Maybe on the wrong medication for me?

[_Peta]

Two years ago after having had therapy consistantly for a period of 4 years I felt I was getting more anxious.
I woke up one night at about 3am with intense pain in my chest. It was so painful I couldn't breath normally. I dragged myself to my Brothers room (we were housemates at the time) where I managed to wake him up and say the word "help".

He called an ambulance, the entire time waiting for the ambulance I was convinced this was my first big panic attack. I was further convinced of this when the fantastic ambo's arrived and 4 minutes later the pain dissapeared. What other condition makes you feel so close to carking it and then you are suddenly fine?

After many visits to the doctor and multiple tests, it turned out I had a gallbladder full of gallstones. I had it removed 3 weeks later.

Before my pain was diognosed my doctor started me on some anti-depressants. I was just about ready for some extra help anyway. They helped a lot through this stressful period of time. I felt my panic symptoms dissapate and overall felt I was able to go day to day more pleasantly.

Fastforward to COVID and having immediatly started to work from home at the start of March, I began to feel... everything. Anxious, dissjointed, overwhelmed but especially tired. My doctor increased my medication to compensate for all of the extra life stressors.

I think the increased dose helped a bit? I am not actually sure. The main difference I have felt is absolute fatigue. I can barely make it through a day if work or even a day of nothing. I am dragging myself around like a slug. It has just gotten worse the longer I have been on this increased dose. Or is it just this year?

I told my partner and my parents I don't know how I am going to get through my last 2 weeks of work before Christmas. It really makes me cry. I am so done.

My mum is worried as she said she has never seen me look so tired and even though I have been through some really tough periods in my life, I have still always been able to look after my self a little bit, and at the moment, I JUST CAN'T.

I think I would just like to know, is it the wrong medication? I have never tried another one. Or is this a symptom of 2020?

I would like to feel good enough to leave the house and do some basic human activity but it's all too hard.

[Ggrand]

Hello Peta,

Im sorry that your struggling so much with fatigue...

Its been a very difficult year for so many people..I really hope that next year everything settles down some...

Im so pleased the Drs found the source of your pain (gallstones) and have successfully removed it...

I think Peta, that the best thing you can do for you..is to please make an appointment with your GP..and talk over with GP...how you’re feeling and ask him if your meds are capable of causing you so much fatigue...Anti depression meds have different effects on different people...I really do so much want to gently urge you to reach out to professional people to see if it’s the meds ..

Please take good care of you...

Talk here anytime you feel up to it...

My kindest and most caring thoughts dear Peta.

Grandy..

[Kay8305]

Hi Peta,

I had a similar experience with the meds for my anxiety - I just felt so exhausted all the time and it made concentrating or really caring about doing anything really hard. After leaving the meds, I found the anxiety went up, but at the very least I was not tired. My understanding is that there are a range of medications that can be tried and that finding the best one for you may sometimes require trial and error. I would second what Grandy mentioned and speak to your GP about whether the meds are the cause for the fatigue and other alternatives for it.

I had done the same but have been too worried about potential tiredness to try anything. Hopefully we can find the one that works best!

Lots of luck to you :))