When you first feel as though the low mood has lifted but not 100% better, could someone please explain what it feels like, is it a gradual process and slowly each day it becomes better, or is it one day not feeling good and the next day a complete change.
I would love to hear from someone that has been through this and come out the other side.
It’s very gradual, one day good, one day not so good, the thing to do is the self care, look after yourself, little treats, walks, massage, meditate, etc yiu will get there and the bad days will get a little less xxx
Oh thank you, I think I am getting better, I haven’t got the low mood so much now, and I can eat again after six weeks of not feeling hungry, and I am sleeping much better, I have had good days and bad days, but I think the good days are getting more and the not so good less.
But I cannot say that I am feeling great, but I can pay a bit more interest in things now, before I had no interest in anything or anyone, if I had not had the support from my Husband I don’t think I would have coped.
It is nice to speak with someone that has experienced it.X
Anytime xxxx
I will be coming of my medications next week I think. I find at this time my mood is more flat and my expectations have dropped to a much lower level
I do hope however that my life will get its edge back and I begin to relate to those around me. I find sad to say am very quiet and can sit down in the lounge and say nothing for most of the day. I would imagine been on ADs this is normal sad to say.
I do feel low although not in the way you would understand, I am however frightened what will happen when my edge on life and understanding comes back and I do not feel as sharp and quick to play the fiddle and argue without cause
BOB
First thing I noticed is that I didn't feel as bad.
I know I am coming out when I start enjoying my food and feel good when I go to Gym. Also get up from bed in the morning without lying there for long time.
Thank you for your reply.
I have started to eat and enjoy my food, I didn’t eat much for 6 weeks, couldn’t sleep much either had bad side effects of the fluoxetine, but I don’t seem to have the low mood now, and seem to be feeling slightly better, so I hope this is the start of recovery, is it slow just a bit better each day to start with.
I just want to feel myself again and start to enjoy life.
If you are under medication it will take about three weeks to start to feel well. Be patient and good luck
Oh thank you so much, yes I am on fluoxetine 40m it will be 7 weeks on Thursday, but only on the 40m in the last 23 days.
I feel the low mood has lifted but feel a bit on the edge if that makes sense, I have been having some good days and then some not so good, but the last few days I am able to eat and enjoy my food I haven’t real eaten much in six weeks, and I am sleeping better at night.
So as long as each day I get a bit better that will be good.
Thank you for your supportx
While I’ve not made a complete recovery (i.e remission), when I first start taking medication 4 years ago, it was definitely a gradual improvement. What was most noticeable was that I could take interest in things again.
I could hold my focus during conversations again — back when I wasn’t on medication, I couldn’t focus in social settings, and had to keep reminding myself to pay attention during conversations. My interest in my daily activities returned. My mood wasn’t “higher”, it was just stabilised, no more incredibly low moods.
Good luck to you, wishing you all the best.
Thank you so much, in the last few days I feel the low mood has lifted, I can concentrate on things a bit more, but I don’t feel like myself yet, I have had odd days like some good and then go back to low mood again, but I can eat now and enjoy my food, I haven’t eaten properly in six weeks, and I am sleeping better, so that’s an improvement, I have been taking fluoxetine for 7 weeks on Tuesday, started with 20m and 23 days ago it was put up to 40m.
While there is some improvement I can’t say that I feel myself again yet, so I just wondered at the start of recovery how long it takes to feel like myself again, I just want to feel like going out and enjoying the things I use to do.
Give it a little more time, perhaps around 3 months. If you feel that it can be improved, you can talk to your doctor about increasing the dose again.
Try not to dwell on it too much — just take things as they come. Focusing too much on your symptoms (or constantly thinking whether or not they’re improving) won’t help and may only make you feel worse.
Oh thank you.
I wouldn’t want to increase the dose again, I couldn’t go through the side effects again that was just awful.
I will give it more time, as the healing process doesn’t happen in a day, I already feel so much better from the low mood being lifted.
I just want a bit more motivation to do things, the things I enjoyed before.
But I will be give it more time to kick in properly.
It was nice of you to help me get through this.
No problem. Like I said, take it slowly. Don’t think too far into the future and attempting to come up with all the possible what-ifs and what-nots about your current medication/dose. Hope even better days will be coming for you! 
When my anxiety is at its worst, I can’t socialise , talk on phone ( thank God for texting) cry easily, no appetite, dizzy , and so unhappy. Slowly like a cloud it starts to move with good and bad days. Then I realise I haven’t cried for a few days and from then on it’s better and better. It’s wonderful to feel normal as I know how utterly horrible it is to feel extremely anxious and be over thinking too much. It always does Pass x
Thank you so much
I have had good and bad days, sometimes two good days followed by not so good days, I had no appetite for six weeks it was just awful, had all the bad side effects of fluoxetine, but the last few days I feel that the awful low mood has lifted, today hasn’t been such a good day but it’s been ok, but like you said hopefully the good days will become more and the bad days thee past.
