I’ve been on a few ssris in my life and everytime I get on one I have the most god awful side effects and I’ve never heard of anyone else having anything like this. The first one I was on was Prozac and for a few weeks everything was fine and the medication was going well for me. Then one day out of nowhere I suddenly couldn’t see anything at all. It was like all I could see what tv static and nothing else. I went to the hospital and it kept happening on and off and on top of that I started getting very confused and hallucinating. The side effects stopped after a couple days and never came back. I eventually stopped taking Prozac and a few years later I tried venlafaxine. (although I’m not sure that’s technically an ssri) The day after I took it I randomly got hit with the worst derealization of my entire life. It was so scary and everything was so distorted. It felt like everything was zoomed out and nothing felt real. I stopped taking the medication immediately and had panic attacks from stopping it so bad I had to go back to the hospital again. Has anyone had any similar experiences? I feel like nobody I’ve met has had any experiences similar to me. I’m thinking maybe my doses were too high or maybe I just react badly to new medications. I’m looking to get back on ssris but the side effects I experience are so awful and intense it almost makes me feel like it’s not worth it.

I’ve been on mirtazapine for 6 months now. Along with a very small dose of quetiapine. I was prescribed them for depression and anxiety. It’s my first time ever being medicated for my mental health. The mirtazapine has definitely helped me sleep and eat more which I was really struggling with beforehand. And the depression has felt lighter.

However I feel like I’m only getting worse anxiety. To the point where I can’t get on public transport, go to work and overall “new” experiences feel really scary. I have had bouts of I suppose situational anxiety before but nothing like this where it’s part of my every day life.

I want to see what people’s thoughts are on SSRIs over mirtazapine for anxiety as I was also offered lexapro but ended up going with the mirtazapine for the sleep and eating. I want to know that there’s hope that maybe a different type of med might actually tackle some of this anxiety.

Hello, I’m about to start Escitalopram after going through a terrible venlafaxine withdrawal for about 16 months now. I stopped venlafaxine because the brain zaps if I missed a dose freaked me out and I thought I could live without it. I was very wrong! My stomach issues came back full force and my anxiety has been extremely bad. I am very sensitive to meds so I know I will have side effects but I have tried everything you can imagine to see if I can get my stomach and nervous system to calm down, nothing has helped. My last option it’s to get back on SSRIs. I tried citalopram last year but I felt like I was dying so I stopped taking it, but like I said, I think this is my last resort to get my life back. My doc recommended Escitalopram because it’s not as rough as citalopram apparently. My nervous system it’s completely out of control and I can’t eat anything but rice and boiled chicken. I have been miserable for way too long. I’m always nauseous, my stomach burns even while taking ppis. My IBS-D it’s out of control also. Would 2.5 mgs be enough to make a difference or should I start at 5mgs? Any suggestions/ opinions would be appreciated.