Hello everyone, I hope you are all well
I have been recently diagnosed with several anxiety and depression and have just started a course of antidepressants (fluoxetine)
I am very worried about how my body and mind is going to react with my endometriosis and it's symptoms and I am looking for any advice or experiences from similar situations
I have diagnoses of anxiety and depression and as also started with Fluoxetine when I decided to try medication. To offer a frame of reference, I started in Dec. 2014; I had endo symptoms at the time, but had not pursued diagnosis.
Personally, medication has been extremely helpful for me. The biggest recommendation I can make is to see a psychiatrist (vs a general practitioner, gyno, etc) for med management. Just like we wouldn't go to a dermatologist to seek treatment for a heart problem, it's important that we see a physician who specializes in psychiatric health for those needs.
Though I was not diagnosed with endo at the time, my cycles temporarily became more regular and my periods lighter and less painful after starting Fluoxetine. My psychiatrist said that happens sometimes, but they aren't sure why. I started with 20 mg and we upped it to 40 after a few months because I was still having "breakthrough anxiety" and 40 mg did the trick (still taking 40). Definitely keep in mind that it really takes time to start working and that you may need to adjust the dose. After about 15 months on fluox and some major life events (starting a PhD program, endo diagnosis, car accident, etc), my depression got quite bad and we added a low dose of wellbutrtin and that was very helpful too. Personally, I'm rather conservative about increasing my dosage, and the two psychiatrists I've worked with so far have been very supportive of that. If you are able to see a therapist as well, I highly recommend that too. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions and best of luck 💛
I've suffered from I think mild to moderate depression at times over my life. Never been diagnosed - never seeked a diagnosis (I hate doctors). I believe the hormone treatment I was on only contributed to the depression.
I've recently started seeing a naturopath and have made significant changes in my life and have noticed my mood has greatly improved, I cry a lot less, and it's been several months I think since I've had a bout of depression. I believe diet plays a huge role in depression. I still feel anxious at times, but I think it's also improved. I see an osteopath as well and they do cranialsacral work that affects all of your hormones and blood flow from your brain. I would not be surprised if they have a technique specific to treating depression and anxiety. Might be worth looking into - anti-depressants are not very nice to be taking. My doctor talked to me about them once and was very against prescribing them to me.