Hi Rups, I have been on a low 'maintenance' dose of Fluoxetine for many, many years and it has helped me to cope with ongoing anxiety. It is classed as a relatively old drug but in my opinion, that matters little if it does the job.
Like any medication of that nature...it takes a while to get into your system and make any difference, and in some cases you can feel worse before you feel better. So you need to give it a while to settle in and start making a difference. But one size does not fit all, so it is vital that your doctor monitors your progress and adjusts as necessary.
My Mum had a big stroke a year ago and my Sister and I are now her full time carers. I really don't know how we have got through the last twelve months....but I'm positive that things would have been very different, had I not been taking that tablet.
It has taken a while, but I have come to terms with the fact that I just need that little bit of help - to allow me to cope with life's ups and downs, and there is no shame in that.
I wish you well in your journey and hope you find the help you need. Keep pressing with your GP until you get the support that should have already been provided for you. Don't give up.
Absolutely agree, I take 1/2 Lorazepam for panic attacks, I've tried CBT and hypnotherapy but nothing deals with it better than that tablet for me, so it is either make a mess of myself or kick it in the bud. At this stage of my recovery, I need to be sedated enough to make progress with my own treatments, I don't have the resilience to climb over all the symptoms to enforce meditation, CBT and mindfulness alone. I use them, but when I slump, I won't feel like doing anything but bed and that's counter-productive. Thanks for your feedback on Fluoxetine, the mental health GP will contact me in a couple of weeks to see how I am getting on. An interesting aside, my vet gives Fluoxetine to dogs. If it is good enough for our dogs, I'll give it a go.
Yes, I am still considering mirtazapine, as what I have researched sounds quite positive. I will give the Prozac a go but in two weeks when I have a consultation with the mental health GP, I will discuss the alternatives and see what he thinks. Primarily, it is important whatever I take is effective for anxiety. I don't really get depressed.
I too am wondering what happened to my "care team" :)
Update: Thought I'd let people know my situation with anti-anxiety meds now I've been taking them for a month. My GP initially put me on Fluoxetine but I did a bit of research and checked the drug interactions and Fluoxetine can reduce the efficacy of Clopidogrel. A few days after taking Fluoxetine I woke up at 2 am with uncontrollable shakes. I called the ambulance because I freaked out but with a thorough inspection inside the vehicle, I was deemed as fine. I stopped taking it immediately. I did a bit of research and found a more appropriate SSRI called Citalopram as it is used for anxiety and panic attacks. To be honest the first three weeks were pretty horrible. Some people get very few symptoms, I got a feast. I was prepared to be "out of action" for this time but my symptoms included increased anxiety, tremors, sweating, nausea, loss of appetite (lost one and a half stone - I'm only 9.5 as it is), confusion, dizziness. After increasing my dose, I still get some bad days of adverse effects (takes 4-6 weeks to start working properly). So, all this on top of stroke, an unpleasant distraction from my stroke symptoms, perhaps I took advantage of that, but if you are going down the med track, be prepared. Things are easing off a little now.