LilyQ: Long term brain fog, difficulty to concentrate and stay present and listen

[LilyQ]

I was on fluoxetine for 2-3years for severe depression. I managed to ween off it and have now been off it for seven years. However I still get bouts of clinical depression and struggle with anxiety but really don’t want to go back on antidepressants. I felt like after the drugs and severe depression, my brain, memory, concentration abilities changed. Sometimes I would forget words that I know exist and have existed in my brain but it feels as though they have disappeared. And long term wise, I  feel I have difficulty to listen and stay focused in conversations, watching films (even the first 10minutes), following and registering conversations. It’s quite frustrating and I don’t know if anyone else finds this? I don’t know if this is a long term effect from taking antidepressants or from having anxiety?  

[Erimus]

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal. We are not here to provide information about going back on medication to deal with anxiety and/or depression. I would suggest exploring non-drug ways to cope with the symptoms you experience in day to day life.

 

It may be that you have some residual effects from fluoxetine, but we also have a responsibility with ourselves to work on our mental state.