Fluoxetine

I guess I just want some reassurance. I’m on 20mg and have been for about a week, I’ve got really bad health anxiety atm and I’ve got a 2 yr old and 5 month old. Last night I had a leg cramp and got myself in such a state and worried myself to the point I was dry heaving to be sick. I’m keep convincing myself I’m not well and that somethings wrong or maybe the tablets are making me ill I want to keep taking them as I so want to be better but it’s just so so hard. I’m absolutely drained from worrying so much it’s exhausting

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Hugs 🫂 and more hugs 🫂 It is so hard to get out of the rabbit hole of worrying and the constant voice inside your head. I have been there and I completely understand what it's like. First, Be proud of yourself for taking steps to find your peace. Second, there is nothing wrong with you or your brain; it's just struggling right now. PP does such a number on our hormones and our brains chemistry. I am not a medical Dr. This is just my opinion from my experiences. From what you described Fluoxetine seems like a helpful medication for you. 20mg is a starting dose and it normally takes 4-6weeks to see any changes.

One thing that really helped me was to keep a mood tracker. This way I could see on paper how my mood was changing or not. This also was very helpful in the decision to up the dose or not. Another thing that really has helped me was to do talk therapy at the same time once a week till I got things more under control.

The side effects of this drug are very minimal and it is quite safe especially for short term use. Always seek help if you experience any difficulties swallowing, breathing, dizziness, fainting, swelling of the extremities, hallucinations or lose of motor control. Try to find a way to help yourself when you are panicking like last night. I keep worry stones by my bed and that helps a lot along with my cat. I used to write my worries on toilet paper and then flush them down the toilet. I also would write down all possible outcomes and worry about them for a set amount of time and the flush them down the toilet. Everything you worry about is out of your control and there is nothing you can do. I know how hard that is to hear. It's something I try to remind myself of daily.

Do Not stop taking your medication. There are some very serious side effects from going cold turkey on SSRI medication. You need to wear off of it even if 20mg doesn't sound like a lot. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and you will get through this even if it seems hopeless now. I was terrified of being in any type of mental health medication. I am beyond happy that I did this for myself and my own peace of mind. You got this 🩷