Need some advice on medication TW: suicide mention
I was recently diagnosed with moderate anxiety and higher on the scale for depression, even though I’ve been dealing with it for as long as I can remember but it got much more extreme after my sister committed suicide understandably. My primary physician prescribed me fluoxetine and a starting dose of 20 mg, my other sister takes it and he said typically what works for one family member tends to work for another. The problem I’m having is starting the medication because I have anxiety over the possibility of having worsening symptoms or experiencing “detachment”. I went through a months long episode of depersonalization when I was 17 (I’m 29 now) and it was probably the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced and I want to avoid that happening again by any means necessary as it took me a very long time to come out of it. Looking for any advice or personal experience when starting a new medication for anxiety.
Edit to add: I have taken 5mg of Ativan for panic attacks in the past and never experienced side effects of that, but in saying that it’s a super low dose and fast acting anxiety medication and curious to how a slow acting daily med would differ.