Fluoxetine - any messages of hope?

[Ceetee23]

Hi there, I've been on 20mg fluoxetine for a total of 3 weeks 5 days now following a period of illness. Id previously had PND and taken fluoxetine successfully two years ago.
I'm feeling better in some ways in that I think im just coming through the horrendous side effects. But I'm left with such ups and downs and I think I'm just back to where I was pre side effects apart from the fact I am now quite anxious a lot of the time from the minute I wake up and just in the last week it's progressed to a few panic attacks.
Is raised anxiety and feeling jittery and uneasy a side effect and will this pass?
How long did it take others for fluoxetine to start to reach 'therapeutic' levels?
I read fluoxetine works for panic disorder so surely it'll kick in with this anxiety soon?
Thankyou and any reassurance would be great as I'm struggling ?xx

[naturalsoles71]

Sorry to hear you are struggling. I would say that after about a month you should notice an improvement in your mood and anxiety levels, but if you are still feeling anxious and suffering from panic attacks, I would talk to your GP again. I have been on Fluoxetine for around ten months now, and it has improved my mood 100%, I can't remember exactly how long it took to kick in, but I'm sure it was around 3-4 weeks. I hope that has helped xx

[Ceetee23]

Thanks for your response that's really reassuring. I was on fluoxetine for a year previously and it worked really well so not sure why I'm so terrified it won't work again! Probably because I'm currently signed off work so more pressures on to get well so I'm probably being more impatient.
Really glad it's helped your mood and anxiety levels that does give me hope. Just feels like you're not getting anywhere sometimes and the side effects were horrid, definitely made me feel 100% worse for about 3 weeks! Just feel like I'm coming out of that bit xx

[Reframed]

Hi Ceetee just to say I had similar experience with Venlafaxine. It worked wonderfully for my PND so when I went back on recently I expected it to work and quickly.

For some reason it took longer this time (perhaps depression more severe this time). First few weeks I felt like hell! Then I felt the ups and downs and then FINALLY it kicked in after 6 weeks. I also upped the dose and that took a further 3 weeks to take effect. Hang on in it may still work and if not don't be afraid to increase or you may need to augment temporarily x

[Ceetee23]

Thanks for your reply that's encouraging. The intense sense of dread seems to have lifted. I'm at 4 weeks now and I'm thinking I may be being impatient and just expecting it to work quickly again! But it'll probably be more like 6 weeks like you say. Feel like I've made some progress in just the last few days, probably due to side effects totally subsiding.
Can I ask, was it a sudden lifting of everything one day or did things just get a little better each day? I can't remember how it works!
Pleased to hear you're doing well! Xx

[Reframed]

Thanks.

Well got me I started off before meds feeling really anxious. Then depression kicked in. Started the meds really slowly due to fear of side effects. However just wish I'd jumped straight in as I took ages to build up to therapeutic dose and every increase made me feel yucky!

However rough schedule was this
Wk1-4 slowly increasing meds awful depression and anxiety
Wk5-8 therapeutic dose very slow and gradual improvement around week 8. Nothing magical.
Wk9-12 slowly slowly thing improving. Low mornings but days a little easier often fine in evening
Wk12-15 higher dose. Bit of a dip for first couple of weeks. Wk 3 slowly lifting,
This week 16: suddenly feeling almost normal at times. Thinking about returning to work both anxiety and depression greatly reduced.

All in all it has been very gradual with ups and downs but overall creeping slowly slowly up. Wish I'd started higher dose more quickly.

[Ceetee23]

Thanks loads for that, gives me a good idea how things may go. I know what you mean I did exactly the same building the dose up slowly. As Id had a terrible reaction to citalopram I was fearful fluoxetine may do the same, despite having taken it before. So built up slowly then like you wished I had just gone in at the proper dose! Oh well.
Glad you are getting there it all sounds promising! Good luck xx

[Ceetee23]

Hi, when your anti d's kicked in, do you mean you felt better from that moment or did you just feel that they had just started to work? Ie they'd reached their therapeutic levels but you continued to improve and get better and better from then on?