At the end of my tether with anxiety/depression.

[darkshadow]

After about a year of no medication, I am realising that I will not get better. I have been prescribed Fluoxetine the other day. It's liquid because the doctor said the smallest tablet is too big to start with. I took 2+1/2 ml yesterday and had one of my worst days ever. I know it's possible to feel worse to start with but I have been reading some of the reports about it and learned that it is really just Prozac. I've always been very wary of it after reading its reports. I have not taken it today and I feel fine--likely a co-incidence. I have sent away for a natural, herbal remedy.I think it's worth a try although it will cost me a bit of money. I forget what it's called but will look it up later.

[Rilo7268]

is there a reason you dont want to take it? you said you realize you wont get better without medicine. its probably a coincidence that you felt bad the first time you took it. it takes weeks to build up in your system. if you had pain from a broken leg you would see a doctor and take medication to get better. theres no shame in taking medication for emotional pain. yes you may experience side effects. if they interfere too much with your life you can try another med. meds also dont have to be forever. they can help you until you feel strong enough to handle things.

[darkshadow in reply to Rilo7268]

Thanks for your reply. You mean well but I send you the same response as I sent to Robinrenae.

[Rilo7268 in reply to darkshadow]

ok didn't know you had been on them previously. counseling sounds like a good idea. i just started it myself. good luck!

[Robinrenae]

Hi darkshadow, Sorry to hear your having a hard time. Medicine can provide so much relief for those who need it, but it is a trail and error kind of thing finding what works for you. It usually takes 3-6 weeks to get the full effects, depending on the medicine. I hope you find what works for you and remember to be kind to yourself.

Take care...love and light to you ❤

[darkshadow in reply to Robinrenae]

I already know all of that and more. After all the years I've spent on medication, I also know that it stops working eventually and you have to up the dose again and again or change the type. There are new scientific studies now which show that big pharma have been cashing in big time on all these drugs when it has been found that it is not a lack of chemicals in the brain at all which causes depression but rather a genetic predisposition to the condition and/or a traumatic experience in your life. I'm going to persevere with counselling and try to change my way of thinking with a view to helping myself. I had awful side effects with each of the three different drugs I've taken. Also--I am aware of dreadful consequences of taking Prozac--call it by any other name.

[Jeff1943]

Darkshadow, if you reject meds, which at best bring temporary relief but do not cure, then you have two other options: face-to-face therapy or self-help methods.

Psychiatry is an infant science still locked into the teachings of Freud who believed that mental problems were caused by traumas in childhood.

This school of thought was rejected by an Australian psychiatrist in the 1960s called Claire Weekes. She developed a method based on her own recovery that advocates accepting (for the time being) our symptoms of anxiety disorder and to stop fighting those symptoms. As a result we can break the vicious circle of fear causing symptoms causing more fear causing more symptoms. When we lose our fear of anxiety by accepting it we stop the flow of fear hormone that is maintaining our nervous syste in a state of over sensitisation. Recovery then follows.

Many people here have found her teachings most helpful and since the 1960s many have recovered using her acceptance method.

Her first book 'Self help for your nerves' by Claire Weekes has sold one-third of a million copies and outlines her method in easy to understand language. Her book is available from Amazon and pre-owned copies can be had for a few £$ on ebay.

I mention this because there are alternate routes to recovery other than meds and psychiatrists steeped in Freudian theory.

[darkshadow]

Thank you for your comprehensive response. I remember Claire Weekes very well. She,also, was a psychiatrist of a somewhat bumptious personality but not in the same league as Freud. I do not mean to prejudge but I very much doubt that her book(s) will hold the holy grail of mental illness. I will, nevertheless, try to acquire one and report back to you my thoughts --and possible benefits.

[Jeff1943 in reply to darkshadow]

If you look at the reader reviews for all Claire Weekes' books on both amazon.com and amazon.co.uk you'll find there are 1,600 made in the last few years alone. 90% of them rate her Very Good or Excellent. The phrase 'saved my life' appears in those reviews from time to time.

For them, for me (she saved my life) and many who pass this way this 'bumptious' lady is indeed the Holy Grail.

We are entitled not to agree, what a boring world if we all did so.

[gggg123]

Well the one and only thing that ever cured me from my anxiety and depression was magnesium glycinate. I think I had a very very bad deficiency that got worse over time, but the symptoms are that small to start with you don't notice them. Thank God I found it.

Keep trying....