fluoxetine

[ollieoll1095]

hello i am a 38 year old male who had a nervous breakdown 8 weeks ago.
I have been having panic attacks and deppression since i was 18.
This is without doubt the worst i have ever felt.
i have so many ailments wrong with me it seems just too hard to comprehend.
as soon as i eat anything i want to go to the toilet, (sorry about this) but my facaes is like slurry.
I sometimes go up to 20 times a day and it feels like contractions in my stomach.
i cannot venture very far as if the contraction comes on i have to stop in my tracks or s*** myself.
I constantly feel sick and have no appetite at all.
i seem to be living off complan.
i have become an alcoholic and depend on alcohol just for that few hours of pain relief.
I have always been incredibly nervous and am petrified of violence.
I cannot hve relationships as i have no confidence in myself.
I am not suicidal but i cannot seem to smile ever.
My only friend is my mum who is a rock to me.
I just need someone to help with any ideas please because all i do is drink and think about things and sleep.
i can easily sit on my bed for hours just thinking about things.
I find the most trivial things emotional.
i know im weak and have no assertiveness.
will these 20mg of fluoxetine work for me.
thank you so much for listening.
steve

[ollieoll1095]

thank you so much for your comments.
i will make a serious effort to try them.
many many thanks to you all. xx

[erasmus2002]

Before you start a course of medication you should try some simple measures that will help you. There are three of them, and they are easy:

1) Eat well! Having a balanced diet is not difficult and gives you a psychological and physical boost. Spend some quality time with your food - choosing, preparing and enjoying it. Start with something simple, a nice pasta al ametriciana. Come back to me and I'll take you through it step by step. Drink a nice red wine, but not too much, and enjoy it without guilt. Alcohol is not universally bad, and you should find a balance - in moderation it will not constitute a problem.

2) Exercise! There is not enough space here to list the benefits of exercise. You don't need to climb Everest - just go for a walk or a bike ride a few times a week. If you feel blue then get up and start walking. Exercise helps your appetite, your digestion, your mental outlook, your ability to sleep, your bone density, cardiovascular performance, etc. etc. Start small but push further every time.

3) Connect! You live in a wonderful world - connect with it! Most people will, if you give them a chance, be perfectly nice to you. Be brave and do things that help you spend time with other people. It's natural to be nervous about new things - everyone feels that, but we push through it and are rewarded. Take this forum as an example - where people are trying to encourage and support you.

Three easy things - please try them. You are feeling pretty sorry for yourself right now, but you need to pull up and start making a real effort to get better. Concentrating on your problems will not help you - you need to be concentrating on the solutions. These things - diet, exercise and social connection - are areas where you can make real gains. No-one can do it for you - so it's all in your hands. Will you come back to me and say you can't? No? Then you've already started to get better.  

NOTE: This is a personal opinion of your condition and does not consist of or should be construed as medical advice. You should consult your personal physician before commencing or ceasing any course of treatment. No liability is accepted for conditions or circumstances howsoever arising in connection with this posting.

[silverberg]

good replies from above, but here is something you may not want to hear!!! STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL PERIOD.  I believe if anyone is really sick, Alcohol is the last resort! So if you are as bad as you say, NO med and NO therapy will help until YOU STOP DRINKING FIRST PERIOD. ENOUGH SAID!

[jdogclf]

You sound a lot like me sometimes.  I would say the fluoxetine would definately help.  Also meditation, reading uplifting articles, eating right, improving sleep habits, and EXERCISING is probably the best.  Just going on a long walk is great.  It's helped me tremendously!

[Paxiled]

There's no such thing as a nervous breakdown.  You need to get into therapy.  As for the medication, you won't know if it'll work until you try it -- we all react differently.  Alcohol increases depression and stomach problems, so that's a problem, not a remedy.