UKH

If you've been taking fluoxetine (sp??) for a year, will it affect your running performance?

In reply to Robyn Vacher:
Id been on citalopram low dose for about 2 years, id say it only has any significant effect whilst you are getting used to it or when withdrawing from it. I hadn't experienced any changes in my performance or recovery once id been on it for a few weeks.
But hey what's the sound of one hand yapping, someone will probably have some non anecdotal science to correct me.

In reply to Robyn Vacher:

Great question. It doesn't appear on the wada website, which surprises me. But it probably depends on why you are taking it.
If it's for depression, then you would expect it to improve mood and energy therefore improve running performance. If it was for anxiety and it had a really good affect on you (Mind it's serotonin not and NR or tricyclic) then in could decrease in terms of pace, maybe not enjoyment. Distance and tempo probably are factors.
What the research does say is if you take antidepressants and exercise together for depression the effects are over and above what each treatment does alone, so it's a great idea providing you have doctors clearance for other medical conditions. Also, cardiovascular exercise specifically is better at improving heart rate variability, which is a good inverse correlate for depression and anxiety, which might facilitate coming of the meds a bit quicker. Sereotonin has a very broad range of actions throughout the body, really versatile and complex receptors!

In reply to koalapie:


Probably just poor comprehension skills on my part but I'm struggling with that, perhaps could you elaborate a little. Exercise increases variability of heart rate or decreases it? Put another way, is higher or lower variability 'improved'? Which one inversely correlates with anxiety/depression, high or low variability?

jk

In reply to jkarran:

Hi, sorry, no it's not you the terminology is counterintuitive initially and later, technical.
Increased HRV good, decreased HRV bad. CV better at increasing HRV than strength exercise, but omitting strength entirely not a great idea.
HRV is a measure of autonomic nervous system balance, not a cardiac arrhythmia! It kind of means your heart can shift gears at the appropriate time really quickly, for want of a better analogy.

In reply to koalapie:

Cheers, that's nice and clear
jk

In reply to Robyn Vacher:

Non scientifically I find I seem to be a lot more dehydrated when on SSRIs (not fluoxetine at present) as such I need to keep careful with hydration.

Also there's occasional mention of problems with NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and SSRIs leading to higher rates of bleeding troubles but not often cited as cause for concern.

Ultimately when I'm at my worse, if I'm out of bed and doing something I'm happy, regardless of performance!

Pete