Any experiences?

Post Reply New Topic

Has anybody had any experiences with SSRI's?
They are used as an antidepressant however also used as an anti anxiety which is what I've been prescribed it for and I am slightly nervous about taking it

They've been a Godsend to me, I mainly take them due to anxiety, not so much depression.

I've had them prescribed for anxiety. Which one have you been given? Citalopram is the one usually given for anxiety. My experience with that one was that it did decrease my anxiety, and it also increased my appetite (I was underweight when I was prescribed it so for me that was a positive, but you might feel differently). I did find that it gave me a dry mouth, but apart from that I didn't experience any significant side effects. I don't recall it interfering with my intimate and personal life in the way Prozac did (that made everything go a bit numb) but I know some people who have had problems in that area. Generally I found it quite effective.

Of course, what has worked for one person may not work for someone else. Give it at least six weeks and you should feel better. You might feel a little worse for the first two weeks, but try to persevere. Let me know if it's a different tablet you've been given as I've had most of them over the years I think.

There's how the drug works when you take it. And there's what the drug does when you stop taking it. Always locate the exit door before sitting down at any bar is my advice.

This, exactly this. This is why I don't want to take many types of drugs.

The ones I got prescribed are called fluoxetine.... Ive never taken this type of med before

I'm taking fluoxetine (often called prozac) for depression.

My personal experience is it does help the depression, but for me personally it hasn't helped anxiety levels noticeably if at all. My anxiety no longer makes me feel depressed, but this may be as much due to good therapy as well as the drugs.

Fluoxetine does seems to numb my emotions a bit, and for that reason, I would prefer not to take it long term.

I find if I drink more than a tiny amount of caffeine I have trouble sleeping.

I got very vivid dreams when I first started taking it.

It seems to suit me better than citalopram.

With agreement of my GP, I currently take around 14mg of fluoxetine in liquid form, which is lower than the dose that many people take for depression but seems to work for me.

It seems that with different people which SSRI works best, what side effects people get, and withdrawal reactions when people stop, vary a lot.

If you've not sure about taking the drug, can you talk a bit more to whoever has prescribed the drug for you and get them to explain why they have suggested you take it?

I think I just feel quite preoccupied with possible side effects, have to try not to obsess though

I think you're right, it's best not to obsess about the side effects, any side effects you get will most likely be very mild. I know the list of side effects in the leaflet make it sound terrifying but most of them are very rare.

I was prescribed quite a high dose of fluoxetine for depression and bulimia as it acts as an appetite suppressant. It certainly helped me, and the side effects were minimal. If you can, try and put your worries aside and wait and see how you feel after you've been on it for a little while.

I hope you find that they help you.

For me, they were a bad idea. I had lots of side effects and felt even worse. Then again, most people do not have my negative experience and that is why they are prescribed most of the time. My advice is to keep a log of when you take the meds and when you experience something strange, and watch for a correlation. You can then take the log to your physician so that he/she can adjust it as necessary. I would also advise against reading up on the side effects before you have taken it for a while. This way you can rule out psychosomatic effects and only have a record of legitimate complaints.

Ditto.