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Teen scared of taking Fluoxetine

Imogen

Hello my autistic 16 year old son has recently been diagnosed with GAD and PTSD. It’s been a difficult journey to get support - he’s been too anxious to engage with therapy and been off school for some time and missed the whole of year 11.  The hope is that the meds might help him enough to start to engage in life again and eventually access the therapy he needs. 
However, having read about the side effects he is just terrified of how he might feel if he takes the meds. He has lots of sensory issues around feeling nauseous had some general issues with his body and feeling uncomfortable. Although rationally he can understand that he might feel better he’d rather just stick with how he is than risk being the person who gets all the side effects. He is happy to take other medication such as painkillers and antibiotics but feels very different about this. 
I’ve told him he doesn’t have to take them and to think about it/wait until he’s ready. But I can’t help feeling frustrated.

Has anyone else experienced this or got any advice on how he might be encouraged to try the meds? 

Thank you Blush

Parents

  • Based upon my own personal experience of SSRIs I think your son is rightly cautious. The 'side effects' can be severe and life threatening. The warnings about increased risk of suicide are there for a reason and the risk is increased for younger patients.

    If I had not experienced this myself I would not have believed it. I was put on them purely for anxiety and did not have suicidal thoughts prior to taking them. Within a few months of being on them I was experiencing constant suicidal ideation and seriously planning to act. I could not think of anything else 24/7. My anxiety had become significantly worse and and I was severely agitated. It was the most terrifying experience that I would not wish on anyone. It is known as SSRI-induced activation syndrome.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activation_syndrome

    They do help some people but for others they can be dangerous. That's why it really does have to be the patient choice if they decide to take the risk or not. I was bullied by my GP into taking them and lived to regret it. At least I lived to tell the tale, sadly others do not.

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  • Based upon my own personal experience of SSRIs I think your son is rightly cautious. The 'side effects' can be severe and life threatening. The warnings about increased risk of suicide are there for a reason and the risk is increased for younger patients.

    If I had not experienced this myself I would not have believed it. I was put on them purely for anxiety and did not have suicidal thoughts prior to taking them. Within a few months of being on them I was experiencing constant suicidal ideation and seriously planning to act. I could not think of anything else 24/7. My anxiety had become significantly worse and and I was severely agitated. It was the most terrifying experience that I would not wish on anyone. It is known as SSRI-induced activation syndrome.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activation_syndrome

    They do help some people but for others they can be dangerous. That's why it really does have to be the patient choice if they decide to take the risk or not. I was bullied by my GP into taking them and lived to regret it. At least I lived to tell the tale, sadly others do not.

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