I have been the same haven’t been out for six weeks didn’t want to see anyone + I just want to feel my happy self again.
How long did you have these good and bad days, was it a while before the drug kicked in fully, and you felt yourself again.
I have been fluoxetine for 7 weeks on Tuesday,, the last 23 days the drug was increased from 20m to 40m, with all the side effects twice.
I am pleased to hear from you, it has helped me.
Once you start getting good days you know you are on the mend and it keeps getting better, luckily my Doctor gives me 5mg Valium to take when I feel so awful and they really help. I am on 60 mg duloxetine anti depressants. I never need to diet as when I am poorly I can’t eat and can lose 14 pounds over 6 weeks. Also I can’t go shopping so my credit card gets a rest. But keep saying It will Pass and it does. Take care xx
Just read your history and see you similar age to me. I suffer with IBS and it’s worse when I am anxious. Had about 4 colonoscopy s and last time they persuaded me to have gas and air instead of a relaxant but will say NO,NO next time I want relaxant.
Those bloody powders you have to take to clear you out, talk about being near the toilet at all times as they are worse than the colonoscopy to my mind.
I have stopped dairy products and am a lot better,
Isn’t it crap getting old xx
Hello Lin1944,
Yes we must keep in touch, it helps me a lot to talk to someone going through the same as me.
Yes I have IBS as well, a few months ago my toilet habit changed so I was sent for a CT colonoscopy, waiting for the results along with other things I have had this year tipped me over the edge.
I knew straight away I had depression, and went to the Doctors, I was put on 20m fluoxetine and 23 days ago it was increased to 40m, I am coming up to 7 weeks tomorrow, I have been on this drug many years ag, but can’t remember what happened when I started to get better, but I know once I was better I felt good, 2-3 years ago the Doctor wanted me to ween off the fluoxetine so I was taking 1 every other day, it was the worst thing I have ever done, before I always felt good and reasonably confident, but now this has been like going to hell and back and still not better, I have had good days and then bad days, but recently I have noticed even on the not so good days I don’t have the low mood so bad, that feeling is horrid no interest in anything.
I am hoping I will start to level off a bit, not these swings and roundabouts feelings.
I have spoken to a person on hear and she said second time around the drugs take longer to kick in.
When I was on the 20m fluoxetine it helped the IBS a lot.
I have also had a few colonoscopy, yes the stuff I had to drink played me up this time, it was as though I had a reaction, the next day I had a severe kidney infection, I couldn’t stop doing a wee, so as soon as I had a wee I was drinking, it was not nice,
I look forward to hearing from you and your journey through depression it’s not a nice illness to have X
Hi Lin
I sent you a messageX
My IBS is always worse when I have a bout of anxiety. I had some tests at the Health food Shop and Dairy came high on the list to stay away from. So have been to Sainsbury’s and stocked up, mostly ok but the Lurpak butter I am missing as the dairy free butter is like Stork Margarine.
I am so lucky my Doctor gives me Valium as instead of a bout of anxiety lasting 6 weeks its only 3 or 4 weeks. As soon as I feel ok I stop taking them.
My Doctor now never asks me to come off the anti depressants as hasn’t worked in the past.
Luckily most of my friends are very supportive and I can tell them I am having a bout of anxiety. I am a very sociable person and I just retreat into a hermit type person.
Decided I must start getting out for more walks but weather puts me off.
It will pass, it always does so Take Care xx
What antidepressants are you on?
I have been on 60 mg duloxetine for a good few years now and no side effects. I also have Valium 5 mg for when I really need them and they are a massive help. I feel fine now so on a shopping and lunch trip to Liverpool to meet my cousin, something I can’t do when I am anxious. A really good book is “ At last a Life” by Paul David. Worth reading. Take care x
I think sometimes it is more of a case of a general balance coming back to your life. You may experience more of a feeling of just being okay, rather than peaks and troughs that can make you feel worse. When you have depression, sometimes little highs can make things worse because you can come crashing down even harder after a good day.
I have read that for many people, coming out of depression is not about swinging from the chandeliers, it's just a levelling off feeling of being okay which is really what you want. Less highs and lows and more generally stable.
I haven't got there myself yet but I hope to. I am working on it. I still have the good days and bad days but I can manage my moods far better now by being proactive and not allowing myself to wallow in my moods. I keep busy and I accept that I don't feel good but I don't let it take me over like it used to. It's okay not to feel okay sometimes and when you learn that, I think it helps you because otherwise you are always being hard on yourself as to why you feel low while others are seemingly doing great!
Great to hear you are starting to feel better. Sleeping well is sometimes the first sign of things levelling out.
Hello
Thank you for your reply.
