In the last 4 days now am feeling very strange. I don't feel real again. I feel kind of dazed as if I have just awoken from fainting. As if my mental orientation has changed. Difficult to describe really. I am no longer seeing my surroundings with clarity. Its foggy, misty, as if darkness started to come although it is broad day time.
My thinking is that perhaps 20 years down the line of antidepressants has altered my brain? If so will i ever have to live with clarity in the mind and brain again? Or will i continue to feel dazed and cloudy as if it is a little dark? Anyone ever felt like this before? I am worried.
I don't want to use the word fear but am so worried where i am headed to. If my brain has altered then can I ever get better? Or could it be the beginning of a worse case? I refuse to give in but as i am feeling its really scary. Anyone ever felt like this before?
Written by
Atenns2
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Sounds like derealisation to me, the feeling of 'not being here' or watching everything on a large TV screen?I had it in 1974 but I absent-mindedly forgot about it as I had other 'symptoms' supposedly of greater concern. I expect it faded through lack of attention and neglect, I stopped feeding it with second fear.
It's caused by our mind sensing our anxiety and attempting to distance us from the cause but it's not helpful.
I'm sure your brain is basically fine as symptoms which are not real (even if they feel real) cannot harm.
Hi Jeff, thank you for your kind response. If i get you correctly you are saying that my feelings are not real and can go away if I ignore them? It will be good to know
I presume your symptoms have been assessed by a doctor and nothing physical found. That leaves anxiety disorder where over-sensitised nerves mimic physical illness but are not organic in origin. So the bad feeling is nervous in origin. I stopped feeding the derealisation with fear when I was distracted by other symptoms of health anxiety.
You will not be able to ignore your symptoms that would be asking too much. So my recommendation is to accept the symptom for the time being and as you lose your fear of the symptom (plus any other symptoms) you stop feeding your sensitised nervous system with anxiety hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline and your nerves calm and the symptoms fade.
This is the acceptance method of self-help that so many have found useful since Claire Weekes first advocated it in her first book published in 1964.
Learn to live with anxiety and you'll be able to live without it.
Athenns 2. Jeff1943 hit the nail right on the head. Since Dr. Claire Weekes book “ Hope and Help for your Nerves”, with the approach Jeff mentioned, others have written books with the same approach, but using different terminology. Two that come to mind are “ A Life At Last” by Paul David, and DARE by Barry McDonagh. It is all about ACCEPTANCE. DO NOT fear your fears and symptoms. That is what keeps you in the viscous fear cycle. Accept anything that anxiety throws your way. Hard to do, but with some practice you can get good at it. A couple of profound things that Paul David ( who suffered for 9 years) said in his book that really resonated with me were……” there is no magic cure out there, the cure lies within you, you are the cure. Accept and let recovery come to you.” And this one really sums it up. “ You will not get better until you STOP trying to get better. Once again, it is all about accepting any fear, symptoms, or thoughts you may have. GIVE UP THE FIGHT. ACCEPT!!!!! I truly hope this helps. I am still accepting.
I agree with the others here that if you are going through a med change, that you can have some weird (and sometimes serious) side effects. (& Yes, I am speaking from previous first hand experience here)
What I strongly suggest is to keep a record and wrote down what your side effects are, and keep your psych updated with what you have written down.
If you feel that the side effects are serious, then you definitely need to voice your concerns with your psych. He/she may change the dosage, (AKA lower it, and then gradually increase it to where you are now) or change the med if he/she feels that it is serious.
.
If your psych tells you that the side effect will go away over time, then ask for a general time frame of when the side effects should start going away.
Either way.. Follow your doctors advice, but also remember that we are here, and you are not alone.
I had that same feeling when I started taking Zyprexa/Venlafaxine a few months ago.It was a strange scary feeling to me. It was like I was "somewhere else" but I was home, here.
Things didn't even look the same to me.
That feeling went away after about a week and a half, but it sure was strange to me.
Yes, I had a spacey feeling with any med change. Took some time to settle down.
It takes time and work to understand what our mind and body are doing. I think we have to figure that out first. Then we move on to really getting a handle on coping skills. At least that's what happened with me.
I am going through exactly that right now. I recently had a med change. I feel like I have to give it more time. On the other hand, feeling like this freaks me out. Resources are extremely limited and strained, so I can’t just make an appointment. I am lucky to even have an appointment in a month’s time. I’m just taking it hour by hour…
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Has anyone ever given you hopes and dreams, then throws you out like garbage? 
Has anyone here ever been to group therapy 
Has anyone ever experienced this? i can't \"feel\" my heartbeat
has anyone felt energy from gabapentin
