SSRIs Day 2: DAY 2 To those following...

DAY 2

To those following, I had some weird adjustment symptoms today- which I fully know are to be expected.

I had a clinical rotation and on those days I usually experience heightened anxiety and a racing heart anyway. It’s my habit to wear a sports bra over my regular bra to reign in my top-heavy physique under my scrubs. On my commute in to school I felt stifled and constricted and like it was way too tight- which is a change because I usually find the slight constriction feeling comforting. I almost felt (anxious) like I wasn’t getting deep enough breaths. I was dizzy and just felt- weird. The second I got in I went into the locker room and pulled off the sports bra & loosened my regular one. I felt clammy and hot and dizzy, but better. Over the course of the next hour my heart was fluttery and the dizziness came and went in decreasing spells and I had super dry-mouth. I suspected some of my symptoms were caused by dehydration so I drank a LOT of water. In retrospect, since the water tasted like BEST THING EVER in that moment, I probably was *really* dehydrated. I did make a point to communicate with my bay instructors that I was on new meds and experiencing side effects, as it would have been wildly unprofessional for me to pass out while treating a classmate. (They kept a close, well-trained eye on me.) After a while I felt physically totally fine and finished out my clinic rotation without having to shirk any of my duties. When it was my turn to be the patient with my classmate she found my blood pressure & pulse were elevated from baseline and my color was whiter than usual shade of pale.

I realize the above might read half like a tale of scary side effects and half like a clinical report- not the tone I mean to strike at all! I just wanted to share my experience. Despite having a hard time this morning I know that there is an adjustment period with new meds and I’m hoping I can continue to share my journey until the point that I find a good balance. That way my path might help another person find their way to what works for them.

Thanks for reading. Take care of yourselves, peeps. ❤️