Back in July I started back on Duloxetine and said I was going to a) blog through my feelings and b) keep a paper record of everything.

I did neither. Ooops.

Well, I kept the paper thing up for a bit but then I forgot and then I lost the notebook… so I downloaded the Round Health app onto my phone to record my tablet taking instead and that has been much more successful. Plus it shouts at me if it gets late and I haven’t taken it yet, so I’m less likely to forget.

I didn’t blog about my feelings in the first week mostly because I was asleep. I would wake up feeling like I’d been hit by a train, get the kids to school, come home and go back to bed because asleep was the only way I could avoid feeling sick. I’d then get up again to collect them from school, muddle through to their bed time dealing with dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and an endless headache, and then go to bed immediately after they did. Food intake was minimal and plain (think, buttered toast kind of thing), and I didn’t get much else done beyond the bare minimum required to keep everyone in the house fed and clothed.

Week two improved rapidly – I was still very sleepy and had random muscle spasms several times a day, but the headache receeded and I was only periodically dizzy, so I was able to join in with life a bit more! All I needed was two naps a day to get through!

My anxiety has been massively reduced, I can now work through situations that previously would have knocked me flat for days. My emotions in general are less wild and all over the place, though I still have down patches.

I still get muscle spasms, mostly when I’m tired or in a stressful situation, and I take a nap most days if I can manage it. I find that bit of extra sleep gives me a few more spoons to make the rest of the day more productive.

All in all, I feel better for going back on my medication – I don’t feel out of it, or so numb I don’t care about anything – but I am no longer swinging from one emotional extreme to another or having panic attacks that leave me too anxious to leave the house alone.

It’s definitely an improvement!