I have gone through good days and bad days blips as they call them, but the last few days I feel the low mood has lifted, but I don’t feel that confident to go out still, and not doing much, I am able to eat small portions after six weeks of not eating hardly anything, and not sleeping and having all the bad side effects of the drug, it has been just an awful journey.
I have been on fluoxetine for almost 7 weeks the last 23 days the dose was increased from 20m to 40m .
I have had this drug before but many years ago, I did get better but I cannot remember to much about how I felt when I started to get better.
Please keep in touch, how long have you been taking something for depression.
I notice that I feel better when I expect less and when I also accept my bad days as well. What the GP told me was that anti depressants were not designed to eliminate low moods but to allow you to deal more effectively when you get them. They are not designed to make you happy as such but to make you more able to address emotions. For example, it is not typical that someone should cry because it rained on their washing....(yes, I have done this!).....but when you are depressed, even the smallest things can tip the scales....so the medicines help you be more rational and realistic and in doing so, are more able to take set backs in your stride.
I think some people don't feel as good as they could on anti depressants because they maybe expect them to cure all their bad feelings. That is not practical, since all of our emotions are actually necessary for good health. We aren't supposed to be happy all the time, we are supposed to be balanced and that means able to deal with a variety of moods and emotions, all of which are a natural part of life.
It's not the individual instances that make us feel bad so much as the way we deal with them, if that makes sense. Anti depressants give you a better perspective on life which can make all the difference. They give you that balance back.
Given time, you will feel okay again but it is important to take baby steps and approach everything in your own time.
Yes I agree, the drugs are not a cure for everything, but they do help the low mood become much less and like you said better able to deal with every day situations.
I can remember when I had depression last time when I got ok I felt good and confident.
How long have you been in antidepressants are you better or still getting there, it seems a slow recovery, I don’t want someone to wave a magic wand and then I am better I know that won’t happen.
But it would be nice to feel my own happy self again.
It should be gradual for most. Your body/cells/amino acids/neurotransmitters are literally rebalancing. It’s exhausting and it takes time. If you have bipolar depression it can happen quick. Reminder: this is not a rule; just a guideline. This is the way most bodies react.
Thank you for your help, no I haven’t got bipolar, I was diagnosed with depression, I have had depression before but it’s so long ago I can’t remember what happened but when I got better I felt good.
How gradual is gradual, weeks or days, or is everyone different.
I do feel the low mood has somewhat lifted and I am sleeping better at night, and able to eat after six weeks of no appetite, but I don’t feel I am out of the woods yet.
I think it differs by metabolism and what meds. Rest, gentle activity, eat right, plenty of fluids helps as well. One of my longest bouts took me about 3 months. My red flag is reading. When I can sit and read again I know I’m almost done. It’s also the first thing that goes. It’s never been shorter than a month for me.
No I don’t think this time it’s going to be Quick fix, I am on 40m fluoxetine, started with 20 and 24 days ago it was increased to 40m, both times I had bad side effects, I do feel the low mood has lifted a bit but I am not able to concentrate on much, so I know I am not properly better, I did manage to read a bit of a book yesterday, someone recommended At Las a Life by Paul David it is interesting but he seems to be able to cope without drugs, I am not certain that I could though.
It will be 7 weeks tomorrow Tuesday I have been on the fluoxetine, so I am hoping I will get a complete breakthrough soon.
I have been on fluoxetine before and several people have told me second time around it takes longer.
I have also been speaking with Kate Cog, she is very informative, and has been down this road.
Hi
I am almost into 11 weeks, I am feeling much better and sleeping and eating much better.
So I thought I would ask you what you think, at the moment I take 40 m of fluoxetine in a split dose 1 20 m at 8 am and 1 at noon, but about 11 am I feel very drowsy and feel like I haven’t been to bed all night, do you think this is the drug, I didn’t take it at night to start with because I couldn’t sleep.
When I took it years ago I was on 20m in the morning, I can never remember feeling so tired.
Any advise would be nice.
Talk to your doc. Maybe you can do 10mg at 8am for awhile. Are you eating in the morning? That’s super important. Is it possible to moderate caffeine early and use complex carbohydrates to give yourself a boost when you hit that drowsy phase? I’d say a Snickers bar for me 🤣 but I tell other people healthy stuff like some kind of ruffage bar. You know those expensive tooty fruity things? Or bread. That works too. It’s all about timing.
Again, tell your doc.
Best of luck!
Good for you to get rid of Depression it was long journey
I need help my mom wants me to marry but since I have OCD I feel scared from people how they will react when they hear that I took Seroxat 20Mg for months my mother insist on me but all I want what is the best med after Seroxat 20mg I hope anyone on the group can help me I feel my live like he'll I see it black
One cannot think their way out of Depression
Made a friend to reach out to fir depression on here?
Update: Coming Out.
The effects of coming off anti-depressants, anyone gone through this? 
