Is this normal?

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:00 pm

Is it normal to have some derealization when starting an anti-depressant?I am on day 15 now and dont experience it 24/7 but during the 2nd week have been getting it often. I have noticed an increase in anxiety although this may be because of my cycle. I usually feel bad for a week before my period and sometimes during it and the start of week 2 on my anti depressants was the week before my period so this could be a factor in my anxiety. The first week of the anti depressants I was doing good. I just started feeling blah during the second week and just curious if this is normal. I don't see my psychiatrist till Oct. 2. I really find DR/DP very annoying and sometimes i think it is changing my personality. I just want the meds to hurry up and work already. Is 2 weeks too soon to see a difference? I am on Pristic 50mg. The starting dose. I don't know if it's the meds giving me the Derealization, my period or just plain anxiety. It's frustrating. Can anyone else relate to this? Is it normal to be experiencing more anxiety and depression for the first couple weeks or so? I am trying to stay very positive with my meds as I was very fearful to take them. My dr prescribed me Ativan 3 times a day. before I'd take it once a day so I really hate that i ahve to take it 3 times a day as I am afraid of becoming addicted although I really feel I need it right now. It sometimes feels like it doesn't help me too much anymore. Maybe this is because I only take .25 morning and afternoon and 1 mg to bad because boy I need it. I feel I need more of each dosing but afraid to take more so i don't and just deal with the anxiety. All this I will discuss with my dr for sure but but i have a few days till than so I wanted to know your guy's feedback. I have been sooo scared lately. Also i get than impending doom feeling. Like i am fearful of fear i guess. Or anticipating fear so that makes me fearful. I don't know its awful.Its just an uneasy feeling. I cant get comfortable when i feel this way. Does anyone get that way too? I have been doing A LOT of positive self talk. Like so crazy I talk to myself all day long positively (still get anxious) that i get mind chatter in before i sleep. I am afraid to tell my dr this because i dont want her to think iam nuts or to take me off the meds cause i just started them and want them to work for me so badly!! Anyway, thanks for reading all.

karenLeigh · Post by **karenLeigh** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:55 am

Hey Holly,
The only thing I can say is talk to your doctor. I Don't think your doc. will think your crazy. I think that is a fear YOU have. You have never sounded like your crazy to me. When ever I have read your post, you just sound concerned about your health.

Even though you are talking pos. to yourself all day. For me that would be alot of talking. Have you tried to focus on what is going on now, like in the present moment. That's what Lucinda says to do.

You need to snap out of that obssessive cycle of thinking. I have caught myself plenty of times doing that. It's so hard, I know. I still have trouble with this one. I was doing it this morning but the good thing was...I recognized what I was doing. I just said to myself STOP there you go again STOP IT!! That may sound crazy but I don't care. For me it worked.

I said FOCUS on what your actually doing. I was cleaning up the kitchen and I just got lost in my thoughts. It was like I was functioning pyhisiclly(mispelled) but mentally I was somewhere
else. Try to stay in the present moment. If
you have to talk to yourself then talk about what your doing..."I'm picking up the kids glasses and plates from breakfast" LITERALLY!! That is what I said. Then after I broke up the
obbessive thinking. I tried hard to look at things around me.
I stayed FOCUSED on the task at hand.

I don't know if that helped. I just could really relate to what you were saying about the mind chatter.

Sandina · Post by **Sandina** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:41 am

You are completely normal!

Anytime you start a new med you're going to experience things like the depersonalization or other temporary side affects while your body adjusts. Not to mention, I get the "depersonalization" or spacy-ness just from anxiety.

And as for being afraid of becoming addicted to your meds, I can completely relate with how you feel. I practically refused to take any medication for the first 3 years of my panic disorder. Finally it got so bad I just caved to it and took the drugs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I'm glad I did it now.

The bottom line is that you have to do whatever you can RIGHT NOW to feel better. After you've had a chance to adjust and deal with your anxiety with medication, then you can start talking to your doctor about getting off of it, if you want to. The good news is that you are under a doctor's care, and there is no one better to help you with the medications.

Best of luck to you!
Sandina

ydial trujillo · Post by **ydial trujillo** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:49 am

hi holly im not on medication but i have been suffering from anxiety or depresson for about 28 years off and on but i didnt know what anxiety was till igot married 15 years ago. all i do is have fearful thinking or negative thinking about just about everything. i wake up with anervous stomache every morning i even loose my appetite i weigh about 155 and i im alwasy thinking if im ok. i made an appointment to anew dr he send me for blood work its a start and will go from there is that anxiety or depresson imalways thinking am i going to have an appetite or will i be able to socialize i have the prpgram but i dont have time to write my negative thought what do i do and i dont have panic attacks but anxiety i do racing thought i do im trying to self talk

Want2FeelGoodAgain · Post by **Want2FeelGoodAgain** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:27 am

What I'd like to offer is that maybe some of the derealization is actually a calmness you haven't been used to for awhile. Which leads you too worry that it must mean something bad and leads to a steady feeling of uneasiness all day long. I, myself, link most of derealization with our minds trying to adjust to whatever it is new we are doing, and not always a bad thing. The ativan I bet is calming you and making you a bit sluggish, then that with your new antidepressant, you have "almost" anough med in your body to forget the anxiety, but not quite enough time so its peeking through. Hope thats a more fun way to think of it. Stick with it, give it a few more weeks for sure. Derealization, again, is not always a bad sign.

Moriz26 · Post by **Moriz26** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:05 am

Holy,
This is completely normal. When I first started taking meds I thought that my mind and my body were not in sync. It lasted about 3 weeks but then the meds started helping out with my anxiety and depression. It is a difficult phase to get through but it is normal for you to feel like this. I hope you feel better soon and you can move on.

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:58 pm

Thank you all soooooooo much!!!! Want, what you said made sooooo much sense!!! I will think of it like that from now on.All of your posts helped a lot!!!! I appreciate it!!!

Nole · Post by **Nole** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:26 pm

All normal. Stick with it, your body should adjust. Just give it time. remind yourself that this will take time to work.

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:58 am

Thanks Nole. Just curious, were you prescribed a benzo along with your Lexapro in the beginning? Is it totally normal to be on a benzo when first starting an anti depressant?

penny14 · Post by **penny14** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:38 am

Holly J-
I feel like I am in the exact same spot as you-You are not going nuts-I just came from my therapist and voiced the same concerns and she said it is absolutely just the anxiety-almost as though the horse is charging full speed ahead and you can't catch up. I felt for awhile that I had somewhat of a handle on the awful anxiety, but then about 2-3 weeks ago just lost my handle on it. I am spacy, fearful, and wondering if I am ever going to feel better. I too went back on meds 2 1/2 weeks ago, but I do not feel any better and possibly worse. I got to the psychiatrist tomorrow to see what they say...I've been on meds in the past and they worked, so maybe we're not being patient enough but I agree I just want to feel better and back to myself. Hang in there...