am on good path so far, from your own experiences....maybe I will then get some sleep tonight.
Thank you so, so, much!
Hugs to all.
I will mention Buspar to him next time I see him. He told me that he expects some improvement in anxiety over next few weeks, so we'll see.
Thanks for the reply!
I want to use this opportunity to send you a big hug and to let you know that I am thinking of you and praying that your troubles ease up today.
But at a later time 2-3 years down the road I went back on it and it worked great for a couple of years but they combined it with other meds at the same time.
I'm one of the lucky few who notice a different quickly after a med change.
Cymbalta was a great drug for me for about 7 years again there were other meds supporting it. But I felt so good after starting it that I went on a shopping spree that cost me about $6,000.00. But it really helped me alot. I think I have tried everything atleast once in the last 15 years.
Right now it is a bad time and time for a med change.
I pray that the prozac continues to help you more. I am on a coctail of meds which works best for me.
I hope you always feel free to come here and talk there are alot of people here who care alot and talking and asking question will help you. I pray for peace and freedom from anxiety and for wisdom for doctors to find the right med to help you. If you ever want to talk, I am here for you. God bless, deb
Last night I had a glimpse of my old self for a few hours, but this morning I am all alone at home and feeling down. I am impatient, lonely, and simply not interested in anything to fill my day. There is nothing that can make me feel better. I used to love things, especially playing the piano, but now when I try to play, I feel even worse because it gives me no pleasure...
I just pray to God that I get better soon. At this point it seems like it will never, ever, happen.
I miss myself. I used to smile. :(